Posted on 01/31/2006 6:30:30 PM PST by crazyhorse691
Dear Members and Friends of The Clergy Letter Project,
I'm writing to provide an update on The Clergy Letter and on Evolution Sunday. Although we've not been aggressively recruiting new signatures for The Clergy Letter since we reached our goal of 10,000, signatures continue to arrive daily. We are now up to 10,236 (http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/religion_science_collaboration.htm).
Similarly, the number of congregations participating in Evolution Sunday continues to grow nicely. As of this afternoon, 366 congregations representing 48 states and the District of Columbia have signed on. The events are very exciting. Some congregations will be hearing sermons while others will be having lunch discussions. Some will be holding adult education classes while still others will be hosting Sunday school classes for children. It certainly is not too late to have your congregation listed - simply drop me a note telling me that you want to be listed. And please remember that not all events must be on 12 February 2006 -- the bottom of the participant's list includes the following sentence: "Due to scheduling difficulties, some participating churches will be holding their events close to 12 February 2006 but not on that day." Go to http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/rel_evol_sun.htm to see our growing list.
Our resource page (http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/rel_resources.htm) is also expanding due to the efforts of many of you. We now have more than 30 sermons listed as well as more than 25 articles and letters.
I'm very pleased to say that there appears to be growing interest in our activities by the media. I have a number of radio interviews scheduled, including one to be recorded tomorrow with NPR's Interfaith Voices. And the Religion News Service is scheduled to run a story soon. So your efforts are beginning to pay off. Every day more people are hearing the message that religion and science can comfortably coexist. And they are learning that the loud voices of strident fundamentalists are not speaking for all Christian leaders.
Finally, William Brandes, the spouse of a signer of The Clergy Letter, has created banners advertising The Clergy Letter Project that can easily be inserted on web pages. Please take a look at the web site for the First Congregational UCC in Mount Vernon, Ohio (http://www.mvucc.org/index.php) to see what one of his banners looks like. If you like what you see and would like to add a banner to your web site (they cost nothing!), go to http://www.www321.com/CLP/ for simple instructions on how to do so.
Thank you so very much for your support and energy. Please continue to mention The Clergy Letter Project to colleagues and to media contacts. Our impact grows as our number of participants grows!
Michael
p.s. In case anyone wants to see it again, I'm pasting in a press release that you can distribute to local media outlets.
Press Release
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: from th, 920.424.1210, Office of the Dean, College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Hundreds of Congregations Across the Nation to Celebrate "Evolution Sunday"
The Clergy Letter Project Michael Zimmerman, Founder mz@uwosh.edu Office of the Dean College of Letters and Science University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI 54901 920.424.1210
On 12 February 2006 hundreds of Christian churches from all portions of the country and a host of denominations will come together to discuss the compatibility of religion and science.
Now, on the 197th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, many of these leaders will bring this message to their congregations through sermons and/or discussion groups. Together, participating religious leaders will be making the statement that religion and science are not adversaries. And, together, they will be elevating the quality of the national debate on this topic.
"For far too long, strident voices, in the name of Christianity, have been claiming that people must choose between religion and modern science," said Dr. Michael Zimmerman, founder of the project. "As of today we have 366 congregations planning to give talks to disprove this false dichotomy."
The list of participating congregations can be found on the Evolution Sunday (http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/rel_evol_sun.htm) web page. That site also lists more than 30 sermons already delivered by members of The Clergy Letter Project on the topic of the compatibility of religion and science.
As The Clergy Letter (http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/religion_science_collaboration.htm) has demonstrated, Christianity can comfortably embrace evolution. The letter, addressing school boards across the country, concludes by stating: "We urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge. We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth."
"Evolution Sunday and The Clergy Letter represent a new kind of grassroots effort by members of the Christian leadership in America to reclaim Christianity from those using it for their narrow sectarian advantage," Zimmerman said.
Gah! Not one but TWO churches in my town are participating. It's not surprising that one is the "alternative lifestyle-friendly" UCC church that meets in the middle school down the road.
Your belief is founded in the lies of Fundamentalists.
And you'd be wrong.
Innnnnteresting....!
See this is where the 'make religion popular with the world' leads us. An unholy alliance between religion and state, which will create a monster with the worst of each group.
You know... I thought I saw this somewhere in my research yesterday.... but I can't remember where.
Hmm. Argument from the consequences fallacy based upon strawmen and false premises. Is this what passes muster as "solid" creationist discussion these days?
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