Episode 115 :: Sean Faircloth :: Attack of the Theocrats

By Ted Meissner | May 6, 2012

Sean Faircloth

Sean Faircloth returns to speak with us about his new book, Attack of the Theocrats, and his new role with the Richard Dawkins Foundation.

Question: what does secular Buddhism have to do with politics? Or, maybe more accurately, what does politics have to do with secular Buddhism? The answer is quite alot, at least in the United States, as it turns out. The unfortunate fact is that secular Buddhists’ right to practice as they see fit is every bit as threatened as those same rights of Buddhists from more traditional settings, as Hindus, as Muslims, as… atheists.

This is not a topic we talk about very much, this separation of church and state, and that may be putting our freedoms at risk. As a practicing Buddhist, I imagine the idea of a Christian biblical flood being taught as science in the classroom to your children might not sit so well with you. But for many others, the response is, “what’s the big deal?” We’re just not in the habit of questioning the privilege one religious view enjoys over other religious views, or non-religious views.

What those same supporters of unscientific ideas like intelligent design fail to realize is that by opening the door to one religious ideological stance, they open the door to them all — including ones with which they disagree. Protecting this separation between our choices in what we find personally uplifting, and how we govern as a society, protects all of us.

Sean Faircloth served five terms in the Maine Legislature, served on the Judiciary and Appropriations Committee, and was elected Majority Whip by his colleagues. In two years as Executive Director of Secular Coalition for America, Faircloth conceived and led the Secular Decade plan, a specific strategic vision for resecularizing American government. As Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason, Faircloth will expand his strategic efforts on behalf of the entire secular movement, speak regarding policy issues, discuss the ideas in his book, and seek innovative ways to improve the secular movement. Faircloth has spoken around the United States about separation of church and state, the Constitution, children’s policy, obesity policy, and sex crime law.

So, sit back, relax, and have a nice Mint Julep.