Paul Kurtz

The election of Bill Clinton to the American Presidency could mark a new era - considering how different he and his policies are to the previous recent incumbents. At his inauguration a prayer was said by Billy Graham and Clinton concluded: "We have heard the trumpets. We have changed the guard. And now -- each in our own way, and with God's help - we must answer the call." Humanists will respond to his sense of optimism and excitement - the trumpet's call -and appreciate his recognition that we all believe in our own way.

Paul Kurtz, a leader of the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism and editor of Free Inquiry, has made a statement about the potential of the new President.

"The humanist movemement in the USA does not endorse candidates or political parties. Humanists represent a wide range of viewpoints: Democrat, Republican, socialist, independent, libertarian. There is, for example, no humanist line on politics, per se.

"The Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, publisher of Free Inquiry magazine, came into being twelve years ago, at a time when the Religious Right began attacking secular humanism and sought to fulfill a biblically-based agenda. Tens of millions of people are skeptical of traditional religions; they have demonstrated that they can live meaningful lives, behave ethically, and be good citizens without benefit of clergy. Humanists have consistently defended the pluralistic democratic system, where the state is neutral and does not attempt to establish religion. The US constitution does not consider the United States to be 'a Christian nation', as the governor of Mississippi recently proclaimed, nor even 'a Judeo-Christian' one.

"In addition, humanists have deplored the continued erosion of individual liberties over the past twelve years during the Reagan/Bush presidencies. We have criticized the efforts of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority, Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition, the pope and the Vatican, to undermine the right to privacy and to legislate their own forms of moral authoritarianism.

"It is time to take America in new directions. The election to public office of an avowed atheist, agnostic, or secular humanist still has not occurred. Nevertheless, we welcome the new Clinton-Gore administration. Although both men have said that they are Baptists, they believe in freedom and tolerance. Both have declared their support for the rights of women, gays, blacks, and other minorities as citizens entitled to the equal protection of the laws. And they endorse the right to privacy, which includes individual choice regarding abortion and euthanasia. We will need to monitor their actions in regard to church/state issues.

"The role that the Religious Right played during the Reagan-Bush era should now lessen. We trust that the appointment of extreme conservatives to the Supreme Court and other Federal courts will now be halted and that the Justice Department will be restrained from pursuing its war on personal liberties.

'The Religious Right surely will not retreat in its efforts to recapture political power. The battles for liberty are thus never ending. Let us hope that with new leadership on the national scene the public schools will be strengthened, that American children will receive excellent education in science, critical thinking, and moral development, and that the movement to reintroduce prayer into the public schools will lose strength.

"The new administration will have its hands full in stimulating economic growth and in insuring that all citizens will be able to find jobs and have adequate health care coverage. With the end of the Cold War and the arms race the danger of a depression threatens the worldwide economy. The problems we now face are global, not the least of which is the need to develop planetary consciousness that recognizes the interdependence of all nations. We hope that the new administration will intensify efforts to protect the environment and especially to implement policy of responsible population control.

"The new challenges that the United States and the world face as we approach the twenty-first century is to help build a democratic global community in which prosperity and freedom can be shared by the developing countries, and in which ethnic hatred and violence will give way to a recognition of our new planetary responsibilities.

"The most promising aspect of the Clinton-Gore presidency is its youth. We cannot look backward to the ancient dogmas of the pail, but only forward to a new world. We need new images of the future, new ideals to strive for, and fresh, creative thinking. The greatest challenges, in our view, will come from the dramatic growth of science and technology, and there is a need to develop appropriate ethical values to accommodate the inevitable pace of enormous social changes that will ensue. These changes will present humankind with problems, but also with unparalleled opportunities. We need bold new political, economic, and intellectual leadership. We hope the new administration will be more alert to the exciting potentialities of the new world that is emerging."

Clinton has already run into opposition in his support for gay rights and a woman's right to choose abortion. Mr. Randall of Operation Rescue has said: "we are attempting to inspire a rebellion against President Clinton because sodomy is against God's law, just as baby-killing is against God's law."