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Brittany Shoots-Reinhard has a PhD in social psychology with a specialization in attitudes and persuasion, and judgment and decision making. She is also Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network coordinator.

Most atheists have come up against the idea that they are less moral or charitable than believers, and research on social exclusion suggests that there may be a grain of truth to this idea. When people feel alone or rejected, they are less likely to donate money, volunteer, or perform a spontaneous act of kindness (e.g., helping someone pick up dropped belongings) than people who feel accepted (Twenge, Baumeister, DeWall, et al., 2007). Critically, it appears that exclusion reduces feelings of empathy (e.g., Twenge et al., 2007; DeWall & Baumeister, 2006), an emotion that is central to the motivation of prosocial behavior (e.g., Batson, 1991).

However, local atheist groups, online forums, or even communities that develop around commenting on a blog insulate atheists against loneliness or rejection and the associated deficits to helping. Certainly the atheist groups that are part of Beyond Belief Network are extraordinarily prosocial, having volunteered more than 30,000 hours of service to date. Our Humanist Giving program similarly demonstrates the prosociality of atheists: last quarter’s totals were well over $120,000 donated to our beneficiaries!

The success of our programs isn’t just due to benefits to belongingness, because groups don’t just make people feel socially accepted, they create norms for their members (Hackman, 1992). Norms can be descriptive (e.g., what most people do) and injunctive (e.g., what most people approve of); when descriptive and injunctive norms align, they are especially powerful (e.g., Cialdini, 2003). When norms are prosocial, members will be more likely to behave prosocially and be concerned with others (e.g., George & Bettenhausen, 1990).

Foundation Beyond Belief’s mission to focus, encourage, and demonstrate humanist generosity and compassion is no mistake. Focusing and encouraging our Beyond Belief Network groups and Humanist Giving members creates the injunctive norm that secular humanists approve of and value prosocial behavior. Highlighting our successes and milestones is equally important to establishing the descriptive norm that most people who identify as secular humanist volunteer or donate.

Recommendations

1. Join or create online or in-person nonbeliever groups. Feeling accepted (versus alone or rejected) makes helping more likely. For example, you can also join our Member Community on Facebook and learn about potential future beneficiaries and connect with other FBB Humanist Giving members.
    
2. Establish an injunctive prosocial norm by joining Beyond Belief Network. Announcing or discussing potential BBN membership and making a public commitment shows your members that generosity and volunteering are valued.
    
3. Do what you can to make descriptive norms prosocial, too. For example, it’s more important to find a small task that nearly everyone will do than start large. Being able to say that nearly everyone helps is crucial to establishing the prosocial norm. Additionally, the small task is the foot in the door that can make future volunteering more likely (Burger, 1999).

Light The Night Incentive Week is November 11-18.

1. Everyone who sends a fundraising webpage to 20 or more people and cc’s Breanna.Baer@lls.org will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card.
2. The team captain with the most Champions for the Cure (walkers who have raised $100 or more) on their team by November 18 will win a $25 Amazon.com gift card.
3. All Champions for the Cure will be entered in a raffle to receive a Kindle Fire.
4. The top five individual online fundraisers for the week (must raise a minimum of $250 during the incentive week) each win a $25 American Express gift card.

If you participated in Light The Night and would like to share pictures, tell us about your walk experience, and make suggestions for next year, we’d love to hear from you! Complete our Light The Night walk report. We’ll share team pictures, Incentive Week results, and the team leaderboard for incentives courtesy of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation.

Even though the walks themselves are over, you still have until January 31, 2014, to help Light The Night and fight cancer. With your help, we’ve raised nearly $260,000 in 2013 and $690,000 to date.

By Ed Brayton, FBB’s media relations coordinator and blogger at Dispatches from the Culture Wars

As Americans celebrate the 4th of July, the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress (but not signed then, contrary to popular misconception), we pause to reflect on the fact that this document and the ideas that animated it were drawn largely from Enlightenment humanism.
The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by three men—Thomas Jefferson, who did the primary writing, and John Adams and Ben Franklin, who made edits to the draft before it was adopted by the larger group. It was a list of grievances against King George III, explaining why the 13 colonies were in revolt against his rule, as well as a statement of the principles of liberal democracy. Perhaps the most famous statement from the Declaration is this:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Despite the appeal to a creator, this is a statement quite in line with humanist principles and can be clearly tied to the ideas of Enlightenment humanism in Europe. It is no coincidence that Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin had all spent time in France and were well acquainted with many of the leading philosophers of that age, including Diderot, Voltaire, d’Holbach, Buffon, Condorcet, and many others. They were also influenced by earlier Enlightenment thinkers like Locke and Montesquieu.

The focus on liberty and the pursuit of happiness reflects the humanist principle that all people should be free to maximize their own personal development and fulfillment, so long as their actions do not prevent another from doing the same. This is mirrored in Jefferson’s famous statement:

“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

But these men also recognized that while we are all individuals endowed with rights, we are also members of societies and dependent on one another to a great degree. Thomas Paine, one of the great Enlightenment thinkers himself and perhaps the Founding Father most responsible for rallying public opinion to the cause of independence from England, wrote in The Age of Reason that he believed in “the equality of man” and that our duties “consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.”

But above all it was the belief in the primacy of reason, that human rationality alone can provide solutions to our problems and improve the condition of the world, that is the most important humanist principle held by these men. As Jefferson told his nephew, Peter Carr, “Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”

It should be noted here that while these ideas are humanist, they are not necessarily secular humanist. All of these men believed in God, though not necessarily the Christian one. The historian Gregg Frazer describes the religious views of the leading founders (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin) as “theistic rationalism.” But the basic principles of our founding are accepted by humanists, religious and secular alike.

We owe the authors of the Declaration a debt of gratitude for bringing the principles of Enlightenment humanism, then sweeping through Europe, across the Atlantic and establishing the first country based primarily on those powerful ideas. In so doing, they sparked a fire that swept through much of the world, tearing down monarchies and creating liberal democracies in their place. That is indeed a cause for celebration.

by Mandisa Thomas, Foundation Beyond Belief board member and president of Black Nonbelievers, Inc.

When I was asked to write a guest entry for FBB, I had a whole rant planned about the need for more atheists (black in particular) to become more active offline—emphasizing less talking, and more doing. Instead, I decided to talk more about my organization, Black Nonbelievers, Inc.—our origins, accomplishments, upcoming events, and what we want to establish for the future.

BN, Inc. was co-founded by Benjamin Burchall and me in January 2011. The mission was primarily to connect with other blacks offline who were in the closet with their nonbelief, and provide a social and support base surrounding relatable issues. We started out as Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta, and in February of that same year, we held our first general meeting. There were about 15 of us in attendance, which spoke to the importance of our existence. This told us that our premise for starting this group was indeed correct, that there was a need that the overall freethought community was overlooking, and that most important, we had to be the ones to initiate this venture instead of totally depending on others coming around to a resolution.

BN is very dedicated to maintaining a festive and grounded environment. While we strongly advocate for, and participate in, educational and informative activities, we also stress the importance of having fun and creating a relaxed atmosphere amongst fellow nonbelievers. Many of us are responsible for not only our careers and families, but also ourselves, and so having this outlet where we can let loose and let our hair down while building a strong foundation for support is crucial.

In the two years since our inception, BN has been featured in a number of podcasts and radio interviews, news outlets, focus groups, film student documentaries, and freethought-related events, including rallies and conventions. We also continuously host our regular meetings and events in the Atlanta area, including a New Year’s Bash along with Black Atheists of America. BN is also proud to be affiliated with and support such organizations as African Americans for Humanism, American Atheists, Camp Quest, Recovering from Religion, and most recently, Foundation Beyond Belief.

In March 2012, BN held our very first out-of-state gathering in Washington DC after the Reason Rally—an after party that turned out to be a huge success. This year, we are hosting a Freethought Jam in Austin, TX. This event is included on the itinerary of the 2013 American Atheists Convention and will feature great music and dancing, as well as an up-and-coming BN-affiliated lyricist, MC Brooks. Tickets are $20 in advance, and slightly more at the door. All proceeds go toward BN’s efforts to establish an extensive support base in our community, including financial help for members who need immediate assistance—especially surrounding complications as a result of revealing nonbelief to a loved one.

More information about BN can be found at www.blacknonbelievers.org. Information, events, and appearances are updated regularly.

Foundation Beyond Belief became a special partner of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night program in 2012, and the 2012 walk season ended January 31. More than 150 local humanist groups came together to raise more than $430,000 for cancer research and patient outreach. Teams were eligible for fundraising awards courtesy of Stiefel Freethought Foundation. Congratulations to all of the walkers and teams!

A special thank you goes out to Steve Karasick and the rest of the members of Brent’s Brigade, who joined the FBB International Team after raising more than $10,000 for Light the Night. Says Steve, “Cancer is a devastating disease that doesn’t differentiate based upon age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, religious belief, or socioeconomic status. We believe that everyone can come together to face a common foe and unite around a common cause … and that everyone deserves to live a full, healthy life. We stand united with all others in the quest to cure cancer.” By broadening our coalition beyond the humanist community, you have underscored the good we can do when working together.

Total Dollars Raised team prizes, courtesy of Stiefel Freethought Foundation:
First Place Team Prize: $5,000
     Winner: Triangle Freethought Society ($9,338.93, team captain Robin Wascher and Joey Carabetta)
Second Place Team Prize: $2,000
     Winner: CFI–LA ($7,756.25, team captain Alice Pine)
Third Place Team Prize: $1,000
     Winner: Las Vegas Coalition of Reason ($6,120, team captain Brian Naldoza)

Average Dollars Raised (per team member; minimum team size of 10) team prizes, courtesy of Stiefel Freethought Foundation:
First Place Team Prize: $5,000
     Winner: Las Vegas Coalition of Reason ($510 for 12 members, team captain Brian Naldoza)
Second Place Team Prize: $2,000
     Winner: CFI–LA (~$408 for 19 members, team captain Alice Pine)
Third Place Team Prize: $1,000
     Winner: SSA at Presbyterian College (~$324 for 10 members, team captain Harrison Hopkins)

Student Group Prizes, courtesy of Stiefel Freethought Foundation:
Prize for First Place Team in Total Dollars: $1,000
     Winner: Harvard Humanist Boston ($4,528, team captain Chelsea Link)
Prize for First Place Team in Average Dollars Raised (per team member; minimum team size of 10): $1,000
     Winner: SSA at Presbyterian College (~$324 for 10 members, team captain Harrison Hopkins)

Home office prize, courtesy of Stiefel Freethought Foundation:
First Place Prize for home office in total dollars: $1,000
     Winner: Harvard Humanist Boston ($4,528, team captain Chelsea Link)
 
Individual prizes, courtesy of LLS:
Top Fundraiser Prize: iPad
     Winner: Robert Taylor ($10,055.00), FBB Virtual Team

By AJ Chalom

Dave was born and raised in Pittsburgh in a stable household. He went to private school, joined the air force. During that time, Dave reconnected with a girlfriend who had a history of violence, and the relationship continued against his family’s advice. A cycle of violence perpetuated itself, and someone Dave loved deeply was being threatened. Dave withdrew and deteriorated, and then he took another person’s life. He was sentenced to 25 years to life. Dave served a total of 22 years, 4 months, and 12 days in prison for his actions.

His dad said, “You are always going to make mistakes—just don’t make mistakes you can’t recover from. You may have done that, but whether you recover depends on what you do from here on out.” Dave took from this a revolutionary idea that maybe he could recover from this. He wanted to recover and regain who he was. He had to make a decision to not let the system change him.

Dave had to learn to live with himself. For years after being incarcerated, he wouldn’t look at himself in the mirror. But he finally faced himself, and that was a first step. He started taking advantage of any program within the system that he could benefit from.

Dave became aware of Prison University Project (PUP) accidently; he was mistakenly sent to San Quentin in a transfer in 2002, instead of back to his previous prison. One of the first things he saw was a list on the wall to sign up for college. He did this immediately. Once his prison counselor noticed Dave wasn’t supposed to be there, they talked. His counselor asked what he wanted to do. His response: “Well, I am in college now, so I would rather stay.”

I spoke with Dave about his experiences with PUP.

AJ: How would you say the decision to participate in PUP affected your time in prison, and the lives of other incarcerated men?

Dave: It affected my time by providing me with yet another avenue to develop myself. It also affected my time in that I had time to interact with a lot of people that were not incarcerated. That was so important, because it was part of bringing the outside values that would not be part of the prison environment naturally. It also gave me the opportunity to tutor and teach other men. I became a clerk of the program while still incarcerated. Other men began to depend on me. I started to develop relationships with men that would not do a lot of programs.

I asked Dave what his educational goals were before he was in prison and what educational goals he met in PUP’s program. He said that before he was incarcerated, his educational goals were what he needed to learn to keep a job. His goals were simply vocational skills, leading to his decision to join the air force.

When he joined PUP, his education goals changed. He knew the jobs that would be available to him as a prisoner would be limited, so he had to academically upgrade. Furthermore, going to classes exposed him to readings and topics that he would not usually be exposed to. He realized he could only begin to pay his debt to society by working for the betterment of society.

Dave knew he needed to learn whatever he could to learn to be productive and make a real change to society. He earned an associate degree through PUP. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State University in public policy, political science, or criminal justice. Dave is also the administrative assistant for Prison University Project.

AJ: What made you decide to work for PUP?

Dave: I fell in love with the volunteers. . . . PUP has been a major force inside, probably without even realizing it. I gained respect from the nonstop work that PUP’s employees and volunteers did.

These volunteers were intent on serving a vulnerable population, which Dave also wanted to do. It seemed like an easy and natural transition.

AJ: What is your advice to an incarcerated person who is unsure about the PUP program?

Dave: Getting an education is a key to success in every other area in life. Getting an education will help them develop the critical thinking skills to help them succeed in any other job that they are going to do.

AJ: Do see a role for PUP for long-time prison population?

Dave: [PUP] provides some normalcy in an environment that is not normal. Helps guys develop self-esteem and helps them communicate in a variety of ways. The long-timers are the stabilizers in the prison. PUP helps them gain a variety of skills in managing the more immature prison population.

Another thing that it does for long-timers is that it gives them hope. Many of them feel like they are not going to be able to get manual-labor jobs because they are going to be older, so they NEED the education so they can find other opportunities.

Dave concludes, “It is important for us to remember that we are all much more than the worst thing that we have ever done.”

Our current Poverty beneficiary Women Thrive Worldwide applauded the new policy released last month by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which focuses increased attention on women and girls as recipients and beneficiaries of US foreign assistance — increasingly recognized as a best practice for humanitarian and developmental assistance.

“Up to now, USAID has not consistently used gender-sensitive indicators and collected sex-disaggregated baseline data as part of its evaluation procedures,” said Anu Palan, Vice President of Communications for Women Thrive. The new evaluation policy “rejuvenates past evaluation excellence at USAID by incorporating attention to gender across all relevant areas of evaluation, increasing USAID’s accountability to and its effectiveness in reaching both women and men living in poverty.”

“It is crucial for all U.S. assistance programs to take the needs and voices of women and girls into account, especially since women are the majority of the world’s poorest citizens,” said WTW President Ritu Sharma. “We welcome the fact that USAID is taking this approach to ensure that women truly benefit from all its efforts.”

Women Thrive and its partners in the Gender, Policy and Foreign Assistance Working Group (GPFA) “understand that the true test of these good intentions lies in implementation,” said Palan. “GPFA will work to ensure that these reforms result in a meaningful improvement in the lives of women, men, girls and boys living in poverty around the world.”

SOLSTICE UPDATE, 12/21: The Foundation Beyond Belief year-end fund drive is over, but several generous donors decided that it isn’t over even when it’s over!

Thanks to a flurry of donations in the last three days, we are now at $8605, or 93 percent of the goal of retiring the Foundation’s operational debt for 2010.

Immense thanks to 133 donors for chipping in to help make this experiment in compassionate humanism possible.

(Want to help us hit the bell? Just $645 to go!)