Mission
Network for Church Monitoring is a progressive non-profit organization that seeks to bring together individuals from across the globe – no matter whether theistic, atheistic, or agnostic – to call for improvements in scientific understanding, support of scientific inquiry and the use of empirical, scientifically supported evidence to shape policies and institutions.
It is vital that the public be exposed to the scientific perspective on crucial issues of the 21st century, such as biotechnology, population growth and climate change, and this presupposes the separation of church and state and policies that are based on secular principles.
The single greatest threat to church-state separation in America is the movement known as the Christian Right – the largest player in the “Religious Right”. Organizations and leaders representing this religio-political crusade seek to impose a fundamentalist Christian viewpoint on all Americans by government action.
Science provides reliable knowledge as a basis for addressing problems of public concern and, with regard to beliefs about natural phenomena, overcomes religious boundaries and ideological borders.
Consider the Christian Right’s attack on environmentalism. This attack mirrors its long-standing attack on evolution. In both cases, science is grossly misunderstood and/or purposefully misrepresented. And in both cases, the attack, framed in starkly religious terms, claims that there can be only one appropriate religious interpretation. As with the battle over evolution, this newly manufactured controversy over environmentalism should not be seen as a fight between religion and science but as a struggle between one small group representing an extreme view of religion and all other religious traditions.
In 2009, the UK government Chief Scientist Sir John Beddington spoke of an impending ‘Perfect Storm’ that combines: climate change, food security, water security and energy security. The growing population and success in alleviating poverty in developing countries will trigger a surge in demand for food, water and energy over the next two decades, at a time when governments must also make major progress in combating climate change.
Chief Science Advisor to the UK Government Professor Sir John Beddington: World faces ‘perfect storm’ of problems by 2030
It is not just atheists who have trouble with extremism; people of many faiths find religious extremism dangerous, especially when coupled with the power of government. For this reason, we need to shift the discussion about the importance of secular government back into the mainstream and find solutions for the great challenges of the 21st century.
