Kraków for a Secular Europe

Manifesto

We are humanists who yearn for peaceful coexistence of different beliefs and world-views. We believe that such a subjective notion as faith should not be a weapon of political wrangling and a means of exerting pressure on secular legislation. We agree that everyone ought to have the freedom and right to their own religion and belief as long as it does not endanger others.

Secular state is not a made up “privilege” of atheists and agnostics. It is the principle of a free civil society, guaranteed by the constitution, which provides the freedom to profess any religion or no religion at all. We do not agree to disregard or even denial of the provisions of the Constitution on the separation of church and state. We expect equal rights and equal treatment of believers and non-believers.

We are strongly opposed to giving away public assets to win favor with the clergy, doing politics in the church, blackmailing the legislative power with excommunications on matters related to abortions and in vitro. We are protesting against any attempts  of public slander of people holding views which are different from religious orthodoxy. Strong suppression of any voices of criticism over Catholic church contradicts the basic rules of democracy. We demand immediate squaring and explanation of crime-related activities of the Property Commission. We support the attempts to remove art. 196 of the penal code about the offending of religious feelings, which effectively clogs the mouths of  those (especially artists) who dare to criticize Catholic church. We do not agree to censorship of any kind, and we believe in freedom of research and creativity.

We demand the exclusion of religion from the public school curriculum as well as the mark from this subject from the school certificate. We demand the public space to be free of religious symbolism and to cease the practice of official participation of  key government officials in masses celebrated on national holidays and other important anniversaries.

We demand the total cessation of subsidizing the church from the state budget. We consider it acceptable to introduce church tax, which does not only enable the practitioners of a given religion to support their own churches, but will also help to verify the number practitioners in a credible way.

Poland is a country in which even some Catholics are against the church interference in not only public but also their private lives and the lives of people of other faiths and non-believes. They want to be allowed to run their own lives. Let the state be secular, and people happy, each in its own way.

Events

Friday 14 October:

Inauguration  of Krakow’s  atheists and agnostics Days

17:00- 19:30 Discussion: “Freedom. What we are allowed: state – individual.”
City Cultural Centre, ul. Mikolajska 2; Kraków

Our guests:

Jan Hartman – philosopher and bioethicist, professor of humanities, publisher and columnist, university lecturer.

Monika Piatkowska - lawyer, practices in the field of strategic planning and urban development .The head of department of strategic planning and urban development UMK.

Elzbieta Grabarczyk-Ponimasz - psychologist, therapist, agnostic.

Jan Wolenski - professor at the Jagiellonian University, philosopher, logician, theorist of truth .

20:00 - exhibition of drawings (by Marek Raczkowski) No Local (ul. Slawkowska 14 (second floor); Kraków.

Saturday 15th October – from 2pm to 4pm

3rd March of atheists and agnostics to demand that the state should be secular

Kraków, Poland

http://maia-krakow.org/

Programme:

11:00 – open meeting of various organizations united in demanding the secularism of the state

14:00-16:00 march of atheists and agnostics. (more info https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177096195701623).

17:00-19:00 Discussion: “Why do we need a secular state. The guarantee of individual rights v secular state.”
City Cultural Centre, ul. Mikolajska 2; Kraków.

Our guests:

Beata Kowalska – sociologist, adjunct at the Institute of Sociology (Jagiellonian University), feminist.

Pawel Hajncel - Mister Butterfly.

Anna Fratczak – philosopher, ethicist, theorist of civilization, media expert.

20:00 – integration party  for all MAiA 2011 participants and supporters. (more info https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121475517956011).

Sunday 16 October:

Walk in the footsteps of  Tadeusz Boy-Zelenski. Start: 10.30, previous registration is required at krakow@psr.org.pl, (type  ”Boyowy spacer” in the e-mail subject line please). more info https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=276986512321302) .

Sightseeing tour ” remember about the gardens “.

Team Insiders will show us the places closed for general public (in town center) where you can see green areas hidden behind walls of monasteries.
The project was initiated during this year Art Boom festival: www.nolocal.org
Start: 14:00. previous registration is required at krakow@psr.org.pl (type  ” pamietamy o ogrodach ” in the e-mail subject line please).

Organizers:

• Stowarzyszenie Wolnomysliciele (kontakt@wolnomysliciele.com.pl )
• Polskie Stowarzyszenie Racjonalistów (krakow@psr.org.pl)
• Fundacja No Local (www.nolocal.org)

E-mail: kontakt@maia-krakow.org

kom: +48 883-408-548

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99472014291&v=wall