SBS-ICC Joint Meetup 38, "Does Income Inequality Threaten Democracy?"
Details
Secular Bible Study and Circle of Ijtihad have caught the attention of the St. Paul Interfaith Network (SPIN) -- and we're talking!
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For our INTER-BELIEF CONVERSATION CAFE, SECULAR BIBLE STUDY, and CIRCLE OF IJTIHAD Joint Meetup #38 on the 3rd Monday in March 2016, our topic will be:
"DOES INCOME INEQUALITY THREATEN DEMOCRACY?"
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Time & Place: Monday, March 21, 2016, 7:00-9:00 PM (doors open at 6:30PM),
St. Paul Area Council of Churches HQ, 1671 Summit Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105
St. Paul Interfaith Network (SPIN) is again inviting the theists, atheists, liberals and conservatives of Secular Bible Study and Circle of Ijtihad to have a joint meetup with SPIN's newly renamed "Inter-Belief Conversation Cafe" (ICC), which is co-hosted by none other than our own long-time SBS member, Steve Miller.
In our last meetup, we discussed how much separation should exist between church and state; in our next meetup, we'll reasoningly dialogue about whether (and how?) democracy may become vulnerable to a sinking middle class!
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What ICC host Steve Miller and SBS liaison Frank Burton are saying about "Does Income Inequality Threaten Democracy?":
"According to economists since the 1970s incomes have become less equal. In the world 70% of the countries have a more balanced distribution of wealth than America does. Are the poor and middle class working long hours to ensure the prosperity of the 1%? Will this prompt a revolt or sink the have-nots into apathy and despair? Do we need money to be democratic or does freedom come from our worldview not our pocket book? Does the change come from global economic forces beyond government control or does it reflect a failure of our leaders to make fairness a priority? And for those who feel that they are doing OK, is it such a bad thing?"
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"The 1% were the target of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The elite still seem to have their money and the Occupy encampments seem to be gone. Does this show no one really cares? Is illegal immigration the problem or are the border hoppers doing jobs U.S. citizens disdain? Is the problem a global economy where capitalists search for the countries which pay workers least and ship production and even customer service call centers there? Can American business survive without access to cheaper labor? Is the answer in Bernie Sanders’ Wall Street tax or in Donald Trump’s wall? Is politics the solution or a big part of the problem?"
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"Canada and European countries have more income equality but much higher taxes. Would we be happy with Nova Scotia’s 15% sales tax? Since many of our ancestors left Europe and other more equal countries to come here, is this really what Americans want? Is “rags to riches” a real possibility or just a myth to pacify the masses and keep them from overthrowing a rotten system? Who is hurt by income inequality and do they vote? Is present political polarization a reflection of anger at politics as usual which lets problems fester amid over-the-top rhetoric?"
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"Does income inequality promote a corrupt political process where Super-PACs funnel vast sums into the campaign chests of protectors of the status quo? If the Citizens United case were set aside would democracy flourish? Or have all efforts at campaign finance reform weakened political parties, put more money into politics, and done more harm than good? If Super-PACs ruled why isn’t Jeb Bush running for president anymore? Why is the self-financed Donald Trump leading the Republican field and Bernie Sanders who depends on small contributions even from the unemployed such a threat to Hilary Clinton? Is it all about the money?"
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"Communism exalts in theory an egalitarian economic system. Does that look like China now? How much democracy do they have? In another unequal time Social Darwinists claimed economic riches flowed to the fittest and that it would be financial disaster for the state to redistribute wealth. Do some still secretly think that? Is wealth softened by philanthropy and rich people running for office as egalitarians? If we receive a sufficient 'bribe' from the system, do we care?"
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On Monday, March 21 from 7-9 PM at Interfaith Action for Greater St. Paul (formerly St. Paul Area Council of Churches HQ), 1671 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, Inter-belief Conversation Café, Secular Bible Study, and Circle of Ijtihad will seek a "fair and balanced" answer (except without the yelling and insults!) to the dilemma of democracy and inequality. However, we will try to equally abide by our reasoning-dialogue agreements of open-mindedness, acceptance, curiosity, discovery, sincerity, brevity, and confidentiality. Will we Make America Great (or Whole) Again? Maybe, maybe not! But we will have treats -- and, like our attendance, it's free!
Don't miss ICC/SBS/COI Joint Meetup 38, on "Does Income Inequality Threaten Democracy?" RSVP "YES" today!
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SBS-ICC FAQ:
Q: What is the joint ICC-SBS Meetup all about?
A: Interbelief Conversation Cafe (ICC), formerly "Interfaith Conversation Cafe,"is an open, facilitated interbelief dialogue where those with different religious or ethics beliefs share those beliefs and listen to and question others beliefs with curiosity, discovery and sincerity. In response to holding joint meetups with the atheists+theists of SBS and to a request by its cosponsoring plurationalist members of The Circle of Reason, ICC in 2014 voted to become the U.S.'s first "interfaith" dialogue group to expand into an "interbelief" group, codifying its welcome to both those with religious beliefs, and atheists & humanists with no religious faith but with ethics or philosophy beliefs.
Q: Why should SBS jointly meetup with ICC?
A: One of SBS's original purposes according to our co-founders Chester Barber & Grant Steves, and our co-sponsors, the Methodist church, Minnesota Atheists, and The Circle of Reason, is to encourage local "interfaith groups" to become more inclusive in inviting atheists and secular humanists into reasoning dialogue -- this joint ICC-SBS Meetup is how we did it, and how we seek to further expand religious-secular dialogues!
Q: How does SBS's joint Meetup with ICC work?
A: This joint ICC-SBS Meetup will be a little different than SBS's earlier format: Rather than have an expert lecture followed by Q&A+dialogue, these joint SBS-ICCs meetup are all dialogue, around a topic pre-chosen by attendees at the end of the prior Meetup. In the first round of the joint meetup we pass a "talking object" and timer, and sit in a circle, to facilitate "Respectful Conversations"-format sharing of personal views. Then in the second round we hold a more SBS-like, back-and-forth (but reasoning) dialogue. With folks like long-time SBS and ICC member Steve Miller facilitating, we've had no dearth of informed, thoughtful dialogues about our topics of majority interest.
Q: Uh, is there FOOD?
A: There will be snacks (cookies, Skittles, M&Ms) available, as well as coffee, tea, & ice water. An expenses-defraying donation jar will be out, but Frank Burton & The Circle of Reason will put in cash on behalf of us SBS attendees, as part of TCOR's policy of insuring all people feel welcome to attend -- even those of us with no cash! :)
Q: Where do we meetup?
A: This joint ICC-SBS Meetup is held at the St. Paul Area Council of Churches (SPACC)'s St. Paul meeting room facility on Summit Ave, 2 blocks west of Snelling (or 10 blocks east of the Mississippi River), on the north side of Summit Ave., opposite Macalester College (see map link). Conversation begins promptly at 7:00 pm; doors are open at 6:30 pm.
Q: Why should I attend?
A: To change the world, of course! "Interfaith" groups for too long have been a club to which atheists or humanists weren't welcome. No more! Come on over to Summit Ave. to see what ICC+SBS's new "interbelief" outreach is all about! Join us for SPIN's and SBS's first "mutual outreach" between the religious & secular communities, to dialogue on issues of religious or ethical beliefs and society!