Nonbelievers excluded from interfaith service, despite humanist community victims in Boston bombing

Secular News Daily

April 18, 2013 

Washington, DC— The Secular Coalition for America is disappointed and saddened that the nontheist community was excluded from the Interfaith Service taking place in the wake of Monday's marathon bombing—despite that at least two of the victims of the bombing were part of the nontheist community.

Celeste Corcoran of Lowell, Massachusetts, who lost both her legs at the knees in one of the bomb blasts, and her 18 year-old daughter, Sydney, who suffered severe injuries as a result of being hit by shrapnel, were part of the greater-Boston humanist community.

The Interfaith event, called “Healing Our City” is taking place at Cathedral of the Holy Cross and will be attended by President Obama and representatives from the Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim faiths.

“The tragic events on Monday affected people of many different faiths and none,” said Edwina Rogers, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America. “The organizers said they want to ‘heal the city’ and to do that, we need to come together as a community in these times of need despite our differing beliefs.”

The nontheist community in Boston has been working hard to help those affected, including raising nearly $310,000 to assist victims. WeAreAtheism.com, the Boston Atheists, the Humanist Community at Harvard, and the Secular Coalition for Massachusetts have raised $26,856 to assist victims at the time of writing. The Humanist Community at Harvard played a lead role in raising nearly $281,837 for a fund established to help Celeste and Sydney.

Read more including original source article at Secular News Daily here: http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2013/04/nonbelievers-excluded-from-interfaith-service-despite-two-humanist-victims-in-mondays-bombing/