New Yorkers Against Religion-Based Bigotry
Task forces
New Yorkers Against Religion-Based Bigotry is in process of formation. It will consist of a set of overlapping task forces opposing different kinds of religion-based bigotry. The task forces will assist each other in opposing religion-based bigotry on multiple fronts, and will work together on common projects.
Our first task forces will be the following:
- Committee for Dialogue Amongst the Bugaboos of the Religous Right Wing.
- Committee Against Satanic Panics.
- Committee for 9/11 Accountability.
Promotes dialogue amongst the different categories of people that are vilified by the religious right wing, but who are too often misunderstood by other categories of people who are also vilified by the religious right wing and who, in our opinion, should be allies against it. For example, we aim to promote dialogue between Pagan witches and Satanists. We aim also to promote the rights of sex workers, who are (willfully?) misunderstood by all too many feminists.
Opposes sensationalistic propaganda about mostly imaginary forms of "Satanism," as promulgated by some Christian evangelists, by right wing populist political leaders, and even by some feminists and leftists.
Such claims typically scapegoat groups of people who aren't actually Satanists of any kind, e.g. Pagans, occultists, atheists, Freemasons, and even RPGers, as well as law-abiding Satanists. And the people actually harmed by "Satanism" scares have included many ordinary mainstream folks too. In 1980-1995, Satanic panics resulted in accusations, prosecutions, and even convictions and imprisonment of many probably-innocent people who, for the most part, were just ordinary middle-class and working-class folks. (See the page about "Satanic Ritual Abuse" on the website of the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.) The "Satanic ritual abuse" scare had a mini-resurgence in 2002-2006 and seems to have died down again, although today's grand conspiracy ideologists still keep its smoldering remnants alive.
Today's worst form of Satanic panic isn't 1980's style SRA, but rather the literal witchhunts that are happening now in Africa and Asia, motivated by an unfortunate blend of traditional local beliefs and some new, rapidly growing forms of evangelical/charismatic Christianity. Sarah Palin's pastor, Thomas Muthee, has been an active participant in today's witchhunts.
One of our aims will be raise public awareness about, and if possible raise some money for, the victims of witchhunts overseas. We aim also to counteract "Illuminati" claims which are, alas, growing in popularity these days.
Our target constituency will be the various categories of people who, here in the West, are scapegoated by "Illuminati" claims and by other kinds of "Satanist"-baiting. One of our aims will be to encourage people in these categories to avoid further scapegoating of "Satanists" and, instead, to develop better responses to "Satanist"-baiting.
Supports the call for a new investigation of 9/11, for reasons summarized in NYARBB's position on 9/11. We do not advocate any controversial claim about what the U.S. government did or did not do (such as "9/11 was an inside job," or, at the other extreme, the idea that no one in the U.S. government was guilty of anything worse than incompetence). But we do support the call for a more truly independent follow-up to the 9/11 Commission, given the coverups and conflicts of interest that are acknowledged even by mainstream sources. (See NYARBB's position on 9/11, which also discusses the various ways 9/11 is relevant to religion-based bigotry. See also our list of online resources.)
We aim also to (1) educate the public about the ways in which both Islamist terrorism and lawful Islamism have been artificially strengthened by U.S. foreign policy (see NYARBB's position against both Islamism and anti-Muslim bigotry) and (2) counteract religiously bigoted ideologies (such as "Illuminati" claims) and other false claims, with roots in anti-Jewish propaganda, that have been spread within the 9/11 Truth movement. (See NYARBB's position against "Illuminati" claims and NYARBB's position on "conspiracy theories".)
The above list is far from exhaustive. Eventually we hope, also, to have task forces dealing with other issues mentioned further down on the About page here on the main NYARBB site.
The proposed task forces have overlapping aims and will aim to work closely together on the areas of overlap.
All of NYARBB's task forces will focus primarily on one or more of NYARBB's major pronects. But, as needs and opportunities arise, the task forces will also address other, simpler issues within their spheres of concern.