http://www.townonline.com/cambridge/news/local_regional/cam_dukakis09252002.htm
Ethical Society Tackles the Big Issues:
Dukakis to Speak this Sunday
By Susie Davidson
CORRESPONDENT
Heavyweight concerns and probing dilemmas are the order of the day
at the Ethical Society, a discussion community which meets at the Longy School
of Music every Sunday morning.
Founded by Felix Adler in 1876, the Ethical movement began in New
York City and fostered the establishement of the American Civil Liberties
Union, the NAACP and many other social, political and civic organizations
seeking reform and progression.
“Our beliefs are described as philosophical or religious,
depending on their own interpretation,” said Adjunct Leader Stanley
Wayne, Ph.D. “We function as a religion with weekly meetings, ceremonies
of marriage, and birth and memorial meetings as well. We are a religion or
philosophy without formal creed or dogma.”
At the Sunday 10:30 a.m. meetings, platforms include readings,
music, a featured guest speaker and discussion. The Ethics for Children Sunday
Program, for members’ children aged five and up, runs concurrently. The
School for Ethics, a series of short courses which explore ethics in society,
personal relationships and the arts, is another offering of the morning.
“The central thought of our movement is that we are
dedicated to improving human relationships as the highest expression of ethical
concern,” said Wayne, who likens the group to movements such as Jewish
Humanists, Quakers and Unitarians. “Again, many of our members do not
regard it as a religion, but an attitude toward life, comparable to Schweitzer,
Gandhi or Martin Luther King (who was of course Christian).”
The program is a slate of interesting and contemporary issues and
notable representatives. Last Sunday, Kenneth White, former director of Common
Cause of Massachusetts, discussed the effect of money in state and national
politics, and the influence finances and the economy have upon the interests
represented by our elected officials. On Sept. 29, former Governor Michael
Dukakis, a longtime advocate of modern transportation systems, will speak on
the role the railroad will play in our future.
Prior to the meeting, two 9:30 a.m. options exist for
participants. At a Forum, world events are discussed, and at a Convivium,
attendees explore the themes of Love, Friendship, Family, Community, Soul,
Spirit, Work, Money, Dreams, Myths, Grief and the Blues, among others.
“We are a community,” said Wayne, “joined
together to help develop our ethical ideals, to celebrate life's joys and
support one another through life's crises, and to work together for the
improvement of our world and the future of our children.” Membership in
the Society is open to all who agree with their principles, regardless of their
racial, religious or national origin. The Ethical Society is a part of the
larger Ethical Culture movement, whose member societies are joined together through
the American Ethical Union, which is headquartered in New York.
Talk is the medium, and the means. “Western religion,”
Wayne reflected, “has been divided by arguments of a diety and various
requirements of historical obligation. Our movement is modern, democratic and
scientific, but is most of all appreciative of honest efforts aimed at
improving our community and ourselves.”
He stressed that the Ethical Culture movement attributes unique dignity and
worth to every human being. Thus, ethical action is intrinsic to the Society,
in the form of projects, organizations and causes which aid individuals or
promote social justice. These efforts are facilitated and coordinated by the
Society's Ethical Action Committee, which convenes after the Sunday meeting and
discussion period.
Outside the Sunday format, the Ethical Culture Study Group meets
occasionally in Brookline, as does the Society’s Board of Trustees. And
this Saturday at 8:45 a.m., members will be sorting boxes and cans of food at
the Boston Food Bank for distribution to food pantries and homeless shelters.
Though non-dogmatic, Society members certainly practice what they preach.
All Sunday Platform Meetings are held at 10:30 a.m. at the Longy
School of Music, 33 Garden St. For information on upcoming events, or for
questions or comments, please call 617-739-9050 or email esboston@bostonethical.org.