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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.