Mission and Strategy
"Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity in exclusion of all other religions may establish, with the same ease, any particular sect of Christians in exclusion of all other sects?"
- James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, June 20, 1785.
- James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, June 20, 1785.
The mission of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation is to gain respect for freethinkers and ensure the complete separation of church and state.
Strategies:
Grow the Freethought Movement
- Unite freethought groups around common causes
- Overcome divisions from label choice
- Optimize communication between freethinkers
- Increase financial resources and membership
- Motivate inactive freethinkers to join the movement
- Support those questioning their faith, but do not serve as de-conversion missionaries
- Join forces with other minorities repressed by dogma and fundamentalism

Secularize public policy
- Increase and protect civil liberties and rights
- Weaken fundamentalist political influence
- End legal privileges and government funding for religious groups
- Shield public education from religious influence
- Promote the teaching of science and critical thinking
Level the perception of who is ethical
- Educate how ethics do not require religion or a deity
- Personalize freethinkers to others by "coming out" and "living openly"
- Support and perform charity, especially in research and education
- Demonstrate that we do "believe" in love, integrity, reason and freedom
- Take a positive approach whenever possible
- Have fun, be happy and avoid becoming bitter
Provide an alternative to religion
- Supply education on reality-based universal values
- Offer freethinkers a community providing friendship, guidance and support
- Show how life can be filled with hope and purpose without faith
- Increase the study of humanism
- Teach science-based achievement of tranquility and euphoria
Marginalize fundamentalists
- Oppose fundamentalism, irrationality and dogma, but not religion in general
- Take a diplomatic approach while appreciating the value of religious criticism
- Educate how sacred texts are factually and morally imperfect and not to be taken literally
- Contrast fundamentalist values with secular values
- Demonstrate that the values held by freethinkers and moderate theists are very similar
Team with theists
- Accept that religion can be both good and evil; give tolerance of the good to receive tolerance
- Open dialogue with religious moderates and liberals
- Recruit theistic groups to work to end discrimination against freethinkers
- Help religions continue to evolve toward love, goodness and tolerance