Religion

About The Clergy Project Mission

The Clergy Project is an international nonprofit organization based in the United States. Its Mission is to provide support, community, and hope to current and former religious professionals who no longer hold supernatural beliefs.

The Clergy Project is the brainchild of FFRF Co-President Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins (our planet's best-known evolutionary biologist), Daniel Dennett (professor of philosophy at Tufts University) and Linda LaScola (researcher and co-author with Dennett of the 2010 groundbreaking study "Preachers Who Are Not Believers" ).

Key Points and Clarifications

Each applicant to The Clergy Project must have already considered themselves a nonbeliever prior to application in order to be considered for Project participation.

The Clergy Project does not proselytize nor recruit religious leaders to non-belief.

The Clergy Project does not take a position on whether post-faith religious leaders ought leave or stay in their religious vocations. TCP simply seeks to support participants as they navigate life’s challenges as they see fit.

For current religious leaders who seek transition to new careers, The Clergy Project provides career development assistance to help them in do so.

The Clergy Project is not designed for participants of any particular religious background over others, nor is the term “clergy” intended to exclude religious leaders not described as such.

The Clergy Project was launched with the collaborative efforts of many players, including the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS) and the Freedom From Religion foundation (FFRF).

As of early 2015, The Clergy Project is now its own 501(c)3 nonprofit. An all-volunteer organization, its Board of Directors and its Committee Members are all themselves Project participants with regular involvement in the Online Community of Forums.

Financial contributions to help support the furtherance of the TCP Mission can be arranged via PayPal or personal check...