The Gallery quieted as the Speaker’s gavel fell. The Arizona House of Representatives came to order under the leadership of arch conservative and Brigham Young University graduate Rusty Bowers. I could see from my seat above the chamber that some of the representatives were more in tune than others with how much Arizona has changed. And how quickly it continues to change.
A humanist celebrant from Tempe delivered a beautiful invocation without reference to God. Then, in a twist I had learned about just minutes before, one legislator introduced me to the House and asked me to stand.
“Luke Douglas is a community organizer and activist who recently joined the Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix as its new and first Executive Director. His passion is to facilitate community dialogue among people of all faiths and no faith at all and educate the public on the separation of religion and state.”
I made eye contact with the Speaker during the shout out. He didn’t know that I’d only been offered this job the night before, but now he knows full well that humanists are on the march, and that I’m about to become his newest constituent.
It’s an absolute privilege to meet all of you and join this remarkable community. My three day trip to meet the board and scout some move-in logistics has been a whirlwind, but I’ll be back to stay as soon as possible.
You may have heard that I’m a recovering former fundamentalist, which will come in handy as I approach the religious landscape of Arizona. I was homeschooled in the absolute depths of young earth creationism, literal inerrantist theology, and doomsday prepping.
I fell in love with activism as a teenager and spent six years as a professional conservative political operative and accepted a scholarship to a Christian law school when I was 19. But while I worked my clerkships in constitutional law using “religious liberty” to advocate for the religious right, I learned something profound. Legal education is all about learning to argue for both sides. So research both sides is exactly what I did.
After suppressing quiet doubts for some time, I finally had time to devote to research the day after I passed the bar exam. I read philosophy and science. I sampled different houses of worship to compare and contrast. When I finally snapped on the God question, all the reactionary political views built on that foundation crumbled with it.
I left my last conservative job to volunteer for every progressive cause I could find. I rebuilt my network from ground zero and found this community and its opening.
I truly believe that the role of executive director will wed the many facets of my experience: my passion for enriching conversation on philosophy, morality, history, science, and comparative journeys, my empathy for fellow former or doubting believers seeking their own way, my ability to communicate across diverse media in politics and public opinion as the face of our network, and above all my bold vision for the humanist community rising to fill the void left by the thousands of empty churches that dot the American landscape.
Thank you all for your affectionate welcome and hospitality. I look forward to a long and successful future growing this movement together.
Luke Douglas
Executive Director
Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix
