Michael Stone, Humanist Examiner
October 13, 2011
The American Cancer Society has turned down a donation worth $500,000 from the Foundation Beyond Belief, a secular charity funded by atheists, freethinkers, and humanists.
Thursday, the Foundation Beyond Belief issued a formal statement indicating that their offer to raise up to a half million dollars through the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life program was recently tabled when the American Cancer Society declined to allow the Foundation to create a national Relay team as other non-profits have done.
While the American Cancer Society (ACS) claims their inability to work with the Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) has nothing to do with the Foundation's godless stance, the evidence indicates otherwise. The fact is, the ACS allows other non-profits to participate in the national relay, and the only conceivable reason for the ACS to disallow the FBB from participating is their somewhat controversial position towards religious belief.
Originally the American Cancer Society was receptive to the generous offer made by the secular charity. Yet in the end, the American Cancer Society rejected the Foundation Beyond Belief‘s request to participate as a National Team for this year’s Relay For Life. This, despite the fact that there is good reason to believe that if given the opportunity, atheists and humanists around the country could have raised at least $500,000 for cancer research.
The reaction to the decision by ACS to reject the generous offer made by the secular group has been one of disbelief and anger. The ACS Facebook page has been flooded with angry posts disgusted with what they believe to be religious discrimination, and what many believe to be a foolish decision to decline a generous offer that could have done much good towards the fight against cancer.
The following is a sample of comments found on the ACS Facebook page:
What kind of group that claims to be trying to cure cancer turns away donation money? You guys are idiots. You've lost a donor for life.
Way to go. Turn away a organization just because they are Atheist. Think of all the good that $500,000 could have done. Even the lives it might have saved or made easier. But as long as you don't take any of that dirty Atheist money it doesn't matter does it?
I am NOT an atheist. I am a christian. God doesn't turn anyone away. How could you turn money away? I am a mom of a child who is a Leukemia survivor.
It is truly reprehensible that any organization that purports to be about helping everyone would discriminate in who can donate based on theological belief, or lack thereof. It's sad to say, but my (apparently tainted) atheist money will not be going to your organization either.
Won't be donating to ACS ANYTIME soon. I am ready to donate to Foundation Beyond Belief however.
cancer doesn't discriminate, so why does this cancer foundation?
What do you think about the ACS, and their reluctance to take money from godless atheists?
source
UGH, RAGING
Were the ACS petrified about getting the fundamentalists up in arms by permitting the FBB's donation? Sigh.
How dare they?
Also, ACS didn't refuse half a million dollars. ACS refused to allow the Foundation to create a team that would try to raise half a million dollars through ACS programming.
UGH.
*tries to find something ~positive~ in this depressing mess*
Fuck you guys.
Even from a neutral standpoint, it was still dumb of them to reject that amount of money.
article on how ACS fails in promoting cancer prevention
Well done, ACP, well done. So dumb to turn away THAT much money.
I am not surprised, at all. Stupid move, ACS. Hopefully, the group will organize for a rally happy to take their money. I would donate to a group that courted atheists, personally.