The Garrison-Martineau Project

This afternoon I participated in a novel discussion group called The Garrison-Martineau Project, in which religious people and non-believers gather for open discussion of their respective theological mindsets. It's not a debate; rather, it's a calm, structured discussion led by a trained Facilitator.

The Garrison-Martineau Project gets its name from the unlikely friendship between William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Martineau in the mid-1800s. Garrison was a Christian and an advocate for ending slavery in the United States. Martineau was an Atheist in England, a social activist and the first female sociologist. Both were members of the same literary circle, and both maintained a respectful letter-writing dialogue.

Attendees are divided evenly between believers and non-believers and then break away into groups of four (two believers and two non-believers) and a Facilitator. In today's session, due to a last-minute cancellation by a local church group, the believers were the minority (!) so each breakaway group had one believer and three non-believers.

Despite the disparity, the three-hour session worked well. First, our Facilitator had us briefly introduce ourselves to the other three (our name, where we live, our jobs) and then we each spoke for about five minutes about our own personal theological journey, and the life experiences that brought us to our current mindsets. After each person spoke, another would "mirror" the speech by summing it up in about two minutes. This provided empathy and insured that each person's views were clearly understood.

The next round was dedicated to each of us speaking of our concerns on any issue that concerns us on religion's role in life (or lack of a religious role in life) that connects with us on a personal level.

Have you ever spoken publicly about your own journey that brought you to your current philosophy on religion? I have not before today, and I heartily recommend it. It seemed like I spoke for much longer than five minutes: there's been quite a long journey in my life! (I'll post my personal story here some other time.) It was cathartic to talk about it and it was fascinating to hear other people's stories. Deep stuff, but we all have a story. Our stories are rarely told: generally, you just don't do this at the dinner table or at work or even in places of worship!

The Garrison-Martineau Project uniquely helps to bridge the "culture war" that unfortunately makes many of us feel isolated, alienated, and separated from our fellow humans who have different mindsets. Hearing and being heard is very empowering. Get involved!