Kathleen, Queen of the Desert

Originally published in Connections

La Leche League is a nonsectarian organization, meaning we are not affiliated with and do not advocate any one religion, denomination, sect, or set of spiritual beliefs. But what does that mean in print? For Area Leaders’ Letters (ALLs) and other LLL publications it means:

• Religious holidays are not referred to specifically or casually. We cannot assume that all Leaders celebrate the same holidays or understand a particular holiday’s reference. Instead, use a neutral, non-religious reference such as the date or season. Examples:

“In April, our Group had a bake sale” (instead of “over the Easter weekend our Group had a bake sale”).

“Because of other commitments, we cancelled our Chapter Meeting” (instead of “In honor of Yom Kippur, we cancelled our Chapter Meeting”).

• We avoid words that have a religious tone or basis such as “blessed” and “pray.” Examples:

“Our Group was so happy to welcome a new Leader” (instead of our Group was
blessed with a new Leader”).

“My husband and I hoped for another child” (instead of “my husband and I prayed for
another child”).

• We avoid references to a creator, god or certain set of spiritual beliefs. Not everyone shares them, and some Leaders do not have any particular spiritual beliefs. Examples:

“We had great weather for the World Walk” (instead of “Thank God for the great
weather we had for the World Walk”).

“We were all so thankful for the good health of both Mary’s twins” (instead of “We all
gave praise to Allah for the good health of both of Mary’s twins”).

• We avoid religious graphic art, including illustrations associated with specific religious holidays. Crosses, crescents, religious stars, Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, menorahs, madonnas, angels, and other religious symbols are not appropriate in an ALL. Stick to mothers and babies, artwork of the seasons and nature, and other nonsectarian decorative motifs.

If you are unsure whether a certain reference might be religious or not, try substituting a reference from a religion that is not familiar to you and see how that sounds. If it’s confusing or not as comfortable, or if you’re still not sure, please consult with your ALLA or leave that passage out of your ALL altogether.