Since 2008, I’ve been a dues paying member of and a contributor to the American Humanist Association (AHA). From then until now I’ve been struggling to understand the Humanist philosophy and how that philosophy drives its mission and programs. That is to say, as a Humanist, what exactly am I, and what does it mean … Continue reading
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” – Strother Martin to Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke, 1967) In the case of communicating through advertising by nonbelievers, what we’ve got here is failure to acknowledge that, regardless of label – Humanist, Secular Humanist, Neo-Humanist, Freethinker, Bright, Secularist, Agnostic, Skeptic, and on occasion, Buddhist, … Continue reading
On November 9, 2010, the American Humanist Association launched its “Consider Humanism” campaign. In a press release, AHA president, Richard Speckhardt, said that the premise of the campaign is proclaim, among other things, that, “Humanist values are mainstream American values, and this campaign will help many people realize that they are already humanists and just did … Continue reading
In “Hernando Today,” a publication of the Tampa Tribune, an article written by one Allen Walker titled, “Atheist vs Theist” was published on February 20, 2011. In the piece, Mr Walker questions the merits of his version of “atheist beliefs” and tries to deconstruct what he thinks are the atheists’ positions on a number of … Continue reading
Part 1: How Humanists Keep the Faith Some time ago, the Freedom From Religion Foundation came out with a billboard that quotes a lyric from John Lennon: “Imagine No Religion.” Subsequently, there were posters issued by FFRF and others with a picture of the pre-9/11 World Trade Center that had the same phrase, “Imagine No Religion,” … Continue reading
Part 2: Humanism Meets Religion Under the Constitution Well, if the arguments presented in Part 1 of this essay are valid and Humanism can be considered a religion in terms of the faith in its worldview and related beliefs, then what is it from a legal standpoint? It’s the first sixteen words of the … Continue reading
Part 3: Is You Is or Is You Ain’t? ”Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is.” – Albert Camus Let me start with this: It may be the case that the unbelievers, the nonreligious, the atheists, the debunkers of superstition, the falsifiers of the supernatural, and probably most apostates, are … Continue reading
Part 4: God on the Brain and Other Weird Stuff what if a dawn of a doom of a dream bites this universe in two, peels forever out of his grave and sprinkles nowhere with me and you? – e.e. cummings Spirits That Haunt the Mind In addition to the genetic and natural … Continue reading