One of my pet peeves about the Humanist movement is that some support the use of religious words or activities in Humanist settings. Using such words in the context of a nontheistic philosophy like Humanism not only causes public confusion but also dilutes our message and shows a lack of conviction of our own principles, not to mention it is a bit silly. We should define ourselves and not let the religious do it.
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Tag Archives: secular humanism
We Humanists, Young and Old, Need Each Other
How I imagine older Humanists passing on their knowledge to younger Humanists
I wrote an essay on my personal blog Doug’s Views about the relationship and sometime conflict between young people in the secular movement and those of us who are older and have been down the road awhile. I explore that relationship and connect it to a change in the energy I have for Humanist activism. My conclusion is we seculars, young or old, need each other to make the movement a success.
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If You Plan On Opposing Secular Humanism, Do Your Homework
I have a news alert setup to let me know whenever something is published on-line about secular humanism. As you can imagine there are far more negative articles written about it than positive – which is okay. It’s also pretty easy to spot when someone hasn’t really done any research about secular humanism and just repeats false or misleading information. Usually such articles come from religious conservatives like the minister from Iowa Park Texas. I would say, if you plan on opposing secular humanism, at least do your homework.
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Social Contract Alive And Well With President Obama
President Obama giving 2nd Inauguration speech 01/21/2013
President Obama had his public inauguration today (1/21) and he gave his 2nd inaugural speech on the West Front of the US Capital. As I listened I couldn’t help but be impressed by the elements of the social contract he included in his speech. I have highlighted my favorite parts and plan on using these quotes in future essays and discussions I might have.
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A Humanist You Should Know: Paul Kurtz
Dr. Paul Kurtz
If you talk to older Humanists who have been part of the movement for a long time and ask who has done much in advancing secular humanism in the United States many people will mention Paul Kurtz. His energy and one could say his ego helped propel Humanism into the mainstream in the period before the Internet and social media. Rightly or wrongly he had a vision for secular humanism and due to his tireless work we have the movement we have today. Dr. Kurtz passed away on October 20th, 2012 at the age of 86.
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Isn’t Atheism Plus Another Name For Humanism?
In the wake of some very public and nasty debates about diversity and lack of respect for women in the freethought community, Jen McCreight, author of the blaghag blog on the Freethought Blogs Network created what she is calling a “new wave of Atheism” whose name evolved into Atheist+. Her goal was to move Atheism from just dealing with the god question – Atheists don’t believe in a god – but to also deal with issues like diversity and social justice. It seems to me that Humanism addresses all the issues McCreight feels is missing from Atheism and Humanism is non-theistic. One question I have is why not be a Humanist?
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