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Comment by Brian Magee on December 20, 2012 at 10:55am

Take Action: Thank the Orleans Parish School Board for Defending Sc...

Recently, the Orleans Parish School Board in Louisiana banned schoolbooks that teach creationism or intelligent design as science or scientific theories, mandated that history books not include revisionist propaganda promoted by the Religious Right, and forbade teachers in its school district from teaching any aspect of religious faith, creationism or intelligent design as science in science classes.

We need to thank those in Louisiana that stood up for church-state separation and science education. Please use this Action Alert form to send a message to Orleans Parish School Board President Thomas Robichaux thanking him and the other board members for their defense of science education and church-state separation.

Comment by Brian Magee on December 18, 2012 at 12:06pm

Nonbelievers Get HumanLight Display Erected in Wabash, IN

(Washington, DC – Dec. 18, 2012) – A Christian nativity scene has been joined by a HumanLight display on the grounds of the Wabash County Indiana courthouse. County officials approved it on Dec. 3 following an inquiry made by the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center.

HumanLight is a non-religious alternative to Christmas or other December holidays. Observed on December 23rd, HumanLight celebrates positive, secular values such as reason, compassion, humanity and hope.

Attorneys from the Appignani Humanist Legal Center worked with a local Wabash resident who inquired in November about a Christian display on government property. Research showed that the county has an “open forum” policy for the courthouse property, meaning other displays can also be erected. In response to a previous inquiry in 2010, officials wrote that the county “allows anyone to use the Courthouse lawn for expressive purposes as long as the activity does not violate local ordinances, or state or federal laws, is not disruptive to traffic . . . and does not create unreasonable safety risks, and as long as any expression is not obscene or defamatory, and does not promote violence, physical harm, or lawless action.”

“When it comes to church-state separation issues, the best choice is to keep government property free of all religious displays,” said Appignani Humanist Legal Center Director Bill Burgess. “But if a local government defends a nativity scene display by claiming that it is private speech, they must allow other private speakers, including secular ones, to participate in the forum on the same terms. They cannot discriminate against speech because of its humanist or atheist viewpoint.”

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The American Humanist Association (www.AmericanHumanist.org) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, DC, its work is extended through more than 150 local chapters and affiliates across America. Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.

Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation and The Herb Block Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.

Comment by Brian Magee on December 18, 2012 at 11:59am

AHA Legal Center Gets "Bad Religion" T-Shirt Ban Overturned

An Aurora, CO public school has reversed course following intervention by the AHA's Appignani Humanist Legal Center, allowing a student at Vista Peak High School to wear a shirt for the punk band Bad Religion.

Despite allowing students to wear religious articles of clothing, it claimed that allowing the student to wear the shirt would be disruptive.

In a letter found here, the legal center made clear that this double standard violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation and The Herb Block Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.

Comment by Brian Magee on December 17, 2012 at 1:09pm

A Religious Rescue From the Fiscal Cliff

Politicians are working themselves into a frenzy trying to prevent the much feared "fiscal cliff," a term used to describe a bundle of momentous federal tax increases and spending cuts that will happen later this year if government officials fail to act. But as the White House and Congress consider ending middle-class tax breaks like the payroll tax cut while also reducing valued programs like Medicare, they may be missing an opportunity to level the playing field among religious and philosophically-based organizations in a way that would also have a big impact on our nation's ability to return to fiscal solvency.

It's time to reconsider the huge tax benefits and government subsidies that are provided to government-recognized religions in this country. Beyond the obvious constitutional issues of the state giving preferential treatment to religious organizations, it just makes sense that in these times of budget tightening, the government can no longer afford to subsidize religious groups, their leaders, or their programs.

To read the rest of this Huffington Post article from AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt, click here.

Comment by Brian Magee on December 12, 2012 at 11:37am

Richard Dawkins endorses atheist to fill DeMint’s seat

The effort to get AHA board member Herb Silverman appointed to fill an open S.C. US Senate seat is getting attention. A Charleston newspaper notes the support of Richard Dawkins and has started an online poll where Herb is way ahead!

Consider adding your vote, and S.C. residents can use our Action Alert system to send a message to Gov. Haley asking her to choose Herb for the post: http://action.americanhumanist.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=...

Comment by Brian Magee on December 11, 2012 at 1:20pm

Keeping Our Human Light Lit During the Holidays

HumanLight is about celebrating and expressing what fills our lives with love and meaning.

By Roy Speckhardt, December 09, 2012

The winter holiday season is a great time for families and friends to get together and enjoy each other's company. It's among the few times each year that those close to us join to reflect, celebrate, and perhaps eat a bit too much fattening food.

From a humanist perspective, one of the most enriching things we can do is strengthen the connections we share with other human beings, and this time often provides us just such an opportunity. Unfortunately, most of these holidays also have deep religious connections. And depending on how nontheists came to exclude an intervening god from their worldview, some would rather forget those religious connections, and others even find them to be unpalatable.

Most humanists, freethinkers, and other nontheists came to their rational understanding of the world gradually, finding flaws in the faith they were raised in and eventually deciding for themselves on alternatives to the supernatural. Some others were already there, having been raised in secular ethical traditions. But some came to their nontheism more abruptly, as a response to harm experienced from within traditional religions. This could be something dramatic, like the tens of thousands of kids who were molested by Catholic priests, probably only a small portion of whom have sought justice in recent years. It might also be less dramatic, but still significant, like discovering all of a sudden just how ineffective prayer can be.

 

To read the rest of this Patheos article by American Humanist Association Executive Director Roy Speckhardt, click here.

Comment by Brian Magee on December 10, 2012 at 11:00am

AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt recently appeared on the Fox News Radio program The Vipp Jaswal Report and had a cordial and informative discussion on humanism and the AHA. The podcast of the program is found here, where comments are welcomed.

Comment by Brian Magee on December 6, 2012 at 2:59pm

Continuum for Humanist Education

The Humanist Institute is pleased to announce the addition of Level Two online courses to the Continuum for Humanist Education (COHE) website. Level two courses include: Humanist Activism & Organization, Science & Humanism, Psychology & Humanism, Law & Politics, Religion & Spirituality, Ethics and Philosophy & the Humanist Connection.

Register today to access these free online courses!

Comment by Brian Magee on November 29, 2012 at 2:23pm

The American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center is now assisting the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers in their complaint about taking public school students to a church to see a performance of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

"The message of the play is clear: Jesus Christ is the son of God and the messiah, and the real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the anniversary of his birth," wrote Bill Burgess, the legal center's coordinator in a letter to school officials. "It is completely sectarian in nature and expressly rejects any secular version of Christmas."

Details found here: http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/11/29/freethinke...

Comment by Brian Magee on November 27, 2012 at 9:43am

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are good for the economy, and Giving Tuesday is good for the causes you care about!

The American Humanist Association is joining more than 2,000 organizations on #GivingTuesday (www.givingtuesday.org) to bring friends and family together in supporting charitable organizations.

Text HUMANIST to 50555 to donate $10 and support the AHA today! http://givingtuesday.org/

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