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Comment by Brian Magee on February 6, 2012 at 1:24pm

A Humanist View

Public Schools: A Battleground for the Religious Right

If you have a child currently enrolled in public school be warned: a heavy dose of religion may accompany his or her studies.

According to Kimberly Winston of Religion News Service, a number of state legislators are now pushing some legislation that would introduce studying the Bible as a choice in their state's public schools, and other legislation that would teach creationism as valid.

Bible courses, offered as elective "literature" classes, are being considered by lawmakers in Arizona and have already been approved in South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Since these classes are not mandatory and are supposed to be taught with religious neutrality, there has not been a great deal of public opposition to them. Some school districts within the states where they are allowed still choose to not offer them at all.

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

Comment by Brian Magee on February 3, 2012 at 4:04pm

January’s Photo Caption Contest from Humanist Network News

Submit your idea for a caption for this photo and receive a special prize—a random book from the American Humanist Association’s library in Washington DC! Think of it as the humanist version of Woot.com’s Random Bag of Crap. It’s random. It’s mysterious. Who knows which book it will be?

Click here to enter.

Comment by Brian Magee on February 1, 2012 at 10:25am

Black Nonbelievers Speak Out in a New African Americans for Humanism Campaign

African Americans may be the most religious minority in the United States, but many feel that the churches don’t speak for them. AAH hopes that the campaign will bring attention to the presence of and increase in religious skepticism within the black community, encourage those who have doubts about religion to share their concerns and join other freethinkers in their local communities, and educate many about the history of black freethought.

Ads began appearing January 30 and January 31 in New York City; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; and Durham, North Carolina. On February 6, the campaign will be launched in Dallas. Advertisements will be placed on roadside billboards and in public transit sites. The Stiefel Freethought Foundation provided substantial creative and financial support for the campaign.

Comment by Brian Magee on January 30, 2012 at 2:15pm

(From the Central North Carolina Atheists and Humanists website.)

New Century Elementary School Promotes Christian Store

Posted on January 30, 2012

New Century ES advertises Christian business

New Century Elementary School which also houses the West Regional Branch Library has decided to use their announcement sign to advertise a Christian store, Blessings Unlimited. The sign reads "VISIT BLESSINGS UNLIMITED WWW.FB.COM/DEUT288". The Facebook page advertises a business selling Christian gifts and home decor. Your tax dollars at work!

Not to let a Constitutional violation go unchecked, I sent the below message to the Cumberland County School District asking for the immediate removal of this sign. You can voice your objection, too, by sending a comment to http://www.ccs.k12.nc.us/Email/GeneralInformationContact.htm.

Comment by Brian Magee on January 27, 2012 at 4:05pm

A new episode of the Humanist Hour is available for listening!

The Humanist Hour #70: Humanist Community Project at Harvard

In this month’s podcast, Jes Constantine and Todd Stiefel speak with Harvard University’s Humanist Chaplain, Greg Epstein, about the Humanist Community Project. Plus, hear a followup interview with Dr. Darrel Ray about his new book: "Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality.

Comment by Brian Magee on January 26, 2012 at 2:01pm

Can a Candidate Be Too Religious?

by American Humanist Association President David Niose

When Rick Santorum did surprisingly well in the Iowa caucuses on January 3, many Americans started taking a serious look at his views. One revelation that quickly came to light was that the former Pennsylvania senator, a devout Catholic, takes his religion very seriously. In fact, via news accounts appearing immediately after the Iowa caucuses, many Americans learned that Santorum, like his church, is highly critical of birth control and believes that nonprocreativ....

This makes Santorum more Catholic than the typical American Catholic. Although the Vatican considers contraception not just a sin, but a mortal sin, most American Catholics, preferring to cherry-pick from the moral standards of their church, simply don't accept such religious dictates. They may identify as Catholic, but they'll use condoms and/or the pill, and they'll even get a vasectomy or tubal ligation once they've decided they've had enough kids.

 

Read the rest of the article here: http://hmn.st/xRqXoo

Comment by Brian Magee on January 25, 2012 at 4:26pm

Humanist Crossword Puzzle: The Beginning and the End

Each week Humanist Network News ezine includes a humanist crossword puzzle! The latest can be found here.

Comment by Brian Magee on January 23, 2012 at 4:09pm

Humanist Chaplains and Conscientious Objectors

By E. James Lieberman

The claim that there are no atheists in foxholes is false. The armed forces include the whole spectrum of belief, even in the heat of battle. More important is the fact that there are conscientious objectors in the military today—some religious, some not. Since there is no draft, the only conscientious objectors in uniform are those unfamiliar with traditional peace churches; only after enlistment do they realize that they cannot participate in war. They have a difficult time trying to leave the military without getting an undesirable discharge.

The Center on Conscience & War (CC&W), founded in 1940 as the National Service Board for Religious Objectors, has grown from a small group of traditional peace churches (Quaker, Mennonite, Brethren) to be more inclusive. The CC&W advisory board includes dozens of organizations including the American Humanist Association. Roy Speckhardt recently told CC&W director, Maria Santelli and me about the AHA’s effort, with the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, to introduce humanist chaplains into the armed forces. The fact that evangelical chaplains—the vast majority—are against it is upsetting, even if not surprising. CC&W often consults with military chaplains, and now includes one (retired) on its board.

Read the rest of the article from the latest issue of Humanist Network News here: http://hmn.st/x8O5wg

Comment by Brian Magee on January 20, 2012 at 2:13pm

For those who will be in Washington, DC for the Reason Rally on March 24, consider coming to the AHA's pre-rally reception, Friday, March 23 at our national office, co-hosted by the Washington Area Secular Humanists.

An RSVP is required as space will be limited.

Comment by Brian Magee on January 19, 2012 at 1:27pm

Humanists of Rhode Island join their state's Adopt A Highway program.

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