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Comment by Brian Magee on September 13, 2012 at 4:23pm

Comment by Brian Magee on September 13, 2012 at 2:58pm

What the Libyan Embassy Attack Teaches Us About True Religious Freedom

The news swept the globe this week of the senseless killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three of his staff members by an angry mob upset with a movie made in America. While we are immensely saddened by this unnecessary loss of life, some recent statements made by government officialsapologizing for the movie and condemning those that made it are concerning.

Certainly, people, religious or not, should be treated with respect, but that doesn't mean that religious ideas are immune to criticism or parody. And no matter how strong one's principles of religious freedom are, there is no excuse for violent actions taken by individuals on the grounds of defending their faith from outside criticism.

True religious freedom requires that people are able to believe as they so choose, but it also demands the ability to be free from belief and to question beliefs as one sees fit. Ideally, criticism should be constructive and remain polite and reasoned, but even if the remarks made are vulgar and offensive, the same legal protections regarding free speech and religious freedom must be maintained.

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

Comment by Brian Magee on September 12, 2012 at 2:55pm

The AHA joins Interaction (http://www.interaction.org/) coalition asking Congress to maintain foreign aid funding levels in order to help fight poverty.

Details can be found here.

Comment by Brian Magee on September 11, 2012 at 4:23pm

In the most recent issue of Humanist Network News, the weekly ezine of the AHA, you can join the lively discussion and poll on circumcision, read about why "You Can't Much Help What Turns You On," enter a trivia contest--and more!

Comment by Brian Magee on September 5, 2012 at 4:11pm

Let's Recognize and Reignite Humanism's Feminist Legacy

Today there are many fronts in this struggle that humanists are leading in favor of civil rights and against the war on women.

By Roy Speckhardt, September 02, 2012

Popular bloggers such as Jen McCreight and Greta Christina are vocal proponents of a more feminist-oriented atheism. While a few see those involved in this new push for change as misunderstanding sexual harassment, encouraging censorship, or treating people monolithically as bullies or misogynists, others see the focus as a more general struggle to eliminate secular sexism of all stripes, thus getting our own house in order as a pre-requisite for further advancement of nontheist aims. Objectively, it appears that atheism isn't immune from the influences of the broader culture, and that atheists and humanists experience the effects of online hostility to women as well as face-to-face sexism at freethought conferences and other gatherings. As those in the secular movement seek solutions to the real problems we're facing, it's worth taking a moment to realize that humanists have an honorable feminist legacy and that the feminist movements themselves were in fact led by a majority of atheist humanists who set aside patriarchal religions in order to seek equality for all.

Most folks have a sense today that humanism has historically supported feminism, but few realize how deep that connection is. The American Humanist Association (AHA) supported elective abortion in the 1950s long before NARAL existed and before Planned Parenthood expanded beyond contraceptive services. Among nearly two dozen AHA resolutions spanning seven decades that specifically promoted feminist ideals is the latest, released just August 24, which calls for final passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. The AHA's Humanist magazine was carefully prepared in gender-neutral English in the 1970s, long before most newsstand magazines even considered the issue. In response to this issue, past AHA President Bette Chambers said, "The AHA always recognized men and women as equals in all matters and has always been 'feminist.'"

To read the rest of this Patheos article, click here.

Comment by Brian Magee on September 4, 2012 at 2:13pm

In this month’s The Humanist Hour Podcast, Jes and Todd interview AHA President, freethought activist, blogger and author David Niose, about his book, Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans.

This episode is also available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAZ1Pqmpt7Y), Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/48809857) and iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-humanist-hour/id99193025)

Comment by Brian Magee on August 30, 2012 at 4:59pm

The YouTube channel by C0nc0rdance contains a reading of Humanism and Its Aspirations (Humanist Manifesto III), the most recent comprehensive statement on humanism adopted by the AHA's Board of Directors (2003).

The document can be found here: http://www.americanhumanist.org/humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III

 

Comment by Brian Magee on August 24, 2012 at 4:09pm

FROM THE AHA’S FEMINIST CAUCUS: REMEMBER THE ERA?

August 26 is Women's Equality Day.It commemorates the historic day in 1920 when women achieved the right to vote. Sadly, 92 years later the religious right is working hard to roll back the freedoms and protections that women have fought for.

Today's political climate makes it abundantly clear that American women need to have their rights permanently protected through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) states, "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex," and has already been ratified by 35 of the 38 states required before it can be enshrined in the Constitution.

Why is this important?
Because until we have the ERA as the law of the land, women will continue to fight every few years to get equal pay for equal work, fair family leave policies, protection from violence against women, access to the reproductive health care of our choice, and many more basic human rights.

How can we get it ratified?
By convincing our representatives in Washington to sign on to the joint resolutionthat does away with the deadline for ratification while also getting 3 more states to ratify the ERA.

What can you do?
• Become involved in our campaign to get the last 3 states to ratify it.
• Lend us your voice and a few minutes of your time by signing this petition.
• Contact those who represent you in Washington and let them know abo....

If America wishes to serve as an international example of liberty and just governance, we must ensure that all citizens are afforded the same rights and that institutionalized discrimination is made illegal. We must all come together, regardless of religious beliefs or political opinions, in order to guarantee equal treatment under the law and the end to gender discrimination.

Sincerely,
Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director

Comment by Brian Magee on August 24, 2012 at 10:22am

On Women’s Equality Day, Humanists Reaffirm Commitment to Equal Rights Amendment

For Immediate Release

(Washington, DC, August 24, 2012) —In anticipation of Women’s Equality Day on August 26, 2012, and adding to a long history of supporting equal rights for women, the American Humanist Association Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution calling for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA was originally introduced in 1923, and passed by Congress in 1972. Thirty-five states have ratified the Amendment, three short of the 38 states necessary for adoption.

“There is no reason to wait any longer for women’s equality,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “Discrimination on the basis of sex continues to this day, and the swift passage of the Equal Rights Amendment will finally provide the protection women deserve.”

“Until the Equal Rights Amendment is adopted, women will continue to be treated as second-class citizens, legally, because without protection under the Constitution, our fundamental rights are subject to the whims of local lawmakers and our recourse is limited,” said Zelda Gatuskin, co-chair of the Feminist Caucus of the American Humanist Association. “This is long overdue. Congress needs to step up and commit to the ideal of equal justice for all.”

The American Humanist Association is supporting the Three-State Strategy, a legal position that holds there is no time limit for the remaining states to ratify the ERA because none is mentioned in the text of the amendment itself, only in its proposing clause.

The American Humanist Association (AHA) first supported the Equal Rights Amendment by issuing a resolution in 1975, and again in 1982. The AHA also adopted a resolution on Equal Pay for Women in 1963 and the World Bill of Rights for Women in 1981. The Feminist Caucus of the American Humanist Association was established in 1977 as a coalition of women and men working toward the advancement of women’s rights and equality between the sexes in all aspects of society.

Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on August 26 to mark the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, granting women the right to vote.

A copy of the resolution can be found here: http://www.americanhumanist.org/AHA/Board_of_Directors/resolutions/ERA

This press release can be found on the AHA website here.

Comment by Brian Magee on August 21, 2012 at 12:07pm

Just in time for back-to-school activities, the AHA's Kochar Humanist Education Center has a new website!

Please visit (and share with your friends) the resources available, including an extensive library of curriculum resources for teachers; the Many Faces of Humanism online course; lesson plans for children; adult education manual; information on the Humanist Teacher Corps (including how to join); the Ten Commitments, providing a moral foundation for education, and more!

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