All posts tagged: Humanism

Ruminating on African American Humanism: My Experience and Skepticism

Ruminating on African American Humanism: My Experience and Skepticism

This article is part of a series of two from students in a course on humanism at Pitzer College taught by Sikivu Hutchinson. The other article is posted here. Both articles were previously posted on the Black Skeptics LA website. This course has introduced me to the subject of African American Humanism and Humanism of the Eurocentric variety. Never before have I been presented with such an ideology that rejects supernaturalism and holds religion and gods as human constructs in such depth, it has only been an unfavorable and abstract idea of atheism. It makes sense in this Christian nation that I have not been taught about these beliefs in my education thus far, and that I only have learned about them at eighteen years old in a progressive institution such as Pitzer College. I am struck by humanist ideas surrounding mental health, self-preservation, and acts of finding safety while taking this course. The words of mental health counselor Suandria Hall have left an impression on me. She left morsels of wisdom and reflections; she …

Intersecting Identities within African American Humanism

Intersecting Identities within African American Humanism

This article is part of a series of two from students in a course on humanism at Pitzer College taught by Sikivu Hutchinson. The other article is posted here. Both articles were previously posted on the Black Skeptics LA website. African American Humanism and European American Humanism are different in two distinct ways, the views on gender dynamics and the views on race. American societal standards and ideals today mainly conform to Eurocentric and primarily Christian—or faith-based—teachings. In governmental, educational, and recreational agencies, there is a prevalence of disproportionality of access to funds and resources based on race. While it is essential to recognize the drastic differences in experiences based on race, it is also important to note the different types of experiences based on gender, both separated from race, and as an intersectional identity combined with race. When identifying ways different types of people react to experiences, it is important to recognize the combined identity one experiences when less ‘socially acceptable’ identities overlap, creating an identity that affects one’s experience differently than someone without …

Journeys to Humanism: Dissecting Truth from Fiction through Music

Journeys to Humanism: Dissecting Truth from Fiction through Music

Journeys to Humanism, theHumanist.com’s regular series, features real stories from humanists in our community. From heartwarming narratives of growth, to more difficult journeys, our readers open up about their experiences coming to humanism. Kevin McKinneySalunga, PA I just want to give heavy metal music the props it deserves. As a kid, I only saw my father every other weekend and stopped going to church after my parents divorced when I was ten years old. Music became my role model and father figure. During this time, in the 1980s, a lot of that music was being banned and shunned. Music helped me open my eyes to the rest of the world’s views on religion. To me, there were a lot of religious teachings and more that didn’t match up to the reality of the world. Music dissected the truth from fiction. Some of the more “out in left field” music—like satanic bands, death metal, etc.—were a perfect balance to the outright uptightness and aloofness of most of the religious ways of thinking about modern life. The …

Journeys to Humanism: Questioning Preachers, Evolving Parenthood, and Finding Harmony

Journeys to Humanism: Questioning Preachers, Evolving Parenthood, and Finding Harmony

Stuart Thompson Journeys to Humanism, theHumanist.com’s regular series, features real stories from humanists in our community. From heartwarming narratives of growth, to more difficult journeys, our readers open up about their experiences coming to humanism. Stuart Thompson Whitney, PA I was perhaps twelve at the time. The family was making one of its infrequent visits to the neighborhood Methodist church. We sat where we customarily did—right hand side, about two-thirds of the way back from the front. The preacher, both hands firmly propped against the lectern, was holding forth as usual and with absolute certainty as to the truth of his evidence-free assertions. On this sunny Sunday morning, though, and for reasons entirely unknown to me, I was paying attention. At a point I found myself looking intently at the minister and saying—quite to myself—“You don’t know that.” At the age of twelve I did not have anything approaching a humanist vocabulary within which to place my newfound wake-up call. But, slowly, from that point on, the vocabulary grew. My parents, thankfully, never did push …

How secular congregations fill a need for some nonreligious Americans

How secular congregations fill a need for some nonreligious Americans

(The Conversation) — Shared testimonies, collective singing, silent meditation and baptism rituals – these are all activities you might find at a Christian church service on a Sunday morning in the United States. But what would it look like if atheists were gathering to do these rituals instead? Today, almost 30% of adults in the United States say they have no religious affiliation, and only half attend worship services regularly. But not all forms of church are on the decline – including “secular congregations,” or what many call “atheist churches.” As a sociologist of religion who has spent the past 10 years studying nonreligious communities, I have found that atheist churches serve many of the same purposes as religious churches. Their growth is evidence that religious decline does not necessarily mean a decline in community, ritual or people’s well-being. What is an atheist church? Secular congregations often mimic religious organizations by using the language and structure of a “church,” such as meeting on Sundays or hearing a member’s “testimony,” or by adapting religious language or …

JOURNEYS TO HUMANISM | Seeking Marriage Counseling, Finding Humanism

JOURNEYS TO HUMANISM | Seeking Marriage Counseling, Finding Humanism

Journeys to Humanism, theHumanist.com’s regular series, features real stories from humanists in our community. From heartwarming narratives of growth, to more difficult journeys, our readers open up about their experiences coming to humanism. Stephanie ParkerCorbin, KY In 2021, I walked into my Baptist church and asked for help with my marriage. That began a long and painful walk out of Christianity and into humanism. At the time, I had a number of big life events taking place (family member death, birth of a child, home selling/buying, and caretaking of a grandparent) and I was experiencing some very distressing physical symptoms (later attributed to PTSD). I had just come to terms with the patterns in my marriage being a contributing factor in my distress. A decade earlier my husband and I had been recommended to a local pastor for counseling after disclosing an act of physical violence. I was encouraged to pray more, submit more… be better. I’d win him to the Lord or at the very least, my suffering would earn me rewards in heaven. …

Event to explore ancient humanism thinking and modern values – Humanists UK

Event to explore ancient humanism thinking and modern values – Humanists UK

On 18 January, experts in humanism, ancient Greece, and ancient Nepal and India will come together for a stimulating conversation about the ‘long’ history of humanism around the world, exploring the continuities between people who ‘think for themselves and act for everyone’ in the ancient world and today. This promises to be a fascinating online event covering questions such as ‘What is morality?’, ‘Do human beings need religion to be good?’, and ‘How did today’s modern liberal values originate?’ Event description In the earliest human civilisations, there were many people whose approach to life was what today we could call humanist: think for yourself, act for everyone. As far back as records go, there is ample evidence – some fragmentary, some extensive – of people who believed this was the only life we have, that human beings were the makers of their own fate, and that notions of gods were, at best, a distraction from the meaningful work of making a happy life among human beings. Historians can trace the lineage of this kind of …

A Course on Humanism for Everyday Life

A Course on Humanism for Everyday Life

Tufts University students What unfolds when intentional spaces are cultivated to explore the essence of humanity? How can we engage in an embodied humanism that embraces the diversity of experiences and complex histories to envision more ethical futures? For Anthony Cruz Pantojas and the students in the course “The Practice of Being Human: Humanism for Everyday Life,” at Tufts University last semester, these pivotal questions took center stage. Over thirteen weeks, each session delved into the utility and significance of humanism in addressing life’s enduring questions and complex challenges. Weekly topics included “Who is the Human?” “Otherwise Genres of the Human,” “Humanism as an Aesthetic Sensibility,” and “Inter-relational Humanisms.” Cruz Pantojas, the course instructor, leveraged their expertise as a scholar and chaplain to guide students in challenging normalized truths, offering perspectives on the human condition, and envisioning social justice and liberation beyond the Western canon. This course is groundbreaking as the first of its kind at Tufts University and The Experimental College, an innovative center for teaching and learning where the course is housed. Humanist …

Celebrate Humanism Anytime! – TheHumanist.com

Celebrate Humanism Anytime! – TheHumanist.com

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash A few of the American Humanist Association’s incarcerated humanist members have recently called and written me asking about humanist holidays. One needed to include “observances” on a form required to start a humanist group at his facility. One was looking for more event opportunities for his established group, which was one of the first AHA prison chapters. I told them that the only official humanist holidays are World Humanist Day on June 21 and HumanLight on or around December 23. However, humanists celebrate many other days and—though I couldn’t provide a definitive list—I offered some examples. Secular Days When we celebrate the importance of church-state separation and democracy. This can include various influential people’s birthdays and legal case anniversaries. National Religious Freedom Day (January 16)Ask an Atheist Day (3rd Thursday of April & September)National Day of Reason (1st Thursday of May, alternate to National Day of Prayer)Independence Day (July 4)Constitution Day (September 17)Freethought Day (October 12)Separation of Church & State Week (week of Thanksgiving week, alternative to Bible Week)International …

Journeys to Humanism: Arriving at a Respectful Humanism

Journeys to Humanism: Arriving at a Respectful Humanism

Journeys to Humanism, theHumanist.com’s regular series, features real stories from humanists in our community. From heartwarming narratives of growth, to more difficult journeys, our readers open up about their experiences coming to humanism. Steve GhikadisCottam, Ontario, Canada My journey to humanism was a giant circle. I was raised accidentally as a freethinker by my mom. She followed the best practices for secular humanism without knowing it at the time. I grew up around others of different faiths, we always talked about different religions, and nothing was off the table for discussion. It wasn’t until I met my wife, who is a Christian, that I had to navigate the religious world. Her family was very religious and I would attend church services with them to fit in and be accepted. When it got to the point where I was being volunteered to light the candles and pass the plate around, I could not pretend any longer. I told my wife that I was having major reservations about attending church and felt like a wolf in sheep’s …