This is the weekly summary of the Humanist Network News (HNN). The Humanist Network News (HNN) is published every Wednesday via e-mail and on the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) Web site. This diary is a slightly reformatted copy of the weekly email they send me, which I post here every Thursday (Yes, I have permission from the IHS). (CP @ MLW, BT, SP)
January 18, 2006
Humanist Network News
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- IHS awards $143,000 in grants for 2006
- UK Humanists to gov’t.: Don’t forget the 65% non-religious!
- NY court upholds contraceptive health plan
- Student to humanists: Give youth a chance
- Breaking the church habit
- IHS in the News
- Now is the Time…
- Letters to the Editor
- Sweet Reason, what do I do when family insults my doubt?
- Media Roundup
- Cathartic Comics
- Humanist Humor
- Poll of the Week
Summaries, links, and MY TAKE across the break.
1. IHS awards $143,000 in grants for 2006
The Institute for Humanist Studies Grant Fund awarded more than $139,000 in grants to humanist projects for 2006. As in previous years, the grants reflect a strong focus on humanist youth development. The lucky recipients are…
2. UK Humanists to gov’t.: Don’t forget the 65% non-religious!
The British Humanist Association (BHA) has protested to a government minister who called for a “a chaplain in every college,” challenging the UK to address the needs of the two-thirds of British teenagers who have no religion. MORE
MY TAKE: Interesting that a country with a national church is 65% non-religious, while our country with no state religion is so religious. Further proof that freedom of religion and a secular government actually helps religion thrive.
3. NY court upholds contraceptive health plan
On Jan. 12, the New York State Appellate Division of the Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision requiring religiously-affiliated institutions to provide, among other things, contraceptive coverage in their employees’ health care plans. PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS
MY TAKE: I remember when I was working as a pharmacy tech in CA, a similar law was passed and the local Catholic hospital was extremely upset. I don’t remember if they went to court or not. I do remember filling birth control prescriptions for a woman on the hospital’s plan, and how happy the patient was that her plan had to cover her pill (No, she wasn’t a nun, she was a lay employee.)
4. Student to humanists: Give youth a chance
“I am 21 years old and I am an active humanist,” writes a secular student at the University of Toronto. “Yes, believe it or not, young humanists do exist. Give us a chance.” GUEST COLUMN
MY TAKE: I became a humanist at about that age, though I had no idea that’s what I was… I just called myself a “moral atheist” at the time. I still like my self-styled term, but use “secular humanist” so that people can easily look up what I’m talking about. Interestingly, I was an anthropology student, too…
5. Breaking the church habit
According to this recent grad, some Secular Student Alliance members find themselves socially isolated after college, leading them to seek out friends in — gasp — church. But now, it’s the SSA Alumni Program to the rescue. SSA GUEST COLUMN
MY TAKE: I had an atheist friend who joined a church and attended the youth group for a few years just to feel like he belonged to something. He even tried to become a believer, but was increasingly frustrated by the internal contradictions and the way the believers just glossed over them with phrases like, “That is why it’s called faith,” or “HE works in mysterious ways.” My friend finally decided that it was an exercise in futility since all the beautiful girls he was meeting wouldn’t sleep with him unless he married them.
6. IHS in the News
Why stop at science? asks IHS executive director Matt Cherry, rebutting an Albany Times Union letter about sanitizing education of all things offensive. MORE
7. Now is the Time…
Canadian humanists will soon have to decide whether to stand up in defense of their human rights or to duck and cover. There will be humanists in both camps, says guest writer Doug Thomas. COLUMN
MY TAKE: Oh No! Canada is really going to elect a conservative government after seeing this disaster to their south? I wonder how much U.S. money has flowed across the border to aid the Conservatives. Oh well… so much for my plan to move to Canada if things get worse here.
8. Letters to the Editor
HNN readers sound out on bible for porn exchanges, politics, capitalism, freethought collaboration, donating organs to science, the Book of Daniel, Harry Potter … is there anything our readers don’t have an opinion about? LETTERS
9. Sweet Reason, what do I do when family insults my doubt?
How should a former Christian deal with put-downs from those still in the fold? What about the atheist cancer patient who wakes up from surgery to find a minister at her bedside — courtesy of her sister? ADVICE
10. Media Roundup
Chile’s new agnostic president, Supreme Court OKs assisted suicide, Alito and abortion, churches and politics, European secularism, more. ROUNDUP
MY TAKE: I wrote a diary yesterday on the Assisted Suicide ruling (cross posted all over, but it got the most response at Daily Kos). It has implications on the “unitary executive” because the majority opinion states that the executive cannot claim authority not granted to it by either the Constitution or the Congress. And it was a 6-3 ruling, so even Alito being confirmed would not reverse this decision.
11. Cathartic Comics
An assortment of cartoons and comic strips about humanism, atheism, religion, science and freethought. COMICS
12. Humanist Humor
Pat Robertson dies and goes to heaven. (Skeptical? So are we.) JOKE
13. Poll of the Week
Those Texas students who gave out porn in exchange for bibles … great idea, or PR disaster? VOTE
MY TAKE: I wrote last week that I thought the Smut for Smut campaign (though funny, thought provoking, and brutally honest) probably went too far and reflected poorly on those involved.
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The IHS promotes nonreligious perspectives on social, political, and ethical issues and serves as a resource for and about the humanist community. Questions, comments, concerns, got a better joke or a story? Send a letter to the editor.
If anything here interests you, or if you are one of those people who doesn’t “get” humanism, you may also be interested in my diary on what secular humanism is and what it is like to be a secular humanist in today’s political climate: I Am The Boogeyman.
For your feedback convenience.
Feel free to write a more in-depth diary on any of the items in this diary.
Thanks Mrboma. It’s all good, I especially liked the Pat Robertson story.
Happy Thursday mrb….I was kinda surprised about the lack of younger people in the Humanist pool..or maybe they just haven’t been reached out to enough? Then again it’s not like there’s a Humanist building on almost every corner like there are churches. But wouldn’t that be great by the way.
Haven’t had much time ’til now to spend some time online reading and commenting. Some thoughts I had after reading, Now is the Time… by DOUG THOMAS
This is very noticeable to me.
I’ve refrained from posting more about the upcoming election (January 23th btw), about commenting, about writing diaries b/c it’s all so very depressing.
Why are these people so mean? Why are conservatives — ultra-conservatives — so mean-spirited. They are so closed to anything unlike themselves, their lifestyles.
I’ve heard that many gay couples are rushing to get married before the conservative government reverses the decision, including the Ontario Minister of Health. He said that he and his partner are considering a quick marriage if the conservs win the election. (Gays rush to altar, fearing marriage law at risk)
I’m seriously depressed guys.
I’ve looked up the local humanist association in ottawa, Humanist Association of Ottawa. I’m going to take a look at this group — see what they’re up to.
We’ve been living the nightmare the last 5 years. I would think Canadians would see what a disaster the Bush Admin has been for us and be scared off of voting for right-wingers. That’s why it wouldn’t surprise me to find out U.S. right-wing dollars and media have been busy invading Canada and spreading the same kinds of propaganda we get here in the U.S. Hell, I still can’t believe we re-elected these jack-asses (or did we?).
You’re right, too, about how mean-spirited they are. They are cold-hearted, selfish, bombastic, bloviating, dogmatic, hateful, nasty, sexist, racist, bigoted, ignorant, unpleasant, obnoxious, repugnant, rude, self-serving, greedy, uncaring, spiteful, malicious, unfair, cruel, despicable, hypocritical, two-faced, vindictive ass hats. Oh, and they are not nice.
Please let us know how the Humanist Ass’n of Ottawa is. I am not a face-to-face member of any organized humanist group (I just do the online thing) but I am not totally against the idea. Good luck, and sorry about the likely conservative take-over in the great white north.
Your comment gave me a chuckle — your descriptors that is. That’s a good list!
I think what is happening here in Canada, is that the Liberals have been in power for so long, and a number of $ scandals have been identified. The conservatives did a good job of playing on this — the need for change — without scaring the populus w/ their platform (in fact they didn’t release it ’til this past week! And it is scaring Ontarians btw.)
I keep coming back to that comment about the conservative voice getting louder, which makes these people feel free to be more vocal … That’s what is getting me down. B/c now I know that this is how these people really feel (and a number of them I interact with daily, including family members). It changes the way I now perceive them and I’m trying to come to terms w/ how to move forward knowing what I know now.
I’ll post about the Ottawa HA when/if I learn more. 🙂
Hey Olivia…yes, do let us know if you join or find out more about the Humanist group where you are…like mrb. I don’t belong to any group here like that although I have been thinking about it especially this last year.
I always wonder also why conservatives which now seems to go hand in hand with the ‘religious’ whackjobs are so mean/nasty and domineering. Then again they use as their template the old testament where god is a pretty mean/nasty and domineering old man.
But far from complete. I left out lying, cheating, corrupt, brainwashed, ethnocentric, and a bunch more.
I have some right-wing relatives, too. My parents 50th anniversary is coming up this summer, and dealing with the weirdoes may not be easy.
One of my brothers is a total religious whack-job. He didn’t come to my wedding because it wasn’t in a Catholic church nor was the celebrant a Catholic priest (she was an atheist – big surprise 😉 ). He recently mentioned in an email to the entire family that while he and his wife are truly partners, she acquiesces to him as head of the household. It made me sick.
Another of my brothers is non-religious, but is a Bush lover. He has always kind of been a macho ass-hole. Plus, he works in bonds, which has been a pretty good market under Bush. He is also a New Yorker who lost friends in 9/11. Bush’s cowboyism feeds his desire for revenge. He just doesn’t get that Bush isn’t seeking revenge on the people behind 9/11. Somehow, he has bought all the propaganda coming out of the administration and the GOP noise machine. When I sent him a bunch of emails debunking all his arguments, he stopped emailing back, except to send me a picture of his George W. Bush birthday cake (no joke).
Thankfully, I also have several other sibs with very similar values and beliefs to my own, so I wont be isolated. But it will still be awkward this summer.
A GW birthday cake…good god(heh)..the only way I could possibly see having a GW cake is having the satisfaction of chopping up his smirky face.