This is the weekly summary of the Humanist Network News (HNN). The 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)

March 16, 2006
Humanist Network News
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  1. Agnostic Mom: The complication of simplifying complications
  2. Drug case gives religious exemptions a second fix
  3. IHS in the News: IHS is best response to theocracy
  4. IHS helps secular students organize at Albany schools
  5. Infidels, students & IHS create freethought debate circuit
  6. What do you think about the eBay atheist?
  7. An English teacher moment
  8. Sweet Reason will be back next week
  9. Job opportunity: American Atheists staff
  10. Letters to the Editor
  11. Media Roundup
  12. Cathartic Comics
  13. Poll of the Week

Summaries, links, and MY TAKE across the break.

1. Agnostic Mom: The complication of simplifying complications
In this installment of Noell Hyman’s column on non-religious parenting, she describes how her family celebrated Darwin’s Theory of Evolution for six evenings to teach the kids about the progression of life. By the end the children were almost as excited about Darwin Week as they were about Christmas. MORE

MY TAKE: Cool. Maybe my wife and I will have a Darwinian Festivus instead of Christmas when we have kids.

2. Drug case gives religious exemptions a second fix
A recent Supreme Court decision has Dr. Tim Gordinier again revisiting the topic of illegal drugs and religious exemptions. MORE

MY TAKE: Another interesting and informative analysis by Dr. Gordinier.

3. IHS in the News: IHS is best response to theocracy
In this week’s edition of the Metroland, readers picked the Institute for Humanist Studies as the “Best Response to creeping theocracy: Institute For Humanist Studies.” Plus, Sweet Reason and HNN are mentioned in a national column. MORE

4. IHS helps secular students organize at Albany schools
A representative of the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) visited the Institute for Humanist Studies last week to help young secularists organize in the Northeast.  MORE

5. Infidels, students & IHS create freethought debate circuit
With a $2000 grant from the Institute for Humanist Studies, Internet Infidels has launched a project to facilitate oral debates on the existence of God and similar topics. In cooperation with the Secular Student Alliance and various student organizations across the United States, Internet Infidels will cosponsor debates from the Spring through Fall 2006 semesters. MORE

6. What do you think about the eBay atheist?
Hemant Mehta, the 22-year-old atheist from Chicago, rocketed into minor celebrity status after a front page article in the Wall Street Journal described his recent auction on eBay. What do you think about what Hemant is doing? Call the HNN listener line at 206-339-4168. MORE

MY TAKE: Wish I had thought of it.

7. An English teacher moment
Canadian columnist Doug Thomas examines what his English class would be like if it only examined works by non-theist writers. MORE

8. Sweet Reason will be back next week
… but there’s something YOU can do while you’re waiting for the next column. MORE

9. Job opportunity: American Atheists staff
American Atheists is seeking a qualified person for the position of Office Manager. MORE

10. Letters to the Editor
Letters on agnosticism, military recruitment, and a whole lot of other topics. MORE

11. Media Roundup
A roundup of stories from the mainstream media that are of interest to humanists. MORE

12. Cathartic Comics
…an assortment of cartoons and comic strips about humanism, atheism, religion, science and freethought. MORE

13. Poll of the Week
Should humanists welcome deists into the humanist fold? CAST YOUR VOTE

______________
About the IHS:

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.

To subscribe to the HNN weekly email like I do, Click Here

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.

0 0 votes
Article Rating