The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Secular Galaxy

42

So long and thanks for all the fish!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Secular Galaxy

Before we begin

Organizes regional Coalitions

Umbrella Organizations

501(c)4, "Representing Secular Americans in our Nation's Capital", 18 member orgs + 50 state chapters

Maria Greene

Jason Heap,

National Coordinator

Executive Director

UU Humanists

Concord Area Humanists Steering

Committee

How Many Organizations?

Why care?

(about organized secularism)

Atheist Organizations

Don't Panic!

Separation of C&S

Organizations

• Critical thinking
• Separation of C&S
• Non-religious Community

Some Definitions

Humanist Organizations

Firebrand Atheism

ANNIE LAURIE GAYLOR

David Silverman

Skeptic Organizations

Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science

Skeptic

Agnostic

Billboards

Madalyn Murray O'Hair

Atheist

Free Inquiry Magazine

A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.

Fox News

"Modern skepticism is embodied in the scientific method, that involves gathering data to formulate and test naturalistic explanations for natural phenomena."

-- The Skeptic Society

Women in Secularism conference since 2012

Openly Secular

A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.

National Convention

"Protecting the constitutional principle of the separation of state and church"

CFI On Campus

Dan Barker

The Spectrums

Local chapters

AU brings together Americans of many faiths and political viewpoints to defend church-state separation.

Largest freethought org

The Skeptic Society

1941

Secular

Church & State Magazine

Naturalism

State chapters

...to advocate and defend a nonreligious lifestance rooted in science, naturalistic philosophy, and humanist ethics and to serve and support adherents of that lifestance.

Where do the orgs fall on these spectrums?

Denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or theological basis.

Tom Flynn, E.D.

Freethought Today Magazine

Rev. Barry Lynn, E.D.

The Humanist Magazine

Naturalism is the idea or belief that only the laws and forces of nature (physical laws) operate in reality, as opposed to supernatural or spiritual forces; the idea or belief that nothing exists beyond the natural world.

Paul Kurtz, founder

Used as an umbrella term for

"supernaturalism-free"

Not an atheist organization.

Legal cases

National chapters

Skeptical Inquirer magazine

Philosophical

Kurtz was editor of AHA's The Humanist for many years. He left AHA in the late 70s on less than friendly terms.

Camp Inquiry

Secular Nation Magazine & Podcast

National Convention

State Chapters

Humanism

Skeptic Magazine

Skeptics & Humanist Aid and Relief Effort

Anti-Religious

Legal center

Robyn E. Blumner, President & CEO

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity

• American Humanist Association

Roy Speckhardt, E.D.

National Convention (in conjunction w/ DragonCon)

Michael Shermer

"Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself"

Aron Ra was president but resigned recently to run for public office

The Amazing Meeting (TAM)

"The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country."

Political

Much more than just church / state issues.

"Accomodationist"

One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge

State affiliates

Masters Certificate in Humanist Studies & Leadership

"Committed to Education, Investigation and Understanding"

Margaret Downey, founder & president

Graduates become AEU Leaders, directors of national secular groups, local group leaders, etc.

Kristin Wintermute, E.D.

Individualist

Also online courses, many free

Head

Heart

Hands

Endorses Humanist Celebrants

Recovery/Help

Recently expanded beyond

Philadelphia area

Secular invocations

(after "Greece" case)

1939 Originally a group of non-theistic Quakers, "The Humanist Society of Friends"

Collectivist

Hotline Project

2009

Secular Therapist Project

Part of the AHA

Humanist philanthropy & volunteering

Helping people leave religion.

Noelle George, E.D.

Humanist Serice Corps (this year in Ghana)

Secular Community Organizations

RR Groups

Beyond Belief Network

National Organizations

International

2012

"Communities Beyond Belief"

600+ Forum partipants

Freedom of Thought report

UN

Inspired by “Preachers Who Are Not Believers,” study by philosopher Daniel Dennett and researcher Linda LaScola

Like secular Alcoholics Anonymous

Publications & on-line groups too.

Helping religious leaders who have lost their belief.

Support group meetings, for instance, one meets in Concord at Emerson Hospital

Specific Demographics

John Compere & Jerry Dewitt participants

RDF & FFRF

sponsors

"Religious" Humanists

Started in London in 2013 by two stand-up comedians.

Founded in 1876 by Felix Adler

Secular World Magazine

Representing Humanists in the UUA

IHEU is the world union of over a hundred Humanist, rationalist, secular, ethical culture, atheist and freethought organizations in more than 40 countries.

Adler spoke of “a new religion of morality, whose God was the good, whose church was the Universe, whose heaven was on earth and not in the clouds.”

"SMART Recovery is the leading self-empowering addiction recovery support group."

Organized Humanism was heavily influenced by and many organizations were founded by Unitarians

Hoping to have 100 congregations by end of 2014.

~325 College (and some high school) student groups.

Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is a global federation of atheist and freethought groups and individuals, committed to educating its members and the public about atheism, secularism and related issues.

2011

"Rational Recovery"

is another, similar org.

Annual Conference

Alt. year congresses

Scholarships

22 Ethical Societies led by trained Leaders

Annual Conference (2 locations)

Oasis

Network

Other Nations

e.g. UK

"Our mission is to amplify the voice, presence, and influence of non-religious women."

Weekly meetings

Inter-generational

Educational, social and service opportunities of atheist/agnostic/Humanist/freethinking students.

Secular Humanistic Judaism celebrates cultural Jewish identity through a human-focused philosophy of life.

Speakers bureau

Allies who create safe

spaces for questioning

Formed in 2012 after CFI's first "Women in Secularism" conference.

Helen Springer, Kansas City

Mike Aus, Houston, founder

- was part of Clergy Project

MA Regional/Local Organizations

In the process of setting up an affiliation model.

Sherwin Wine, founder

About 30 Communities in US & Canada

The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism ordains Humanistic Jewish Rabbis

"Advancing Latino Culture Through Science & Reason"

(Small sample)

Podcasts (Spanish)

Hispanic American Freethinkers

"Walking by sight, not by faith"

Mikey Weinstein, founder and president

Started in Atlanta in 2011, now affiliates in Dallas, Detroit & Orlando

Regional coalition of United CoR

Books & media appearances

(website is down but Facebook page is still active)

2010, Washington, DC

Not very active

Mandisa Lateefah Thomas, founder

Affilitiates & individual members

Several dozen groups

Secular Coalition for Massachusetts

Primarily home of Greg Epstein's "Humanist Community at Harvard", but also Cambridge Secular Buddhists.

"The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment."

State chapter of Secular Coalition for America

"Secular Community Center for Humanists, atheists, agnostics, and allies"

Sarah Chandonnet, program director

Keeping an eye on MA legislation and lobbying MA politicians. Not very active.

Jason Torpy, president

Boston Ethical Community (formerly Ethical Society of Boston)

Kids

8 - 17

Huge mailing list (1,000+)

Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers

Invisible Pink Unicorn Challenge

Ex-Muslims of North America

"Providing community for atheists, humanists, and other nontheists in the military"

Meets Sunday mornings (10:30 am) at Longy School, Cambridge

Social meetups (e.g., blasphemy brunch)

Sister Orgs:

CAH, GBH

Classical music

"The Secular Summer Camp"

Atheist/Humanist Chaplains

Volunteering (e.g., park cleanup)

Not just for Harvard affiliated

Talks (w/ Disproof Atheism Society)

Community,

Education,

Advocacy for

"Atheists in foxholes"

Book group

Sunday Lecture Series

Social meetups

15 locations (this year), including Switzerland & UK

AHA Chapter

Local group of American Atheists

Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain, author of "Good Without God"

Weekly gatherings

1955

First Tuesday meetings

"We represent a community of Ex-Muslims (murtids) of various ethnic origins and nationalities that are currently residing in North America. We are largely composed of smaller regional groups, who have a great degree of structural autonomy. The regional groups are united organizationally as the Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA)."

"Learning Lab" for children

"Values in Action", volunteerism

1975

SA Boston is not actively

meeting anymore

Congregation Kahal Braira

Concord Ave., Cambridge

Monthly meetings, first was Nov, 2013

Humanistic Jewish Services, Sunday School, Holidays and Adult Education

SMOUPS

Karaoke "Power Cheese"