Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to this "philosophical life stance" (hehe).

My girlfriend is vaguely spiritual but aligns with humanism's core values. What would you all say about humanists joining the Unitarian Universalist Church? Nothing about their stances contradict the Humanist Manifesto and we'd love you get into an organization to meet like-minded people.

Anyone with experience and/or agrees/disagrees with religious humanism.

Reference: https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles

So for a while I've been looking for a community like this, and I just recently found out what humanism is and just about every part of it I agree with. There's just one exception: I believe in ghosts and the spirit of someone being able to continue to roam. Nothing like heaven or hell or anything. Am I still a humanist with these beliefs? If not, is there anything similar to it?

Please delete if not allowed.

Hello there,

I'm a DNP student collecting information on healthcare professional perspectives regarding an existing deathcare planning tool which aims to honor diverse LGBTQIA+ and religious, secular and spiritual identities.

If you have a few minutes, please provide your perspective via this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8B25T9N

Thank you

I am interested to work with humanist groups.any suggestions? Any project I can join?

So is it possible to be a humanist but still believe that the Sun itself is God? No I am not trolling. I do not know much about humanists or humanism. Yes Google search exists, but I prefer interacting with other human beings.

Hi! I recently discovered the word humanism, and realized that I have been one this whole time, just didn’t know there was a word for it. Anyway, glad to be here and looking forward to starting a group in my city in Alabama.

She's leaving because she's high-energy and can't concentrate during meetings, and because "It's all about Yahweh." Which I've heard from other agnostics and atheists too.

Anyway, I've never had to deal with addiction myself and I'm worried about her. Any words of wisdom from recovering Humanist addicts?

Hello, all!

I am new to humanism, and I am interested in learning more about the Renaissance Humanist/Christian Humanist thought (e.g., Thomas More, Erasmus, etc.). I have read More's Utopia, but I would like to dive deeper.

Are there any resources (especially digital ones, like websites, blogs, podcasts, etc.) that you recommend?

Thank you kindly and have a wonderful day!

Scrooge embodies the protestant work ethic. The terrible partnership between religion and corporation that justified not only the ‘work houses’ and the prisons, but paved the way for the acceptance of slavery. He shares their disdain for humankind, and is confident his merit and his favored status are shown by his wealth. He sees himself surrounded by the immoral and the lazy.

As we follow his adventure, Scrooge doesn’t come to christ, doesn’t change his ways by falling on his knees and being filled with the spirit. Instead he really learns the premise that Jacob Marley first tells him. In short: “Mankind is your business” your time is finite, and the only currency of true value is the love shared with another.

I figured if we could show more presence to counter religion. Maybe secularism will stand a better chance. Anyone any other ideas for spreading the word?

I’m from the Isle of Man. Would love to hear from other humanists around the world to see if they’re part of any groups or charities.

Does anybody have any videos of a humanist funeral I really wanna see step by step how one is conducted

Hello friends, I wanted to thank all of you who downloaded or purchased my book “A Journey from Orthodoxy to Humanism; We are not alone” from Amazon.com.

The reason for this message is that I just finished reading an intriguing book called “Homo Deus” or the human god. It is by Yuval Noah Hariri who is a History Professor. The book makes intriguing predictions regarding the future of humans including the eventual conquering of Death!!!!!

I would like to start a discussion among members of this group with those who will actually read the book carefully. I think it will be very interesting and informative.

I think it is a must read for any Humanist as it discusses Humanism in much detail and its place in the history of humanity.

Hello friends, I wanted to thank all of you who downloaded or purchased my book “A Journey from Orthodoxy to Humanism; We are not alone” from Amazon.com. I am hoping for some critiques or comments.

The reason for this message is that I just finished reading an intriguing book called “Homo Deus” or the human god. It is by Yuval Noah Hariri who is a History Professor. The book makes intriguing predictions regarding the future of humans including the eventual conquering of Death!!!!!

I would like to start a discussion among members of this group with those who will actually read the book carefully. I think it will be very interesting and informative.

I think it is a must read for any Humanist as it discusses Humanism in much detail and its place in the history of humanity.

HI, Some time ago, I've read a very long articles, nicely divided written by a prominant humanist on the definitions and the various interpretations of humanist. The article also covers some frequently asked questionz on humanism suc as can naturalism be considered as humanistic. Can anyone track the article for me?

thanks

Hi there all. It’s been a longish journey to finally settling on humanism but here we are - it was inevitable. I was raised very Catholic and I’m now in the awkward position where I would join the priesthood if I still believed God. The academic lifestyle, the simplicity, the community, the lack of romantic relationships appeals to me but Jesus doesn’t.

I’d love to hear any suggestions, if you have the time, as to viable alternatives for someone who doesn’t want to join one of the most corrupt and morally questionable organisations on the planet. Thanks so much.

Much love to you all.

E-petition to help end discrimination against atheists and humanists in Canada’s refugee policies launched by Canadian Humanists: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Sign/e-3638

Background to Petition e-3638

Canada’s Less Complex Claims refugee policy is a fast-track policy that gives those at risk of being persecuted for their faith access to refugee status in Canada without requiring a hearing. At present, atheists, humanists, and other non-believers are EXCLUDED from being considered, despite the fact that they face the same consequences in their home countries if they renounce religion.

Also, even though the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to freedom FROM religion as much as freedom OF religion to all refugees and citizens, this refugee policy is not extended to non-religious persons and thus constitutes discrimination.

Please help raise awareness of the importance of Petition e3638 on improving our human rights by reading, signing, and sharing it by 9:00 a.m. on January 17, 2022.

Note:Signee names and contact information are confidential and not visible to anyone reading the petition. Electronic email confirmation is done only to determine validity of email addresses.

Hi, I'm an atheist. I'm looking for a better community to discuss these things inside with people who understand sometimes about family or other problems regarding religion. (But not to mock or be cruel) The issue I kept running into is much as I love my fellow atheists a lot of them are very snappy and unkind when it comes to the situations I or others in my life are facing. I can't handle that attitude anymore I'm done! I don't know why they do that but it's not acceptable. I understand the reason for that could be trauma or other issues within their own lives and I get that I do, but I just can't hang around it anymore it's not healthy for me. I also don't want to feed that behavior. I don't know why they act like this and it's unfortunate because I end up feeling very lonely without a community to go speak to outside of my autism community. A friend of mine mentioned for me to try a humanism group because there not as "Mocking" or "Snappy" so I figured I'd give it a shot. But I don't know if this is right for me either all I know is I don't believe in god but I don't think people need to be screamed at because they don't feel the same way.

Chapter 4: Angry at God

Despite all the warnings that it was futile to try to understand these big issues of life and death, I could not help but continue to wonder at the wisdom or fairness of what had happened. One parable was repeatedly invoked, and it consistently made me angry, increasing the cynical sarcasm of my inner monologue (although I dared not be outwardly sarcastic). It was the story of a boy who kept moving water from the sea to a small hole on the beach. When asked what he was doing, the boy explained that he was trying to move the sea into the hole. Of course, the sea in this story represented God’s wisdom, and the tiny beach hole was my mind! Even as I was pressed to accept the lessons in this parable, a bigger question continued to lurk within my mind. Was there actually any wisdom or fairness to be found in this circumstance, or could there be some alternate logical explanation that my parents, brothers, friends, neighbors, and every other person I knew at the time, were all simply unaware of?

Initially, I had to assume that all of these people were correct. After all, these individuals were all highly learned, including my father, who was an accomplished pharmacist. But this conclusion—that it was all God’s will—only led to further anger and further questioning on my part. And I did not for a minute buy the argument that all my questions and concerns were the result of the devil controlling my thinking! Another ridiculous suggestion, made by some people in my environment, was that God was punishing my parents for some evil they had committed. I could not accept that explanation for many reasons, the main reason being that I was also punished. What had I done to deserve this? What had poor, angelic Nadia done to deserve this? If my parents did sin, why punish the young, pure girl? So, I rejected that thought outright and moved on to other possible explanations. Could it be because we were Christians and not Muslims? That thought was also quickly rejected out of hand for the simple reason that, as I asked around, I found similar tragedies had also befallen many Muslim families.

There was one particularly disturbing possibility that continued to haunt me for about a year. It was the idea that perhaps God is not a benevolent deity but rather an angry and vicious one. This was such a disturbing and disquieting thought, but it would explain the misery that I had just experienced. I couldn’t readily shake off this notion, and I began to pay attention to what was going on, not only in my limited sphere but all around the world. To my amazement, I realized that the world was indeed a scary place, where natural and man-made disasters abounded.

I began to listen more closely to the news of wars, famines, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. One example that I lived through was particularly enlightening. In Egypt, the Nile floods every year and destroys many crops and houses, with some people frequently dying in the process. Those floods were so devastating throughout history that the ancient Egyptians used to offer sacrifices to the God of the Nile to try to prevent such disaster. In the 1960s, however, the modern Egyptians built the Aswan High Dam. The Aswan Dam regulated the flow of the Nile and effectively prevented the annual destruction. From observing this development, I concluded that the yearly disaster was God-made, but the solution was human-made. This conclusion gave me some hope and a small measure of comfort.

However, this logical deduction was by no means enough to alleviate all of my concerns. Two to three years passed in continued anguish, and no further answers were forthcoming. Nevertheless, my certainty that there was an answer out there, and that the people around me just didn’t know it, grew stronger and stronger. I had to research this problem for myself.

Chapter 3: Nadia and the beginning of doubts

In this chapter, I describe the main event that influenced my entire life, impacting my thinking, my belief system, and ultimately my career choice. It was an event that took place during my childhood. By the age of eight I was already completely indoctrinated, not only into the Christian faith but also more specifically into the concepts of Christian Orthodoxy. By this time, I had two younger sisters who were two and three years younger than I, as well as two older brothers. The older of my sisters was named Nadia, and we were very close. The simplest description for her is angelic.

When she was around six years old, Nadia contracted meningeal tuberculosis. At the time, we believed that she contracted it from one of the servants, but we never knew for sure. Her case got progressively worse over the next two years and eventually required treatment that had to be administered in Cairo, as the small town of Ismailia was not equipped. This meant that my parents spent much time traveling back and forth, hoping that the medical knowledge of the day could alleviate their daughter’s pain and hopefully save her life. But alas, Nadia’s condition continued to worsen. Eventually, with fluid constantly building up around her brain, she was being subjected to repeated spinal taps to alleviate the pressure. Worse yet, she was suffering from a powerful thirst, which meant she wanted to drink water all the time. However, the doctors mandated that we prevent her from drinking, thus multiplying her suffering and the entire family’s agony as we were forced to prevent her from finding relief for her thirst.

When I reached the age of eleven, Nadia was eight years old, and her condition had worsened to the point where the suffering was constant. My parents were with her in Cairo, whereas the other children—the four of us—were back home in Ismailia. During the three years leading up to this point, I had spent much time praying for my sister. I was driven by the belief that I was indeed communicating with a benevolent deity who would not let me down, not only for my sake but for the sake of my parents, my brothers, my youngest sister, and poor Nadia herself. But one day, while my parents were with Nadia in Cairo, we got the news that she had passed. You can imagine my great disappointment at that moment. My lord had let me down!

The big question in my mind at that time and over the following many years was, why did that have to happen? At the very beginning, while I still was eleven years old, the answers presented were unequivocal: “That was God’s will, and we simply have to accept and resign ourselves to it.” But these answers were simply not satisfactory. The question remained, lurking in my mind for the next few years, and it colored every answer I received during that period. All of the responses implied that I could and should not think about it, judge it, or even inquire further. I constantly wondered why everyone around me simply accepted this answer, and why could I not accept it?

By the time I was thirteen years old, and in my first year of Middle School (or 7th grade), I was more aware than ever about matters of religion. I became even more sensitive to the fact that I was a minority Christian in a majority Muslim society. In addition to my Christian friends, I had now gained more Muslim friends, and I became eager to understand the differences between these religions. This feeling and desire became particularly strong when it was time for religion classes and I was supposed to leave the room. On a few occasions, I did manage to stay back to learn more about this Islam that was so vilified by my parents and my Christian community. However, none of my experiences in the Christian church meetings, in Sunday School, or in the Muslim classes provided a satisfactory answer to my question regarding why my sister had to suffer and die. The responses came nowhere close to satisfying my inquisitiveness; in fact, it was commonplace in both communities to tell me not to ask such questions. I was told it was not possible for me as a limited human, and particularly as a child, to understand God’s infinite wisdom.