Humanist Perspectives, Hybrid - Humanism v Religion, Presentation and Discussion
When: Sat, Feb 17, 2024 at 4:00pm
Where:
Secular Hub
254 Knox Ct
Denver, CO, 80205
**Should secular Humanists be accepting of religion or be distant and not form alliances?**
Madaline Murray O’Hare, founder of the American Atheists in the ‘60s, condemned the American Humanist Association for being tolerant of any religion.
There is definitely a line that when crossed by certain religious organizations makes them the enemy of Humanism as well as many religious groups that are also concerned about religious extremism. For example, Christian Nationalism has vowed to take over our government and declare Bible law. We must fight tooth and nail with all our might to keep this from happening, but how?
Many churches are aligned with Humanist values, but is it OK to form alliances with these groups or is this only endorsing religion that may not be in line with our values? After all, religion has done a lot of damage in the world over the centuries and caused many wars. Just look at the Middle East today.
Tom Kellogg and Nancy Bolt, President of the Jefferson Humanists, will each give a short presentation to open the discussion, along with several short videos.
Last month at Humanist Perspectives, some videos were shown and one in particular spawned an intense discussion that led to this program. It was a cartoon called the Story of Suzy, created by Seth Andrews, host of the Thinking Atheist podcast. Suzy prayed to God and Jesus to make the world a better place, but the problems still remained, thus criticizing Suzy’s beliefs. This opened a surprising floodgate of opinions and discussions. We'll show this video again to help get the discussion going.
To what extent should Humanists work with religious organizations toward common goals? If they open meetings praying to God, should we ask to be able to open the next with a Humanist message or just ignore it? Should we reach out to work with religious organizations just to make the point about the positive nature of Humanism and atheism? Are you comfortable saying you are an Atheist or agnostic or Humanist if Christians are talking about their beliefs? Do you just ignore these statements? What do you say if someone asks you what church you go to?
**Humanist Perspectives is a joint monthly program with the Hub and Jefferson Humanists on the third Saturday. This is a hybrid event, live at the Hub and online with Zoom, your choice.** Come to the Hub to see the show live and Zoomers on the big screen, with discussions and appetizers followed by socializing, a potluck dinner, and a free concert. Feel free to BYOB (beer and wine are OK) or an appetizer to share. OR get on Zoom at home and mingle with the audience to see the program and join the discussions.
**Please RSVP. Those attending in person should be fully vaccinated for Covid. To join with Zoom use this link at any time:** Zoom Registration Link No information will be shared.
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The Hub, Jefferson Humanists, and Humanists of Colorado Chapters of the American Humanist Association are very pleased to offer a regular exploration series on the 3rd Saturdays, 4:00 to 6:00 pm., inspired by the Jefferson Humanists. Each session will be slightly different and include several segments to showcase aspects of Humanism through a presentation, videos, movies, forums, and explorations, followed by discussions. We will include time for participants to socialize and get acquainted, in keeping with the chapters' goals of building community.
