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Should we have a normal meeting on 21st December (we are after all secular) or go for some type of mid-winter celebration (we are after all trainee hedonists following our escape from religion)? Or perhaps both – we could hear back from Darragh and anyone else who was there how the Atheist Ireland meeting went at the weekend and then go on to celebrate? Does anyone have any ideas?
Filed under: Meetings | 4 Comments »
I listen to the Chariots of Iron podcast (thanks for the link Jason) and they have coined a word – atheiskeptihumanist to cover the idea of including atheists, sceptics and humanists in the one group.
“It’s a big tent” or a “broad church” are also phrases I’ve been hearing a lot lately since atheists are about to set up an organisation of their own. What the term seems to imply is that there is a big tent of Freethinking which can accommodate all kinds of different groups, but each of the groups has its own distinct outlook or role. The phrases have been used as a form of reassurance to people who have been expressing worry about the division of membership between organisations or the danger of misunderstanding among the public (and politicians) of the nature of atheists and humanists. Needless to say I take a different view and needless to say it’s got the cat herding characteristics associated with freethinking. I believe that we can wear multiple hats. Take me for example:
I am an assertive (not MILITANT) atheist because of the repression and mental pain religion inflicted on me and on so many other people. I want people to know that religion is a controlling mechanism and a sham and that they can be free of it.
I am a sceptic and as far as possible apply reason and logic to the decisions I make and situations I am presented with. I believe that science and reason offers humans their best chance of understanding the world and improving their lives individually and collectively and as a result that nonsense should be challenged where possible and reasonable.
I am a humanist because it is the life stance that best reflects who I am.
I am a secularist. I believe that humans are a social and gregarious animal and must live in an organised society and that society must be regulated. This regulation should be the minimum necessary to allow people to pursue happiness for themselves without inflicting harm on others or society as a whole. For that reason the ethic underpinning society should in no way be connected with religion but derived from human need as tested by experience.
I can wear these hats and more and this is why I believe that the Big Tent analogy should be replaced by the Many Hats one because it more nearly reflects the real nature of the atheiskeptihumanist.
Filed under: atheism, humanism, skepticism | Tagged: atheiskeptihumanist, organisation | 1 Comment »
Each time that we have brought up the issue of actively working to increase membership (at the AGM and at our local November meeting) the response from some Humanist Association of Ireland members has been (to paraphrase) that the organisation would be happy to accept new members but humanism is not a religion and we do not proselytise. I understand this point of view but I can’t agree with it.
Humanism is a life stance and if we take this stance we must believe that it has value. I for one believe that if people take personal responsibility for their own lives and collective responsibility for the species, and base this responsibility on reason and ethics, the sum of human happiness will increase and the sum of suffering be reduced. So for three reasons we should actively seek new members:
1. Humanism has something to offer to the individual and to society.
2. People cannot choose humanism if they don’t know it exists so some form of active communication is necessary.
3. In practical terms a larger membership gives the organisation resources to draw on to get things done. It also demonstrates to society (and politicians) that there is a constituency of freethinkers that must be listened to.
For me the big issue is around knowledge of humanism and the sense community and shared experience it provides. I have been an agnostic since I was 16. However, I didn’t meet an acknowledged humanist/atheist until I was 50. In the intervening years I worried about my strange views, wondered how I would teach my children to be moral and dealt with a hundred other dilemmas on my own. I wasn’t able to acknowledge my atheism until I was in my 40’s. Finding out about humanism/freethinking and becoming involved with it lifted an enormous burden from me. I now believe that there are literally hundreds of thousands of others with the same dilemmas out there and we should be reaching out to them because humanism has something to offer.
Filed under: humanism, Meetings | 1 Comment »
Our next meeting is on 23rd November 2008 at 11:00 in the Castletroy Park Hotel.
The last meeting was, I think successful. I would appreciate feedback from attendees about the format for our meetings.
The opening round where people spoke of their own experiences and what motivated them to become freethinkers was particularly interesting and I think we should retain it or some version of it. There may be time constraints but I think we should try to hear from newcomers and anyone with a particular urge/need to speak. It is a key way of offering support to each other and a very valuable outlet for people who have not have had like minded people to express themselves to before now.
Another section I think we should include is discussion of some current topic/controversy. This could be led by someone with strong views on or an interest in the topic concerned. For example we could discuss the church’s role in education. This would have the added benefit of rehearsing our arguments so that if asked to explain our position in the media we would be able to do so with the fluency that practice brings.
The format for our meetings might be:
I look forward to your comments.
Filed under: humanism, Meetings | 9 Comments »
Humanists the world over have evolved secular ceremonies to mark the rites of passage through life; most importantly those of birth, marriage and death. The Humanist Association of Ireland can put you in touch with accredited officiants, whilst some people arrange their own celebrations and funerals of a secular nature. A clergyman is not required for a secular ceremony. The officiant can provide certificates for naming and wedding ceremonies if desired. Your solution may be a Humanist non-religious ceremony.
This is from the HAI website and for more information click Ceremonies
I believe that working to have humanist ceremonies available to the people of the mid-west would be a very worthwhile project for us to undertake. There would be many more such ceremonies undertaken if the general public were aware of their existence and could access them readily. I believe that it would also get many people interested in the humanist movement generally.
Brian Whiteside who organises ceremonies nationally has been invited to come and talk to us at our next meeting about what is involved and how we might proceed. I would recommend as many as possible attend as it promises to be very interesting.
Filed under: humanism, Meetings | Tagged: Ceremonies | Leave a comment »
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Mid-west Humanists - An Irish Atheist Community 