Oklahoma Legislature Investigates Richard Dawkins’ Free Speech

Huffington Post
Greg Lukianoff
Posted March 20, 2009 | 03:00 PM (EST)
Oklahoma’s state legislature is investigating the University of Oklahoma for hosting a speech by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.
The legislature first considered two resolutions condemning both Dawkins and the theory of evolution as “an unproven and unpopular theory.” Despite their efforts, the legislature failed to prevent Dawkins [...]

ABSTINENCE: POPE BENEDICT XVI SAYS IT WORKS FOR HIM - by Bob Park

An editorial in today’s Lancet points out that, “When any influential person, be it a religious or political figure, makes a statement that could devastate the health of millions of people they should retract it,” It was, of course, a reference to the Pope’s claim, made during his trip to Africa, that condoms may exacerbate [...]

Atheism and Faith in Conversation

Join us for a constructive discussion between Rev. Geoff Browning and Hemant Mehta about the relationship between Christians and atheists.
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Hope Rising in US for National Death Penalty Ban

Washington - Death penalty opponents in the United States hope New Mexico’s decision to ban capital punishment is a turning point, as a crippling economic crisis becomes their latest argument for abolition.
Last week Democratic Governor Bill Richardson made his southwestern state the 15th in the nation to outlaw executions, after state lawmakers voted for the [...]

The Impact of the Global Economic Collapse on Chinese Migrant Workers

Ellen David Friedman (Visiting Lecturer, Social Work Education & Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China), with 30 years of experience as a labor union and community organizer, will discuss the impact of the global economic collapse on Chinese migrant workers (as many as 100 million workers will have lost their jobs [...]

God-Less ‘Congregations’ Planned for Humanists

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard University, is building a God-free model of community that he hopes helps humanists increase in numbers and influence.
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Semantics and the American Lifestyle - By Burt Liebert

Americans have an interesting take on their language. For example, they define “a well-organized militia” as anyone who owns a Saturday night special. They quote a “Second Amendment” that was put into the Constitution because a few years ago a group of ordinary citizens, armed only with ball-and-powder single-shot muskets, faced down a contingent of [...]

Humanists and Atheists - by Francis Mortyn

Humanists and Atheists
Peter Bishop has the key. Al Dow quotes him as saying “Humanists talk about God less.” [Humanist Community Newsletter, March 2009].
Paul Beattie’s “The Prospect for Humanism” discusses the way the word “God” is employed. He observes “The Humanist does not use the word ‘God’ in describing his religious perspective.”
“Occasionally,” he says, “a Humanist [...]

Longtime South Bay peace activist Lisa Kalvelage dies at 85

Longtime peace activist Lisa Kalvelage, a petite German immigrant who marched against three U.S. military invasions and coordinated the San Jose Peace Center through the tumultuous Vietnam War era, died on Sunday. It was International Women’s Day, her fellow peaceniks noted. She was 85.
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Name: Lisa Kalvelage
Born: April 21, 1923 [...]

March 15 Humanist Forum: Esperanto: Everybody’s Second Language

Why do you get more than 50 million Google hits on Esperanto? Who is using it now and why? What makes it incredibly easy to learn? What does this have to do with Humanism? Esperanto is free, easy, and fun! Humanist Community members David Gillett and “Koto” Farmer will share the fun with us.
The Humanist [...]