Council for Secular Humanism

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Secular humanism / atheism  edit   (Category  edit)

http://www.secularhumanism.org/ -- the Council for Secular Humanism

A not-for-profit educational association, the Council supports a wide range of activities to meet the needs of people who find meaning and value in life without looking to a god.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_for_Secular_Humanism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Inquiry

The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a transnational, non-profit educational organization based in Amherst, New York, whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry into science, pseudoscience, medicine and health, religion, ethics, secularism, and society. The Center also sponsors educational programs in scientific naturalism and secular humanism to promote humanistic alternatives to paranormal and religious belief-systems.

[edit] Goals/ideas of theirs which I admire

Secular Humanism is a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life.

They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation.

The Council gives practical support and services to non-religious people. It runs courses and summer camps that educate children in critical thinking and ethical values. For rites of passage, such as marriage and death, it provides dignified non-religious celebrations and memorials. And it runs a national support network for secular families and parents.

[edit] Goals/ideas of theirs which I don't agree with

Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs.

Warning: possibly incorrect presuppositions! But what if a supernatural world exists and is real? What then? How can you categorically reject all things supernatural just because you can't explain them with science, which is the only tool you choose to use as you seek to understand your world? What if science doesn't have all the answers? What then? Just doesn't seem very open-minded to me.

The Council for Secular Humanism campaigns for a more secular and ethical society. It presents the case for understanding the world without reference to a god, and works to separate Church and State and defend the rights of people who do not accept religious beliefs.

I believe your rights should be defended too; I believe you should be treated fairly and with respect. I'm not completely sure yet what I believe with regard to the separation of church and state. I am however quite opposed to making society any more secular -- I believe it's already much more secular than it ought to be.