(Washington, DC, 2015 Jan. 15)—The American Humanist Association is proud to announce the establishment of a new award, the Henry Zumach Award for Freedom From Fundamentalist Religion, to recognize individuals and organizations that have taken a stand against religious intolerance and bigotry. The award, generously funded by Henry Zumach of Stoddard, Wisconsin, has pledged $10,000 (€8,467) to its first recipient, Charlie Hebdo, the French satire magazine recently attacked by Islamic extremists for its cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.
“The purpose of this award is to fight against religious fundamentalism and promote reason and equality for all people,” said Henry Zumach, who is also the founder of the La Crosse Area Freethought Society. “With its continuing commitment to freedom of expression in the face of extreme religion-based hostility, Charlie Hebdo exemplifies the essence of this award.”
The winner of the Henry Zumach Award for Freedom From Fundamentalist Religion was chosen by Henry Zumach and the American Humanist Association. The criteria for the award recipient, which can be an individual or organization, includes a history of activism and compassion that exposes the threat of fundamentalist religion and a bolstering of secular, progressive alternatives to fundamentalist religion, such as education. Charlie Hebdo was chosen as the recipient of the award for its bold stance against extremist ideologies, even after facing an attack by terrorists on January 7, which left twelve people dead, including the magazine’s editor Stéphane Charbonnier.
“Religion shouldn't be protected from criticism, and Charlie Hebdo exemplifies the principle of free speech through its poignant satire,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “Humanists are proud to stand in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo, and we’re grateful to Henry Zumach for working with the American Humanist Association to establish this award.”
2015-01-12
2014-09-01
2014.09 Opinion: The Value of Critical Thinking
Prof. Charles Negy evidently had a lot of pushback in his first class on “Cross-Cultural Psychology” and took the time to write an open letter to his student body (University of Central Florida) about it.
Excerpts:
Excerpts:
One characteristic of the critical, independent thinker is being able to recognize fantasy versus reality; to recognize the difference between personal beliefs which are nothing more than personal beliefs, versus views that are grounded in evidence, or which have no evidence.
Last class meeting and for 15 minutes today, we addressed “religious bigotry.” Several points are worth contemplating:
Religion and culture go “hand in hand.” …
Students in my class who openly proclaimed that Christianity is the most valid religion, as some of you did last class, portrayed precisely what religious bigotry is. Bigots—racial bigot or religious bigots—never question their prejudices and bigotry.
2014-08-03
2014.08 News: Sunday Assembly Coming to Madison
The first formal gathering of Madison’s Sunday Assembly won’t be until Sep. 28, but this afternoon there was an introductory potluck picnic hosted by the organizers of the Sunday Assembly at a city park near the Prairie Unitarian Society. Organizer Robert Park reports that "About 25 of us attended, with great food and conversation. "
2014-08-02
2014.08 News: "Nones" Now a Plurality among Millennials
Skip over the part in this article which gloats about the political implications of the now unmistakable shift of the younger generation away from organized religion and just look at the numbers for the 18-30 age cohort:
• 29.5% Protestant
• 27.3% Catholic
• 1.1% Jewish
• 11.2% Other
• 30.9% None
This is just the latest installment in a trend that's been evident for decades: The younger you are, the less likely you are to adhere to a formal religion.
Now, of course, the $64 question is what happens to that cohort as it grows older. Does it replace the older, more devout citizenry, or does it become them?
• 29.5% Protestant
• 27.3% Catholic
• 1.1% Jewish
• 11.2% Other
• 30.9% None
This is just the latest installment in a trend that's been evident for decades: The younger you are, the less likely you are to adhere to a formal religion.
Now, of course, the $64 question is what happens to that cohort as it grows older. Does it replace the older, more devout citizenry, or does it become them?
2014-06-12
2014-05-29
2014.05 News: Spring Family Picnic June 1
The Humanist Union of Madison invites you to the Nonbelievers of Greater Madison Spring Family Picnic 2014 June 1 (Sunday), noon to 2 pm. Bring your own beverage, and food to share potluck style. If the current weather holds we'll meet at the picnic shelter at Marlborough Park in southwest Madison. Here's how to get there. If the weather is threatening or wet, we'll say so here. The rainy-day indoor location is the nearby Prairie UU Society Meeting House at the corner of Crawford and Whenona Drives.
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