The World’s Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!

American Humanist Association (AHA)

Information

The American Humanist Association advocates progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists and freethinkers in the United States. We work to promote humanism--the idea that you can be good without a God.

Website: http://www.americanhumanist.org
Location: Washington, DC
Members: 592
Latest Activity: 3 hours ago

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AHA Updates

Feb. 12 is International Darwin Day!

Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. On the linked website you can find resources and information about what's going on in your area.

If you are hosting a Darwin Day event, you can post information about it on our events listing.

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The Reason Rally: A Celebration of Secular values

March 24, 2012, Washington, DC

What is the Reason Rally?
The Reason Rally is a movement-wide event sponsored by the country’s major secular organizations. The intent is to unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide, while dispelling the negative opinions held by so much of American society… and having a damn good time doing it!
It will be the largest secular event in world history. There will be music, comedy, great speakers, and lots of fun… and it’s free!

When will the Rally be held?
On March 24, 2012, from 10:00AM – 4:00PM at the National Mall, nontheists from all corners of the nation will descend on Washington, D.C. en masse to deliver the good news: “We’re huge, we’re everywhere, and we’re growing.”

For more information, visit the Reason Rally website, ReasonRally.org

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The 2012 Humanist magazine Essay Contest is open to students residing in the United States or Canada who are enrolled in grades 9-12 as of the entry deadline of March 31, 2012.

The contest is geared toward exposing students to humanism and issues of importance to humanists while financially helping these young scholars advance in their studies. Prizes are awarded for originality of thought, sense of emotional engagement, clarity and quality of presentation, amount of research evidenced, and future potential shown by the author.

1st Prize: $1,000, three-year membership to the AHA and an invitation to present your essay at the Annual Conference of the American Humanist Association (does not include travel expenses)

2nd Prize: Humanist library and a three-year membership to the AHA

3rd Prize: Three-year membership to the AHA

Honorable Mentions: One-year membership to the AHA

* Membership includes subscription to the Humanist magazine!

Full details on the contest web page.

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American Humanist Association’s 71st Annual Conference, June 7-10

The AHA is proud to hold its 71st Annual Conference in the great city of New Orleans, hosted by the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association (NOSHA). The Sheraton New Orleans is located on historic Canal Street adjacent to the French Quarter, and just a short walk to Bourbon Street, Jazz Fest activities, Riverwalk Marketplace, and numerous renowned restaurants and legendary nightlife.

For more information, click here.

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Essays are currently being sought for the American Humanist Association academic journal, Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism.

A symposium, based partly on selected submissions, will be held on June 7, 2012 as part of the AHA's 71st annual conference in New Orleans, LA at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.

Those who wish to submit an abstract for a proposed 20-minute presentation can email it to eph@essaysinhumanism.org by Feb. 29, 2012. The abstract should be no longer than 200 words and should contain the title of the presentation, name, and affiliation of the author.

Academic-level papers are accepted on a broad range of topics, including history of philosophy, philosophy of humanism, history of humanism, comparative religion, humanist lifestance, humanist ethics, humanism and law, politics, economics, science, art, humanist institutions and organizations.

The symposium is a collaborative effort between the Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism journal, The Humanist Institute, the Institute For Humanist Studies, and the Kochhar Humanist Education Center.

Information on acceptance will be sent before April 30, 2012 and final acceptance will depend on the registration to the AHA Annual Conference and Symposium.

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Comment Wall

Comment

You need to be a member of American Humanist Association (AHA) to add comments!

Comment by Brian Magee 3 hours ago: Happy Darwin Day!

Comment by Brian Magee on Friday: ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama not to cave to the Religious Rig...

Click link to send a message to the president.

Comment by Brian Magee on Thursday: For those going to Darwin Day events, how about sharing some pictures with us!

Comment by Brian Magee on Wednesday: Honoring Darwin Day

Co-authored by U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) and American Humanist Association Executive Director Roy Speckhardt.

On Feb. 12 we'll commemorate the anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a celebration around the world known as Darwin Day, to appreciate the advancement of human knowledge and the achievements of science and reason. It must also be a day when we push back against the politicization and undermining of science by ideologues and zealots.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Charles Darwin, who changed the course of human history by bringing science and reason to the fore. His theory of evolution by natural selection not only provided a compelling explanation for the diversity of life on earth, it became the foundation of modern biology, genetics, and medicine. His scientific curiosity and discovery led to breakthroughs that have helped humanity solve innumerable problems and improve our quality of life.

To read the rest of this Huffington Post article, click here.

Comment by Brian Magee on Tuesday: Humanists Applaud Clear Federal Court Ruling Overturning California Gay Marriage Ban

(Washington, D.C. – February 7, 2012) Humanists and atheists are hopeful that the strong decision issued today by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturning a gay marriage ban in California will be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The 2-1 decision declares that the ballot measure called “Prop 8” passed in 2008 denying same-sex couples from getting married violates the U.S. Constitution under the 14^th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

The 128-page ruling states, “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for 'laws of this sort.'"

“This is a clear cut victory for LGBT Americans, and equal protections guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution must be upheld,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “Even though supporters of the discriminatory Proposition 8 have promised an appeal, it is difficult to see how they can prevail given the strength of today’s decision.”

The rest of the press release can be found here; the text of the ruling can be found here.

Comment by Brian Magee on February 6, 2012 at 12:24pm: A Humanist View

Public Schools: A Battleground for the Religious Right

If you have a child currently enrolled in public school be warned: a heavy dose of religion may accompany his or her studies.

According to Kimberly Winston of Religion News Service, a number of state legislators are now pushing some legislation that would introduce studying the Bible as a choice in their state's public schools, and other legislation that would teach creationism as valid.

Bible courses, offered as elective "literature" classes, are being considered by lawmakers in Arizona and have already been approved in South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Since these classes are not mandatory and are supposed to be taught with religious neutrality, there has not been a great deal of public opposition to them. Some school districts within the states where they are allowed still choose to not offer them at all.

To read the rest of this article by AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt, click here.

Comment by Brian Magee on February 3, 2012 at 3:03pm: January’s Photo Caption Contest from Humanist Network News

Submit your idea for a caption for this photo and receive a special prize—a random book from the American Humanist Association’s library in Washington DC! Think of it as the humanist version of Woot.com’s Random Bag of Crap. It’s random. It’s mysterious. Who knows which book it will be?

Click here to enter.

Comment by Brian Magee on February 1, 2012 at 9:24am: Black Nonbelievers Speak Out in a New African Americans for Humanism Campaign

African Americans may be the most religious minority in the United States, but many feel that the churches don’t speak for them. AAH hopes that the campaign will bring attention to the presence of and increase in religious skepticism within the black community, encourage those who have doubts about religion to share their concerns and join other freethinkers in their local communities, and educate many about the history of black freethought.

Ads began appearing January 30 and January 31 in New York City; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; and Durham, North Carolina. On February 6, the campaign will be launched in Dallas. Advertisements will be placed on roadside billboards and in public transit sites. The Stiefel Freethought Foundation provided substantial creative and financial support for the campaign.

Comment by Greg LeGore on January 31, 2012 at 6:47am: Agree with replacing the words, which were put on currency in the 1950s to show we were 'better' than those 'godless commies' - but 'from many, one' is far more relevant to our founding and our current condition as well.

Comment by Alex Myers on January 31, 2012 at 1:01am: replace the words "In God We Trust" on US money with "E pluribus unum." 40% of US don't believe in the Christian God.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/replace-words-god-...