Matthew LaClair will be presenting at the 2008 Secular Student Alliance conference. This conference is being held jointly with the conference of the American Humanist Association and the world congress of the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

Secular Student Alliance board member Matthew LaClair is the author of an Op-Ed piece in the April 27 edition of the LA Times. In it, he talks about the recent controversy where a nationally used American Government textbook was found to contain several mistakes and conservative bias. Matthew, with the help of the Center for Inquiry, alerted the publishers of the book (along with the media) about these problems. The full report can be found on the Center's website.

Matthew urges students to not remain silent when these misstatements occur. He writes:

What is most distressing is not that some public school teachers preach their religion, or that some authors put politics ahead of education. It is that it is so rare for anyone to call them on it. This text is widely used. Yet to my knowledge, no one has challenged these incorrect and misleading statements.

One of the authors of the textbook also responded to the criticisms in the LA Times.

"As a high school teacher, I'm always proud to see a student speak up in the face of any type of injustice. I'm even prouder that a student like Matthew cares enough about his education to request that he get a proper one -- with the use of a fair, balanced, and factual textbook," said Hemant Mehta, chair of the Secular Student Alliance.

You can read more about Matthew's work here. The eMpirical also covered his nationally recognized struggle against a proselytizing teacher in a two-part series (Part 1 Part 2), and featured an interview with Matthew.

The vast majority of SSA affiliate groups are on college campuses. But that doesn't mean that high school freethought groups don't exist, nor does it mean that these groups are without problems of their own. Stephanie Kirmer, founder of a high school group herself, gives some insight on the more common of these struggles.

A few weeks ago, Jennifer at Purdue University threw out the idea of having people swap their Bibles (or other religious texts) for novels: Fiction for Fiction. The event took place recently and Jennifer gave us an update. From friendlyatheist.com.

A few weeks ago, Jennifer at Purdue University threw out the idea of having people swap their Bibles (or other religious texts) for novels: Fiction for Fiction.

The event took place recently and Jennifer gave us an update:

We ended up receiving a bunch of books, mainly Bibles or other Christian spiritual books. We also had people turn in a Book of Mormon, the Tanakh, and two Bhagavad Gitas. While we did get a lot of glares or confused looks from people passing by, we also got a ton of smiles. It was great to have people come up and thank us for having the event (since Purdue almost always has people passing out Bibles or preaching). A lot of theists (mostly Christian) came up to ask what we were doing. Once we explained that we were trying to promote critical thinking of what you read (and that we weren't burning the books), many of them supported our message. On our second day we were actually set up next to a Baptist group handing out free popcorn, but they were the nicest of all.

This type of event never goes on without religious zealots making themselves heard… so who was the worst? Was it the guy who said the atheists were going to hell? Nope. The campus preacher who screams about Jesus constantly? Nope.

The most irritating person was actually a student handing out fliers for Expelled. He came over and started yelling (literally) common creationist arguments without letting us respond and kept this up for about an hour. Though we have to thank him, because he just succeeded in attracting more attention to our booth.

Sounds like a reproducible, successful event that, unlike Smut for Smut, didn't enrage those theists who passed the table.

Nice work, Society of Non-Theists!

Gunnar Olafsen

This story originally appeared in The Daily Cardinal (the campus newspaper of the University of Wisconsin at Madison) on 04/03/08, and is used by permission.
Article by Sajia Hall of The Daily Cardinal.

As an organizing member of AHA, the UW-Madison organization for Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics, Nick Jikomes hears arguments against atheism all the time. One of the most common is that atheism requires belief and is therefore a religion.

Jikomes, however, has an answer. "There's a common witticism that saying atheism is a religion is like saying bald is a hair color," he said. "What people often mean by that is that atheism requires faith, which is just not the case. Atheists believe in reasoned arguments, and evidence is our basis for establishing whether something exists."

Jikomes, a second-year genetics major, regularly organizes meetings and lectures on atheism-related topics. "I can't be 100 percent sure that God doesn't exist-to say so would be absurd, because you can't disprove anything with absolute certainty," he said. "I can't disprove the Christian, Muslim or Hindu gods. I can't disprove the Roman or Greek gods, or even the Smurfs. But it doesn't take a leap of faith to deny the existence of such things."

Be fruitful and multiply

Atheists and agnostics are a significant-and growing-section of the population. In 2001, the American Religious Identification Survey found that 14 percent of the U.S. population indentified as having no religion, which is nearly double from 8 percent in 1990. For young adults between the ages of 18 and 29, that number increases to 35 percent.

These numbers are no surprise to Annie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a Madison-based association representing over 12,000 atheists and agnostics. "This new generation is much less religious than previous ones," Gaylor said. "We're very pleased about that, it's a good sign."

Likewise, AHA serves an important function on campus for both non-religious students and people questioning their faith.

"We get a lot of people who just aren't quite sure where they stand, or religious people who want to hear different viewpoints. It's not an exclusive group," Jikomes said. "AHA is important because most non-religious students grew up in religious households, and before college, never had a place where they could go and discuss [such] things. In AHA you can hear views and discuss things you might never have been able to."

Andrew Wier, a second-year law student and a leading member of the Christian legal society, believes that having AHA on campus is a good thing.

"Any people have the right to organize. I think it's great that we have a country where people can get together and discuss things," Wier said. "I disagree with them fundamentally when it comes to religion, but that doesn't mean that we can't have some great friendships and discussions."

However, according to Jikomes, it's not always easy being an atheist. Despite the growing numbers of non-religious people, misconceptions and stereotypes linger. "It's a common misconception that atheists are hedonistic nihilists, who are bitter and unhappy people," he said. "Many would say that we are inherently immoral, which is not true." Another common misconception about atheism is that atheists have extreme left-wing political views.

"Being a non-religious person doesn't necessarily entail a political stance," Jikomes said. "Prominent atheists, both liberal and conservative, have been supporters of the [Iraq] War." Nevertheless, the Pew Forum, an organization which studies religion and public affairs in the United States, found that people who identify as having no religion are more likely to belong to the Democratic Party.

Not just for the left

One reason for this political persuasion is that atheism is closely related to secularism, the belief that government institutions should be separate from religious beliefs.

"People are free to believe whatever they want," Jikomes said. "The problem is when they apply their religious beliefs to society at large. This is the reason the Constitution says that Congress shall make no law affirming or denying religion. We don't make laws in our modern society based on religious belief."

Wier disagrees. "If you believe that religious beliefs should not be present in government then you reject a great deal of morals. I think that's a double standard, that one person's worldview would be more acceptable than others' as the basis of laws."

Wier is not alone in this perspective; according to the American Religious Identification Survey, 75 percent of American adults describe their views as religious, while 16 percent identify as secular.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation is a firm supporter of secularism-as an organization, they promote the separation of church and state and regularly file lawsuits toward that end. In 1984, the Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit against the UW-Madison, attempting to remove a question regarding religious preference from the registration forms. In response, the university ultimately decided to remove the question.

"What has already happened in Western Europe is finally seeping into our culture: an increased respect for secularism and a fear of theocracy," Gaylor said. "Students today are choosing progress. They are choosing Darwin over Genesis and choosing to use their minds, rather than see our country become any more dumbed down."

Todd Brogan is a junior communication arts major and a member of the Baha'i religious organization on campus. The real problem, Brogan said, is not with religion, but with beliefs that are violent and intolerant.

"There are atheist states, like communist China, and religious ones, like Iran, which kill people every day," Brogan said.

Atheists turn the other cheek

Ethics, like politics, are another point of contention. Jikomes believes that humans, rather than an external deity, determine ethics.

"I think that saying 'Well, God says so' is an easy and shallow way of determining right from wrong," he said. "Secular ethics isn't about doing something because you were told to. It's about doing good for its own sake, because it is, in itself, the right thing to do."

Wier has a different view. "[Christians] treat people well because they are creations of God. It's harder to find reasons that don't rest on pragmatism without that foundation," he said. "Ethics should be about treating people well, and not just because you feel like it."

Nevertheless, despite differences in beliefs, both Weir and Jikomes believe that religious and non-religious people can find common ground. "It's possible to lead an ethical life as a law-abiding citizen and to treat people well regardless of whether God exists," Weir said. "It's in the philosophical underpinnings that the reason for this ethics becomes different."

Jikomes agrees. "What's really important to atheists and non-religious people is that we have good reasons and evidence for believing the things we do," he said. "Atheists aren't looking to ride on the street and destroy religion. Anyone is entitled to believe what they want, and they should exercise that freedom."

Lori Lipman Brown is Director of the Secular Coalition for America, where she serves as the first Congressional lobbyist representing atheists. She is also a speaker on the SSA's Speaker's Bureau. She writes a weekly blog for The Humanist; we reprint select articles with permission.

April 30 - NEEDED: Citizen Activists!

The Secular Coalition for America is really excited to be part of this year's American Humanist Association (AHA) 67th Annual National Conference this June. One of the great opportunities that will be offered at the AHA conference is a coordinated lobbying day on June 9th where attendees have the chance to visit their elected officials in the House and Senate and speak to them and their staff about the humanist and secular issues that matter to them most.

At the conference, a workshop will be offered on Saturday, June 7 , that teaches everyone "the basics" of lobbying. This workshop would be useful for anyone who is looking to build a relationship with their federal or state representatives because it teaches you the ins and outs of making appointments, holding a meeting, and getting your voice heard on issues important to you and your community.

Knowing the ins and outs of lobbying elected officials is a critical tool for an effective democratic society. When legislation that jeopardizes humanist values or the secular character of government arises, you need to be prepared to take a stand. The Secular Coalition will train you on what to do, and then give you the opportunity to test out your new skills by lobbying your federal officials and their staff on Monday morning.

If you've never visited a congressional office before and seen exactly where your elected officials work, it's a great time to do so! And being on the grounds of the Capitol on a beautiful summer day is an enjoyable experience regardless of your political affiliation.

As the lobbying arm of the AHA and our other member groups, the Secular Coalition is relying on you to sign up and show your elected officials that the issues we are fighting for are important to their constituents. The best way to convey this critical message is by meeting face-to-face in their offices.

Your participation in this lobby day demonstrates that the nontheist community is a constituency that can no longer be ignored!

I encourage you to join the many attendees who have already signed up and participate in our lobby day on June 9th. You can sign up here.

Kelly of the Rational Response Squad is writing a year-long series to address theist talking heads in the media. Kelly is a Psychology major, co-host of the RRS Radio show, and has been featured on ABC debating Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. Here, we reprint select articles with permission.

May 17 - If Sex Is a Drug, What Isn't?

You can read Kelly's original blog post and other great entries at RationalResponders.com.

Are you a humanist with a story to tell? The Humanist Community in Silicon Valley has a project that just might be up your alley. Read on for details!

Dear fellow humanist,

We, Arthur Jackson (president) and Armineh Noravian (vice president) of the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley, California, wish to share an exciting idea with you. Our constant search for ideas to promote Humanism has led us to the realization that one important area is the manner in which Humanists deal with difficult or unusual life circumstances. We believe that sharing such experiences will provide important models of how Humanists live with life's challenges without divine guidance.

This idea has defined one of our projects, which is to compile a series of life stories by Humanists all across the world. With this goal in mind, we would like to request your help by asking that you send us a life story that might ultimately be printed in a book, which we would like to title "Humanist Life Stories- Sharing our experiences with difficult problems". We know that projects like this have been discussed before, but are not aware of any collections that are currently available. If you know of any, please tell us.

We believe that the outcome of such an exciting project will have a number of positive consequences, both for Humanism and all those participating in the project.

Guidelines for submission:

1. The story should be based on either a personal experience or an event that you experienced with others.

2. Write about a challenging or difficult situation or circumstance in your life, which you had to deal with or are currently dealing with. Please use the following suggested elements as a guide:

a. Your personal feelings.
b. Your experience and if or how it changed you or those around you.
c. Who did you need to help or support?
d. Who did you or could you depend on for help or support?
e. What type of help or resources did you need that wasn't there?
f. How did your experience turn out?
g. What you have learned and what you could tell others as a result of this experience?
h. How were your Humanist principles involved in helping you through your experience?
i. What were the positive or negative aspects of your Humanist life stance?


3. The length of your story should not be more than 5000 words. Shorter stories are welcome.

4. All submitted stories will be subject to editing with your permission.

5. Submit your story online to humanist-stories@live.com, either as an attachment in Microsoft Word or as text within the email. Or, if you prefer to use regular mail, send your story to: The Humanist Community in Silicon Valley, Humanist Stories, P.O. Box 60069, Palo Alto, CA 94306-0069.

6. If your story is selected, you will be notified. Please provide your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.

7. Please send submissions by September 30, 2008 if possible.


If you have a story to share, we would love to hear from you. If you could pass this along to other humanists whom you might know, we would greatly appreciate it. If you have any questions or would like further information, please feel free to contact us at .

Sincerely,

Armineh Noravian & Arthur Jackson

The Society for Humanistic Judaism is looking for a summer intern to fill a project-based contract position.

The project entails compiling a manual for university Humanistic havurot programs explaining Humanistic Judaism and including at minimum the following components:

1. Description of the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism
2. Description of market on university campuses (unaffiliated, children of intermarriage, not self-identified, unaware of movement and practices)
3. Description of who secular, Humanistic and cultural Jews are.
4. Examples of Humanistic Prayers/Meditations
5. Examples of Humanistic Shabbat Service
6. Examples of Humanistic Havdala Service
7. Examples of holiday home/dorm room celebrations
8. Description of Humanistic Approach to Jewish Holidays
9. Example of Humanistic Changes to traditional songs (na-a-se- shalom)
10. List of speakers within the Humanistic Jewish movement
11. Example of possible programs that Hillel can conduct for Secular, Cultural and Humanistic Jews, including "how to" steps to initiate and run the program.
12. Description of the HuJews Conclave offerings for college students and other HuJews programs
13. Description of Humanistic Approach to inter-dating/inter-marriage
14. Inclusion of relevant articles or sermons by Humanistic Rabbis in written or podcast formats.

Many of these items already exist but need to be reworked to address Hillel professionals, Judaic Studies professors and college students and then need to be compiled and formatted in a consistent and professional manner.

The manual will be distributed in both electronic and paper formats for use and updating. Promotion of manual to Hillel directors and on student websites follows distribution.

An ideal candidate will have knowledge of campus life, Hillel programs and Humanistic Judaism and be training to be a Jewish communal professional. The ideal candidate also will live in either Detroit or Chicago. The individual should be a strong writer and have excellent organizational and computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Word, PageMaker/InDesign, and Acrobat Because there will be a part-time position available in the fall it would be beneficial if the individual were available to continue as a part-time employee once the contract is filled. The part-time position of university program associate would involve promoting Humanistic programming on campus, distributing the manual, and making contact with Hillel and other Jewish programs on campus.

Applicant should be able to begin immediately or in the early summer. Position open until filled.

Stipend: $2500 - distributed ¼ after initial text is compiled, ¼ upon completion of draft manual, ¼ after completion of manual, final ¼ upon distribution.

To Apply: Send your resume and cover letter to Society for Humanistic Judaism, Attn: Bonnie Cousens - University Program Summer Intern, 28611 W 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills MI 48334, or email job@shj.org in pdf or word format with SUMMER INTERN written in the subject line.