Humanism and Secularism will receive some great national media attention this week as Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe, by Harvard Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein, will be the subject of this Wednesday 12/23's episode of NPR's "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross, and of a segment on Sunday 12/27's ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.

Epstein chairs the Advisory Board of the Secular Student Alliance and has worked closely with students at several SSA chapters beyond Harvard—including Yale, Tufts, Boston University, and Brandeis. The book describes the work of the SSA in its appendix; and Greg mentioned the Secular Student Alliance in both of these big interviews, though of course we don’t know what the shows will choose to include.

Good Without God has drawn strong praise from both secular commentators as an introduction to Humanism, yet it has also managed to win a very positive response from influential religious leaders who are increasingly realizing they can work with and even learn from the nonreligious. 

White House advisor and internationally noted Muslim/Interfaith Leader Eboo Patel writes, "In Good Without God, Greg Epstein shows us what it means to cross boundaries, build bridges and work toward a society where people from all backgrounds live in equal dignity and mutual loyalty." American Humanist Association education coordinator Dr. Bob Bhaerman has called the book “absolutely terrific!,” highlighting Epstein’s sense of humor and deeming it “required reading” for all interested in Humanist education.

At the Humanist Community of Central Ohio's 2009 Winter Solstice Banquet, a fellow humanist with a very theistic family told me of how frustrating he finds trying to relate to his family.  He was especially concerned that his daughter (now a parent herself) understood where he was coming from so that his grandchildren might at least get a fair shot at understanding their grandfather.  I told him a bit about Good Without God and said that he might want to read it himself and give her a copy—not to persuade her to give up her religion, but rather just to better understand how he is good without a god or gods.

Good Without God is available at Amazon.com or wherever books are sold— it will make a great gift for those looking to learn more about Humanism and the positive values behind secularism, or to introduce nontheistic lifestances to more religious friends and family.

If you follow this link to Good Without God , the Secular Student Alliance will get a small part of the sale via Amazon.com's associates program.

 --
August E. Brunsman IV
Executive Director
Secular Student Alliance
www.secularstudents.org
P.O. Box 2371
Columbus, OH 43216
614-441-9588
--
Join us at the Stanford Regional Leadership Summit: http://www.secularstudents.org/node/2888