humanism - A Tippling Philosopher (Page 3)

Humanists Weddings: Law Rejection but Opening Going Forward

On the face of it, Northern Ireland have rejected a bid to have the current law declared in breach of human rights. But, as Humanists UK see it, this is a victory: The Court of Appeal in Belfast has ruled that humanist celebrants must be registered by the state as

death

Religion Leads to Longevity! Well, Not Quite, but...

An interesting piece of research has been done to look into whether social interaction and support can lead to longer lives. Knowing that people who are more religiously active tend to have greater social support networks, researchers looked at obituaries to look into whether the hypothesis that greater social support

Dietmut Teijgeman-Hansen - Flickr - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

art

Atheism, Soullessness and a Lack of Narrative

Back at Easter time, I had quite a debate on Facebook with, amongst others, a friend I used to play rugby with. He is something of a conservative, in the classical sense - a sort of old-school CofE defender of the faith and conservative values. The sort of one who

humanism

First Humanist Chaplain in NHS

This is a great sign and a reflection of shifting attitudes and demands within UK society at large. This is from The Guardian: The appointment of 28-year-old Lindsay van Dijk as a humanist chaplainat the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS trust, leading a team of three Christians, is a rather overdue acknowledgment

humanism

Not Seeing God through Celebrations in Life

Galen Broaddus, of Across Rivers Wide, here at Patheos, contributed a chapter to the recent book Not Seeing God: Atheism in the 21st Century. In his piece, he alludes to the human proclivity for ritual and celebration. As a humanist celebrant, he is tapping into this and supplying the demand

atheism

Latest British Social Attitudes: 71% of young adults non-religious, just 3% are Church of England

From Humanists UK: The latest findings of the British Social Attitudes Survey, published today, reveal 71% of 18-24 year olds say they belong to no religion, while just 3% say they are Church of England and 5% say they are Catholic. These latter two figures only increase slightly to 5%

atheism

53% of Britons are non-religious, says latest British Social Attitudes Survey

This came from Humanists UK: The 34th annual British Social Attitudes Survey has shown that non-religious people represent a clear majority of British people in 2017, accounting for 53% of the population. This is a new high for the non-religious population, which was previously estimated at 51% in 2014. The

humanism

First ever legal humanist wedding ceremony takes place in Northern Ireland

This great news comes from Humanists UK: The first ever legal humanist wedding ceremony took place in Northern Ireland yesterday afternoon. After a lengthy legal battle to secure recognition, Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane wed in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by friends and family and conducted by Humanists UK

atheism

UK Poll Shows One in Five are Humanists, a Third Hold Humanist Beliefs

This is from Humanists UK: More than one in five people have humanist beliefs and values, a new survey published today has revealed. The new research, conducted by YouGov, has found that 22% of people are non-religious, use science in place of faith to understand the universe, and take a

blogging

Another Call for the Release of Raif Badawi

This has come from the IHEU - the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU): Coalition of rights groups supports statement by Ensaf Haidar at UN, calling for release of her husband Raif Badawi - after five years in jail It's been five years since Saudi writer and activist,

humanism

Northern Ireland: Couple win humanist marriage case; appeal set

This is from Humanists UK (formerly British Humanist Association): Humanists Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane have won their challenge to gain legal recognition for their humanist wedding, due to take place in Northern Ireland later this month. The decision was issued today by the High Court, just two weeks

atheism

An Evening of Humanist & Atheist Poetry & Music for your Enjoyment

At the end of last year, myself and a friend (and his son) performed an atheist poetry and music evening for the Dorset Humanists 20th Anniversary celebrations. I've only just realised now that it was recorded. Here it is for your delectation. The music is only being picked

extremism

Humanist murder in Pakistan is the latest horror in anti-blasphemy crackdown

This has come from the International Humanist and Ethical Union: A student who referred to himself as “The Humanist” on social media has been murdered today by dozens of fellow students, after a “blasphemy” accusation. Mashal Khan was a student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan,

BHA

Incoming Today programme editor calls for humanists to be included on Thought for the Day

This has been an ongoing issue for years. Radio 4's flagship news programme in the morning, Today, has long had a Thought for the Day segment where religious figures come on and present their thought for the day - some kind of moral tract or piece relevant to

Education

Free Presbyterian cleric condemns humanist book for primary pupils in Northern Ireland

As a teacher, I find this a very interesting story, especially having worked in the faith schools sector, as I have. The hypocrisy here is unbelievable, especially given the context of religious sectarianism in Northern Ireland. The book, co-authored by famous children's poet Michael Rosen, has been delivered

agnosticism

Humanist and Activist Carrie Fisher Dies

Yes, I am sure you all know that Carrie Fisher has died, unless you have been living in the mouth of a strange space monster living in an asteroid for the last week or so. But were you aware of the other things that she has done in her life,

Demographics of Religion

Stephen Fry promotes humanist ceremonies, now more popular than ever

From the British Humanist Association: Almost 15 million people in Britain (30%) have attended a humanist ceremony and close to seven million (14%) want a humanist funeral for themselves when they die, suggesting that humanist ceremonies are more popular than ever before. These new findings from YouGov come as the

atheism

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming!!

humanism

Sky News Reports on Humanist Weddings

Sky News do a good job of reporting on the problem that humanist weddings aren't legally binding in England. Where they are in Scotland, they are more popular than any other religious wedding ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq4lkrGvgMY

Filling the Void

A Cracking Start to the Seasonal Festivities

I was honoured last night to host and compere the Seasonal Skeptical Cabaret for Portsmouth Skeptics in the Pub. It was a sold out, ticketed event with food and drink as a way of saying thanks, and offering something a little quirky, to local skeptics, old and new. Indeed, it

Filling the Void

Filling the Void Tomorrow

I am hosting a night of humanist poetry and music in Bournemouth tomorrow night for the Bournemouth Humanists 20th Anniversary celebration. The Bournemouth Humanists are Britain's largest humanist group and I have given speeches there a great deal. Here are the details: The book of atheist and humanist

atheism

My Article for the Sunday Times in Malawi

I was contacted by a friend on facebook, who has contributed a guest post to the blog before, about advice for an article in response to attacks in the press concerning a humanist conference that had taken place in the 'African nation. I offered to co-write the article, which

BHA

Humanists join forces at the UN to speak out against racism and blasphemy laws in Greece

From the BHA: The British Humanist Association (BHA), in a joint statement with the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), European Humanist Federation (EHF), and Humanist Union of Greece (HUG) has spoken out against Greece’s blasphemy laws and the presence of explicitly racist political parties, as part of the

Education

Humanist Activism: Why Buhanga Women Are Humanists - Kabugho Victorina

I was contacted the other day by the Brighter Brains Institute with regard to the humanist work they do with schools in Uganda. I remember reading about them in the New Humanist magazine some time ago and the fantastic projects they are involved in. The BBI mission is as follows:

Filling the Void

Oh My God, I've Come To Say...

I recently released an anthology of humanist and atheist poetry called Filling the Void: A Selection of Humanist and Atheist Poetry. I am really proud of the book and the content within. It was a pleasure and a privilege to compile. Anyway, here is a tongue in cheek one that