Podcasts about American Humanist Association

We have some good state/church news to report out of Oklahoma and Arizona. Then, in response to Trump's remarks at the May 1 "National Day of Prayer," we celebrate the May 4 "National Day of Reason" by hearing impassioned and humorous remarks at the Second Annual "Reason Reception" in D.C., sponsored by FFRF, American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America, for the Congressional Freethought Caucus. The "Very Funny Lady" comedian Leighann Lord kicked off the event, followed by U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman, Calif., Jamie Raskin, Md., Laura Friedman, Calif., and a poignant keynote by former Rep. Susan Wild, Pa.

The Reverend Kevin Jagoe, minister to BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, shares his journey from small-town Minnesota to Unitarian Universalist ministry, weaving together life as a gay man, humanism, and a call to serve. He reflects on religion, purpose, and - in a changing spiritual landscape - what it means to lead with love.The Reverend Kevin W. Jagoe was born and raised in small-town Minnesota. He lived in Brooklyn, NY before being called as minister by BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in 2018 and now lives outside of Philadelphia. He completed his Master of Divinity at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago and is currently working on his Doctorate of Divinity at United Lutheran Seminary. Prior to seminary, he completed a BA in anthropology, criminal justice, and forensic sciences with minors in psychology and biology as well as a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management. Beyond congregational life, Jagoe is Adjunct Faculty with the Humanist Studies Program of the American Humanist Association and has worked professionally within the Humanist movement since 2013.

Fully Human/Fully Alive: Fourth Edition BA by Lyle SimpsonFully Human / Fully Alive is written to help the 70% of all Americans Living today who are stuck on Maslow's social level of living, not realizing that there are three levels above them that would greatly enhance their lives. The book will help them build bridges over or detours around their own barriers that preclude them from fully living their own lives. The book provides paths around your barriers without destroying your current beliefs. They simply no longer control you. Those who read this book with an open mind can find their own path to become one of the one percent of people living today who live a fulfilled experience and are truly Fully Alive.Lyle L. Simpson was president of the American Humanist Association from 1980-1984, AHA legal counsel for thirty-five years is the founder and current chairman of the Humanist Foundation.https://www.booksacademy.org/books/fully-human-fully-alive-fourth-edition-ba/https://www.lylesimpson.com/https://www.booksacademy.org/http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/121924lsba.mp3 

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 700-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Enter code “SWAJ40” for $40 for an entire year of premium! This episode of the Straight White American Jesus weekly roundup, sponsored by the American Humanist Association, tackles critical issues including the nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director, SCOTUS hearings on trans discrimination, and the historical parallels to the current threat to democracy posed by Donald Trump. Brad and Dan discuss whether the current political climate is unprecedented or if similar struggles have been faced by marginalized communities throughout American history. The episode also highlights recent events, such as federal judges deciding not to retire to prevent Trump from filling their seats, and reflects on how to strategize against a potential decline into illiberalism. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intervieew with Sarah Ray.  She is with the American Humanist Association.https://thehumanist.com/contributor/sarah-ray/Investing Skeptically:Required Minimum distributionsStock Volatility vs time

 Florida Republican says opponent's Humanism 'should disqualify her' from officeThe Friendly Atheist, By Hemant Mehta, on October 16, 2024https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/florida-republican-says-opponentsIn Florida's District 38 State House race, the political landscape is heating up as Democrat Sarah Henry faces off against Republican incumbent David Smith in a highly anticipated rematch. This contest is particularly noteworthy due to the scrutiny surrounding Smith's campaign tactics, which have drawn criticism for their negative nature. Henry, who previously worked as a Communications associate for the American Humanist Association, brings her experience in advocacy and progressive values into the race.The dynamics of this election reflect broader trends in American politics, where negative campaigning often overshadows substantive discussions about policy and vision. Henry's campaign aims to respond to these tactics by emphasizing her commitment to constructive dialogue and progressive issues that resonate with constituents. As the election approaches, the focus will likely remain on how both candidates navigate the challenges of campaigning in a polarized environment and what this means for the future of District 38.The Non-Prophets, Episode 23.44.2 featuring Scott Dickie, Damien H, Kelley Laughlin and Stephen HarderBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-non-prophets--3254964/support.

Jesmyn Ward, the two-time National Book Award winner, has returned with a new novel about an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War. Let Us Descend, an Oprah's Book Club pick, describes a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. In Let Us Descend (the title inspired by a line in Dante's Inferno) the protagonist Annis is sold by her father, a white slaveowner. In the face of unspeakable circumstances on her way south, Annis seeks comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. She soon opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. The tale explores themes of family separation, belief, and the harsh history of chattel slavery in antebellum America. While Annis leads readers through the descent, Ward's work aims to be a story of rebirth and reclamation. Jesmyn Ward received her MFA from the University of Michigan and is currently a professor of creative writing at Tulane University. She is the author of the novels Where the Line Bleeds and Salvage the Bones, which won the 2011 National Book Award, and Sing, Unburied, Sing, which won the 2017 National Book Award. She is also the editor of the anthology The Fire This Time and the author of the memoir Men We Reaped, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Ijeoma Oluo is a writer, speaker, and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race and, most recently, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America. Her work has been featured in the Guardian, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among many other publications. She was named to the 2021 Time 100 Next list and has twice been named to the Root 100. She received the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award and the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington. Buy the Book Let Us Descend: A Novel The Elliott Bay Book Company

Ron Millar is our guest. He is the political action committee (PAC) manager for the Center for Freethought Equality, which operates under the American Humanist Association. With over 40 years of experience in nonprofit education and advocacy, including a significant tenure at the Secular Coalition for America, Millar shares his insights into the intersection of politics and humanist values. We discuss the structure and purpose of the Center for Freethought Equality, explaining its dual role: as an advocacy group (C4) that engages in lobbying and running a political action committee that can donate funds to candidates. Millar elaborates on the importance of having a visible humanist constituency within the political landscape, indicating that social and political biases against atheists and humanists persist, though they are diminishing. The conversation also reveals the importance of networking and community-building among secular elected officials. Millar highlights the establishment of the Association of Secular Elected Officials, which aims to create a support network for elected representatives who identify with humanist and atheist values. He speaks about recent activities, including their presence at the Democratic National Convention, where they engaged attendees and raised awareness for the secular community. We address the ongoing challenges posed by growing movements of white Christian nationalism, stressing the need for increased engagement from the humanist community in the political process. Millar encourages listeners to become active participants by volunteering for local campaigns, sharing their identities as humanists, and advocating for policies that align with their values, thus building recognition as a political constituency. Full show notes

The Polaris Plan - Stocks vs Bonds.  How much should you have in bonds and why?Interview with Fish Stark.  He is the new Executive Director for the American Humanist Association.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free version of the show!Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Mark Robinson's hypocrisy about sex shops and abortion should be disqualifying. (2:05)— Iowa officials tried to block a Satanic event. They hurt homeless veterans instead. (18:25)SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Rediscover your curiosity at BetterHelp.com/atheist and get 10% off your first month. (29:15)— Evangelical broadcasters sue IRS for right to endorse candidates without penalty. (30:18)— Florida district rejects school chaplains (for now) after Satanists pledge to participate. (47:33)— Federal judge dismisses Christians' lawsuit to stop teaching evolution in Indiana schools. (1:03:32)— The American Humanist Association's new leader has a unique history with the group. (1:11:20)SPONSOR: Sign up at butcherbox.com/friendly and use code friendly to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year plus $20 off your first order! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free version of the show! Join our private Facebook group and Discord server! Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Mark Robinson's hypocrisy about sex shops and abortion should be disqualifying. (2:05) — Iowa officials tried to block a Satanic event. They hurt homeless veterans instead. (18:25) SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Rediscover your curiosity at BetterHelp.com/atheist and get 10% off your first month. (29:15) — Evangelical broadcasters sue IRS for right to endorse candidates without penalty. (30:18) — Florida district rejects school chaplains (for now) after Satanists pledge to participate. (47:33) — Federal judge dismisses Christians' lawsuit to stop teaching evolution in Indiana schools. (1:03:32) — The American Humanist Association's new leader has a unique history with the group. (1:11:20) SPONSOR: Sign up at butcherbox.com/friendly and use code friendly to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year plus $20 off your first order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Rebecca Goldstein and J.J. communicate the story of Spinoza's herem and outline the radicalism of his Ethics. Our first mini-series!! Welcome to the first episode of our three-parter covering friend of the pod, Benedict "Barukh" Spinoza.Please send any complaints or compliments to podcasts@torahinmotion.orgFor more information visit torahinmotion.org/podcastsRebecca Newberger Goldstein graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College and immediately went on to graduate work at Princeton University, receiving her Ph.D. in philosophy. She then returned to her alma mater as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy, where she taught the philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of mathematics. She has also been a Professor or Fellow at Rutgers, Columbia, Trinity College, Yale, NYU, Dartmouth, the Radcliffe Institute, the Santa Fe Institute, and the New College of the Humanities in London.Goldstein is the author of six works of fiction, the latest of which was Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, as well as three books of non-fiction: Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Gödel; Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity; and Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away.In 1996 Goldstein became a MacArthur Fellow, receiving the prize which is popularly known as the “Genius Award.” In 2005 she was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  In 2006 she received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Radcliffe Fellowship. In 2008, she was designated a Humanist Laureate by the International Academy of Humanism. Goldstein has been designated Humanist of the Year 2011 by the American Humanist Association, and Freethought Heroine 2011 by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. In that year she also delivered the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Yale University, entitled "The Ancient Quarrel: Philosophy and Literature," which was published by University of Utah Press.In September, 2015, Goldstein was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House. The citation reads: "For bringing philosophy into conversation with culture. In scholarship, Dr. Goldstein has elucidated the ideas of Spinoza and Gödel, while in fiction, she deploys wit and drama to help us understand the great human conflict between thought and feeling.”

Jim Palmer is a chaplain for the American Humanist Association and founder of The Center for Non-Religiouis Spirituality. In 2023, he posted a short article which provides plenty of food for thought. VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/GwAle-_Wya8?si=l6VuEl7kDBAT_RtYJim's original post: https://bit.ly/3xGBCx2Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

Have you ever that if you grew up as a conservative Christian, you were indoctrinated into a fear-based view of God and shame-based view of yourself? Or that the fundamentalist “Christian Gospel” damages children by telling them that they are born into this world intrinsically bad and repulsive to God, learning that their sinfulness is to blame for the brutalization, torture, and death of God's son? Well this is exactly what Jim Palmer, the chaplain for the American Humanist Association who also holds the title of Founder of The Center for Non-Religious Spirituality says. In today's episode, Alisa and Natasha unpack some of these claims.

Ijeoma Oluo's #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want To Talk About Race (book tour event at Town Hall in 2019), offered a vital guide for how to talk about important issues of race and racism in society. In Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, she discussed how white male supremacy has had an impact on our systems, our culture, and our lives throughout American history. But now that we better understand these systems of oppression, the question is this: What can we do about them? In her new book, Be A Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World — and How You Can, Too, Ijeoma Oluo aims to show how people across America are working to create real positive change in our structures. Looking at many of our most powerful systems — like education, media, labor, health, housing, policing, and more — she highlights what people are doing to create change for intersectional racial equity. She also illustrates how readers can find their own entry points for change in these same areas or can bring some of this important work being done elsewhere to where they live. Oluo aims to not only educate but to inspire action and change. Join us at Town Hall for a discussion on how to take conversations on race and racism out of a place of pure pain and trauma, and into a place of loving action. Ijeoma Oluo is a writer, speaker, and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race and, most recently, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America. Her work has been featured in the Guardian, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among many other publications. She was named to the 2021 Time 100 Next list and has twice been named to the Root 100. She received the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award and the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington.   Michele E. Storms is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU of Washington), former Deputy Director of the ACLU of Washington, and previous Assistant Dean for Public Service and executive director of the William H. Gates Public Service Law program at the University of Washington School of Law. Preceding those roles she served as a statewide advocacy coordinator first at Columbia Legal Services and later at the Northwest Justice Project where over a combined five-year period she coordinated civil legal aid advocacy in the areas of family law, youth and education, housing, elder law, Native American and right to counsel issues. She was also previously on faculty at the University of Washington School of Law where she founded what is now the Child and Youth Advocacy Clinic and taught several other courses. In addition to her service on numerous boards and guilds both locally and nationally, Michele served on the Washington State Access to Justice Board for six years and the board of One America. Michele is concerned with equity and justice for all and has dedicated her professional and personal attention to access to justice, preservation of freedom and democracy for all and ensuring that all humxns safely reside in the “circle of human concern.”   https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9780063140189    

Jason and Brett talk to Ijeoma Oluo (Be a Revolution) about actionable steps for making social change, the importance of diversifying where you get your information, doing your own research, outlining a blueprint for being the catalyst of change.Ijeoma Oluo is a writer, speaker, and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race and, most recently, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America. Her work has been featured in the Guardian, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among many other publications. She was named to the 2021 Time 100 Next list and has twice been named to the Root 100. She received the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award and the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington.**BOOKS!** Check out the list of books discussed on each episode on our Bookshop page:https://bookshop.org/shop/gaysreading | By purchasing books through this Bookshop link, you can support both Gays Reading and an independent bookstore of your choice!Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content! Purchase your Gays Reading podcast Merch! Follow us on Instagram @gaysreading | @bretts.book.stack | @jasonblitmanWhat are you reading? Send us an email or a voice memo at gaysreading@gmail.com

““Humanism is the only — I would go so far as saying the final — resistance we have against the inhuman practices and injustices that disfigure human history.” – Edward W. Said was a University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. “My atheism, like that of Spinoza, is true piety towards the universe and denies only gods fashioned by men in their own image, to be servants of their human interests.” — George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. “We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen, or earned. We are really talking about humanism.” – Gloria Steinem, feminist and author. “Faith in God necessarily implies a lack of faith in humanity.” – Barbara G. Walker is the author of Man Made God and The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. “Faith in God means believing absolutely in something with no proof whatsoever. Faith in humanity means believing absolutely in something with a huge amount of proof to the contrary. We are the true believers.” – Joss Whedon is an American screenwriter, film and television director and producer, composer and actor. “I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.” – Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator. There doesn't need to be a god for me. There's something in people that's spiritual, that's godlike.” – Angelina Jolie, actor. “What I'm asking you to entertain is that there is nothing we need to believe on insufficient evidence in order to have deeply ethical and spiritual lives.” – Sam Harris, an American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist, is the co-founder and chief executive of Project Reason. He is the author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. “I'm an atheist and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for other people.” – Katharine Hepburn, actor. “It is quite possible to be an atheist and be quite deluded about other things other than religion. ‘A-theism' is an empty category. ‘Humanism' may be deluded about human potential, but at least it is a hopeful and non-exclusionary delusion!” – Joyce Carol Oates AHA Humanist of the Year and prolific author. “Atheism is more than just the knowledge that gods do not exist, and that religion is either a mistake or a fraud. Atheism is an attitude, a frame of mind that looks at the world objectively, fearlessly, always trying to understand all things as a part of nature.” – Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science popularize. In 1981 he received the AHA's Humanist of the Year award. “I have something to say (about atheists) to the religionist who feels atheists never say anything positive: You are an intelligent human being. Your life is valuable for its own sake. You are not second-class in the universe, deriving meaning and purpose from some other mind. You are not inherently evil — you are inherently human, possessing the positive rational potential to help make this world of morality, peace and joy. Trust yourself” – Dan Barker is the co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “I have known many good people who did not believe in God. But I have never known a human being who was good who did not believe in people.” – John Lovejoy Elliott was an Ethical Culture Leader at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. An Atheist and Humanist Conversation A group of current and historical atheists and humanists communicate the often intertwined nature of humanism and atheism clearly.” -American Humanist Association. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

“What is Humanism? Humanism is a highly effective approach to human development. It is as concerned with personal development as it is with social responsibility. It is probably the most humane and holistic approach to ethical philosophy humanity has ever devised. One way to think of Humanism is that it is the practice of putting your reason and compassion into action. Humanist values are common human values. These are values humans all over the world share. People of every faith background and no faith background, generally agree that these values are important. This is what makes Humanism such a powerful approach to thinking about values in the workplace. It's a values based approach that is accessible to everyone. This value wheel from the American Humanist Association lists 10 Humanist commitments. These are commitments we make to ourselves as we try to live responsibly by our values. Empathy Critical Thinking Ethical Development Peace and Social Justice Service and Participation Altruism Humility Environmentalism Global Awareness Responsibility.” -Humanist Learning Systems. "I am a human rights for all, equal rights for all, equity for all, civil and political rights for all, and economic, social, and cultural rights for all, judge by the content of character, live and let live, and do no harm kind of principle individual." -Antonio Myers. “ I think houses of worship should be taxed to be fair to secularists, no “In God We Trust” on currency because forcing theism on everyone is theocracy, no “In God We Trust” on everyone's vehicles because not everyone is Christian, I think that everyone who is of faith (Christian and non-Christian religions should be equally protected), I think secularists should be equally protected, I don't think creationism should be forced on the youth in secular schools, I don't think that religious symbols should be on secular property, I don't think any kind of theology should be forced on kids in school, and I don't think that chaplains should be forced in secular schools.” -Antonio Myers. "I value empowerment of the individual to solve problems. I value the need for the government to solve problems. I value the role of government which should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. I value the role of the government which should be to guarantee that no one is in need. I value the role of individuals which should be to guarantee that no one is in need. I value personal responsibility, individual liberty, strong national security, just right government (not too much government and not too little government), economic justice system markets, The Golden Rule, Silver Rule, and The Platinum Rule. I oppose corporate welfare and the military industrial complex. I like the Nordic Model, Democratic Socialism, and social democracy. I value the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. I value the duty of individuals to alleviate social ills, and for individuals to protect civil liberties and individuals and human rights. I value government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. I value individual action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. I feel that there should be social justice-centered regulations on corporate governance. There should be a billionaire tax on billionaires. I am a Left-wing Progressive, Democrat, Liberal, and Green Party person. I value progressive liberal theology (no tribalism and no elitism); I reject traditional conservative theology (biblical orthodoxy.) For example, Jesus is of moral universalism and universal value. I am unconventional, unorthodox, maverick, nonconformist, and non-traditional. I am free-spirited, free-thinking, free-living, and free-loving. I also do have some Libertanism tendencies because I really do uphold liberty as a core value. I uphold freedom of choice, autonomy, and political freedom." Antonio Myers. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

Next time on The State of Belief: freedom of thought 2023. With true religious freedom under assault right now in so many parts of the world – including here at home – what about the freedom not to believe? The 2023 Freedom of Thought Report from Humanists International is a global survey that assesses every country in the world on the basis of human rights and legal status with regard to humanists, atheists, and the non-religious. I'll talk with Humanists International Chief Executive Gary McLelland, and Nicole Carr, Interim Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. We'll also take a look back at the top news stories impacting – or impacted by – religion during this past year, with Religion News Service journalists Adelle Banks and Jack Jenkins.

Subscriber-only episodeIsaac Asimov, born in 1920, was a renowned American writer and biochemistry professor at Boston University. He stood among the "Big Three" science fiction authors, alongside Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, and was celebrated for his extensive literary contributions. Asimov's astounding productivity saw him produce over 500 books, covering diverse genres like hard science fiction, mysteries, fantasy, and popular science. His most iconic creation was the "Foundation" series, which earned the prestigious Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series." Additionally, he seamlessly intertwined his various series, such as the "Galactic Empire" and "Robot" series, to create a unified "future history" in his works.Beyond fiction, Asimov excelled in social science fiction, with his novelette "Nightfall" being hailed as the best short science fiction story ever by the Science Fiction Writers of America. He also wrote under the pen name Paul French, crafting juvenile science-fiction novels. His passion for popular science led to numerous books that simplified complex concepts, making them accessible to the general public.Isaac Asimov's impact extended beyond the realm of literature. He was a dedicated advocate for humanism and served as the president of the American Humanist Association. Furthermore, he received numerous honors and had entities named in his honor, including an asteroid, a Martian crater, a school in Brooklyn, and even Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO. Asimov's legacy endures not only in his vast body of work but also in his contributions to science fiction, science popularization, and the promotion of humanistic values.New Patreon RequestBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEVisit us here: www.ghostpod.orgBuy me a coffee if you're glad I do this: https://ko-fi.com/tonywalkerIf you really want to help me, become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barcudMusic by The Heartwood Institute: https://bit.ly/somecomeback

Today, we are joined by Jim Palmer, the Founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality and the author of six critically acclaimed books. Listen in as he shares his transformative self-discovery journey and insights about his path and pivotal moments that led to profound shifts. Let's explore his literary works, dive deep into the faith-body connection, and examine phases of life reconstruction.Jim writes columns and articles for professional journals and major publications. He is an adjunct professor of Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, and Comparative Religion. Jim is a Spiritual Director, Founder of the Nashville Humanist Association, and Chaplain with the American Humanist Association. Jim is a speaker, counselor and retreat leader in the area of religious deconstruction, recovery, and reconstruction.In this episode, we cover the following:Jim on finding his path and what made him decide to shift.Books written by JimThe connection with the bodyWhat are the phases people go through in reconstruction?Thoughts on Separation with GodDoes religion continue to influence women's lives in the West?Everythingology, Everyoneology, and EverydayologyWhat is love and being loved?Atheism and Humanism Helpful Links:Jim Palmer- a speaker, counselor and retreat leader in the area of religious deconstruction, recovery, and reconstruction.Books by Jim:Inner AnarchyDivine NobodiesWide Open SpacesBeing Jesus in NashvilleAudre LordeClaudia RankineSimone de BeauvoirOn the Beach at Night Alone by Walt WhitmanEpisode #112: Yoga for Self-Acceptance (and Menopause) with Gabriella EspinosaEpisode #115: Feel Yourself: Interoception. Connection and the Mind as the Body, with Saga BriggsListening to Killers: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we continue our abroad series-opening with special insights from co-host Verdell Wright on the importance of centering Black narratives of religious freedom and experience. We briefly visit the plight of despised Nigerian atheist/activist Mubarak Bala who in-secret was unjustly sequestered in Nigeria for nearly a year only to be sentenced  to 24 years for the invisible crime of blaspheming Allah by clerics in northern Islamic Nigeria. Finally we center the spotlight in an interview with activist speaker, Mohmmed Cisse -an expat born and raised in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Cisse recounts his upbringing in a cultural milieu heavily controlled by religious affiliations, poor mental heath education, patriarchy and misogyny, and HIV death and stigmatization. However, all is not lost-Cisse discusses his transformative work with The Clergy Project and shares his stories of the bright light of hope for his family and community abroad. _____  (Ep. 22)     Show Notes     Host: Rogiérs     Co-Host: Verdell Wright  Written by: Rogiérs Narration: Rogiérs Interview: Mohmmed Cisse Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC    Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC    Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson    Music Licensing: Storyblocks  Additional Music:  David “Preach” Balfour (Piano), Ismael (Gaddafi Mosque-Kampala, Uganda/Call to Prayer), The 1997 Batch”, J Dilla & Vintage Vibez Music Group Resources & Mentions    Verdell Wright (TikTok @VeeAyeDubz) TCP, The Clergy Project “Nigeria: Atheist Activist Mubarak Bala sentenced to 24 years in blasphemy case” (Africa News) “The Cost of Being an Atheist” BBC Africa Documentary BBC Kaduna Book Festival 2018-Humanism in Nigeria with Leo Igwe _____________________________    For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:     E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com    Twitter: @WWHPodcasting    Black Secular Collective: @Black_Secular  _____________________________    Additional Content:    Special thanks to the American Humanist Association for their support.    (c) 2023 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net     _____________________________    Supporting the show? We accept contributions through:  PayPal to Fibby Music Group, LLC - FibbyMusic@aol.com and/or via Patreon  _____________________________    Stay tuned for more from the Black Secular Collective  

How did the faux “grassroots” organization Moms For Liberty metastasize in just a few years to attract hundred of followers, as well as extremist presidential candidates, to their summit in Philadelphia last month? Money. Crazy money.We know about Barre Said, we know about Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society. There are plenty of deep-pocketed dark-money sources we don't know about. So where's our money? Who's funding our movement in support of the secular nation our founders intended? We're living under the tyranny of the minority because the minority are willing to spend whatever they have to reduce our country to a superstitious backwater nation.As it turns out, there are lots of secular folks who are putting their money where their values are, but you have to know where to look. We looked no farther than the American Humanist Association. Never heard of them? Well, you should. Their PAC, the Center for Freethought Equality, identifies and supports secular candidates. And that's key to preserving our democracy. They don't have a lot of money, but what they have often seeds successful campaigns. Ron Millar runs the PAC. His professional life has been dedicated to supporting progressive movements, and we're delighted to share our conversation with him about how progressives can counter the billions conservatives pour into political races, on this  episode of Unreasonable.Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And become a Patreon supporter at www.podcastunreasonable.com. It's a small price to pay to keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

Rebecca, Liz, and Alison discuss the state of state/church separation with Professor Caroline Corbin, constitutional law professor at the University of Miami. They review the history of Establishment Clause jurisprudence, remind listeners about what the Supreme Court did to the religion clauses in 2022, and discuss where we stand now in regards to rights under the First Amendment. TLDR: If you're a Christian, rest assured it's a “Heads I Win, Tails You Lose” court.   Background Professor Caroline Corbin's bio  The Remains of the Establishment Clause (Lupu & Tuttle, updated 2023) James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments Previous We Dissent episodes on Carson v. Makin The Sleeper Case: Carson v. Makin Bonus Episode! Carson v. Makin Update American Atheists Kennedy v. Bremerton amicus brief   Cases Firewalker-Fields v. Lee (2023) Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014) Sambrano v. United Airlines (2022) County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union (1989) The American Legion v. American Humanist Association (2019) Stone v. Graham (1980)   Check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Our website, we-dissent.org, has more information as well as episode transcripts.

Michael Werner is a chemist by background and a philosopher by disposition. He was also the President of the American Humanist Association at the time they were looking for a secular recovery alternative to highlight, and that was how he eventually learned about and fell in love with SMART. Michael has facilitated thousands of SMART meetings and believes at least one thing with all his heart: everyone can recover. He is the author of the recently published Quit Your Addiction Now, a book filled with practical tools for combating addictions of all kinds. In this podcast Micheal talks about how changing our thinking can change our lives, how motivation is the key to long-term recovery, and why being bold and direct is the best way for him to facilitate meetings.   

Admittedly one of our more atheist-y episodes, today we offer the second installment of our “Abroad Series”. This show takes a deep-dive, critical look into the phenomenon of missionary work-mostly of the Christian/Evangelical variety. From New York to Brasil, West Africa to Uganda, India to the Caribbean and back, we scrutinize the mission field; its presumptions of good faith and nobility and a religious ideology too easily associated with virtue, cultural diversity and community uplift. Our story is told in three parts: A personal narrative; a trenchant critique on a missionary ripped from the headlines and a culminating, feature interview with Dr. Adria Armbister. She is a distinguished professional in International Development, hails from a denomination well-known for its reputation abroad and both member and ally of the BSC-DC organization. _____  (Ep. 21)     Show Notes     Host: Rogiérs     Written by: Rogiérs Narration: Rogiérs, Drai Salmon Contributing Writer: Dan Savage for Savage Lovecast Interviewer: Dr. Adria Armbister  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC    Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC    Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson    Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Storyblocks  Additional Music: "theShedding" (Courtesy of Fibby Music Group, LLC), Stanley and the “12 Sleepless Nights”, “The 1997 Batch”, J Dilla & Vintage Vibez Music Group, “God Great God”, Kurt Karr (Zomba Gospel, LLC) Resources & Mentions    Leonard Ostrander, The Clergy Project “Call Me Kuchu” (Documentary) “We Had the Land, They had the Bible” (Monique White) “Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity is Taking Over the World” (Elle Hardy) Missionary's harrowing last diary entries before he was killed by Sentinelese tribe (Mirror Magazine) Ama Ata Aidoo, Afrogoats _____________________________    For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:     E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com    Twitter: @WWHPodcasting    Black Secular Collective: @Black_Secular  _____________________________    Additional Content:    Special thanks to the American Humanist Association for their support.    (c) 2023 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net     _____________________________    Want to support the show? Send contributions through:  PayPal to Fibby Music Group, LLC - FibbyMusic@aol.com  or via Patreon  ___  Want to contribute to the Black Secular Collective?   Stay tuned! (TBA)   

What is the ministerial exception? Where did it come from? What has the Supreme Court said about this legal doctrine? In this episode, Rebecca, Liz and Alison recount the history of the ministerial exception and break down the two major cases from the Supreme Court on point: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Our Lady of Guadalupe v. Morrisey-Berru.  Background “The Right's Religious Liberty Agenda Is on a Collision Course With Labor Law” “Supreme Court affirms ‘ministerial exception' that protects religious organizations from some lawsuits” Cases Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC (2012) Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru (2020) FFRF and American Medical Women's Association amicus brief The Center for Inquiry, American Atheists, and American Humanist Association's amicus brief   Check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Our website, we-dissent.org, has more information as well as episode transcripts.  

Jim Palmer is an author, activist, speaker, spiritual director, professor, Chaplain with the American Humanist Association, and leading figure in the non-religious spirituality movement. Palmer received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Divinity School in Chicago, where he served as a pastor at the mega-church, Willow Creek Community Church. He was later the founding…Read more →

We're back with a new season as this February marks the first anniversary of the WWH podcast!! To celebrate, we're launching Season 2 with our Abroad series. In this first episode our first stop is to the Caribbean: the USVI

Anthony Pinn talks to Nadya Dutchin, executive director of the American Humanist Association, about a movement in need of new direction, the rise of young leaders, and the one priority of the moment that rises above all others.

In this digital age, the world seems smaller and more accessible, but we seem to be more distant from one another on a personal level. Add to this the required isolation from COVID times and we are left with a pained awkwardness as we try to re-engage with society and one another. This leaves us with a unique opportunity to reset and create genuine connections. But this requires us to be vulnerable with one another as a reminder of our full humanity. Nadya Dutchin is the executive director of the American Humanist Association with more than 10 years of community engagement, strategic partnership, youth program development, multi-method fundraising, and change management experience. She is new to the humanist movement and is working to transform the AHA and humanist movement into one that focuses on protecting civil rights and building a more youthful and vibrant humanist community. She currently serves as the Board president of Our Climate for Education. Nadya is of Guyanese descent and a proud alumna of Florida A&M University where she studied Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Christian conservatives, led by a cabal of wealthy, influential Republicans, have executed a long, drawn out coup that now gives them virtually ironclad control of the U.S. Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the final legal arbiter in our country that protects freedom for us all.Instead, according to Andrew L. Seidel, an author and attorney who's defended the First Amendment for more than a decade, conservative Christians, through the appointment of the six right-wing justices who now hold a super majority, have turned religious liberty on its head.In his new book, "American Crusade," Seidel details how conservative Christians have achieved that takeover, how it has affected numerous major decisions, and what can be expected in the future if left unchecked.Seidel exposes the “Crusaders,” powerful right-wing Christian conservatives who are systematically working to, as he writes, “elevate Christian beliefs above the law and exempt Christians from the law, while disfavoring non-religious and non-Christian citizens who are required to follow the law.”He issues a stark warning: “The First Amendment is being destroyed. In its place, Crusaders are forging a weapon to ensure their supremacy.”All of this is discussed in this interview for the Lean to the Left and Justice Counts podcasts, co-hosted by myself and author/attorney Mark M. Bello.Questions:MARK: I want to ask you a two part question that is top of mind in America right now. Part 1: Was Roe v Wade correctly decided? Part 2: Almost 50 years later, should it have been sustained on stare decisis grounds? MARK: Considering the outcome of Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health, do you think other social justice decisions are at risk? Gay rights, public schools, contraception, for instance? And why doesn't equal protection or due process apply to these situations?Bob: In your book, you leave no doubt about the danger of the current Conservative Supreme Court, citing case after case where decisions have been based on religious grounds rather than the law. Can you share just a few of those examples?Mark: I'm dubious that Ketanji Brown Jackson will have any impact at all. What's your take and is there anything in the short term that can curb this unchecked supermajority? Bob: Reports indicate that conservative justices appear ready to end race-conscious admission decisions at colleges and universities. Chief Justice Roberts also has temporarily halted release of Donald Trump's tax records to a congressional committee. Are these further examples of the influence of right-wing politics on the court?Bob: Part of the mandate of the 1st Amendment is the separation of church and state. Under the current court, is that in peril?Mark: I believe that Christian nationalism is alive and well in this country, and it is seeping into the court's decision-making. Andrew: Don't you see the court trending toward the religious right's agenda on a number of issues, especially LGBTQ issues, private school funding, and 1st Amendment Separation of Church and State cases like American Legion v. American Humanist Association? As to American Legion, as a Jewish guy and a constitutionalist, I find the argument that the cross has taken on “secular meaning” laughable. I agree with Justice Ginsburg, may she rest in peace, who said in her dissenting opinion: The cross is the foremost symbol of the Christian faith.” Using it as a war memorial doesn't change that fact. This was PUBLIC land. What's your view?Mark: And how about Lemon v Kurtzman? In an 8-1 decision, the high court decided that statutes that provide state funding for non-public, non-secular schools violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. How do you think the case would be decided today?Bob: Let's talk about Masterpiece Cake Shop where the shop refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple on religious grounds, or the Obergefell v Hodges case that permitted same-sex marriage. These were decided differently, obviously. Would today's court decide Masterpiece the same way and overturn Obergefell? You discuss them in detail in your book. Mark: In Tandon v Newsom, the current conservative majority even prioritized the religious right over common sense COVID safety measures. What's your view of that decision?Mark: Can we talk about the Constitution, itself, for a moment? For instance, what's your take on the evolution of the 2nd Amendment? How do we go from “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” to you can own military assault rifles?Mark: And a broader question. I presume you would agree with me that the Constitution was a legal document, a framework for our federal, state, and local laws. It was not meant as a political document, correct? But, it has certainly become one. What do you make of people who I call constitutional hypocrites, who selectively enforce certain constitutional provision, but ignore others. In my view, the pollicization of the court is an example of this-do you agree? I don't think the framers foresaw these political battles, do you?Bob: How can we as citizens protect ourselves from the next Dobbs? Only next time it will be a case that brings down marriage equality, access to contraceptives, or changes how we fund schools. How do we stop the madness?Mark: Last question: You've been invited to lecture at a bar association meeting welcoming new lawyers into the profession. What do you tell these fresh young kids about constitutional freedoms, the 1st Amendment, and the separation of church and state? Forget what you learned in law school?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-left-podcast--4719048/support.

American Crusade: How the Supreme Court Is Weaponizing Religious Freedom by Andrew L Seidel Is a fight against equality and for privilege a fight for religious supremacy? Andrew L. Seidel, a constitutional attorney and author of the critically acclaimed book The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American, dives into the debate on religious liberty, the modern attempt to weaponize religious freedom, and the Supreme Court's role in that “crusade.” Seidel examines some of the key Supreme Court cases of the last thirty years—including Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (a bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple), Trump v. Hawaii (the anti-Muslim travel ban case), American Legion v. American Humanist Association (related to a group maintaining a 40-foot Christian cross on government-owned land), and Tandon v. Newsom (a Santa Clara Bible group exempted from Covid health restrictions), as well as the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade—and how a hallowed legal protection, freedom of religion, has been turned into a tool to advance privilege and impose religion on others. This is a meticulously researched and deeply insightful account of our political landscape with a foreword provided by noted constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, author of The Case Against the Supreme Court. The issue of church versus state is more relevant than ever in today's political climate and with the conservative majority status of the current Supreme Court. This book is a standout on the shelf for fans of Michelle Alexander, Bob Woodward, and Christopher Hitchens. Readers looking for critiques of the rise of Christian nationalism, like Jesus and John Wayne, and examinations like How Democracies Die will devour Seidel's analysis.

Though it's not always clear when a movement is over, there are many indicators that suggest this is the case of the “New Atheism,” a cultural wave that rose in the 2000s and aggressively attacked religion in the guise of scientific rationalism. Despite the name, the New Atheism wasn't really new, at least not in the sense of presenting new arguments. Instead, leveraging the global shock of 9/11, New Atheists pushed an anti-religious mood along with a vision of a society free from the cobwebs of religion, defined by scientific inquiry, free speech, and a morality not built on God or religious traditions.  In 1996, prominent New Atheist Richard Dawkins articulated this mood in his acceptance speech for the “Humanist of the Year” Award: “I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world's great evils,” he said, “comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.” There was a commercial aspect to the New Atheism, with bumper stickers and T-shirts carrying well-worn slogans, such as one coined by Victor Stenger: “Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.”   Though, at the time, it grew into somewhat of a cultural force and platformed a group of minor celebrities, the New Atheism now seems to have run out of steam. Divided by progressive politics and haunted by the obnoxious tone of many of its own founders, the movement is being devoured by other ideologies. Concepts like freedom of expression, scientific realism, and morality without God have all met their antitheses, often in clashes featuring the New Atheists themselves.   One watershed moment was a conflict over the role of science. Just last year, the American Humanist Association revoked Richard Dawkins' “Humanist of the Year” award for his long history of offensive tweets. For example, Dawkins told women who experience sexual harassment to “stop whining” and parents of babies with Down syndrome to “abort it and try again.” These tweets were among the cringeworthy, but the one that completed Dawkins' long transformation from champion of free thought to persona non grata, at least for the American Humanist Association, questioned gender ideology: “In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, a white chapter president of NAACP, was vilified for identifying as Black. Some men choose to identify as women, and some women choose to identify as men. You will be vilified if you deny that they literally are what they identify as. Discuss.”   The New Atheist commitment to seeking truth via the objectivity of science has collided with a new ideology that deifies the subjective sense of self. Ironically, this is the kind of religious dogmatism Dawkins and other New Atheists always accused organized religions of promoting, only less scientific.  New Atheism has been further undermined by a cultural shift in censorship and tolerance for freedom of expression. Organized religion, New Atheists claimed, suppressed dissent. Only by enthroning secularism could we remove the fear of speaking or hearing the truth, even when truth is shocking and offensive. As it turned out, religion's retreat only left a secular progressivism to censor and suppress at will.   In 2017, for example, The End of Faith author Sam Harris ignited a firestorm when he interviewed political scientist Charles Murray. Just a month earlier, a violent mob had shouted Murray down at Middlebury College, injuring moderator Dr. Allison Stanger as the two tried to reach the exit. Harris defended Murray, arguing his research was unfairly maligned as racist and he should be allowed to speak. In retaliation, Ezra Klein published a piece in Vox that landed Harris on the Southern Poverty Law Center's “Hatewatch Headlines,” while in Salon Émile P. Torres accused Harris and the New Atheists of “merging with the far right.”   That same year, Richard Dawkins was barred from speaking at UC Berkeley for his comments about radical Islam, not by Christians or Muslims but by progressives. Turns out that freedom of expression wasn't faring as predicted in a post-religious world.  In addition to their own jarring polemics and personal misfires, the New Atheists failed to realize that religion, especially Christianity, was the proverbial branch upon which they were sitting. For example, the freedom of expression depends on a number of assumptions, that there is objective truth, that it can be discovered, that it is accessible to people regardless of race or class, that belief should be free instead of coerced, that people have innate value, and that because of this value they should not be silenced. Every one of these ideas assumes the kind of world described in the Bible and mediated across centuries of Christian thought. Not one of these assumptions can be grounded in a purposeless world that is the product of only natural causes and processes.   Maybe that's what led Dawkins, just a few years ago, to warn against celebrating the decline of Christianity across the world. Turns out that all of the efforts that he and the other New Atheists extended to root out organized religion have left him with “a fear of finding something worse.”   Today's Breakpoint was coauthored by Kasey Leander. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, go to colsoncenter.org. 

WATCH: https://youtu.be/wHORa9hwScU Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is a novelist, public intellectual and Professor of Philosophy. She has written ten books, both fiction and non-fiction. She graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College, receiving the Montague Prize for Excellence in Philosophy, and immediately went on to graduate work at Princeton University, receiving her Ph.D. in philosophy. She has taught at Columbia and Rutgers. She has been a visiting scholar at Brandeis University, a visiting professor in the Department of Philosophy at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, a Visiting Professor of Philosophy and English at NYU, as well as Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities, London, England. She has been the recipient of many awards, including the 2014 National Humanities Medal given by President Barack Obama, the 2011 Humanist of the Year from the American Humanist Association, the Koret Jewish Book Award in Jewish Thought for her book Betraying Spinoza, the National Jewish Book Award for Strange Attractors, and the National Jewish Book Award and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for Mazel. Goldstein has been named a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, a Guggenheim Fellow, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has also been awarded Whiting Foundation Fellowship. CONNECT: - Website: https://tevinnaidu.com - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu - Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) - Introduction (0:45) - The Mind-Body Problem & the Matter with Matter (9:54) - Consciousness (13:45) - Descartes & Spinoza (18:37) - Materialism (21:56) - Minds & behaviour in other species (29:24) - NCCs, Artificial Intelligence & Teleology (34:25) - The awe inspiring story of what makes us human (39:23) - Theories of consciousness (46:03) - Free Will & Agency (50:42) - Morality (54:48) - Spirituality, Religion & Longing to Matter (1:00:48) - Secular Humanism (1:05:07) - Rebecca & Steven Pinker's amazing story together (1:07:10) - Conclusion Website · YouTube · YouTube

WATCH: https://youtu.be/wHORa9hwScU Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is a novelist, public intellectual and Professor of Philosophy. She has written ten books, both fiction and non-fiction. She graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College, receiving the Montague Prize for Excellence in Philosophy, and immediately went on to graduate work at Princeton University, receiving her Ph.D. in philosophy. She has taught at Columbia and Rutgers. She has been a visiting scholar at Brandeis University, a visiting professor in the Department of Philosophy at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, a Visiting Professor of Philosophy and English at NYU, as well as Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities, London, England. She has been the recipient of many awards, including the 2014 National Humanities Medal given by President Barack Obama, the 2011 Humanist of the Year from the American Humanist Association, the Koret Jewish Book Award in Jewish Thought for her book Betraying Spinoza, the National Jewish Book Award for Strange Attractors, and the National Jewish Book Award and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for Mazel. Goldstein has been named a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, a Guggenheim Fellow, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has also been awarded Whiting Foundation Fellowship. CONNECT: - Website: https://tevinnaidu.com - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu - Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) - Introduction (0:45) - The Mind-Body Problem & the Matter with Matter (9:54) - Consciousness (13:45) - Descartes & Spinoza (18:37) - Materialism (21:56) - Minds & behaviour in other species (29:24) - NCCs, Artificial Intelligence & Teleology (34:25) - The awe inspiring story of what makes us human (39:23) - Theories of consciousness (46:03) - Free Will & Agency (50:42) - Morality (54:48) - Spirituality, Religion & Longing to Matter (1:00:48) - Secular Humanism (1:05:07) - Rebecca & Steven Pinker's amazing story together (1:07:10) - Conclusion Website · YouTube

"A Brief History of Secular Buddhism For 2,500 years: Buddhist meditation was practiced by monks—these practices are older than Christianity and Islam. Meditation was not generally taught to lay people. 19th century: Buddhism came to the attention of Western intellectuals 1890's-1950's: Buddhist meditation was first taught to laypeople en-mass: Burmese monks: Ledi Sayadaw, Webu Sayadaw and Saya Thetgyi taught meditation to lay meditation teachers such as Sayaguyi U Ba Khin. 1960's: Sayagyi U Ba Khin teaches S.N. Goenka and after 1976 Goenka creates hundreds of secular meditation centers that teach Vipassana a form of mindfulness meditation and proto-Secular Buddhism. 1979: Jon Kabat-Zin founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts to treat the chronically ill. 2011: Stephen Batchelor published the book “Buddhist Atheist.” Small local and online Secular Buddhist groups form around the world 2015: Mark W. Gura co-founded the Association of Mindfulness Meditation and Secular Buddhism (AMMSB.org), the first national nonprofit dedicated to Secular Buddhism in the U.S. and he published “Atheist Meditation.” 2016: The Atheist Alliance of America started to inform the atheist community about Secular Buddhism. 2016: With the help of Peter Boghossian and Anthony Magnabosco, the AMMSB adopted the use of Street Epistemology to introduce Secular Buddhism to traditional Buddhists. 2017: With the help of Rebecca Hale and Roy Speckhardt the American Humanist Association and the AMMSB collaborated to further inform the secular humanist and atheist community about Secular Buddhism." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

I interview Nadya Dutchin, the new Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. Our wide-ranging discussion includes her plans and hopes for the AHA; reaction to the gun massacres in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX; raising secular kids in the current social and political climate; the effect of the newly conservative Supreme Court on litigation; and the future of secularism and humanism in America. For more information about the American Humanist Association, visit americanhumanist.org. Theme music courtesy of Body Found. Follow American Freethought on the intertubes: Website: AmericanFreethought.com  Twitter: @AMERFREETHOUGHT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21523473365/ Libsyn Classic Feed: https://americanfreethought.libsyn.com/rss Contact: john@americanfreethought.com Support the Podcast: PayPal funds to sniderishere@gmail.com

Who and what were are the “Black Georgians” of the British empire? And how did their struggles of dissent shape our past and present freedom narratives? Author, historian and professor S.I. Martin, from our Legacy program introduces us to these international men and women of mystery, conviction and fortitude.   The Black Georgians describes Black people in The Georgian era; a period in British History from 1714 to c. 1830–37, named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, II, III and IV. It was a time of immense social change in Britain, the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution class hierarchies and continual warfare. Some are well-known such as Phyllis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano while others have been forgotten. Nonetheless, all are well regarded as extreme personalities, artists, rebels, abolitionists and even accomplices.  _____________________________ (Ep. 14)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks. Resources & Mentions “Perfect Storm: Royals misjudged Caribbean tour, say critics" Rachel Hall & Amelia Gentelman, The Guardian "How an Accidental Encounter brought slavery to the United States" Rick Hampson, USA Today Slavevoyages.com*  *Figures are estimates and are rounded to the nearest 100.   _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net   

"The Momentum of Memory" vs. "The Violence of Forgetting." Throughout history a well-documented feature of authoritarianism, totalitarian regimes, religious indoctrination and myth-making is the reshaping of collective and individual memory. As a person of African descent, deconstructing religion can yield epiphanies not only in science or theology but in the heavy political histories of ethnicity and provenance. This episode covers the ways in which forgetfulness, memory laws/loss and short collective memories play into narratives that distort, demean, erase and discriminate. We cover the George Floyd "Year of Reckoning", Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, 45, my former pastor and the subtle manipulative power of misinformation + forgetfulness imposed on us via religion and culture.  _____________________________ (Ep. 13)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks, Overjoyed Blue Note Japan Recordings, IMOK Gospel Music, Howard University Gospel Choir Resources  Sarah Frostenson, “Aftermath of Year of Reckoning”, Fiver Thirty Eight: A Politics Chat Michele Norris, "Don't call it a racial reckoning. The race toward equality has barely begun.", The Washington Post   Banned Filename, Jr., “Remember fascism was a Catholic problem?”, Medium.com Stephanie Martin, “Vladimir Putin Quotes the Bible During Pro-Russia Rally in Moscow”,   Churchleaders .com Jess Blumberg, “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials”, Smithsonian Magazine Frederick Douglass, “An 1876 speech given by Frederick Douglass at the unveiling of the Freedmen's Monument in Lincoln Park, Washington, DC.”, Digital Public Library of America, University of Illinois CNN (Chris Wallace) Interview Nicole Hannah-Jones, Author & Professor of Journalism, Howard University Dr. Greg Carr, Professor, Howard University School of Law &Africana Studies Department  Music Bed(s)  “For Your Name is to be Praised” (James Hall Worship & Praise) “Never Shall Forget”, Melvin Crispell & Testimony   _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net   

More than 100 years ago a Black skeptic/atheist/agnostic/freethinker from the Danish West Indies framed a conversation on Pan-Africanism, modeled Socialist Black political organizing, advocated for labor rights and progressive Black entertainment in a vaudeville era of American life wreathed in poverty, White Supremacy, World Wars and European Imperialism. This episode continues Dr. Jeffrey B. Perry's presentation on Hubert Harrison-a bridge between Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, The Black Panthers, Occupy Wallstreet and BLM.  Perry reveals all of these connections on with his account of the life of Harrison known as the "Black Socrates,” a freethinking orator, writer and contemporary in the then Harlem Renaissance. Pitifully unsung, all roads to Arturo Schomburg, A. Phillip Randolph, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin Luter King, James Brown, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, The Black Panthers, Sista Soulja (and so many more) therefore, lead directly through Hubert Harrison.  _____________________________ (Ep. 12)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks and V.Rich/"Ocean of Love" (Out Now!) Resources & Mentions Jeffrey B. Perry, Official Website "Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism", Jeffrey B. Perry (Columbia University Press) *For discount on online bookstore, use “CUP20” at checkout. David Hilliard describes Black Panther Party origins & Ideological Struggles of Class-Coalition Politics (2006) _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net   

Who is one of the greatest icons of movement history that you've likely never heard of? Someone who 100+ years ago conceptualized Pan-Africanism, modeled new Black political organization, labor rights advocacy, religious dissent and championed (and scrutinized) Black actors, playwrights and entertainers in ways few others would? Who literally stands as a bridge between Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King and BLM? And who both created language for subsequent Black leaders and mercilessly scrutinized icons like Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois and others in their blind spots? It is Hubert Harrison.   The lifelong work of this intellectual Black giant -and his biographer, renowned scholar and author, Jeffrey B. Perry- reveals all of these connections on today's episode with his account of the life of Harrison. In fact, it may be said that not only is this "Black Socrates” pitifully unsung, but all roads to Arturo Schomburg, A. Phillip Randolph, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin Luter King, James Brown, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, The Black Panthers, Sista Soulja (and so many more) therefore, lead directly through Hubert Harrison.  This episode is Part I of Jeffrey B. Perry's interview on Harrison from the 2021 Legacy series covering his migration from the Caribbean (now USVI) to the US and his early work as a freethinking orator, writer and contemporary in the then Harlem Renaissance.  _____________________________ (Ep. 11)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks and V.Rich/"Ocean of Love" (Out Now!) Resources & Mentions Jeffrey B. Perry, Official Website "Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism", Jeffrey B. Perry (Columbia University Press) *For discount on online bookstore, use “CUP20” at checkout. Jamaican poet and LGBTQ activist Stacy Ann Chin reads the account of Bartolomé de Las Casas at Voice of a People's History of the United States. History of the Indies by Bartolome De Las Casas Explained", APUSH Simplified _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net       

Article 18 of both the United Nations Human Rights Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects not only the right to believe in and practice a religion and to change religion, but also the right to hold nontheistic beliefs. Despite these protections, many members of nonreligious communities' face government repression, social intolerance, restrictions on freedom of thought, belief and expression, and pervasive discrimination because of their lack of religion or absence of belief in a God.Rachel Deitch, Director of Policy and Social Justice with the American Humanist Association joins us to discuss conditions of non-religious communities around the world.Read USCIRF's Factsheet on Nonbelievers in AfricaWith Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFRachel Deitch, Director of Policy and Social Justice, American Humanist AssociationKirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Dialogue, Dialogue, Dialogue! Today's episode is all about dialogue, reflection and conversation with the co-host and co-creator of Where We're Headed, Mr. Verdell Wright. If you missed his compelling account of a “Good God Gone” in (Ep. 6) here's another chance to get acquainted with Verdell and host Rogiérs as they enjoy an open dialogue and process life as a former Minister, Seminarian, Minister of Music, worship leader and SGL Black men. It's all about the conversation!  _____________________________ (Ep. 10)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks Resources  Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, “Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels" _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net 

What is the relevance of "community" at all? Why is it important to apply a critical racial lens in conversation around faith, stigma and our future? How do these dynamics show up when we're not looking?  On this episode we study the effect(s) of coercion, exclusion and "othering" through subtle acts of religious supremacy in public policy and government. We first look into rhetoric of government officials desperate to preserve cultural notions of straight, White minority and Christian rule in specific arguments contesting "unenumerated rights". Then we conclude  with the voice of Religious Freedom advocate, ally to the Nonbeliever community and Interfaith Advocate, Dr. Sabrina Dent. Based here in the Washington, DC area, Dent first remarks to Legacy (2020) appear in the previous Episode 8. She has worked tirelessly to reduce stigma among religious minorities-speaking truth to power not only in the public sphere but also within intra-faith circles and organizations.   _____________________________ (Ep. 9)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks Resources & Mentions Dr. Sabrina Dent, President of Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation (Richmond, VA.)  "In Class with Carr." The Karen Hunter Show, Ep. 107 Dr. Greg Carr. (@AfricanaCarr in #Knubia and Twitter)  Mark Joseph Stern, Dahlia Litchwick. SCOTUS Legal Correspondents, Host/Co-Host, Slate Amicus Podcast  Lindsay Graham presses Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji B. Jackson on Faith, (March 2022), USA Today   Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, “Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels" _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net 

Perhaps one of the biggest slept-on challenges we face moving through life and all its stages is how do we form community, maintain it, hold it accountable, reconcile it and how we discard community in/around us?Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don't so much. On this episode Ro tells a story of a peculiar encounter with a random lady at Eastern Market and we study the historical relationships between American patriarchy, social class and imposition of its faith-based, foundational ideas. Then we invite the much needed voice of a Religious Freedom advocate, ally to the Nonbeliever community and Interfaith Advocate, Dr. Sabrina Dent from her Legacy appearance in 2020. Based here in the Washington, DC area, Dent has worked tirelessly to reduce stigma among religious minorities-speaking truth to power not only in the public sphere but also within intra-faith circles and organizations.   _____________________________ (Ep. 8)  Show Notes Host: Rogiérs  Writing & Narration: Rogiérs  Production & Editing: Fibby Music Group, LLC Assistant Producer, Research: Drai Salmon Opening performed by Rogiérs, Reginald & Alesandra Ndu Recorded at: FMG Studios, Washington, DC Cover Artwork: Emily Wilson Music Licensing/Episode Musical Credits courtesy of: Fibby Music Recordings, Storyblocks Resources & Mentions Dr. Sabrina Dent, President of Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation (Richmond, VA.)  "In Class with Carr." The Karen Hunter Show, Ep. 107 Dr. Greg Carr. (@AfricanaCarr in #Knubia and Twitter)  Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, “Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels" _____________________________ For Contact, Inquiry, Voicemail & Feedback:  E: BNDCPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @WWHPodcasting _____________________________ Additional Content: Find the entire LEGACY catalogue of programs online at the Black Nonbelievers YouTube Channel! Find Black Nonbelievers of DC online on Facebook and also on Meetup.  Support  Black Nonbelievers follow on Twitter and find a local affiliate new you! Special thanks to the American Humanist Association and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for their support. (c) 2022 Fibby Music Group, LLC www.FibbyMusic.net 

On this episode of the Unsupervised Learning podcast Razib talks to his friend Sarah Haider, founder of Ex-Muslims of North America and the writer behind a new Substack, Hold That Thought. Born in Pakistan, and raised in Texas in a Shia Muslim family, Sarah came to prominence in 2015 after she gave a speech called "Islam and the Necessity of Liberal Critique" at The American Humanist Association's 74th annual conference.  Razib and Sarah first discuss where the Ex-Muslim community is in 2022, especially after a few years of COVID-19 that dampened face-to-face meetups. Sarah argues that there has been a massive change in the acceptance and visibility of Ex-Muslims over the past decade. To a great extent the community has taken on a life of its own, and the shepherding role of  Ex-Muslims of North America is not nearly as essential as it was when it was founded in 2013. It should be noted here that public apostasy in Islam is traditionally a capital crime, so people who are skeptical of religion from a Muslim background have often been wary of being open and honest about their views. Sarah also observes that Ex-Muslims have weathered the cultural changes on the social Left better than the broader atheist and secular community over the last few years, which has been fractured by the rise of the “woke” faction. Razib asks if this is possibly due to a high degree of disagreeability among Ex-Muslims, who are often strongly selected for nonconformity in order to be willing to go against the grain, even at great personal and social cost. Sarah agrees and offers that this is in contrast to what she terms the “evangelical to woke” pipeline, where conservative Protestants leave their religion behind only to adopt an entirely new set of strident beliefs (on her Substack Sarah has a post Is Wokism uniquely Christian?). Razib questions Sarah as to whether the decline of religion over the last generation that New Atheists were cheering for in the aughts was really a force for good. While they were discussing various heresies, Sarah offered that she was a “gender atheist.” She takes a highly critical view of what she calls “gender ideology,” asserting the primacy of biological sex. Razib and Sarah then mull over whether this is truly the current age's biggest third rail, and why that might be. Eventually, Razib stumbles on the fact that Sarah is a “Rogan-bro” (she listens semi-regularly to the podcast). She discusses why people listen, Joe Rogan's relationship to his audience, and explains how she came to be a listener and why she continues to tune in. She also discusses her piece Why Deplatforming Joe Rogan Will Backfire. Finally, Sarah talks about what it's like to be a young woman who has a public online presence, from excessive attention to harassment from conservative Muslims. They close out with a discussion about future directions in her career and activism. Sarah talks about why she started the Substack and why she is now pursuing writing and thinking on topics outside her secular/Ex-Muslim bailiwick.

In this Episode of The GRID, host Chris Kuhlmann examines humanism on the heels of our previous podcast about the Barrington Declaration and the mention that Dr. Anthony Fauci had received the Humanist of the Year award for 2021. Chris discusses what humanism is and it's impact out society and politics and how little most Christian know about this belief system.   CREDITS Host: Chris Kuhlmann Written by: Chris Kuhlmann Produced by: Chris Kuhlmann Shaun Griffin Music composed by JD Kuhlmann Art: Shaun Griffin Sound: Chris Kuhlmann and Shaun Griffin Sponsor: Sand Castles Cottages of Lake Michigan Be sure to visit www.sandcastlescottages.com   Visit us at www.kingdompatriot.us and check out our Vision Video Email: admin@KingdomPatriot.US   HUMANISM: Good without God It so good for you to join me today on the Grid. Our topic today is humanism. Now this is not what we had planned for this week, but one of our listeners contacted me and was concerned that so many Christians were truly unaware of humanism…they couldn't define it, they can't identify it, they can't discern it, and therefore can see it for what it is. So thanks to our listener. We also know that when you reach out to us on the Grid, we listen. You can email us at admin@kingdompatriot.us, again that's admin@kingdompatriot.us if you want to email us directly.   Why this is so relevant is because last week w/ the podcast “Fauci and the Great Barrington” Declaration, we noted that Dr. Anthony Fauci was awarded Humanist of the Year in 2021. This is what prompted our listener to reach out and why we are here today discussing this. So let's break this down today into three parts: The first part will be to define Humanism and examine its origins. Part II will be a discussion in how this impacts the political and social arena…and Part III will be to cite specific examples of humanist thought in our government policy.   Part I What is Humanism   www.Dictionary.com any system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity predominate. devotion to or study of the humanities. (sometimes initial capital letter) the studies, principles, or culture of the humanists. a variety of ethical theory and practice that emphasizes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and often rejects the importance of belief in God. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings as the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. Humanists International - https://humanists.international/what-is-humanism/ “Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance that affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. Humanism stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. Humanism is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.” — The Minimum Statement on Humanism, Humanists International A humanist bases their understanding of the world on reason and scientific method (rejecting supernatural or divine beliefs as bad explanations or ill-formed ideas). A humanist bases their ethical decisions again on reason, with the input of empathy, and aiming toward the welfare and fulfillment of living things. A humanist is someone who recognizes that we, human beings, are the most curious and the most capable curators of knowledge in the known universe. To gain knowledge, we must use our reason and experience to understand the world. And we may create or partake of the great artistic fruits of humankind to enhance our emotional palettes, deepen our empathy and enrich our understanding. But we reject any reliance on blindly received authority, or on dogma, or what others may claim is divine revelation (because we don't believe we get tip-offs about truth from a supreme being beyond time and space. That would be cheating!) A humanist is someone who recognizes that we, human beings, are by far the most sophisticated moral actors on the Earth. We can grasp ethics. This does not mean we are the only moral objects. For example other animals deserve moral consideration, too, and perhaps the environment as a whole. It is also worth noting that some other (non-human) animals exhibit patterns of behaviour that look a lot like care, empathy, in a few cases even apparently responding to what looks like ‘unfair' behaviour by seeking to redress it! These different types and stages of animals thinking about others may be taken as evidence of how ethical behavior evolved in human beings. However, humans do seem to have a unique capacity for moral choice. It would be unusual for example to say that a dog or a dolphin had behaved “immorally”! But when it comes to humans, we are able to choose to act in the interests of the welfare of living things, advancement of society, and fulfillment of our own and others personal goals… or against them! This choice and our knowledge of that choice makes us ‘moral actors'. To act well, we must take responsibility for ourselves and others. We do not do this for the sake of preferential treatment in any afterlife (even if we believed in it, that motivation wouldn't make our actions good!). We do it because the best we can do is to live this life as brilliantly as we can. That means helping others in community, advancing society, and flourishing at whatever we do best within those bounds. And humanists are people who find value in themselves and each other, respecting the personhood and dignity of fellow human beings. We respect other people not because we are made “in the image” of something else (we are a product of evolution, not the product of a divine plan), but because of what we are. We are a sentient, feeling species, with value and dignity in each individual, and that is worthy of respect. There is no reason to believe that “meaning” has to come from a supreme being. If you can write a sentence on paper which isn't nonsense, then you can create meaning! For a humanist, there is no divine plan or purpose. The humanist recognises that we make our own purposes, tell our own stories, set our own goals. This gives life meaning.   So what are the origins of humanism?   https://americanhumanist.org/about/our-history/ According to the American Humanist Association, which by the way on their website, says “Good without God”, Humanism really began to take root in the renaissance. However, its roots are in ancient Greek thought. It evolved during the Reformation, Enlightenment, and scientific revolution and began to resemble its current form in the late nineteenth century.   In 1933, a major humanism milestone was achieved with the creation of the Humanist Manifesto supported by 34 national leaders including John Dewey. The American Humanist Association was formed in 1941.   During the 1940's the association was supportive of Vashti McCollum in her fight against religious instruction in schools. She was the plaintiff in the landmark case McCollum vs Board of Education which struck down religious education in schools.   Don't tell me for an instant, that sitting on the sidelines doesn't have a devastating long-term effect. Vashti later served two terms as the president of the American Humanist Association in the 60's   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger One of the earliest recipients of the Humanist of the Year award was Margaret Sanger in 1957 for her activism for birth control and sex education. Another total winner in a God-void world-view. She popularized the term “birth control” and created organizations that evolved into the modern day planned parenthood as we know them today. It seems debatable if she promoted abortions or discouraged them, but wanted to avoid back alley abortions and the like. However, what is less arguable is her support for eugenics.   https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/07/28/margaret-sangers-extreme-brand-eugenics?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuvOPBhDXARIsAKzLQ8HMTIR9Z6OlimN7ThGef1ExzsIFu59Im8j9KxNBPjR6-kDCwS2eqz4aAp1kEALw_wcB In fact, her name has become such a lightening rod, that Planned Parenthood removed Margaret Sanger's name from their headquarters. She is supported sterilization of those with mental and physical disabilities allegedly calling them “morons, mental defectives, epileptics”.   To sum up her beliefs, listen carefully to these next few sentences quoted directly from the American magazine “It argues that to preserve racial hygiene, the government should enact three coercive measures. First, it should sterilize those with mental and physical disabilities, including “morons, mental defectives, epileptics.” Second, it should segregate on state-run concentration farms a much broader public of impoverished and criminal citizens, including paupers, prostitutes, drug addicts, illiterates and the unemployed. If the second group reformed its behavior and accepted sterilization, it could return to mainstream society. By Sanger's own estimate, 15 million to 20 million citizens would live under this regime of segregation and sterilization. The third initiative would be obligatory birth-control training for mothers with serious diseases, such as heart disease, in an effort to persuade them to renounce any future childbearing. This program was not about “choice.”   This podcast is not about Margaret Sanger, but what I'm trying to show you is how progressive humanism is. If we believe in Christ, we could never, never support policies like this.   So back to the history https://americanhumanist.org/about/our-history/. In 1973, Humanist Manifesto II was born. In 1991, the Humanist was recognized as an alternative forum for social and political commentary. Fast forward to 2008 and 2009 and the AHA starting placing billboard adds directly appealing to those who are not of faith with slogans like “Why believe in God? Just be good for goodness sake” or “Don't believe in God? You are not alone.”   I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. This movement was just a place for those to congregate who did not believe in God, but today they are active in promoting anti-God messages that our society has lazily accepted.   Part 2 The Impact on the Social and Political Arena We want to examine how this impacts the social and political arena. So let's take a look at the principals we just talked about: Emphasizes Reason Trusts science Rejects God and religion Human beings are the author of morality The supernatural is made up of bad decisions or ill-formed ideas Human beings are the most capable of knowledge in the universe Human beings are the determiner of their own fates Humans can grasp ethics and are the most capable of any creature on earth   It's not just politics, but there are some on this list…it's that humanism has invaded every aspect of society. Here's just a few examples of humanists according to the AHA   Bestselling Authors Joyce Carol Oates Isaac Asimov Salman Rushdie   Scientists and Science Advocates Steve Wozniak Bill Nye Carl Sagan   Philosophers John Dewey   Prominent Activists Gloria Steinem Betty Friedan Jack Kevorkian   Political Leaders Barney Frank Pete Stark   Actors, Directors, Writers, and Entertainers Oliver Stone Gene Roddenberry Katharine Hepburn Kristen Bell   Media and Journalism Amy Goodman Cenk Uygur Michelle Goldberg Ira Flatow Pacifica Radio Foundation The Onion   It's no wonder that humanism is so pervasive. In fact, sometimes I struggle if politics is the cause or the result. Maybe we elect humanistic leaders because we are inundated with humanistic thought by authors, scientists, philosophers, activists, political leaders, Hollywood, and media.   So let me ask in a form of a question, the essence of part II of this podcast. If we are bombarded with humanism in every aspect of life and we have people in powerful positions of government who are dedicated humanists, how could we not believe that this would have a profound impact on government policy?   Part 3 Examples What are some examples? Well I suppose we could work backwards. Who is in control of the federal government's policies regarding the COVID19 pandemic and vaccines and vaccine mandates? Of course, Anthony Fauci. And what do we know about Anthony Fauci? That's right, a dedicated humanist who inherently believes in the goodness of man. So let's look at his recommendations and policies You should mask up everywhere You should get the vaccines and boosters We should make the vaccines compulsory You should do all of this for your fellow man We should trust the experts The science is clear We know best Do you see how the humanistic thought is pervasive in these recommendations? There's no trust in Christ, no praying about direction, it's about those who we are supposed to trust making decisions about the betterment of society and anyone disagreeing with that is to be vilified, ostracized, attacked, etc. If you didn't listen to last week's podcast on Fauci and the Great Barrington Declaration, I highly suggest you do so. Knowing about the Great Barrington, it will bring chills to your spine on what I'm about to share. It has been recently uncovered that Fauci covertly conspired with other so-called experts to discredit the Great Barrington Declaration almost from the onset? Why? Because it wasn't his science, and there ladies and gentleman is the most disturbing, the most concerning, an offense to God, is man's utter believe in himself, his science, and the belief that he can dictate, control life itself. The humanist truly believes there is no creator, so that we must trust in ourselves. Yet time and time again in history, science over-time actually confirms the existence of our God and often refutes previous science thought to be the beginning and end of all wisdom. Let's say for instance, when the earth was flat - that's what all the scientists said.   What will the scientists say in 100 years about COVID19. I feel confident it won't be “the experts got it right.”   So, I don't mean to go on a Fauci rant nor on our government, but rather to educate you on the pervasive parasitic nature of humanism - man believing in man, believing in the goodness of man, in the salvation of one's self, void of God is a stench in the eyes of Almighty God. If man was all that, Jesus would never have had to come and save us. No my friends, we know the human heart is wicked and is in desperate need of savior - whether it's my, my wife and kids, my neighbor and friends, or Fauci, Biden, and Trump. We all need Jesus and any hope in man is hope ill-placed.   I implore you to keep your eyes out on where you can always refocus on Christ. When you see man relying on man, gently remind them that the Lord is in control, even when we don't see it, we must turn to Christ or the fearful pandemic of our hearts will never end.   I hope this was helpful in better understanding what the implications of “Humanist of the Year” really means.

In this Episode of The GRID, host Chris Kuhlmann examines the Barrington Declaration, a document published by numerous highly educated, highly experienced doctors and scientists that spells out a public strategy for managing the pandemic and the nation back to recovery from COVID-19; comparing the credentialed leadership offered in the declaration to the leadership and credentials of Dr. Anthony Fauci.   CREDITS Host: Chris Kuhlmann Written by: Chris Kuhlmann Produced by: Shaun Griffin Music composed by JD Kuhlmann Art: Shaun Griffin Sound: Chris Kuhlmann and Shaun Griffin Sponsor: Score and Splice, JD Kuhlmann ScoreandSplice@gmail.com Visit us at www.kingdompatriot.us and check out our Vision Video   SHOW NOTES - Fauci and the Barrington Declaration www.gbdeclaration.org   As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection.   Coming from both the left and right, and around the world, we have devoted our careers to protecting people. Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. The results (to name a few) include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health – leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice.   Keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed.   Fortunately, our understanding of the virus is growing. We know that vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand-fold higher in the old and infirm than the young. Indeed, for children, COVID-19 is less dangerous than many other harms, including influenza.   As immunity builds in the population, the risk of infection to all – including the vulnerable – falls. We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity – i.e. the point at which the rate of new infections is stable – and that this can be assisted by (but is not dependent upon) a vaccine. Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach herd immunity.   The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call this Focused Protection.   Adopting measures to protect the vulnerable should be the central aim of public health responses to COVID-19. By way of example, nursing homes should use staff with acquired immunity and perform frequent testing of other staff and all visitors. Staff rotation should be minimized. Retired people living at home should have groceries and other essentials delivered to their home. When possible, they should meet family members outside rather than inside. A comprehensive and detailed list of measures, including approaches to multi-generational households, can be implemented, and is well within the scope and capability of public health professionals.   Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying home when sick should be practiced by everyone to reduce the herd immunity threshold. Schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.   By the way, those are not my thoughts, those are the thoughts of the Great Barrington Declaration. It was signed at American Institute for Economic Research in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Authored by 3 physicians and co-signed by 43 individuals worldwide. While many pulling the puppet strings would have you believe that medicine and science are 100% unified in the approach the US has taken, that is far from the truth.   I'm not talking about mere intellectual lightweights either. Here's the quick bios on the 3 authors:   Dr. Martin Kulldorff, professor of medicine at Harvard University, a biostatistician, and epidemiologist with expertise in detecting and monitoring infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety evaluations.   Dr. Sunetra Gupta, professor at Oxford University, an epidemiologist with expertise in immunology, vaccine development, and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases.   Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor at Stanford University Medical School, a physician, epidemiologist, health economist, and public health policy expert focusing on infectious diseases and vulnerable populations.   What about the co-signers? Again, 43 cosigners from 9 countries?   Canada 2 England 11 Germany 6 India 1 Israel 5 New Zealand 2 Scotland 4 Sweden 2 US 10   43     What about their expertise, surely these couldn't hold a candle to Dr. Fauci, the Allergy & Immunology expert? Wrong again.   Professor of Genetics 1 Pediatrics 1 Clinical Ethics 1 Vaccine development 1 Hypertension Researcher 1 Mathematician 1 Education & Prevention 1 Hygiene & Environmental Medicine 1 Informatics 1 Biomedical Data Science 1 Malaria Researcher 1 Cellular Biology 1 Biophysicist 1 Structural Biology 1 Human Geography 1 Genomics 1 Medical Statistics 1 Autism Provider 1 Virology 1 Finance 1 Oncologist 2 Statistical Modelling 2 Biomedical Consultant 2 Infectious Disease Expert 3 Biostatistics 3 Microbiology 4 Public Health/Policy 4 Research/Scientist 4 Immunology 5 Medical Psychology/Psychiatry 6 Physician 10 Professor or Assoc. Prof of Medicine 10 Epidemiology 11     It's about time a group of physicians and experts unified to present common sense recommendations.   So what do you think? Does the Great Barrington Declaration deserve consideration given than 43 docs from 9 countries with expertise in 33 different areas have signed onto it?   Do you think it holds merit in the COVID world we live in?   Oh, I just realized, I forgot to read the very last line of the declaration. Silly me.   Here's what it says: On October 4, 2020, this declaration was authored and signed in Great Barrington, United States. You might have guessed this anyway because of the reference to vaccine development.   That's right, this wasn't written last week, it was written in the early fall of 2020, more than 16 months ago. Yet the principles in it are as applicable today as they were then.   Clearly, this group is pro-vaccine and still they are against general universal lockdown policies. These aren't the pundits on CNN or MSNBC or the NY Times, these are disease experts, physicians, professors, scientists, and researchers that have dedicated their lives to this type of work.   Here we are in 2022 and the information we continue to learn through court cases, FOIA requests, emails, etc., is that what has and is going on behind the scenes is more dark and sinister than we would like to believe. That's not really the subject of this podcast. I don't even have time to go into the latest news that it's likely American funds were used in part to create the COVID19 virus.   The reason we are even talking about this is because states, particularly blue states are doubling down on their lockdown policies. California, NY, vaccine passports and the ability to even move around to and fro as an American is being limited. This just cannot be. There's a reason that these states are losing congressional seats as large numbers of families are retreating to Florida, Texas and other states that have a more pro-freedom outlook on current state.   However, I digress. I think it is imperative anytime we do a podcast to also look at the biblical perspective when possible?   What has the Lord called us to do? Well certainly he has called us to seek him with all of our hearts? The challenge is that Leaders who are making public policy are often not like-minded in faith.   Did you know that Fauci just received the Humanist of the Year Award? That's right, the American Humanist Association just awarded him October 2021 with the Humanist of the Year Award for 2021 and I quote “Dr. Fauci embodies humanist values, including his steadfast commitment to science, his demonstrated empathy and compassion for others and his overall direct approach,” AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt told Religion News Service in an interview. “He has demonstrated how powerful science and human values can be in saving lives over the past year. If there was ever an appropriate humanist of the year, he is it.”   In 2003, Dr. Fauci said that “I look upon myself as a humanist. I have faith in the goodness of mankind.”   And that's why we should be worried, because the mankind he speaks of, the leaders in our government, those who pull the strings of policy and regulations have shown to be ever void of a belief in Christ and scripture.   What does the bible say about the goodness of mankind? Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”   This is a major construct of the difference view-points of mankind. One reason that we cannot rely on the “goodness” of mankind is that goodness is defined by the individual, right and wrong have become so morally relative that literally it changes with the election of every new leader.   This is why we need Christ. I'm pro-freedom, pro-democracy, and I'm not pro or anti vaccine. But when the leaders are desperately void of Christ it is impossible for Jeremiah 17:9 to not apply. Our hope is in Christ, we desperately need him because of our wicked hearts.   So our faith has to be in Christ and not the government, not the great Barrington Declaration. I believe in the declaration, subscribe to it's philosophy, but my hope is found in Christ.   Folks, we need Jesus more than ever. I'm not talking about we need Jesus to come and deliver us, that's a given. I'm talking that Fauci, our government, myself, all of us need Jesus because of our wicked hearts.   I'm also going to do something that I've never done before on this podcast. I'm going to pray for our key leaders, specifically, President Biden, VP Harris, and Anthony Fauci.   Lord, we are all desperately wicked because our hearts are inclined to selfishness, sinfulness, and self-preservation. It's not just true of our leaders, it's true of the human condition. Yet today, let us walk humbly as we lift up our leaders. We pray Father, that you would move on the hearts of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. We ask that you move on their hearts not to deliver us or produce an outcome that we desire, but we ask that you move on their hearts for two reasons 1) That they might become children of God and inherit your kingdom, that they would know your grace, your mercy, and that you would do a mighty work on their hearts to your glory. 2) We pray you would give them the supernatural Christ influenced wisdom to lead this nation in a way that glorifies you. To lead in a way that points to Christ in everything, that they would become ambassadors for you willingly or not. We pray this in the name of Jesus.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode. Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Please join our Discord server!  — The Supreme Court's abortion case. (1:30) — Marcus Lamb, the head of a major Christian TV network that spread COVID lies, died of COVID. (13:45) — Eric Metaxas, another anti-vax Christian, has COVID too. (20:25) — Baptisms are getting cooler. As if that was the thing that churches needed to fix. (33:55) — You don't have to defend Josh Duggar even if you're a conservative Christian. (38:11) — The American Humanist Association's new leader represents a shift in how atheism appears to the public. (45:26) — Richard Dawkins is once again promoting anti-trans bigotry. (50:58) — A Christian hate group is whining to the Supreme Court about being called a “hate group.” (1:02:15)