Secular

Somewhere between Pollock and Pop, new art developed an allergy to the word spiritual unless it was attached to ethnicity. It was O.K. to make altars in galleries if you were Mexican-American - in fact, you were sort of required to - but if you were plain old American, no. Yet on the fringes, where the most together thinking tends to take place, there was resistance to this bias. In the late 1960

Many of us have serious and legitimate concerns regarding attempts to portray Senator Barack Obama as some sort of secular Messiah (read here). Liberal pundits in the mainstream media, whose knowledge of Sacred Scripture is usually superficial at best, will no doubt dismiss our concerns as coming from uneducated "fundamentalists" who dress in military khaki and who spend most of the day in a dark

Before going to NIC meet I checked the New York Times. I always rely on New York Times for accurate assessment of the situation. I was glad to inform the participants of NIC like Narendrbhai that NY Times is also against forceful conversions. Their headline is "Hindu Threat to Christians: Convert or Flee".Christians are indulging in secular conversions while the Bajrang Dal is indulging in communa

"This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."- Senator Barack Obama."Barack Obama must be elected President of the United States. It’s his worldview, his clarity of judgment, and his just plain right-mindedness that resonate with me. Figuring that my efforts were best spent raising money for the campaign, I have thrown myself into a new world—one

I am back on the blog. One day late, but we politicians can bend and amend all promises. After a long tour like this I have to make the expense statements and get the reimbursements. I am in grade 1500. I get a daily allowance of US $ 600.Dr Rice droped in to say goodbye, she left after enjoying dhudi paratha with me. She says President Bush did not find time to sign any document for the last few

Can I please go to secular heaven when I die at the tender age of 4,312 ? It just looks like a fun place, don't you think? Who wouldn't want to play volleyball with Einstein?For those wondering how I'm planning to live over 43 centuries: nanotechnology and lots of pills. I suspect there will be an Apple iPill one day and a handy device called the iMed that will cure you of diseases. Then ther

Dr. Abdul With Kashmir under continued Indian occupation, obviously this is a trillion dollar question and the answer is a clear NO! Given the anti-Muslim, anti-Kashmiri and anti-Pakistan hidden... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

I am off on a tour to France and USA from Monday. I have to explain to the world leaders why the Muslims in my country believe that the encounter in which a top Delhi cop was shot dead was fake. We planted dead bodies there and shot our own cop! If Shivraj stage managed this to prove a point, I must say that he can have his job even in the next government.Meanwhile my Finance Minister while deliv

The raging and seemingly endless violence that has erupted due to the Amarnath land transfer controversy has spilled into the TV studios in Delhi too. Kashmiri separatists, long used to holding centre stage as the only representatives of the people of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, suddenly find that the people of Jammu as well as Ladakh are not willing to be silent sufferers any more.

A book that has been released recently seeks to highlight the secular and meritocratic principles on which Maharaja Ranjit Singh's administration was based, besides his qualities of statesmanship that enabled him to stave off British attempts to usurp his empire, for as long as he was alive.

I had a photography teacher in high school who was a devout Christian, who quietly and gently liked to preach the word of God amidst the red light glow of the dark room, while his students carefully printed photographs. Considering the fact that this was a public school, these conversations were highly inappropriate, and could [...]

You say there are very few secular references to Jesus as a historical figure: Let me begin with this: If I describe an animal that swims on water, has feathers, can fly, usually has a long and flat bill (on its mouth area), usually has webbed feet, and makes a sound that is similar to “quack, quack.” [...]

By Shilpa Nangali“Leave us alone, the problem is in our area, we can handle it, do not interfere” - This was the message conveyed to the neighborhood residents by some of the Muslim community residents of JC Nagar on Friday’s (July 11, 2008) incident at a masjid in JC Nagar and Hebbal. Local politicians doubt political ambitions behind this. However, the best part was finally Hindus

Secular humanism is much broader than atheism and entails many things that atheism does not. This will be easy to understand if you remember that atheism refers to nothing more than the lack of belief in any sort of gods. So what is secular humanism?We begin with humanism. According to Paul Kurtz, "Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook" which can be traced "back to the phil

Ahh the good old days of islam, when you could cut off a thief’s hand, and stone an adulterer to death. Oh wait, that’s today, if these lunatics get their way… Malaysian Islamist leader wants a return to mutilation A leader of Malaysia’s Islamist party wants its secular allies to apply strict Sharia law in the country. The [...]

Secular Humanism: Secular Humanist's rejects theistic religious belief and adherence to belief in the existence of a supernatural world.Wikipedia Situation Ethics, if it feels good, do it. No God, no morals, no boundaries, no barriers, no restraints. No tomorrow. Luke 12:19,20 KJV[19] And I (A rich man) will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, ea

The Dow Theorists (and yours truly) have always emphasized that the most profitable way to invest in the stock market for the average American is to invest in harmony with the primary trend. In Dow Theory terms, this would mean investing in a period of severe undervaluation and holding on to your stocks (or dollar cost-average into your portfolio) until the end of the bull market - such as

Secular humanism is based on such concepts as rational inquiry and attempts to understand the human condition unfettered by a reliance on a supreme being. So it's no wonder that this philosophy would have it's largest following among members of academia and other highly educated professionals.In turn, considering the correlation between education and income, it's no surprise that these individuals

The Secular Coalition for America is growing to nine member organizations now that the American Ethical Union has voted to join. This means more staff, donors, and activists being added to the Secular Coalition. For more, read the complete press release below.Washington, DC – The Secular Coalition for America, a lobbying organization which protects and advances the rights of nontheistic Americans, has just welcomed a new member organization. This expansion of the Coalition follows other growth milestones: the hiring in March of its second full-time lobbyist; the doubling of its e-activist base in the last year; and unprecedented annual contributions from across the country.On Sunday, April 20, 2008, the American Ethical Union (AEU) voted to become the ninth member organization of the Se

The Council for Secular Humanism has issued a press release calling for the resignation of the bigoted Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago). I applaud them in being the first national freethought organization to do so and hope others will join the call. I have provided the full press release below.Council for Secular Humanism Deplores Intemperate Comments from Rep. Monique Davis; calls for Davis to resign(Amherst, New York) --Rep. Monique Davis, a Chicago Democrat and member of the Illinois legislature, stepped egregiously over the line when she verbally attacked atheist activist Rob Sherman for his religious unbelief during his testimony April 2nd to the House State Government Administration Committee, says the Council for Secular Humanism.Sherman had been testifying before the committee that I

Compte Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade (1740 - 1814), better known as the Marquis de Sade, was a famous French atheist and writer. He spent 27 years of his adult life in the prisons and insane asylums of the French monarchy, the French Republic, the revolutionary terror and Napoleonic Imperial France. In short, his sexual [...]

Even in death Arthur C. Clarke would not compromise his vision. The famed science fiction writer, who once denigrated religion as "a necessary evil in the childhood of our particular species," left written instructions that his funeral be completely secular, according to his aides. Clarke died early Wednesday at age 90 and was to be buried in a private funeral this weekend in his adopted home

Lawrence Roulston - February 12, 2008The Realities of this Secular Bull Market in CommoditiesToday was a bad day in the equity markets around the world. To a large extent, the sell offs are a result of the uncertainty with regard to the outlook for the U.S. economy, and the belief that a slowdown in the U.S. would impact the rest of the world.We should remember that the most successful investors

I can only hope Roger l Simon's feelings are more widespread. . . The horrific news today from Jerusalem put me in mind of that age old question. I may be th village atheist but the idea that some religious psychopath could march into a yeshiva and shoot everyone in sight until someone stops him sends me reaching for my non-existent guns. And on top of that Hamas praises the act and people... Click the Headline Link to Visit Copious Dissent and Read the Full Story.

If you are an atheist attending college, you should know about the Secular Student Alliance (SSA). In fact, they may already have a group on your campus (check the directory). If not, they provide a wealth of useful information for starting a group yourself.According to the SSA website,The mission of the Secular Student Alliance is to organize, unite, educate, and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human based ethics.The site provides a directory of campus SSA groups, information about scholarships available to secular students, and much more. Think of it as a one-stop resource center for college students interested in supporting the secular movement.Tags: Secular Student Alliance, secular, atheist,

Cuantos grupos o cantantes cristianos no conocemos que realmente tenga un éxito en el mundo secular? Realmente pocos. Incluso me atrevería a decir que los más populares se mueven solo en el medio cristiano como Steven Curtis Chapman, Carman, Michael W. Smith, Petra, CD Talk, entre otros. En lo personal de estos cantantes cristianos poca es su música que realmente me llegue a gustar como para comprarme un CD de ellos. De cada uno, dos o tres canciones realmente las escucho o me agradan para estarles dando play a cada rato. En fin es cuestión de gustos no de espiritualidad, eso es otro boleto.Existen excepciones en bandas cristianas como para quitarse el sombrero, y no citare un “clásico” Petra que no maneja un estilo de música metalera o rockera como muchos cristianos comentan,

Ok, so maybe some people really are waging war on Christmas. This video is of Christopher Hitchens at Reason’s “Very Special, Very Secular Christmas Party.” Hitchens reads Tom Lehrer’s “Christmas Carol.“ Following is from his introduction: “It may have struck you, ladies and gentlemen, that there’s a big relationship between this marvelous time of year and living in a one-party state,” Hitchens told the overflow crowd of 250. “You can’t go anywhere without listening to the same music. You can’t go anywhere without hearing the name of the Great Leader, and his son, the Dear Leader….All broadcasts, all songs, all jokes, all references are, just for that magic few weeks, just exactly like living in…North Korea.”

Yes, you read the title correctly. Right-wing nutjob Bill O'Reilly actually compared secular progressives to the Taliban (video)! This is the same Taliban which educated persons know to be intent on bringing about an Islamic theocracy. That is, they seek to replace secular law and politics with religious forms. They were known for the "strictest interpretation of Sharia law ever seen in the Muslim world." Either O'Reilly does not know that "secular" means not religious, does not know that Islam is a religion, or is far more disturbed than I realized.Comparing non-Muslims to the Taliban is nothing new. I've done it myself repeatedly. But I've done it in a very specific and limited context to point out similarities between Christian theocrats and Muslim theocrats. Both want to replace secular government with religious government. Both want to replace secular law with scripture. That is, these comparisons actually make sense.Maybe O'Reilly is actually starting to believe the absurd r

The meaning of the season: Holiday or holy day? By Kermit B. Fernander, Guardian Religion Reporter: Nassau, Bahamas - Many Bahamian adults would agree that Christmas has lost much of its religious significance, and is far more secular today. Not surprisingly, the local religious leaders questioned on this point all deplore the secular aspect of Christmas now evident in The Bahamas. Youth activist of the "228 Generation", Minister Diana Johnson, believes the situation is as much the fault of the church as it is of secularism: "The problem is that we, as Christians, rely on the world too much to promote the birth of Christ as the central theme of Christmas, when, in fact, we should be the ones setting the Christmas traditions. We should be writing and animating Christmas cartoons, TV programs, plays, radio songs, and holding community gatherings and so on. "But, once again, the church has failed to get the community involved in these ways. We just stay within the four walls [of th

The following is a press release from The Council For Secular Humanism received via e-mail from a reader:The Council for Secular Humanism Chides Congress for Disrespecting Religions(December 14, 2007) -- Experts from the Council for Secular Humanism noted with alarm the passage of H. Res. 847 in the House of Representatives. This unnecessary, unwarranted, and bigoted law, under the misleading title "Recognizing the Importance of Christmas and the Christian Faith" passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support It effectively undermines the sort of religious tolerance necessary in these changing times.Just days ago in the midst of the Jewish Festival of Lights, four Jewish men in New York City were attacked on the subway for replying to a group of ten people who wished them a "Merry Christmas" with a similar greeting: "Happy Hanukkah. For this, these men were first insulted, then beaten. It was a Muslim man who came to their physical defense. The actions of the Congress, by pas

Roger Cohen has an op-ed in the New York Times responding to Mitt Romney’s recent speech on religion. Following is a portion of the article, which also serves as a response to the overall trend towards ignoring our heritage of separation of church and state which the founding fathers wisely supported in the writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Europeans still take the Enlightenment seriously enough not to put it inside quote marks. They have long found an inspiring reflection of it in the first 16 words of the American Bill of Rights of 1791: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"Thomas Jefferson saw those words as "building a wall of separation between church and state" So, much later, did John F. Kennedy, who in a speech predating Romney's by 47 years, declared: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute" The absolute has proved porous. The U.S

Many conservatives (along with Ron Paul) promote a revisionist history of the United States in which they deny the intention of the founding fathers to create a secular society with separation of church and state. The Constitution was a radical document for its time in many ways, including breaking from tradition in not basing its authority on religion. The First Amendment elaborates on this point, with both the writings of the founding fathers and multiple court decisions interpreting this as a guarantee of separation of church and state. Pulitzer Prize winning historian Joseph J. Ellis looks at the accomplishments of the founding fathers from the time of the Declaration of Independence through the early years of the nation in his new book, American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies At The Founding Of The Republic. In looking at the crucial period from 1775 to 1803 Ellis identifies five core achievements of the founding fathers (pages 8-9): The revolutionary generation won the first s

Religion seems to be stuck on American politics. In the first place, this is not supposed to be the case. With such a belief, most Americans are threatening their formally secular political institutions.Speaking about religious exhibitionism, think about Keith Ellison who brought a Koran when he was sworn in last January in the House of Representatives. You also probably lost the count on the moments when president George W. Bush said that he's a born-again Christian. Besides, Republican candidate Mitt Romney doesn't hesitate to talk about his Mormon background.So much noise in the media for laughable things!Now, we hear about Republican candidate Fred Thompson who received an endorsement from the National Right To Life group two days ago. Obviously, this is due to Thompson's opposition to abortion. However, he doesn't think that the federal government should criminalize abortion. Indeed, Thompson said that it's the States' call.Regardless of what some American politicians say, t

For those of you who want to send holiday cards this time of year but aren't interested in those which promote Christian nonsense, check out these cards from the Order of St. Nick. It isn't every day we see products which can be branded "by atheists, for atheists," but I've been assured that this is indeed the case with these cards.Tags: holiday cards, Order of St. Nick, atheist, secular, secular holiday cards

The number of Americans who say they are atheist or agnostic, or choose not to identify with a religious tradition is increasing, albeit from a very low base. The most secular Americans are those 30 and younger - 19% of whom do not identify with a religious tradition.read more | digg story

A committee of parents, teachers and administrators is looking at continuing a secular calendar for Hillsborough schools next year. The calendar committee, charged with making recommendations to the superintendent, agreed Thursday to move forward with a calendar mirrored after this year's. As it would happen, the district gets a pass on hard decisions about classes on Good Friday. In 2008-09, the Christian holiday would fall during the week slated for spring break, along with Jewish observance of Passover. School officials noted that this was a coincidence. They continued this year's approach of scheduling spring break during the second week of April, and were not specifically recognizing the religious holidays. If they sound a little touchy, consider that few need reminding of the explosive debate over religious holidays on the school calendar in recent years. The district adopted a student calendar that does not recognize religious holidays for the current school year, following

Looking for secular blogs? Your search is over. Mojoey's Atheist Blogroll is over 400 strong and features the best in secular blogging. For information on how to add your blog, see here. To view the complete blogroll, simply click "read more" below. Tags: secular blogs, atheist blogs, blogging, blog roll

Most nonbelievers recognize the difficulty of bringing atheists, humanists, and assorted freethinkers together into a meaningful community. Protests along the lines of of "we're not joiners" are so common that they have become a psychological hurdle if not an actual one. And yet, many questions remain unanswered. Is it even desirable to strive for a united secular community? What might such a community look like, and is it even possible to bring people together under the banner of nonbelief? In this multi-part series, I will consider the importance of uniting the secular community, some of the options for bringing nonbelievers together, and offer a recommendations about how to promote a secular community. Part I addresses whether a united secular community is something we should seek.TerminologyI suppose some terminology may be in order at the outset. I think of "secular community" as being an umbrella term describing nonbelievers of all sorts, including those who call themselves athe

While they are not be representative of voters nation wide, Connecticut voters are firm believers in secular politics regardless of their religious views according to a poll conducted by the Hartford Courant. The poll found that Connecticut voters felt there was too much influence of religion in politics compared to only 32% who approved of the current amount. This view makes residents distinct from Americans across the country. In addition to the half of Constitution state residents who feel religion has too much influence on American politics, 32% say organized religion’s influence on politics is “about right,” and only 17% feel religion’s influence is not enough. In stark contrast to these views, Americans as a whole are evenly divided over the influence of religion. Only 32% feel religion has too much influence, 31% think it has too little influence, and 29% feel the balance is right, according to a Newsweek poll conducted earlier this year. Connecticut vo

Estimates of the number of nonbelievers in America vary wildly, but recent data suggest that there may be far more of us than we've realized. If accurate, these numbers suggest that politicians who continue to ignore us are making a mistake which could become increasingly costly.Here is some video on the subject.H/T to Debunking ChristianityTags: atheist, atheism, secular, godless, nonbelievers, America

Not into meditation? You’re not alone! An estimated 10 million Americans meditate regularly, which means that a whopping 95% of the population just isn’t into it. Here’s help–and hope–for the not-so-mindful majority. More: continued here

As we continue to discuss the idea of a “spiritual left” or religiously-colored liberal politics here at The Seminal, I thought it might be helpful to lay out a basic road map to what I think is or is not acceptable in religious politics - or to be more precise, what does or does not violate the separation of church and state. Firstly, I think we need to admit that the separation of church and state is an ideal which has never fully existed in America. Our money proclaims “In God We Trust.” When the Declaration of Independence mentions our “inalienable rights” of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” it also asserts that these rights are given to us by our Creator. Every single President of the United States, and most of the Congressmen and Senators who have ever served our country, have been at least nominally religious, and few of them have shied away from mentioning their faith publicly, even using it as a political tool. Eve

There is an interesting letter in The Times Herald-Record (NY) that I cannot let slide without responding. The article, "My View: Being a believer means caring about and for others," by Kim Dixon contains one of the most common misconceptions about nonbelievers so prevalent among Christians. Have a look, and you'll want to respond too.Ms. Dixon, you identify yourself a "devout Roman Catholic." As a member of the only true Christian church, your comments deserve to be taken seriously.Being a believer means I have faith, hope and love. It means I try to take care of myself and those entrusted to me and those I don't even know. It means I donate time and money to my church community and to my town community. It means I raise my children to follow my example.Everything you describe here except "faith" and "church community" apply equally well to virtually every nonbeliever out there. I see nothing else in this statement that is not fully captured by secular humanism.As a secular humanist

It is a mistake to think that people who are not religious lack a functioning moral system. As A.C. Grayling notes on Comment is Free, secular humanism provides nonbelievers with just such an ethical system, "...all the richer indeed for being the result of reflection as opposed to conditioning..." Simply put, a secular humanist is someone whose ethical system is not rooted in a particular religious tradition.An excellent example of secular morality is the so-called Golden Rule. This moral precept, that one should treat others as one would like to be treated, predates the Abrahamic religions, effectively shredding the claim made by many Christians that their bible is somehow the source of all morality. When considering whether a particular act would be immoral, one can consider its likely impact on others without needing to attempt to cherry pick from one's "holy" text.As Grayling points out, humanists are unconcerned with threats of supernatural punishment or reward, focusing instead

This bizarre story in which Fox windbag Bill O'Reilly blamed "secular progressives" for the recent TB scare came to my attention via The Carpetbagger Report and Media Matters for America. Essentially, O'Reilly is claiming that "secular progressives" are more selfish and immoral than far Right Christians.According to O’Reilly,“Traditional values people put others on a par with themselves. That’s the Judeo-Christian tenet. Love your neighbor as yourself. Secular Progressives put themselves above all others. That philosophy says “Me first, then I’ll worry about you.”He then claims that Andrew Speaker "put his own welfare above everything and everybody else." And he goes on and on, spewing more lies about "secular progressives."Since I am an atheist who embraces much of the progressive platform, I suppose that must make me a "secular progressive." And yet, I don't think I'm particularly selfish. For example, I don't generally go around telling people that they are going to

As you may recall, I e-mailed American Atheists using the address provided on their website on May 28th. My question for them was simple. I wanted to know why they have still not joined the Secular Coalition of America when virtually every other national freethought organization has done so. I have still not received a response of any kind. Because I still believe this is an important question, I now ask for your help.According to their website, American Atheists gives the requests of their members higher priority over those from non-members. If you are a member of American Atheists, please e-mail them with your version of the following:American Atheists seems to be the only national freethought organization which has not joined the Secular Coalition for America. I am interested in helping to foster an atheist movement, and the Secular Coalition seems like a great way to increase our political power and make sure that our growing numbers are represented. Please help me understand your

Just a quick hit to let ya’ll know there’s a great interview up at Nevada Today with Lori Lipman-Brown of the Secular Coalition. I especially enjoyed and agreed with her statement that we should, as the most hated minority group in America, try to avoid unnecessary conflicts with each other. Do you ever worry that by lumping all nontheists, humanists, atheists etc. into a single category, and then tackling specific issues, you might be misrepresenting anyone? Can a humanist/non-religious individual be, for example, anti-abortion or against stem-cell research? This is exactly why we do not take a position on abortion. We do however support embryonic stem cell research because attempts to protect blastacysts at that stage are based on theological notions of a soul being imbued at the moment of conception. Occasionally some of our supporters disagree with us on an issue, but I’ve often supported groups with which I don’t agree 100 percent of the time. For example, w

The St. Petersburg Declaration We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree. We affirm the inviolable freedom of the individual conscience. We believe in the equality of all human persons. We insist upon the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights. We find traditions of liberty, rationality, and tolerance in the rich histories of pre-Islamic and Islamic societies. These values do not belong to the West or the East; they are the common moral heritage of humankind. We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called "Islamaphobia" in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights. We call on the governments of the world to Reject Sharia law, fatwa courts, clerical rule, and state-sanctioned religion in all their forms; oppose all pena

Yabancı medyanın kullandığı 'Secular Turks ' kavramı üzerine . Ankara TandoÄŸan Meydanı ve Ä°stanbul ÇaÄŸlayan mitinglerine batı medyası büyük ilgi gösterdi . Bu ilgiyi de günü gününe duyurdular . Özellikle Ä°ngilizce ve Almanca dillerinde yayınlanan gazetelerde , televizyonlarda 'Secular ' sözcüğü kullanıldı.The Guardian : "The Turkish generals' implicit midnight warning that, as the "absolute defender of secularism", the army would not tolerate Islamist meddling .."The Washington Post :"Turkish Election a Struggle Over IdentityLong Tradition Of Secular Rule Seen in Jeopardy"Burada 'seküler ' kelimesi üzerinde durmamız gerekiyor . Gazete okuyucularının çoÄŸu bu yazıyı okurken bildikleri kavramla düşünecekler .Türkiyedeki 'Laik ' sistemin kendi ülkelerindeki 'Seküler' sistemle farkını algılamayacaklar. ÖrneÄŸin Guardian yazarı Simon Tisdal , her zaman yaptığı gibi tanıdığı Türk gazetecilerle konuÅŸuyor , onlardan bilgi alÄ

I'm not a wholly secular person but, is there such a thing as too much religion? Theoretically, yes. I can see some people specializing in religion like monks and priests, but a society where its citizens spend most of its day thinking about religion doesn't seem like it would function as well. I guess you can say the same thing about World of Warcraft, reading romance novels, and a bunch of other stuff, but religious fervor is much more likely to cause problems than Jackie Collins. The biggest danger in a very religious society, especially one where the government shows great favoritism towards religion, is intolerance. We in the West are a long way from burning heretics (The West has the opposite problem- too little religion), but Muslim countries have a special challenge in 2007; it's right for the Turks to be wary of religious incursions into civil society. I'll ask the Turk officer in my class about it this week and see what he says. Gul defiant as secular Turks rally

"The sinister slogan attributed to the AKR is that democracy is a bus "that we can ride until we get to our station" - the Islamic state presumably." The Globe and Mail27 Apr 2007EDWARD LUTTWAKSenior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies Turkey is a democracy and NATO member with a rapidly growing economy. It should not be unstable. But two elections — in

I am an atheist, but I am an atheist because I am first a secular humanist. Atheism is not my starting point but where secular humanism has led me. I focus this blog on criticizing religion and other forms of irrational belief, with Christian extremism spending the most time in my crosshairs. However, it is time to give secular humanism more of the attention it deserves.What is Secular Humanism?Secular Humanism is much broader than atheism and entails many things that atheism does not. This will be easy to grasp if you remember that atheism refers to nothing more than the lack of belief in any sort of gods. So what is secular humanism?Start with humanism itself. According to Paul Kurtz, "Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook" which can be traced "back to the philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and Rome, Confucian China, and the Charvaka movement in classical India." Humanism is an optimistic stance, entailing "confidence in the power of human beings to solv

Women are jailed for being on the street alone after dark in parts of Indonesia, long held up as a beacon of moderate Islam. Gamblers are caned as punishment, Christian schoolchildren are forced to wear headscarves and a proposed law would sentence thieves to amputation of the hands. Though most people in the world's most populous Muslim nation practice a tolerant form of the faith, a small but determined group of conservatives are chipping away at the sprawling archipelago's secular traditions and trying to reshape it in the image of orthodox Middle Eastern countries.And they are slowly gaining ground, in part, critics say, because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, liberal Muslim leaders and society at large have stayed away from loud, public debate on the issue.

Hoy hemos tenido una conversación interesante en el foro Mis Finanzas: alfred3 Pasa que estos últimos años hemos conocido unas bolsas alcistas y un euro alcista. Jeje, yo ya voy preparando alguna cantidad de acciones para cuando vengan tiempos peores de una bolsa bajista y un euro bajista. alvaro18133 De todas formas yo ya me he planteado varias veces que hacer cuando acabe el ciclo. El [Sigue en el blog]

The Secular Coalition for America is the sort of umbrella organization I have long said was necessary. They are a lobbying organization focused on changing public perceptions of atheists by providing us with a political voice. An organization such as this, composed of many different atheist groups, offers a tremendous advantage because it more accurately reflects our numbers than any single organization can.The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers has joined the Secular Coalition (see the press release). And you thought there were no atheists in foxholes! This is a great addition to the Secular Coalition.Unfortunately, this news reminds me of the fact that American Atheists are still not among the Secular Coalition member organizations. As I have previously noted, this seems like an obvious alliance which would be beneficial to everyone involved. I would like to see American Atheists join the Coalition.Hat tip to Friendly Atheist.Tags: atheism, atheist, Secular Coalition f