The New Orleans Secular Humanist Association is dedicated to raising the awareness of people of the Gulf Coast region to the ideals and values of secular humanism.

What is Humanism?

Humanists reject superstitious beliefs. Instead, we can make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared values. We can make the best of life by creating meaning and purpose for ourselves, and choosing to take responsibility for our actions.

It is important to act morally towards others, not because of a divine imperative, but because people have inherent dignity. We have only one life, it is our responsibility to make it a good life, and to live it well.

Learn more…

Upcoming Events

Please see the NOSHA Meetup Calendar for all scheduled events.


The Humanist Advocate – Recent Posts

BOOK REVIEW: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Review by Dean Bedekar, September 2023   This is a unique book.  It will turn upside down everything you learned in your high school history class.  It’s about people who are never mentioned in traditional history books – workers, women, Blacks, Native Americans, immigrants, LGBTQ, the lower classes and residents of third-world nations.  By 2015, the book sold over 2 million copies and was translated into 20 languages.  In the Oscar-winning movie Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon says the book…

Another Sign of the Times

This week, NOSHA received a media inquiry from Louisiana Record, which describes itself as a legal journal covering Louisiana’s legal system. Its goal is to provide an objective view of the legal landscape in Louisiana, as well as an active forum for both sides of the argument. They asked if we see House Bill 8 as problematic or as an illegal injection of religion into the state’s classrooms, since the law requires all classrooms in public elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools post signage…

Here’s to Your Health

There are vastly different interpretations and styles of expressing foundational principles of Christianity and other religions. One such message is that the value of human life on earth takes a back seat to the reunification of the soul with the creator, or gods —be it in Heaven, Valhalla, the Garden of Eden,  or some other divine destination. Critics have claimed that this idea is ultimately a death wish—if the Promised Land was so great, what is the point of sticking…

 


The Humanist Perspective