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

Trust Your Librarians

The national book purge fever came late to the self-appointed Protectorate of Their and Your Children in St. Tammany Parish, but they have been making up for lost time. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that the first indication of a surge of complaints about books dealing with race theory, honest interpretations of history, and especially, books and graphic novels addressing LGBTQ+ issues began in 2021 when the number of unique titles challenged increased to 1858 from the 223 challenged…

NOSHA Notes

……and         Louisiana’s electorate and their elected representatives have a thing for state constitutions: they love making new ones, and then almost immediately begin willy-nilly tacking on amendments, as if they had forgotten a few things in their rush to put the seal of approval on the new document—adding amendments designed to address all issues— large, small, and sometimes even non-existent.  We are currently ruled by our eleventh constitution, adopted in 1974, which itself has been amended…

Why would an atheist write a play about Torah?

By NOSHA member Marion Freistadt (aka Penny Bright) That’s the enigma you’ll see revealed on April 26 at the Marigny Opera House. My co-writer, Helen Stone, and I have written a play, called The Enigma of the Torah based on our decades of participation in Torah Study. (Torah is also called “the Hebrew Bible” and is the same as the first 5 books of the “Old Testament.”) I am a lifelong atheist. I am also Jewish. Atheism, skepticism, and questioning is…

 


The Humanist Perspective