The Humanist Advocate

The Bible and Sex….a non-theist review

The Bible and Sex….a non-theist review

  This year NOSHA Vice-President, Jim Dugan, attended the annual Greer-Heard Forum. This is his report:   ********************   The 2013 Greer-Heard Forum took place at the Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans on February 15th and 16th. The forum is an annual event designed to present a diversity of opinions on broad religious issues, and often includes a point-counterpoint between a theist and a non-theist. This year’s forum was probably of less interest to most non-believers, as the various…

BOOK REVIEW: Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn’t

BOOK REVIEW: Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn’t

By Stephen Prothero For decades secular Americans have been painfully aware of an odd American phenomenon: secularists and unbelievers tend to know a great deal more about religion in general, Christianity in particular, and the contents of the Bible, than most of our neighbors who profess a faith. In Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn’t, author, professor of religion, and commentator Stephen Prothero tries to explain this phenomenon. A believer himself, Prothero acknowledges that Americans…

A Thanksgiving Sermon by Robert Ingersoll

At our November meeting NOSHA board member, Rose Mortillaro, read this time-honored piece to commemorate the holiday. We wanted to share it here for anyone who has never experienced it. *****  Whom shall we thank? Standing here at the close of the 19th century — amid the trophies of thought — the triumphs of genius — here under the flag of the Great Republic — knowing something of the history of man — here on this day that has been set…

Christianity In Its Own Words: Cherry-picking the Bible

NOTE: This is a guest column by NOSHA member, Bill Sierichs. For those who are not aware, for several years Sierichs has written a regular column for the Atheists for Human Rights newsletter (edited by Marie Alena Castle). It’s called “Christianity In Its Own Words.” He focuses on specific issues (marriage and sex, racism, church-state separation friends and foes, laws Christians used to suppress dissent) by mostly quoting from Christian sources with some commentary and context. In the following, he dissects a Cal…

BOOK REVIEW: God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion

By Victor J. Stenger The latest (April 2012) from physicist and author Victor J. Stenger is God and the Folly of Faith. Those familiar with Stenger’s other books — I think there are 10 of them now — will not be surprised to learn that he believes science and religion are fundamentally incompatible. But in this volume he sharpens his focus on that point, firmly rejecting the notion that science and religion can function as non-overlapping magisteria, portraying them instead…

By Any Other Name….Vouchers Wouldn’t Smell Sweet

By Jim Dugan, NOSHA Board Member If you’re not up on Louisiana’s new voucher system, let me start by filling in a few details. The voucher program is supposed to expand parental choice as to which schools their kids can go to. A parent who wants to send his or her child to a private school can get a voucher for a fixed amount from the state. The parent can give the voucher to the school in payment or partial…

BOOK REVIEW: Dinosaurs of Eden: Tracing the Mystery Through History

BOOK REVIEW: Dinosaurs of Eden: Tracing the Mystery Through History

By Ken Ham I hadn’t noticed this particular bit of creationist schlock until somebody posted a page of it on Facebook. I just couldn’t resist, and bought myself a used copy, purely for its entertainment value. Dinosaurs of Eden, is an attempt to assure young people that science has it all wrong. It was written by Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and its subsidiary, the Creation Museum. The book is short and illustrated in order to appeal to…

Women In Secularism – Reports from the Conference

“Given the role religion has played in the repression of women, they would seem to be natural allies, and, indeed, many feminists have been outspoken and influential secularists. However, the relationship between secularism and women’s issues remains largely unexamined. UNTIL NOW.” This was the intriguing (and totally overdue) challenge that piqued my interest earlier this year. Discussing openly how dogmatic religion conspires to prevent the progress of women’s rights in our country, well, more women should be willing to confront…

There’s still time to attend the AHA conference!

There’s still time to attend the AHA conference!

If you have delayed registering for the American Humanist Conference  in New Orleans, here are the rates for June 7-10. If you want to attend but can’t swing the full registration, there’s an “a la carte” price list: $179 = Full Registration Only (access to all breakout sessions, no meals) $60 = Day Pass (access to all breakout sessions for one day, no meals) $20 = Single Session Pass, Award Ceremony Pass (attendance at one session or one award ceremony, no…

A Glimpse of Rationality

A Glimpse of Rationality

For anyone who has followed Jessica Ahlquist’s endeavor to remove a religious banner in her public high school in Cranston, RI, (and followed it in the recent NOSHA spring newsletter), you’re no doubt familiar with the other bizarre twist that occurred as a result: “Floristgate”. Various secular organizations tried to send Jessica a spray of flowers to celebrate her legal victory and found that several of the florists refused to comply with their order, saying because they didn’t agree with…

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