The Humanist Advocate

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…

BOOK REVIEW: Free Will

BOOK REVIEW: Free Will

By Sam Harris The latest from Sam Harris is Free Will, a title that is self-explanatory. From his perspective as a neuroscientist, Harris examines the latest evidence regarding free will, and considers some of its social and political implications. This book is quite short, serving mostly as an introduction to a complex question that still needs a great deal of work. Harris’ key point is based on empirical tests. These show that the decisions we make moment by moment are…

To Live at All Is Miracle Enough

To Live at All Is Miracle Enough

I came across this by chance the end of December and had intended to post it sooner. (You can see the original post by  Faisal Saeed Al Mutar.) It reminds me how lucky I am, we all are, in fact, and is something that I should read every once in a while when I’m feeling stressed about what I’d like my world to be. Doesn’t Monty Python have something similar to say? But Richard Dawkins is eloquent in his observations and everyone…

One of Us

One of Us

  “Isn’t that so sad,” I said more as a declaration than expecting someone to agree. “Well, not really. I mean, it was expected,” said my always witty friend, so matter-of-factly. “It would have been sad if it wasn’t, don’t you think?”   I had to admit, my friend was right and his perspective made me pause to think more about the heartache that was palpable on the web. It would have been stupefying if he had passed away suddenly…

Want to present at the AHA Conference in New Orleans, June 2012?

Or do you know of someone local who might be an excellent candidate? The AHA is proud to hold its 71st Annual Conference in the great city of New Orleans, hosted by the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association (NOSHA). Call for Speakers Now Open If you are interested in leading a breakout session, speaking on a panel, of if you are an entertainer, send a proposal, outline, complete text, audio, video or web link to Brian Magee at bmagee@americanhumanist.org  (Please include…

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