The Humanist Advocate

Saying Goodbye To Our NOSHA Friends

In the past month, two members of our community died only a few weeks apart and we should take a moment to remember them fondly. First, there was Tina Lovine Missildine from Marrero, age 48, who died on January 21. Tina had attended our first NOSHA banquet in 2009 with Percy Prestenbach and had been a long time member. Next there was Scott Major who died on February 3 after a brief illness. Many of you met Scott (who also attended our first NOSHA banquet with his…

The Next Thirty Years?

In October 2010, I attended my first ever major non-believers conference, “Setting the Agenda: Secular Humanism’s Next 30 Years,” which was sponsored as a subscribers’ conference for the magazine, Free Inquiry. Since I’ve been a subscriber for at least 15 years, this seemed like a good fit for me. I was eager because there was a remarkable list of secular celebrities on the program and it was touted as a definitive event. To give you one humorous glimpse into the…

BOOK REVIEW: Why Evolution is True

BOOK REVIEW: Why Evolution is True

by Jerry A. Coyne Well, I am not science-inclined, but I have always felt woefully uneducated in the topic of evolution. It is such a hot topic in education and religion, I felt I owed it to myself to get the facts. Fortunately, this book is very easy to understand for the “non-science” types. Plus, right on the back cover are glowing recommendations from three of my favorite authors, Dawkins, Hitchens, and Pinker. That was enough to convince me to…

BOOK REVIEW: Myra Breckinridge & Myron

BOOK REVIEW: Myra Breckinridge & Myron

by Gore Vidal There are so many things to say about this book. One must keep in mind that it was written in 1968, and some of the views of sexuality are interesting. It’s hard to write a complete review of the book without giving away the entire premise. However, I would like to comment on one passage I found quite fascinating and relevant to today’s arguments about sexuality. In one chapter Myra and Rusty are disucssing sexuality: heterosexuality, bisexuality,…

Would a Secular Majority Make a Better America?

NOSHA’s president, Harry Greenberger, made this presentation to the Lakeview Community Unitarian Church here in New Orleans in November and we wanted to let everyone who couldn’t be there that day read what he had to say on this important topic. ****************************** Would a Secular Majority Make a Better America? By Harry Greenberger All recent U. S. surveys have shown that non-believers and non-church-goers are rapidly increasing in numbers, yet are still below 20% of our adult population. When I…

Carl Sagan Felt Our Pain

Humanist groups nationwide celebrated the life and work of Carl Sagan this month. Sagan (1934-1996) an astronomer, educator and secular humanist, was probably best known for his PBS series “Cosmos.” It has now been 30 years since “Cosmos” first aired. This is a wonderful story he wrote that you can use when dealing with people who try your patience. You’ll see what I mean. The Dragon In My Garage by Carl Sagan “A fire-breathing dragon lives in my garage” Suppose (I’m following a…

BOOK REVIEW: C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy

BOOK REVIEW: C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy

by Jeff Sharlet This book is fascinating and a fast read. I finished it in four days. The book is divided into six chapters, each focusing on a different goal of “The Family,” the group of fundamentalist U.S. Senators and Representatives, and others, who meet in a house on C Street in Arlington, Virgina, to study the Bible and talk about how to influence domestic and international politics with “the teachings of Jesus.” The chapter on the proselytization of Africa…

The Phantom Life

Since Hereafter, the latest movie by Clint Eastwood, prompted the media to go bonkers over the contemplation of an afterlife, non-believers should take a moment to reflect on this frightening reality. You don’t think it’s a little scary? That one day, each of us will die and we will cease to be? No? Well, it is one of the peskier concepts where even we non-religious types don’t have the answers. And we’re pretty sure the others don’t either, but they are willing to go out of their…

Don’t know much about First Corinthians?

Or maybe you do? A letter to the editor from a local NOSHA member, Timothy Ruppert, deserves our applause. It’s imporant when someone takes up our cause and lets the public know more about non-believers and that we are paying attention. Even better when it’s in New Orleans. Why atheists have the answers  (Published: Sunday, October 10, 2010) (Re: “Most Americans flunk basic religion,” Page 1, Oct. 3.) The Times-Picayune’s coverage of the Pew Research Center report glossed over the major finding….

BOOK REVIEW: Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

BOOK REVIEW: Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

by Phil Zuckerman Is it possible to live a good, moral life and not be religious? Of course, it is, claims the author of this book! Phil Zuckerman spent a year living in Denmark with jaunts over to nearby Sweden to interview hundreds of Scandinavians about their religious beliefs. What he discovered first and foremost is that the Scandinavians view religion as a private matter. What one personally believes about god and religion has absolutely no impact on other people’s…

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