The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego

October 1, 2009

Hello Fellow Humanists!

If you’ve taken the opportunity to check out our website (www.hfsd.info), you might have noticed the mission statement of the Fellowship:  “The mission of The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego is to function as an informative, educational, and social resource for its members and to advance public awareness of Humanism and the acceptance of its principles of social progress through democratic dialog, acts of compassion, the pursuit of justice, and the promotion of critical thinking.”  The Board and I are hard at work to make this mission a reality.  We have several irons in the fire.

Second, you probably noticed that the lectures cover only nine months of the year.  We intend to add a new dimension to the mix and may present worthy, humanist-oriented films or other non-lecture activities to the calendar in order to add variety to our events.  We will continue to offer interesting, fun-filled social activities (such as trips to museums, etc) as they come available to us.

Third, something new:   we are in the beginning stages of reaching out to the various communities in San Diego County and starting neighborhood, Humanist Discussion Groups and Humanist Book Clubs.  We think it would be awesome if small, intimate, “Humanist cells” were established in each neighborhood in the San Diego area.  This is a small step in that direction.

Fourth, we wish to develop a Humanist outreach to the community by establishing contacts with like-minded, community-service organizations that need assistance for specific, short-term projects that improve the quality of life for the residents of San Diego County and beyond.

And I almost forgot:  the Humanist Fellowship of San Diego blog.  We've got one, but now we need to find one of our members with the time and talent to make it work.

In summary, we have a great many ideas and concepts that we will be launching and testing over the next few months… and years.  Not all of them will work, of course, but we are willing to attempt most anything to propagate our Vision.  I hope to hear from you and get your feedback and constructive criticism.  May I suggest that the best method of doing so is to come to the monthly meetings and introduce yourself to me and your Board members?  We would relish the opportunity to meet you and find out what is on your mind.  After all… you are the reason we are here.

Sincerely,

Michael E. Summers, President

November 1, 2009

Greetings, Fellow Humanists!


Our Humanist Book Club recently finished reading and discussing Susan Jacoby’s book Freethinkers:  A History of American Secularism over coffee and danish at the Gaslamp Borders Bookstore downtown.  As with most books I’ve read, I try to come away with at least one new idea that I can apply to my life.  Jacoby’s book provided many excellent and challenging points to ponder.


Take this one for example:  “The [1920’s] also marked the end of the freethought movement as a distinct intellectual force in American life.”   Ouch!  What happened?  Where did everybody go?   Perhaps it had something to do with the following statement from Jacoby:  “[T]he guarded voice of twentieth-century American secularists presented a sharp contrast to the more forthright nineteenth-century freethinkers, who, at a time when even fewer Americans agreed with them, sought to persuade their countrymen that it was possible to work for the betterment of human beings without acknowledging the authority of God.”  “Guarded?”  “Forthright?”  What is she implying?


As pointed out in our group discussion, the reasons for the (possible) end of the freethought movement are complex.  One explanation (Jacoby’s) is that the generation of giants that sustained the movement eventually died and the next generation turned its focus to other, narrower (but worthy) pursuits that blunted the overall effect of the movement.  Another cause:  secularists thought they had won the war between Faith and Reason and that irrational religion would eventually disappear.  I speculated that, based on previous readings about political campaigns of the 18th and 19th centuries, public discourse in the late 20th century has become much “nicer” than the earlier periods.


In many respects we have become a more tolerant society.  For example, consider political correctness: the only thing we won’t tolerate is intolerance.  Unfortunately, this has impacted the willingness of individuals nowadays to openly criticize religion and to talk about the superiority of ideas such as Humanism and skepticism.  When was the last time you struck up a conversation about Humanism with a stranger?  Or even a family member?


Evangelical Christians don’t appear to have the same problem.  In fact, their movement seems to be thriving.   A number of books attest to the commanding influence that fundamental Christianity is having in the spheres of education, social outreach, and politics at both the local and national levels.  If you need a wake-up call, read Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism by Michelle Goldberg or American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges.   A recent book making the rounds is The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Jeff Sharlet.  If even a fraction of what these authors are saying about the fusion of religion and American politics is accurate….


What am I taking away from our Book Club discussion?  Just this:  In the marketplace of competing ideologies, there is no guarantee that the best ideas win out.  “Guarded” speech will not advance a faceless movement.


Ask yourself these questions:  Is it true that Freethought, as a movement, is essentially dead?  Are you one of its promoters or one of its pallbearers?


Sincerely,

Michael E. Summers, President