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Editor: Joyce Bates

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P. O. Box 5552

Greenville, SC 29606-

5552

February, 2012

 

The Voice of Sanity

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PIEDMONT SECULAR HUMANISTS

                                           Visit our web-site for current and back-issues at:

                                                      www.piedmonthumanists.org

                                                     e-mail:  uscshgvl@yahoo.com   

 

 

                                                                                          CALENDAR

 

Second Saturday Brunch, February 11th; 10:00AM to 12:00noon, at Denny's restaurant, 2521 Wade Hampton Blvd.

 

Saturday, February 11th; 2:00PM to 4:00PM     “No Dinosaurs in Heaven”

Upstate SC Chapter of American United for Separation of Church and State,

Greenville Hughes Main Library; 25 Heritage Green Place; Greenville, SC 29601

 

Friday, February 24th  6:00PM to 8:00PM; Bavarian Pretzel Factory; 1106 Woodruff Road, Greenville. Short film and discussion on the hormone Oxytocin. 

 

The Non-theist groups have their 11 o’clock Sunday morning get-togethers at the Brew and Ewe; 108 West Broad Street; Greenville.

 

Socrates Club group meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month 7:00PM at Earth Fair; 3 Pelham Road, #3620; Greenville.

 

The Free-Thought group meets every other Thursday (February 2nd and 16th,  and March 1st); 7:00PM at Bailey’s; 2409 Laurens Road; Greenville.

 

 

MINUTES OF MEETING JANUARY 28TH.

Speaker Matt Dean, President of the Low Country Humanists:

 

Our thanks to Matt Dean who took time out to make the trip Saturday and describe the activities and organization of Low Country chapter. He talked about the importance of having as many varied activities as possible and not letting a new idea slip by without trying it out. This tactic enhances members’ participation since they can chose what is most appealing to them. The Low Country’s monthly calendar includes a movie club that meets fairly regularly either at the cinema or at a member’s home to watch a CD. There is a book club that does approximately the same thing. Members of this group don’t have to read the book before attending. They can come to hear the review and discussion. These are events in addition to monthly meetings that usually feature speakers or debates. Matt suggested that we go to some of the national organizations and local universities and colleges for speakers. He added that organizations such as American Atheist have speakers’ lists we can draw from.

 

He talked about getting legal permission to make donations to our organization tax-deductable. Although we are a non-profit we do not have this advantage. We need five signatures from members of PH who are also members of the American Humanist Association to apply for this. We already have four. If there is anyone out there also a member of AHA and would like to help us out please contact Maggie Blair or Andrew Kuharsky.

 

There apparently is no limit to volunteer work we can do. The Low Country has been active in the Adopt a Highway program. This allows us to put up a sign for our organization wherever we clean up. People at the food bank are always looking for donations and help. A group of animal lovers can volunteer for the SPCA. The shelter for battered women is an organization the old USCSH used to donate to, but there are other ways to help, such as bringing in a cooked meal once in awhile. One of the unusual activities Low Country has is gleaning. This involves going into harvested fields and picking up what is left to give to food banks and homeless shelters.

 

Piedmont Humanists presently has a new website (piedmonthumanists.org) and is also on Facebook. Matt recommends we keep both because, Facebook is better for informal chatting but the website is good for the general public to look at. We would have to keep our events listed in both places. “Meet-up” was suggested as another place on the web that might be good to list our events. Matt said advertising “everywhere” is good for important events: flyers, signs, anyplace where we can advertise for free.

 

The Low Country Humanists don’t have regular board meetings. They get most of the work done through emails. There are about ten people on their board, each one responsible for a particular activity, i.e. one for the movies group, one to find speakers, etc. They don’t get involved with politics. The consensus shows political ideas don’t necessarily relate to non-belief. They do try different new ideas on the theory that sooner or later something will be appealing to enough people to rate repetition. One never knows what will work.

 

This was a very informative meeting that lasted for over two hours. Unfortunately, only five of us came to listen to Matt. My hope is that those reading the minutes of this meeting will know they missed a lot. There will be a next time, though, and the calendar will grow.                                                                                        JB

 

 

 

                                                                 HUMANISM -- A WAY OF LIFE

 

A lady once told me that “Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life.” No, it isn’t! There is no way for any one human being to live up to the precepts/laws/commandments of Christianity. There are 602 commandments in the Old Testament, besides the 10 Commandments. Jesus Christ gave 180 commands in the New Testament. Many of them contradict. Example: Exodus 24:25, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Contradiction: Matthew 5:38 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Religion has commands, rituals, dogma, sacred writings, prophets and ministers. Religion has sin, transgressions, confessions, guilt and fear. Millions call themselves “Christian” but in reality they are just religious. I submit that Humanists are more “Christian,” in action, than religious Christians, i.e. Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, etc. How many “Christians” do you know who have severed their right hand because it offended them. Matthew 5:30, “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off,..” I contend that religion/the church is the house that guilt built.

Humanism is a way of life. We have no “holy writ.” We have no “houses of prayer.” We have no “holy men.”

Humanism has Manifestos I, II and III. The Manifestos are nothing more than proposals. Not to belittle them, but they are not inspired or God given. The Manifestos represent developing points of view and change as nature, humankind, and science change, extracting the best at the moment to advance the paramount of human goodness, principles and values without religion.

We (Humanists) affirm the application of reason and science. We support scientific discovery in medicine and technology. We are concerned with securing justice and fairness. We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence. We believe and accept the common decencies of altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, etc. We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge. We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings. (This paragraph taken mostly from the “Affirmation of Humanism: A statement of Principles and Values)

To site some activity of Humanists: During Katrina, the American Humanist Association rushed to New Orleans with help -- supplies, rescue and helping to secure human safety. Our local Piedmont Humanists have contributed to varied charities and help organizations. We have indeed practiced the humanities, not for reward or the approval a deity; not because we were “lead to help.” We simply did the human thing.

It is not enough to just attest of non-belief, in order to be humanist. We attempt to uphold the principles of humanity; if we fail, we ask no one’s forgiveness but ourselves and we do fail often, but it is not a sin. It is not enough to criticize religion and TV evangelist to be a humanist. We have sympathy for those locked in ignorance, superstition and systems of belief that degrades and shames self esteem and given the opportunity we will be of help with a listening ear.

We welcome humans from all walks of life and will endeavor to accept those who may have strayed in the past and give them renewed hope.

Ours (Humanists) is not to denigrate, but give a helping hand regardless of who the fallen may be. It is one thing to say it, but to practice Humanism, is the ultimate test whether you are a Humanist.                                                                                    Lee Deitz

 

 

 

                                                                     THE HAZARDS OF UNBELIEF

 

It is easy to understand the desire to escape a stressful world to a sanctuary of community with those who share our ideas. Both believers and atheists have these desires. I hear the same remarks every day from other atheists that they are glad to have someplace to come to where they feel comfortable and free. The difference is, because we fall in the category of strong skeptics, we are seeking sanctuary from the world of the religious. And although we might think it reassuring to believe in something, we don’t think it is God.

 

For a fervent believer in God, skepticism is a threat to the moral framework upon which he bases his entire life. There is a lot to lose if one doesn’t believe in God. First, for Christians and Muslims the concepts of heaven and hell would disappear, leaving a big gap in the moral certitude that by doing good deeds one would go to heaven and by doing bad deeds one would burn in hell. Therefore, a believer’s concept of atheism, is that it cannot be moral. There is fear that if atheists are given any ground, the moral structure of humanity can and will fall apart. But, if this were true, jails would be full of atheists. Surveys show that the vast majority of the incarcerated maintain belief in God. Perhaps they feel they are basically decent but wayward and deserving a chance to be born again. Who knows? There is no evidence, however, that atheists behave differently from anyone else when it comes to practicing fairness, following the rules, or helping neighbors.

 

Secondly, losing faith leaves one without guidance from a deity through prayer, scripture, or advice from a holy man. There would be no written law by God to follow, no man of God to give advice, and direct appeal by prayer would now be impossible. If God doesn’t exist, good things can no longer happen because He loves you, and bad things have ceased to be part of His plan. There is no one to follow without the existence of God. You have to depend on your own judgment and the opinions of the secular society in which you live for information and guidance, not religious doctrine. This realization is humbling and scary because it is so easy to make a mistake or have a lapse of judgment that will cause misery for others.

 

Thirdly, the disappearance of the afterlife is terrifying and depressing. Death is final. The spirit no longer exists for someone who once had confidence that life would not really end for himself or his loved ones. The loss is even greater where the afterlife functions as an opiate for those whose “time here on earth” is a misery of hard labor peppered with fear of starvation and disease. 

 

For someone living in our modern society and attending a religious service once or twice a year, this is not so terrible. They may not care too much one way or the other about belief or non-belief. Stresses of modern life are usually more than enough to distract from skepticism about God. It is easier not to fuss about this and just do what one’s family and friends expect and not rock the boat. Many budding atheists are in this situation and it isn’t pleasant when doubts begin to creep in. However, although religious doctrine may attempt to dictate what we think, it has no control over what we think. We are all free to have our own thoughts with the confidence that good behavior is good behavior, whether it results from religious instruction or an innate sense of what is decent.

 

The declared atheist has nothing more to lose. He or she has already lost everything organized religion has to offer. But, there are questions still to be answered.

 

Does the atheist’s skepticism, although it points away from ungrounded belief, leave us with nothing to believe in? Should we care? When scientific research breaks through in one area of investigation, and it creates yet more unanswered questions, should this unsettle us? If our skepticism, and scientific attitude not only create more unanswered questions, but succeed in moving us farther and farther from the center of the universe. Should we worry?

 

Lastly, is it better to believe without questioning, or is it better to question and embark on the endless quest for answers?                                                                                 JB

                                          

 

More definitions:

 

Hipetitus: Terminal coolnes.

 

Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease.

 

Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s, like, a serious bummer, man.

 

Glibido: All talk and no action.

 

Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

 

Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts only until you realize it was your money to start with.

 

Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.