OUR PROGRAMME FOR 2010 (Meetings & Events)

Please Note: meetings already held in 2010 have been moved to another page:

Thur 9 Sep: WHAT IS HUMANISM?

We have had a busy Summer and have rescheduled some of our autumn meetings. We will start in September with a discussion about how best to answer the question 'What is Humanism?'. It is the question we are asked most often. And there will be a lot more besides including feedback from the BHA AGM and our plans for 2011. Watch this space...

Thur 14 Oct: AFFLUENZA & LIVING SIMPLY

Is living simply an unattainable (possibly undesirable) objective in our consumerist society? I like the note from the cover of Oliver James book Affluenza: “An epidemic of ‘affluenza’ is sweeping through the English-speaking world, an obsessive, envious, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses, that makes us twice as prone to depression, anxiety and addictions than people in other developed nations. And now we are infecting the rest of the world with this virulent virus”. What do you think?

Thur 11 Nov: THE SOCIAL FUNCTION OF RELIGION

This meeting will explore the so-cial function of religion (and possibly: Is religion harmful?). Much has been written on the topic (by Dennett, Dawkins, Hitchens, etc.)

Thur 14 Nov: WREATH LAYING on Remembrance Day

? Dec: WINTER SOLSTICE PARTY (bring along a party piece)

MEETINGS POSTPONED

Please Note: we have postpoed our Meeting on Multiculturalism. Watch this space...

MULTICULTURALISM & INTER FAITH DIALOGUE

The term multiculturalism refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity. It aims to recognize, celebrate and maintain the different cultures or cultural identities within society to promote social cohesion. In this context, multiculturalism advocates a society that extends equitable status to distinct cultural and religious groups with no one culture predominating. But what should Humanists think about multiculturalism? And how tolerant should we be of beliefs very different from our own, or sym-bols of religion (the recent referendum in Switzerland on whether to allow minarets comes to mind)? Where should one draw the line? Are there views that should not be tolerated, and what should be the sanctions? And is there a place for Humanists in Inter Faith Dialogue?

WHAT IS GOOD?

In ‘The Rights of Man’ Thomas Paine wrote: “My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." Most of us want to live a good life. But what, in today's secular society, does 'good' actually mean? Indeed, one of the most fundamental questions in our life is to find out what we value: what principles we want to live by and which codes we will use to guide our behaviour. In his book ‘What is Good? A.C. Grayling explores how to live a good life, from the 'heroic' ideals of the Greek poets to Kant's theories on freedom and the UN Declaration on Human Rights.