21 Sep 2010
In this RSA Event with the New Humanist Magazine Marilynne Robinson, Roger Scruton, Jonathan Rée and Laurie Taylor ask: should the debate over the role of religion in society take a different tone?
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Alfred - 19 Dec 2012 5:51am
There are many Non-religious aid organizations that do not inptrcoraoe a religious message into their operations or proselytize to those in need. Secular charities don't come with the rigid faith-based ethics, which can end up disadvantaging those in needSome: Secular Humanism organizations and resources.United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a first call for children and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF provides emergency and disaster relief.Doctors without Borders Doctors Without Borders/Me9decins Sans Frontie8res (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in nearly 70 countries.The Lance Armstrong Foundation unites, inspires and empowers people affected by cancer.Mercy Corps Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.Amnesty International AI's vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this vision, AI's mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.American Red Cross The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The USA's premier emergency response organization, over 91% of Red Cross spending is on charitable services.Oxfam International Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice. The Oxfams operate in over 100 countries worldwide working with local partners to alleviate poverty and injustice.The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on Earth. An environmental group that protects natural habitats and the wildlife within them. Focuses on science-based initiatives.The Union of Concerned Scientists The leading science-based non-profit working for a healthy environment and safer world.Anti-Discrimination The ADSN Project The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia's Anti-Discrimination support network (ADSN) is collecting narratives highlighting instances of bigotry against the non- theist community.Womens Health Organizations EngenderHealth an international nonprofit organization that has been working for 60 years to make reproductive health services safe, available, and sustainable for women and men worldwide.Electronic Frontiers Foundation When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations.American Civil Liberties Union The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of constitutional protections and guarantees relating to First Amendment rights, including the freedom to practice religion and the freedom not to have religion rammed down our throats, equal protection, due process, and right to privacy.We need more organizations that protect the rights of those who are in need of charity and do not want to have to listen to proselytizing in order to get food or medicine. We also a need more organization that protects the rights of minority religions and those that have no religion.
Humza - 28 Oct 2011 6:10pm
The lady brought in an interesting point, namely that mind is central in the understanding of being. Science, clearly, attempts to understand being. But if mind is central to any understanding of being, then it will underpin even science, and even the science of the brain. What she is saying, then, is that the fundament, the ground upon which stand science and other methods of inquiring into being, is the mind. However, she can go further and say 'experience' or more aptly subjectivity. It is the subject which understands, has a brain, can be deluded, acts politically, makes art, becomes engaged, &c &c &c. Reading the comments, it appears that the hardline scientists are unappreciative of the very profound nature of this notion: that subjective experience grounds and encapsulates inquiries into being....
Dave - 06 Jan 2011 9:01pm
This lady is incoherent.
Christophe - 05 Jan 2011 11:58am
As I Listened to these people, it dawned that they fundamentally lack the insight in what science does and how plausible reasoning operates: In the light of the data, we look how plausible each proposed theory/model is (using probability calculus). Redundant statements (i.e. that don't add up to the explanation of the facts) are discarded, and experiments are divised with maximal information value in it (testing limits, or rival hypotheses). Up to now, no God can be found in all the most plausible theories/models. As keeping room for an implausible God is always possible: Let them have it. I cannot disprove something that does not exist.
The Reverent Ross Hamilton Henry, Humanist Minister - 04 Jan 2011 8:51pm
I think that it is a sign that supernaturalistic religion fits into the category that emerged toward the end of this debate: "A majority cult that is in the down slope of the curve illustrating its history in the west"-- that is that it is in process of dying" And the bold atheists who are speaking out to help free our minds from the tyranny of the industry of priests and authoritarian preachers will soon be joining the ranks of the unemployed. The 3 people you had on this panel, even the reluctant atheist, did not utter a single word supporting a single idea of the supernaturalistic underpinnings upon which the vast majority of religion is based. The whole thing seemed to me mostly an attempt to redefine "science" to make room for people to continue to cling to their beloved delusions and avoid the excommunication of these 3 particular apologists from the ranks of the faithful in the minds of the broader culture that they continue to defend.
Adrian Clark - 02 Dec 2010 11:07pm
How can you have anti-atheism from humanists?
Philip - 12 Nov 2010 7:25pm
A great disappointment. Just a great deal of atheist bashing. From the title "After New Atheism ....", I was hoping for a discussion of the future direction of the atheist movement or at least some discussion of the future of the God/No God debate. What I heard was a regurgitation of a lot of backward looking anti-atheistic arguments. A poor showing.