Humanists

The UUCS Humanists are a group of individuals who consider themselves humanists and/or atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, deists, non-religious, or seekers. We get together the second Wednesday of the month to discuss a variety of ideas and issues (6:30 p.m., socializing; 7:00, program). Our meetings are open to all people, and we enjoy hearing differing points of view. The most widely accepted principles of Humanism are:

• Humanists generally regard all forms of the supernatural as myth. We believe that Nature is the ultimate reality and exists independently of any supreme mind or being.
• Humanists believe that humans are the product of a natural evolutionary process and that the mind is an indivisible part of their body and as such will have no conscious survival after death.
• Humanists believe that humans have the power to solve their own problems. We believe that these problems will more effectively be solved through the use of reason and the scientific method.
• Humanists generally believe that the highest degree of personal happiness can be experienced in this life through a combination of personal achievement and charitable works. The balance of these is an individually defined ratio.
• Humanist social ideals place an emphasis on justice and fairness with each other, in our communities, states, nations, and in the global sphere. We attempt to rise above discrimination based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity and try to work together with others to create a better world.
• Humanists believe this is our only life. Therefore we want to protect our environment and preserve it for future generations so others may enjoy its beauty.
• Humanists believe in questioning all basic assumptions and convictions, including their own. We are a developing philosophy ever open to experimental testing, newly discovered facts, and more rigorous reasoning.

Our programs are informative with plenty of time for a comprehensive discussion. Past subjects include the “Relationship Between Humanism and Atheism”; “Evolution vs. Intelligent Design”; “Evil and Suffering from a Humanist Perspective”; “Church-State Separation”; “Climate Change”; “Gap Between Rich and Poor”; “Thoughts on Christmas and Humanism.” We also explore new books by authors such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett, and the history and thinking of famous Humanists such as Mark Twain, John Dewey, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ernestine Rose, and Albert Einstein.