Humanism, Politics and our Future

Humaism, Politics & Our Future 10th January 2015Saturday 10th January 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Professor of the History of Political Thought Greg Claeys

Are you fed up with bankers’ bonuses, corporate giants evading tax, unaffordable housing, and incompetent government? In preparation for the May 2015 general election, Greg Claeys will be considering the policies of our political parties and how well they correspond with our secular humanist tradition of working for a better world.

Greg has extensively researched and written about the development of modern political thought, including an in-depth exploration of mankind’s various attempts to envision an ideal society, and will be drawing inspiration from reformers such as socialist Robert Owen, human rights pioneer Thomas Paine, and libertarian John Stuart Mill.

Greg is Professor of the History of Political Thought at Royal Holloway, University of London and is a popular speaker on both humanist themes and politics.

“Join us for a thought-provoking analysis of how likely our political parties are to fulfil our humanist aspirations”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

David Warden to Present ‘The Science of Happiness’ for Sunday Assembly

Sunday 30th November  11.00am – 12.30pm
The Brunswick Pub**, 199 Malmesbury Park Road, Bournemouth BH8 8PX

We’re pleased to announce that Chair of Dorset Humanists David Warden will be the guest speaker for Sunday Assembly Bournemouth’s November Assembly. David will be presenting a condensed version of his very popular talk on ‘The Science of Happiness’ as part of the event’s theme of "How to live a Happier Life”. David has previously spoken on this subject at events for both Dorset Humanists and West Dorset Humanists, and he also incorporated an expanded exploration of the topic into Dorset Humanists’ well-received ‘One Life’ course on Humanism and atheism.

If you have you ever wondered what makes some people happier than others, and whether it Is it possible to attain greater happiness in life and sustain it without dramatically changing our personal circumstances, we expect you’ll be both surprised and inspired by what David reveals in his talk, so put away your copy of ‘the Secret’, turn off the chat show ‘self-help gurus’ and discover the real science of happiness at Sunday Assembly Bournemouth’s next meeting! The group are continuing to collect more food for a local food bank, so, if you plan to attend and are in a position to do so, please take along any long-life dried or tinned food you can spare, and they’ll make sure it gets to families and individuals who need our help.

Sunday Assembly Bournemouth launched in September 2014, becoming one of more than 60 similar groups worldwide in a rapidly growing non-religious community of people united by a desire to improve their lives, support their local communities and celebrate the wonder of life. The format they’ve adopted for their monthly ‘Assemblies’ is to take “all the best bits of church but without the religion”, and what this means in practice is that at each Assembly they explore a positive life-enhancing theme with a mix of inspiring readings, guest presentations and uplifting sing-along pop songs. So far the group has proved popular with local humanists, atheists,and agnostics but it remains to be seen whether they can also achieve their aim of attracting folks of a more religious persuasion too.

For more details on Sunday Assembly Bournemouth and this event, please visit their website here: http://bournemouth.sundayassembly.com/how-to-live-a-happier-life/

**  Please note: A small number of flyers for this event were distributed at a previous Dorset Humanists meeting with the wrong venue printed on them. November’s Sunday Assembly will definitely be at the Brunswick in Charminster, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused

Chris Street to attend National Secular Society AGM 2014

 NSS AGM 2014 ReportIt has been another busy year for the National Secular Society (NSS), from questioning the role of religion in schools and defending freedom of expression, to working to promote secularism internationally and defending Human Rights at home. For a much fuller account of their activities this year, please see their latest Annual Report below.

Dorset Humanists affiliated to the National Secular Society (NSS) at our 2014 AGM. This year's NSS Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, 29 November 2014 in London. Chris Street (Dorset Humanists Education Officer & Webmaster) will attend representing Dorset Humanists.

The NSS Annual Report 2014 can be read here:

https://www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/nss-annual-report-2014-5.pdf

 

Humanism in Ugandan Schools

Humanism in Ugandan SchoolsSaturday 13th December 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

A presentation by Steve & Hilary Hurd

A third of Uganda’s population live in severe poverty, belief in witchcraft, demonic possession and pseudoscience is widespread, and the country has been identified as the world’s most dangerous place to live if you are gay.

Against this backdrop of superstitious beliefs and religious bigotry, the Uganda Humanist Schools Trust was established to support three secondary schools offering liberal secular-humanist education in impoverished rural communities, providing otherwise-unattainable education for children growing up without electricity, sanitation, or running water, many of whom are orphans. The schools aim to provide an education that respects freedom of thought and expression, rational scientific enquiry, human rights, gender and racial equality, and that attains high levels of achievement and social responsibility.

Please come along to discover the remarkable story of these inspirational schools and their achievements.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

Another easy way you can help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event is by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

David Warden Participates in Bournemouth Remembrance Service

poppy-wreathWe are pleased to report that David Warden, Chair of Dorset Humanists, took an active part in the Bournemouth Remembrance Service at the Bournemouth War Memorial on 9th November 2014. Lyn Glass, Vice Chair of Dorset Humanists, accompanied David at the occasion. This is the second year that Dorset Humanists have been allowed to make a contribution to what was previously an exclusively religious service.
David was representing the Defence Humanists, a section of the British Humanist Association, and augmented religious leaders’ contributions with a secular reading about peace. The Defence Humanists is a growing body of servicemen and women, their families, veterans and civilian members of the Ministry of Defence. Their mission is to seek to represent the interests of all those who subscribe to non-religious beliefs. 
David read the following words:
Peace begins with respect. If we cannot accept a world of human difference we will never enjoy a world of peace.
Peace needs humility. If we are willing to see our own faults then the bridges of trust can be rebuilt.
Peace needs co-operation. If we realise that most of what we desire cannot be secured by ourselves alone we will cultivate friendship.
Peace needs compromise. It needs a willingness to tolerate a world that is less than perfect.
Peace requires justice. We must be willing to share the world's resources fairly.
Peace is hard work. There are no laws of history that will guarantee its arrival.
So let our tribute to those of all beliefs who have suffered and died in conflict be our resolve to work for peace.
Adapted from Sherwin Wine 'Celebration: A Ceremonial and Philosophical Guide for Humanists and Humanistic Jews' (2003)
For more details of the Remembrance service, please view Bournemouth Echo’s report here:
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11590148.UPDATED__Thousands_pay_tribute_at_Remembrance_Sunday_events/

Dorset Humanists to participate in Bournemouth Remembrance Service again

Bournemouth War MemorialFor the second year running, Dorset Humanists will once again be one of only a handful of non-religious groups nationwide that are allowed to actively participate in local Remembrance Ceremonies.

Bournemouth’s Remembrance Day Service will be held at the War Memorial in Bournemouth’s Central Gardens on Sunday 9th November and begins at 10:57am. A two minute silence will be held at 11am. which will be indicated by the firing of a field gun provided by the Royal School of Artillery.

The Service is led by representatives of local Churches, the Jewish Community and Dorset Humanists but all are invited to take part – a Public Address system will broadcast the Service and Orders of Service will be distributed amongst members of the public.

We hope you will be able to attend and support our continued representation at these important civic services. For more details of the ceremony, please visit: http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocracy/MayorofBournemouth/Remembrance-Day/Remembrance-Day.aspx

November Bulletin

DWOur latest Bulletin is packed full of great local events and other opportunities to meet and get to know like-minded people. Bournemouth and Dorset have never been so vibrant for humanists, atheists, agnostics and skeptics!

This month we are launching our Winter Appeal for homeless young people, and for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Please give generously to support these worthy causes if you can. Can we surpass last year's total?

As we approach the next election we are also mindful of the way in which politics and economics can affect people's lives. The bulletin includes an extended precis of Douglas Lock's talk about inequality which is becoming one of the defining issues of our age.

http://dorset.humanist.org.uk/dorset/DH-Bulletin-November-2014.pdf

Thank you for your interest and support, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

David Warden
Chair, Dorset Humanists