| *What's
the purpose?
To break the constipated monopoly of the means of communication by the puny British humanist organisation and some of the journals. To stir up some of the stagnation and inward looking attitudes that prevail there and deliver a kick up the pants to get them to open up and promote all those atheists and secular humanists who want to be active, and want their opinions heard in public debate, but are just used to make up the numbers and keep quiet. Atheists who support the Humanist cause for its different approach, still want it to represent the core values of atheism and secularism. Interested people need to be able to get information about the issues, and the range of issues, on which the churches and religions seek to maintain their dominance, and see their national organisation making the running, not trailing behind Religion is so ingrained within our culture that many people do not recognise its all pervasive presence. Many of these issues need clarifying if we are to challenge the religious agenda that still persists. There are so many issues over the whole range of human activity, public policy and public attitudes, political and personal, on which religion shapes our lives, without us even noticing. Nor can the few atheist outlets be allowed to hide their sexist attitudes. It is high time that they realised that sexism, like racism, anti-Semitism homophobia are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and Islam. |
Why the Need The existing Humanist organisations are cramped by an inability to overcome the conservatism of their own members and are unwilling or unable to expand enough to undertake all the activities that are needed in the increasingly demanding market place for information and presentation of the rationale for secularism. Things have deteriorated since the main humanist organisation has, through recruiting lost much of its ideology. Atheism has always been suppressed, now much of the current membership seems unable to open up to the new possibilities for them to explain the need for secular humanism to the wider public. Some are so confined within the security of their little cliques, that they seem afraid, not only of the wider public, but of their own members and supporters. Some are almost entirely dormant and in no way fulfilling the expectations of their founders. Even now they stubbornly refuse to link the many web-sites of independent atheists thinking and writing on the Internet. And seek to suppress rather than promote their own talent, relying solely on a few already well known journalists. The other serious problem is their apparent inability to co-operate with each other where appropriate, in the interests of not only their members but to the advantage of the whole community. No joint advertising? No co-ordination of information, or promotion of print and Internet sources through its journals? So afraid of criticism it only uses closed discussion forums. Even its own members have to ask to join ! Is this a correct assessment? Why not join and find out for yourself!
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