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Philly humanists to celebrate something that kinda, sorta coincides with Christmas, but does not involve God or the baby Jesus
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Philly humanists to celebrate something that kinda, sorta coincides with Christmas, but does not involve God or the baby Jesus
Hot off the press release wire:
No God?...No Problem!" Some ask what do non-believers celebrate?
President of the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia, Joe Fox, recalls attending a Humanist conference in Phoenix "Humanicon" in 04 and reading a headline in a newspaper "Non Believers gather at a Humanist conference". Fox was offended by the headline. "My Humanist life-stance has many beliefs including good morals, values and ethics, but belief in a God is not one of them", said Fox. So what do Fox and many other Humanists celebrate during the holiday season? HumanLight, a humanist winter holiday, celebrated on or about December 23. It is a time for celebration and community for those who wish to affirm the positive values of humanism during the time period of the "traditionalâ winter holidays.
"Humanist families enjoy the holiday season in many of the same ways that other people do,â said Fox, father of two. "Many people are under the false assumption that humanists are a bunch of Scrooges who don't celebrate the winter holidays, but actually, we humanists appreciate and enjoy the season in ways that reflect and promote the humanist values of reason, hope, community, and compassion."
"Because humanists shy away from rigid rituals, the specific elements of HumanLight celebrations will differ from region to region, and even year to year," continued Fox. "But they often include a meal with friends and family, dance, song, gift exchange, and short talks, discussions, or readings. Some aspects are similar to religious observances while others are different."
"In 2001 humanists in New Jersey inaugurated HumanLight as a specifically humanist observance. Since then it has spread to dozens of cities around the United States.â
Joe Foxâs chapter, the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia (HAGP), celebrates HumanLight this year on Sunday, December 20th, from 12:30-4pm at the Williamson Restaurant in Horsham, PA. Festivities include Wondergyâs "CoolScienceâ, an interactive family program fit for the season which explores how things freeze; live music from the band Letters From June; and keynote speaker Jennifer Michael Hecht, a historian and award winning poet whose best selling books include Doubt: A History and The Happiness Myth. HAGP co-sponsors this celebration with the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia.
A listing with HAGPâs and many more of this year's celebrations along with much more information can be found at the HumanLight website at http://www.humanlight.org/.
Happy Holidays from one of your loyal CLOG commenters!! To My Democratic Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish. To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 2010.
I don tink dares anyting rong wit wurshippin oder godz & goddesses. Da problim is wit peeple dat dont beleeb nuttin. DOZE are da peeple dat we shud be wurryin bout.
I worship Kuballima, god of the atmosphere. Shibukee, goddess of the mountains also protects us. Bookoofookoo, goddess of the storms, is the sister of Shibukee & mother of Kuballima, so Bookoofookoo is stronger.
On another note, after the Christmas day attempted airliner bombing, do you feel safer now Billman? In addition to the attempted nearly successful airliner bombing, there are 'Hundreds of al-Qaeda militants planning attacks from Yemen' (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6970574.ece) The Guantanamo Bay prison for enemy combatants in the war on terror is closing, waterboarding is "torture", and Janet Napolitano, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden & Barack Obama are now running our homeland security & national defense. We need Bush & Cheney NOW!!!!
I tink dat wit da nu yeer, dat Billman shud fokiss on rytin bout meenin full stuf, insted uv tryin ta ster up trubel. Hoo reely kayerz bout deez hoomanists - it ain ryte ta beleeb in nuttin.
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