Beyond Congregations: The Humanist Community Project at Harvard

Listen to the Audio: 
On June 22 at the UUA General Assembly in Kentucky, the HUUmanists Association sponsored a program that was a dialog between John Hooper, president of the HUUmanists, and Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University.

Several recent studies have revealed that a rapidly increasing percentage of young people are affiliating with no religious tradition. Greg Epstein, founder and leader of a vibrant secular community organization, will describe a unique response to “the rise of the nones” that is succeeding beyond expectations.

Listen to the program:

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Standing on the Side of Love

Committed as we are to the goal of compassionate action in all human interactions, the HUUmanist Association commends the United States Supreme Court for the ruling in United States v. Windsor that the federal government may not discriminate against same sex unions.  To treat some marriages as less worthy of federal recognition than others is to deny the inherent worth and dignity of the persons joined in such unions.  Our hearts have cried out against such discrimination and now we rejoice that it has been found unconstitutional.  We also celebrate that same sex marriages will again be permitted in California.  It's beautiful to see the "arc of justice" bending into a rainbow.

Although grateful for these developments, the HUUmanist Association will not be satisfied until same sex marriages can be contracted in every state in the land, until same sex marriages entered into in any state are recognized in all states, and until all of the other ways in which sexual minorities are marginalized throughout the country are repealed or struck down.  Equality and justice for all.

Read more secular groups' statements on the Friendly Atheist blog.

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The Supreme Court and the VRA

As we celebrate the progress made toward recognizing the rights of our LGBT members and allies, let us not forget that a grave injustice has been done this week to our members and allies who have lost the protection of Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act.  Shame on the Supreme Court for opening the door for the suppression of the right of people of color to vote.  We support a Constitutional Amendment to guarantee a fair, free and accessible right to vote for every citizen of voting age in this country.

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Regaining Balance: The Evolution of the UUA

The HUUmanists Association is proud to announce the availability of the latest book from the Religious Humanism Press, Regaining Balance: The Evolution of the UUA, by Michael Werner. Mike is an ardent Humanist and Unitarian Universalist having been past President of the American Humanist Association, Vice President of the Fellowship of Religious Humanists, President of the Humanist Foundation, President of the Unitarian Church of Charlotte, a founder of SMART recovery, and an adjunct faculty member of the Humanist Institute. He supports a balanced Humanism of heart and mind, reason and compassion and a Unitarian Universalism that helps us discover how to be more fully human.

Here is what some people are saying about the book:

“In this book Mike Werner analyzes what is wrong with the UUA and suggests how we can correct our problems and become once again a vital and growing religious movement.  It should be read by every UU who cares about the future of our Association.”  
-- William R. Murry, Former President and Dean, Meadville Lombard Theological School

"Werner here chronicles the ways that the Boston UUA establishment has been transforming non-creedalism into anythingism, with no significant results in expanded membership. He urges restoring the Enlightenment humanism that had once been emerging."  -- Robert B. Tapp previously taught at Meadville Lombard theological school. He chaired the 1963 Commission on Theology and the Frontiers of  Learning, and the 1967 Committee on Goals of the UUA. He is Dean and Faculty Chair emeritus of The Humanist Institute.

This monograph is the first in a series entitled Voices of Diversity to be published by Religious Humanism Press.  The Unitarian Universalist Fourth Principle calls for a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.  In the deep conviction that robust dialogue is a sine qua non of an enduring community, this series will provide a forum for Unitarian Universalist authors to express their thoughts, feelings, and positions on important and often controversial topics related to the opportunities and challenges facing the Humanist movement within Unitarian Universalism.  The authors will be given editorial latitude to “tell it as they see it.”  Their opinions and conclusions may or may not reflect the views of members of either the HUUmanists Association or the Editorial Review Board of Religious Humanism Press.  This series is intended to provoke dialogue.  Accordingly, the Review Board encourages responses from readers and will give such responses wide circulation. Please submit your comments using the form below this blog post or send longer reviews/essays to us using the contact form.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions.

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President’s Corner

The HUUmanists Association has experienced another year of accomplishment in our quest to be a stronger voice for reason and compassion in Unitarian Universalism and in our society at large.  In addition, we have broadened the scope of our vision by seeking to become a bridge to Unitarian Universalism for secular individuals and others who presently have no formal religious affiliation.  To these ends, our extraordinary officers and Board of Directors, made up of Humanist scholars, ministers, and lay leaders, have clarified and focused our Mission: 

The Humanist Unitarian Universalist (HUUmanists) Association is committed to Humanist principles of reason, compassion, and human fulfillment enumerated in the Humanist Manifestos and in the seven Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association.  We seek (1) to promote a broad acceptance of Humanism in our society, particularly throughout the Unitarian Universalist Association and its congregations, and (2) to provide an active interface between Unitarian Universalists and the secular community.

We have also identified and defined the Core Values and Aspirations that support our Mission and enumerated the Initiatives that we are pursuing to accomplish them. You can read the full text of these statements on our updated History and Mission page or download and print a stand-alone document that is useful for sharing with others who wish to understand HUUmanists.

In general, we are focusing our activities on our role as a bridge between Unitarian Universalism and the secular/non-theist communities. American Humanism coalesced and began to flourish almost a century ago when it captured the imagination of freethinking Unitarians and young people at the University of Chicago and Meadville Theological School. Like our forebears, we Unitarian Universalist Humanists have a special role to play with freethinking people of today – especially young people. We must accept them where they are in their life journeys. Our congregations need to be more openly welcoming to atheists and agnostics – indeed to non-theists of all stripes. Young non-theists of today deserve the same opportunity that was given to all of us – the opportunity to find a home in a beloved community, where their life stance will be not only welcomed, but also celebrated and shared.

We have made a lot of progress this year, but to continue this progress we need your help.  If you haven’t already joined or renewed your membership in HUUmanists, please do so right away.  These are times of extraordinary opportunity for and openness to the religious Humanist perspective.  Let’s make sure we are up to the challenge.

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