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. Read more about Regaining Balance: The Evolution of the UUA »

Achieving Social Justice through art and literature will be a focus of the HUU booth, June 19-23 at the Louisville General Assembly.

Documentary film-maker Janet Fitch will present her program "Changing the Conversation on Gun Violence" and will be present at our booth throughout the week.  Stop by to learn how your congregation can get involved, and the times and locations of Janet’s presentations.

The fabric arts panels crafted by two dozen UU and humanist artists from around the country, will make up the "Ribbon" for Immigrant Rights, on display at our booth, and shown outside several major GA events.  Panels depict themes from the Arizona Banned Books, and Immigration related projects carried out by UU congregations and Humanist groups.

Several dozen Hispanic authors had their books removed from Arizona in 2012, these will be on display all week. They will be presented to a partner group in the Louisville Hispanic community, continuing the work HUUmanists did last year with the Puente organization in Phoenix. The books and panels together make up "Ribbons Not Walls" (see separate article, or go to Ribbonsnotwalls.org).

The HUUmanists Booth, always one of the largest and liveliest in the Exhibit Hall, includes presentations of the leadership training work of The Humanist Institute, the outreach programs of the Secular Student Alliance and the Channing Murray Campus Ministry, and information on the online chat Seeding Humanist Groups.  As always, we will have the best selection of humanist wit and wisdom in our bookstore, with a wide range of buttons, bumper stickers and magnets, along with Bill Murry's new book for sale, and free distribution of the latest issue of the Journal of Religious Humanism to all who join, sponsor, purchase or donate in any amount.

Find us at booth 523 - hang out, get involved, pick up some merchandise, renew (or start) your membership, become a social justice project sponsor.  Read more about HUUmanists GA Booth to Feature Art ‘n Justice (Location 523) »

Appling Science to Theology

...is the theme running through the upcoming Spring 2013 issue of the Journal of Religious Humanism.  Papers delivered by Mark Belletini on Carl Sagan’s “Cosmic Theology,” and by Dawn Cooley on “Astrobiology” were delivered at last fall's Ohio River Group, a study gathering for UU Ministers.  Responses by their colleagues Lisa Friedman and Lisa Doege are included.

Mark Edmiston-Lange explores the extent to which evolution forms and teaches us about modern belief and religious life, and we reprise Sarah Voss’ “Matheology” - and evocation of “Cantorian Religion,” from an issue of RH about a decade ago.  Finally, since there are only two kinds of poetry that I like - the kind that rhymes and the kind that doesn’t, I included Roger Rochester’s thoughtful piece of doggerel on placing the human story in a larger context.

Volume 43, #2 will be mailed to members in July, and will be available for distribution at the General Assembly in Louisville, KY, June 19-22. Read more about "Religious Humanism" Journal – Next Issue »

From Pat Everett, admin of the "Seeding" Humanist Groups email list:

The "Seeding" Humanist Groups email list was launched at the 2011 UUA GA, and now has 70 members.  The aim is to share ideas and enthusiasm for seeding new Humanist groups across the country, generally out of existing UU congregations, perhaps also in other ways. Join at http://groups.google.com/group/seeding-humanist-groups.

The Concord Area Humanists (CAH), formed four years ago in Concord, Mass, is now successful enough to propose as a possible model, but not as a limitation.  Those in CAH will also be looking for new ideas to improve its performance and help it grow further. 

We will encourage such local Humanist groups to affiliate with both the American Humanist Association and with the UU HUUmanists.  The CAH group is already a Chapter of the AHA and affiliated with the HUUmanists.  We aim to also bring the voices of the other Secular and Humanist-oriented groups in the country, as is already happening with the Secular Coalition of America.  

Just think what could happen if even half the over 1,000 UU congregations were to seed a CAH equivalent in their areas!  We would be well on the way to making Humanism significant on the US landscape.  We could expect a significant portion of these to also become individual members of UU HUUmanists and of AHA.  What a goal!  We have enormous possibilities if we all work together in propagating the powerful common Humanist message. Read more about Seeding Humanist Groups »