July 2013

Thank You To Our Fabulous GA Booth Volunteers!

Thank You, Mary, Jack and Dick!!!

The HUUmanists booth at the 2013 UUA General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky was a big and busy place to be. Besides showcasing the Ribbons Not Walls art project and the Banned Book collection project, the booth was a place to buy Humanist books, bumper stickers, pins and magnets. Many people stopped by to chat about Humanism in the UUA and to join or renew their membership.

The booth was organized and run by the energetic Roger Brewin and assisted at various times by board members John Hooper, Pat Mohr, Maria Greene and Lowell Steinbrenner. We couldn't have kept up with the constant traffic if it wasn't for three dedicated HUUmanist members who were there to help:

  • Mary Bellamy is from Vienna, VA and is a local group leader for the Humanist group at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax. 
  • Jack Reich is from DeKalb, IL and has been helping his friend Roger table at GA, district assemblies and other places for "many, many years".
  • Dick Renfro drove over from Lexington, KY where he is involved with the Humanist Forum of Central Kentucky and the UU Church of Lexington.

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The UU Humanist Association Supports Humanist Chaplains in the Military

Jason Heap is eminently qualified to be a military chaplain and he has the endorsement of a religious organization, the Humanist Society. In a recent Washington Post "On Faith" article titled Humanists want a military chaplain to call their own, Kimberly Winston quotes Heap,

“This is my chance to give back to my country,” said Heap, 38. “I want to use my skills on behalf of our people in the service. Hopefully, the Navy will see where I can be useful.”

Unfortunately, the Humanist Society isn't one of the approximately 200 organizations that the Department of Defense recognizes as having the right to endorse chaplain candidates. This needs to change. With non-theists representing a significant percentage of the military, as they do in the general population, Humanists and other non-religious service members deserve the confidential comfort and support that chaplains provide. With many troops shying away from psychological counseling because of fears of repercussions to their military career, chaplains serve as trained listeners who can help troops deal with stress and anxiety.

The UU Humanists Association fully supports the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF) in their effort to change the status quo in the military chaplaincy.

Meanwhile, the religious right is countering the call for more diversity with predictable claims of persecution. “They’ve pushed for Christian privilege under the guise of religious freedom,” says Jason Torpy, MAAF president. This is no different than the Catholic church's opposition to women's reproductive health rights under the same "logic". We were pleased to see that the Rev. Sarah Lammert, the UUA's Director of Ministries and Faith Development, quoted as saying,

“I think the rights of Christian chaplains are already protected. And in fact, the numbers of Christian chaplains in the military far outreach the demand for those particular faith groups. It’s disproportionate,” said Ms. Lammert. “No one faith should be given a spotlight over the others.”

Unitarian Universalism has a proud Humanist legacy and constituency and we encourage you to support MAAF and the effort to provide Humanist chaplains for our brothers and sisters in the military. Read more about The UU Humanist Association Supports Humanist Chaplains in the Military »

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Beyond Congregations: The Humanist Community Project at Harvard

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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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