MAAF MEETING NOTES
1. PURPOSE.
To
bring personnel together to talk about life, ethics, and service as a
nontheist.
2. ATTENDEES.
The
meeting should be open to all personnel.
However, attendees must understand the nature of the meeting. (See paragraph 6d. below)
3. LOCATION. The location should be in a public meeting place, but not a workplace.
4. ADVERTISEMENT. Coordination through the community recreation or activities organization and even the local Chaplain’s office is a good way to spread information. Ask about listing the meeting on local bulletin boards as well. There should be authorization to post this meeting in any place a chaplain’s meeting or religious flyer is posted.
5. MATERIALS. Provide handouts and information to generate visibility and understanding. Provide any of the resources at www.maaf.info as well as the references in Appendix A. Materials should include handouts for the meetings, information about future meetings, local contacts, and MAAF-related items. Contact MAAF for options to receive a variety of free materials.
Annex A (Reference Materials)
Humanist Manifesto I
Drafted 1933 by Raymond Bragg
The
following excerpt is precedes HMI, and provides a good introduction for the 3 Manifestos
and one declaration that serve as foundational documents for Secular
Humanism. The following documents show
snapshots of the evolution of Secular Humanism.
“The
importance of the document is that more than thirty men have come to general
agreement on matters of final concern and that these men are undoubtedly
representative of a large number who are forging a new philosophy out of the
materials of the modern world.”
Secular Humanist
Values (1933):
·
Non-created Universe
·
Evolution
·
Mind/body monism
·
Cultural Evolution
·
Rational & Scientific Ethics
·
Obsolescence of Religion
·
Human living is a secular activity
·
Living in the present
·
Human flourishing
·
No supernatural
·
Comfort through understanding
·
Encourage human thought
·
Economic Socialism
Humanist Manifesto II
Drafted 1973 by Paul Kurtz
I. Religion:
good and bad points, highlights detrimental effects of a focus on
afterlife instead of the present.
II. Ethics:
Morals arise from human experience.
Reason and intelligence are means of discovery of ethics.
III. Individualism: preciousness and dignity of all individuals.
A Secular Humanist Declaration
Drafted 1980 by Paul Kurtz
The
Declaration is a rewrite of the previous Manifestos. It recognizes the benefits of Secular
Humanism, and notes the good and bad effects of religion. The Manifesto itself is meant to present an
updated list of values of Secular Humanism.
Secular Humanist
Values (1980):
·
Free Inquiry
·
Separation of Church and State
·
The Ideal of Freedom
·
Ethics Based on Critical Intelligence
·
Moral Education
·
Religious Skepticism
·
Reason
·
Science and Technology
·
Evolution
·
Education
Humanist Manifesto
2000
Drafted 2000 by Paul Kurtz
This is the most
recent snapshot of Humanist Values. It
begins with a review of the prior documents.
History:
·
HMI (1933): Atheists needed an alternative to
religion. Focused on social and economic
planning.
·
HMII (1973): Focus efforts on a global scale. Protect minorities. Reevaluate sex rights. Support euthanasia. Focus on an optimistic attitude. Eliminated economic ideas of socialism in
favor of general charity towards others.
Secular Humanist
Values (2000):
·
Prospects for the future are bright
·
Presents a worldview of scientific
naturalism
·
Identifies benefits of technology
·
Presents SH view of Ethics and Reason
·
Makes a universal commitment to the whole
of humanity
·
Presents a new global agenda supported by
the following institutions:
·
Proposes new planetary institutions: World Parliament, Security Organization,
Court, Environmental Oversight Committee, Tax Service, Corporation Monitor
·
Optimism about prospects for humanity
Fighting Back: A
Manual for Freethinkers
Edited by Tim Madigan and Tom Flynn
This book presents a
very colloquial and informal approach to problems for Secular Humanists and
Atheists in today’s society. It is not
meant to serve as a guideline for action.
Rather, it is primarily useful to present topics for discussion.
Responding to Religious Culture:
·
"God Bless You"
·
"Did you have a Merry Xmas?"
·
Family Pressures
·
Religious Charities at Work
·
Suggestions to say Grace at your home
·
Suggestions to say Grace at others' homes
·
Religious functions at work
·
Missionaries
·
Prayers at School Events
Responding to Religious World View:
·
Freethought History
·
"What Happens When You Die"
·
Personal Revelation
Religion in Politics:
Secular Humanist Living:
The Atheist Debater's
Handbook
By B. C. Johnson
This sounds like an
adversarial book, but, in fact, it is very fair and informative. It presents philosophical perspectives on the
following topics:
God & --
·
Atheism
·
Science
·
Laws of Nature
·
Design
·
The Universe
·
Existence
·
The Mind
·
Miracles
·
Religious Experience
·
Morality
·
Faith
·
The Problem of Evil
·
Christianity
·
Jesus
·
The Meaning of Life