Hastings Humanists and Skeptics?

First a reminder that our next meeting on Thursday 13 June is an "Any Questions" style debate.

One of the panellists will be Simon Clare of the South East Skeptics Society who are organising a Skeptics Road Show throughout Kent and now extending to Hastings on 26 September. He is also known as the Atheist Street Preacher! It is proposed by our Secretary, George Jelliss, that Hastings Humanists get together with SESS to organise regular Skeptics in the Pub style meetings, perhaps in alternate months with specifically Humanist meetings. This will need to be discussed among our members, and put to a motion at the AGM in November, but it would probably be better to combine forces rather than have a competing Hastings Skeptics organisation. Input from members on these developments would be appreciated.

Marriage and Humanism

I've been getting confused messages about Humanist attitudes to Marriage recently, so thought I would put together some links to different views here.

On 13 May I received a message from BHA signed by Jim Al-Khalili: "On Monday and Tuesday next week, MPs will be debating the Marriage Bill currently before Parliament. Its main purpose is to extend marriage to same-sex couples but also being debated will be an amendment to give legal recognition to humanist marriages in England and Wales. This asked one to contact your local MP and urge them to vote for the amendment.

 

I did this, since it seemed a good thing. Humanist Marriages have been possible in Scotland since 2005. However I later learnt that this Humanist amendment was part of a series of amendments designed to derail the Gay Marriage bill, or delay its implementation. This strikes me as political naivety on the part of the BHA. (Jim Al-Khalili has also shown naivety on Twitter by reacting to an Onion magazine sketch, apparently not realising it was satire.)

 

Margaret Nelson of Suffolk Humanists has expressed a dissenting view about Humanist marriage here:

http://www.theanswers42.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/marriage

I find her arguments quite convincing. Her solution is: "Remove the right of anyone other than a registrar to conduct a marriage ceremony in the UK, but make same-sex marriage equal to opposite sex marriage. If you want any other form of marriage - religious, humanist, Jedi Knight - you can have a ceremony however and wherever you want, but it would have no legal validity. This would be like the systems that they have in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, where only civil wedding ceremonies are recognised. But that would be too simple and sensible, wouldn't it?"
 

Also having seen the formulation of the amendment it now seems to have been worded so as to give privileges to Humanists similar to those for the churches, to the exclusion of other groups. This is criticised here:

http://www.atheismuk.com/2013/05/23/news/challenging-humanist-privilege/ 

(Proposed Humanist Marriage Law Discriminatory). They observe: "So the proposal does not abolish religious privilege; it merely enshrines in law humanist privilege as well; it is discriminatory in favour of humanist and religious organisations against others."

 

I also got a lengthy reply from Amber Rudd the local MP. She made the point that "A fundamental change to marriage law of this nature would undermine the religious protections within the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, and would risk delaying implementation of same sex marriage ..." She also made a point similar to that expressed on the Atheist UK site.

 

 I feel that I have been let down and misled by the messages from the BHA on this.

 

Any Questions for Humanists?

Our next meeting is on the 13th June at the normal time of 7.00pm at the White Rock Hotel.

The subject this month is:  Any Questions for Humanists?

For any who are not familiar with this long standing radio programme, you can listen to the latest  episode on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sdw2s

Our variation on the standard format is that the questions will be put to the panel for an initial discussion in the normal way, but then it will be opened up to all for a general debate. I will act as chairman.

The questions can be on any subject from the purely local – ‘what is the value of the by-pass?’ – to the political – ‘should we vote to stay in Europe?’ – to the existential “What makes you happy?” but are best when they have some topical interest.

This is a bit of an experiment and I hope it will be a lot of fun..!!

Stephen Milton

Gender Differences in Society

"What are (or should be) the differences between Men and Women? And why ... " This is the topic proposed for discussion at our meeting on 9 May.

When we talk about Humanity we mean both men and women and there is no doubt that both sexes are vital to our common survival.  But what actually are the differences between us. This is a subject that has pre-occupied philosophers and  theologians down the ages, but now we are also getting some answers  from science. So we will start with the genetic differences, the contrasting roles of each in our survival and how Darwinian forces of selection mould us all. Then we will see if we can  understand the debate between the powers of nature and nurture in creating these differences – and just why is so much humour based on this subject?

This is something where we all have opinions. I am sure we will enjoy sharing them. What exact subjects come up for discussion will clearly depend on those who come along, since gender issues cover a wide range.

The current issue of the New Humanist for example has a four-page spread on Feminism, instigated by the publication of 50 Shades of Feminism published  by Virago and Lean In: Women Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, published by Knopf.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/17/fifty-shades-feminism-lisa-appignanesi
http://leanin.org/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2315376/Facebooks-Sheryl-Sandberg-inspires-Lean-In-circles-women-desperate-kickstart-careers.html

On another track there is Fitnah a protest movement demanding freedom, equality, and secularism and calling for an end to misogynist cultural, religious and moral laws and customs, compulsory veiling, sex apartheid, sex trafficking, and violence against women, particularly in Islamic countries.

From One Law for All: "This week’s BBC Panorama programme “Secrets of Britain’s Sharia Councils” confirms why One Law for All has been campaigning against the discriminatory parallel legal system running counter to British law for nearly five years. As has been repeatedly stated, women are being held to ransom, told to remain in violent situations, blamed for the violence they face, refused divorces over many years, and placed under undue pressure including with regards child access and welfare. The programme confirms this."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rxfjt
http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/

What do you think are the most important issues?

The Morality of Money

Our next meeting on the 11th April at the normal time of 7.00pm at the White Rock Hotel

The subject is: The Morality of Money

Is money the root of all evil or simply a medium of exchange? - What authority underpins the value of money? - With only 3% of all money being ‘real’ coinage or notes, how can we exercise social control over its digital creation (including debt)? - And what is/ should be the role of the Banks in this process? - We are all encouraged to save for an extended old age, but how safe are our savings (Pension funds / Cyprus etc)? - Is a competitive devaluation of the £ really the salvation of our national interest?

These are just some of the questions that arise when we start to think about Money.

We will start the debate with a review of some of the facts and then open the discussion. Money has been a vital element in the evolution of society ever since it was invented about 2,700 years ago (pre-dating the invention of ice cream by about 300 years). Could it be that it has now grown into a monster that is beyond the control of national governments as well as their citizens!

Please bring along your thoughts, questions and strange facts about money.

In the meantime have a look at this video of just how awesome we human beings really are:

http://www.flixxy.com/people-are-awesome-2013.htm#.UVLVxRfQBLo

I look forward to seeing you there.

Best regards Stephen Milton

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This review of a book by our former member Elaine Short may also amuse:

http://hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk/arts-culture/poetry-arts-culture/utter-nonsense-in-hastings

Eastbourne Skeptics

We are pleased to see that Eastbourne Skeptics in the Pub is now up and running:

http://eastbourne.skepticsinthepub.org/

The first meeting on Wednesday 27 March at 'Bibendum' is now about the Christian 'Alpha' course, and the second on Thursday 18 April is James Williams (who has spoken to us on a couple of occasions) on 'Insidious Creationism'.

There has been a similar Skeptics in the Pub group active in Lewes for a year or two.

A Discussion on Dignity in Death

Our next meeting on the 14^th March at the normal time of 7.00pm at the White Rock

The subject is : Dignity in Death

Death is the one common experience that we cannot avoid and which perhaps defines our humanity. It can be hard to give up the instinct that comes from a lifetime of struggle to survive and accept the inevitable when it arrives.

My personal position is that while death holds absolutely no fear, the process of dying is one that fills me with dread. I therefore advocate that

“Where possible it should be our inalienable right to choose a death that is dignified, at a time of our choosing, and is both certain and painless”

This is a subject in which many of our members have strong views.

I will introduce it, but will then ask members of the audience to share their experiences of death and dying with the rest of the group. We want to hear both the good and bad experiences.

The debate that follows will, I am sure, be as intense as always – but duly mindful of the sensitivity of the issues being discussed.

Best Regards

 

Stephen Milton

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As promised at the meeting, here are a couple of websites of relevant organisations.

http://www.dyingmatters.org/

(the govt body aimed at getting people planning their end of life arrangements)

http://www.friends-at-the-end.org.uk/

A pro assisted dying group with a fair amount of info on their site.