The Council for Secular Humanism Web Site provides timely information concerning the activities of the Council for Secular Humanism and also acts as a general educational resource on secular humanism. Please select a topic from the navigation bar on your left, or the drop-down menu above, for more information.
The Council for Secular Humanism is North America's leading organization for non-religious people. A not-for-profit educational association, the Council supports a wide range of activities to meet the needs of people who find meaning and value in life without looking to a god. Its activities range from magazine publishing to campaigning on ethical issues, from conferences to support networks, from educational courses to conducting secular ceremonies, from local groups to international development. Officers of the Council for Secular Humanism include Paul Kurtz (Chair Emeritus).
Secular Humanism is a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life. Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation.
Council Activities Include
Championing the Rights and Beliefs of Secular Humanists
The Council for Secular Humanism campaigns for a more secular and ethical society. It presents the case for understanding the world without reference to a god, and works to separate Church and State and defend the rights of people who do not accept religious beliefs.
Serving the Needs of Non-Religious People
The Council gives practical support and services to non-religious people. It runs courses and summer camps that educate children in critical thinking and ethical values. For rites of passage, such as marriage and death, it provides dignified non-religious celebrations and memorials. And it runs a national support network for secular families and parents.
Developing Secular Communities
The Council for Secular Humanism supports local groups (both off-campus and on-campus) that provide a forum for ideas and a base for activities. Regular regional and national conferences bring secular humanists together to exchange ideas and explore topical issues. And the new Centers for Inquiry across America are providing the buildings and staff to develop a dynamic humanist presence at the grass-roots level.
Giving a Moral and Intellectual Lead
The Council for Secular Humanism promotes rational, human-based viewpoints on important social and ethical issues. In particular, it tackles issues where traditional religion obstructs the right to self-determination, for example, freedom of choice in sexual relationships, reproduction, and voluntary euthanasia. The Council also promotes critical thinking about supernatural and paranormal claims. The Council conducts research, issues statements, and brings together leading thinkers for conferences and seminars.
If you support what we are working to achieve, please help us make a difference -- join the Council for Secular Humanism! Associate Members receive the Secular Humanist Bulletin, a quarterly newsletter, in addition to other benefits including discounts on conference registrations, conference tapes, and selected titles from Prometheus Books.
The Great Scandal: Christianity's
Role in the Rise of the Nazis
by Gregory S. Paul
29 of the Council's most important accomplishments
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