"If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him."

James Baldwin

"An uninformed opinion is uninteresting."

Chris West on a lazy Saturday morning

"One thing at a time--at least!"

– Roger Kimmel Smith

Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.

– Epicurus

"I'm not interested in whether you've stood with the great. I'm interested in whether you've sat with the broken."

– Sue Fitzmaurice

"Religion tells you what to think philosophy shows you how to think."

– A T Shirt

"Its easy to see when I'm in other people's echo chambers."

Praxis Astra

“There is no addiction more common than the addiction to being right.”

Praxis Astra

“The unexamined life just isn’t as much fun.”

Roger Smith

“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.”

Bertrand Russell

Click Here

We want a community where you can think for yourself without having to be by yourself.

Praxis Astra

The very first step through the threshold into my echo chamber is being certain I’m not in one.

Praxis Astra

"I want to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible."

Matt Dillahunty

"In your dealings with me if you have to choose between clarity and kindness choose clarity."

Lee Downing

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

Susan B. Anthony

“So if Christians are not ashamed of sex where is the patron saint of the orgasm?”

Praxis Astra

“Philosophers' Syndrome: mistaking a failure of the imagination for an insight into necessity.”

Dan Dennett

“One of the surprising discoveries of modern psychology is how easy it is to be ignorant of your own ignorance.”

Dan Dennett

“There’s simply no polite way to tell people they’ve dedicated their lives to an illusion.”

Dan Dennett

Click Here

“Nice people made the best Nazis. My mom grew up next to them. They got along, refused to make waves, looked the other way when things got ugly and focused on happier things than “politics.” They were lovely people who turned their heads as their neighbors were dragged away. You know who weren’t nice people? Resisters.”

Naomi Schulman

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

Albert Einstein

"Those who can make you believe absurdaties can make you commit atrocities."

Voltaire

The Happy Human

Is This You?

At your best. Challenging. Challenged. Loving. Loved. Growing. Giving. Gifted. Gleeful. Sober and silly. Intelligent and intuitive. Cerebral and sensual. Forgiving and demanding. Mindful, mirthful. Willfully wonderingly one with the world.

This is the you we celebrate. The you who can access all facets, all faces, all folds, flaws and faults; the cracks that open to the gleaming glory of your molten core. HUMANITY is the ground we are planted on, the sky we reach for.

Our Notion of Humanism:

God is irrelevant–we have to be ethical human beings with or without such a concept. Human beings are the source of our ethics, which evolve based on reason and experience, for individuals and communities alike. We generate our own meaning (or meaninglessness) of life.

NEWS

Superbly Natural: Earth, Cosmos, and Secular Spirituality

by Roger Kimmel Smith - April 2023 “We believe in the God that people who don’t believe in God believe in.” These are words that Reverend Billy — the character formerly known as the performance artist Bill Talen — used to drop into his sermons for the Church of Stop...

(How To Have) Impossible Conversations Club

(How To Have) Impossible Conversations Club There is a way to have open minded open hearted conversations with people who believe very different things than you do. These skills have existed for 2,300 years. The Socratic method is a way of talking to people so that...

Resources

Stuff that is too funny and brilliant. We'd never forgive ourselves if we didn't tell you about it Letters From Earth by Mark Twain Mark Twain's Claymation Satan Hail Satan? Documentary About the Satanic Temple Religulous Documentary by Bill Maher Julia Sweeney's...

« Older Entries

News Blog

Ethics Lab

Letter To A Seeker At Recovering From Religion

Roxanne: wow. Thanks. I have been down a similar path because, as I suspect — given that you and I have submitted to ExCommunications — we are similar creatures. On that basis I’m going to presume to give you some unasked for advice. Its unlikely that you will ever...

How Do I Regard Christians Collectively?

How do I regard Christians, collectively. Am I better than them are they better than me? No and no. Is a person bad just because they believe bad things. (Such as queers are abominations before the Lord.) Well, I’m going to save us a lot of trouble and spill it right...

What Do I Believe Essay 2007

by Vincent Downing 2007 What do I believe God and Religion God probably exists, but is irrelevant because if it exists or not my task is to live an ethical life. We do not need to know God for meaning or morality, but we do need to know ourselves and the world....

« Older Entries

Ethics Lab Blog

Polyamory Education Project

Vincent Stands Up For Straight Men (Wait. What?)

I wrote this in response to an essay by Pete Williams https://medium.com/the-authentic-eclectic/men-need-more-competition-not-less-5644b92cdbfb I summarize most of the points in his essay that I comment on but I urge you to read the above. For context: I have for the...

Letter to an Incel

This is an essay i wrote after following a thoughtful fellow (on the Medium platform) who called himself an incel. On the one hand I’m so far removed from all this that I have to admit I don’t even know what this red pill movement is. And I find incels hilarious. We...

PupTrebleNYC Explains R.A.C.K.

by PupTreble NYC Pup Treble Explains what R.A.C.K. is Risk Aware Consensual Kink

« Older Entries

Polyamory Blog

When Humanists attack!!

Now in its third season! Listen and subscribe!

Our prior seasons also available as YouTube video!

our Programs

We envision a world guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience, in which human civilization can survive sustainably and thrive in humble co-existence with wild nature amid healthy ecosystems. We are humanists against human supremacism.

Check out our current programs here–and watch for more sexy substance coming your way soon!

Let’s Start Something new
Say Hello!

We look forward to dialoguing with you and building humanist communities online and face to face!

"If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him."

"An uninformed opinion is uninteresting."

"One thing at a time--at least!"

Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.

"I'm not interested in whether you've stood with the great. I'm interested in whether you've sat with the broken."

"Religion tells you what to think philosophy shows you how to think."

"Its easy to see when I'm in other people's echo chambers."

“There is no addiction more common than the addiction to being right.”

“The unexamined life just isn’t as much fun.”

“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.”

We want a community where you can think for yourself without having to be by yourself.

The very first step through the threshold into my echo chamber is being certain I’m not in one.

"I want to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible."

"In your dealings with me if you have to choose between clarity and kindness choose clarity."

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

“So if Christians are not ashamed of sex where is the patron saint of the orgasm?”

“Philosophers' Syndrome: mistaking a failure of the imagination for an insight into necessity.”

“One of the surprising discoveries of modern psychology is how easy it is to be ignorant of your own ignorance.”

“There’s simply no polite way to tell people they’ve dedicated their lives to an illusion.”

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

"Those who can make you believe absurdaties can make you commit atrocities."

The Happy Human

NEWS

Ethics Lab

Polyamory Education Project

When Humanists attack!!

our Programs

Let’s Start Something newSay Hello!

Let’s Start Something new
Say Hello!