United States

In the US some dominant secular organisations are the Freedom from Religion Foundation, American Atheists, the American Humanist Association and the Council for Secular Humanism. An important secular network exists around the prominent American atheist Paul Kurtz, who is simultaneously the chairman of the Council for Secular Humanism, Prometheus Books, and CSI (formerly CSICOP).

Freedom from Religion Foundation

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, established in 1978 in Wisconsin, describes itself as 'an educational group working for the separation of state and church'. Its goals are to 'promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism'. [1]

American Atheists

American Atheists states on its website that it is dedicated to 'working for the civil rights of Atheists, promoting separation of state and church, and providing information about Atheism'.[2] They name their three primary goals as:
1) securing freedom from religion,
2) labouring in all lawful ways for the 'complete and absolute' separation of church and state, and
3) defending the civil rights of atheists.[3]

American Humanist Association

The American Humanist Association, founded in 1941, claims to be the oldest and largest U.S. Humanist association, with over 100 local groups, and is the publisher of the Humanist magazine. Based in Washington, DC, the AHA 'actively educates the public about Humanism, brings Humanists together for mutual support and action, defends the civil liberties and constitutional freedoms of Humanists and leads both local and national Humanist organizations toward progressive societal change'.[4] Earlier Humanists honoured by the AHA have included Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, Julian Huxley, John Dewey, Bertrand Russell, and Albert Einstein.

Council for Secular Humanism

The Council for Secular Humanism, whose chairman is the prominent American atheist Paul Kurz, founder in 1969 of the leading humanist publishing house Prometheus Books, describes itself on its website as 'North America's leading organization for non-religious people'. The Council states that it 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 publishing the atheist humanist magazine Free Inquiry to campaigning on ethical issues, summoning conferences, providing support networks, offering educational courses and (like the British Humanist Association) conducting secular ceremonies.[5]

The Council names its specific objectives as:
1) promoting secular humanist principles to the public, media, and policy-makers;
2) providing secular humanist activities and communities to serve the needs of nonreligious people and foster human enrichment;
3) demonstrating the viability of the secular humanist eupraxsophy (Kurz's own philosophy of life) as an alternative naturalistic life-stance;
4) engaging in research relating to the critical examination of religious and supernatural claims and the humanist outlook;
5) conducting educational programs for all age levels.[6]

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI)

The organisation CSICOP (now CSI) - the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry - is also an important organ of US secular humanism. Founded in 1976, the Committee has a more circumscribed goal than those mentioned above - namely, the 'critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view'[7]. The Committee generally claims to promote science and scientific inquiry, critical thinking, science education, and the use of reason in examining important issues, and publishes a journal entitled Skeptical Inquirer. Fellows of CSI include prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Steven Weinberg.

Bibliography

Footnotes

[1]↑ See ffrf.org.
[2]↑See www.atheists.org.
[3]↑ Seewww.atheists.org.
[4]↑ See www.americanhumanist.org.
[5]↑ See www.secularhumanism.org.
[6]↑ See www.secularhumanism.org.
[7]↑ See csicop.org.

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