Leeds Humanists

31/05/2026

Just over a week before a talk on Freedom & Enslavement in Humanist Thought at the Concord Meeting on Monday, 8 June at 7.30pm at the Carlton Hill Quaker Meeting House (LS2 9DX opposite the University Engineering Dept). Please park on the road nearby.

Please register at: https://humanists.uk/events/freedom-and-enslavement-in-humanist-thought-leeds-humanists/

Alternatively, you can watch on Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89098178614?pwd=Fx7BnOFHFIKSr22HwPLUOkGUGw3x9F.1
Meeting ID: 890 9817 8614 Passcode: 088158

Freedom and Enslavement in Humanist Thought | Leeds Humanists Register Now 08 June 2026, 19:30 -- 21:00 A talk by Leeds Humanists on Freedom and Enslavement as part of the Concord Leeds Interfaith Fellowship Annual Programme, a group of people of different faiths established to promote charitable ...

29/04/2026

The Leeds Salon is holding an event titled Christianity and Existential Freedom at Mill Hill Chapel, 9 Lower Basinghall Street, Leeds, LS1 5EB, which might be of interest to some members, especially after Humanists UK comments on the Bible Society report.

It's on Saturday, 9 May 2026. Doors open at 2:15pm (for 2:30 pm start) to 4pm. There is an admission fee of £6, cash only on the door to Priestley Hall, or in advance via the 'Donations or Admissions' button on The Leeds Salon homepage.

Christianity and Existential Freedom
Last year, a widely reported study commissioned by the Bible Society claimed there has been a ‘quiet revival’ of Christianity in Britain, with surprising numbers of young people attending church. The report has now been withdrawn because of concerns about its methodology, but it did seem to strike a nerve. While nominal Christianity might still be in decline, there does seem to have been a vibe shift. The days of ‘militant atheism’ seem behind us. No sooner had atheism become the default among educated people than it too began to lose its sheen. But what really comes next?

Zooming out historically, author and essayist Dolan Cummings argues it is no accident that non-belief first began to seem plausible in the Christian West. Especially in its Protestant forms, the teaching that Jesus died for our sins frees us from the deep human instinct to placate God or the gods through ritual, sacrifice or even good deeds. Christianity invented the secular, while urging people to continue worshiping God. For some, though, it was a short step from the existential freedom of Christianity to not believing in God at all. But what if the religious instinct won’t die? Might it be just as short a step back in out of the cold?

Is Christianity making a comeback, or are a few youthful church-goers just a blip in the steady decline of all religion? Does freedom from religion entail a loss of purpose? Or can we discover meaning for ourselves?

22/04/2026

It was great to meet colleagues from the Humanist Society of Scotland and share experiences. We hope they have a great week in Yorkshire. It was also great to meet some Leeds Group members, with apologies that I only thought to take a photograph after you left!

Leeds Humanists Humanist Ceremonies Humanists UK West Yorkshire Humanists

31/03/2026

"Ensh*ttification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It" by Cory Doctorow.

Wednesday 20 May 2026, 17:00 -- 18:30

The online world. That is our life. maybe not all of it, but more than perhaps some of us care to admit. Wasn't it once exciting and innovative, carrying hopes and dreams of liberal utopias? Less dramatically, online started as a place where we could connect and generally feel good about being part of the wider world with just a few clicks.

Then something happened. What happened, according to Cory Doctorow, author of Ensh*ttification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It, is this. The big tech companies that run and still do run all this online stuff got us hooked, made us dependent. Then once that job was done, they did the same with business customers. Not content with that, both were tossed aside in the name of pure profit.

Everything went whoosh! Governments are far too timid. It is up to us to fight back: consumers, individuals, citizens. Let's go for it!

Please register to let us know that you are coming.

https://humanists.uk/events/leeds-humanists-book-club-ensh*ttification-why-everything-suddenly-got-worse-and-what-to-do-about-it-by-cory-doctorow/

The event is free, but we welcome donations that help cover our running costs.

Join us to discuss. All are welcome.

The venue is Holding Patterns (bar) https://www.holdingpatternslds.co.uk/. The location is 2 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL. Please note that it is a basement venue located below Renaissance Hair Salon. There is no lift.

21/02/2026

Leeds Humanists Book Club
11 March 2026, 17:00 - 18:30

The book is Stoner by John Williams. It is the story of an ordinary man's life, a man drawn to literature in early adulthood against the knowledge of his parents. He is a man who is not considered remarkable by anyone, but whose life clearly has value. He is a person making his mark only on the lives of his family and those close to him, leaving no impression on the wider world. A person who will not be remembered across the centuries, across the millennia. Like most of us.

As humanists, what do we understand gives meaning to an individual's life? Indeed, do we, as individuals, need anything to provide us with meaning to live a happy, fulfilled life? There are plenty more questions - not all of them existential. Join us to discuss.

The venue is Holding Patterns (bar) https://www.holdingpatternslds.co.uk/.
The location is 2 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL. Please note that it is a basement venue located below Renaissance Hair Salon.

All are welcome. This event is free, but we welcome donations to help cover running costs. Please register using this link:
https://humanists.uk/events/leeds-humanists-book-club/

Leeds Humanists Book Club Register Now 11 March 2026, 17:00 -- 18:00 The book is Stoner by John Williams. It is the story of an ordinary man's life, a man drawn to literature in early adulthood against the knowledge of his parents. He is a man who is not considered remarkable by anyone, but whose ...

09/01/2026

If you are interested in our Book Club on 21 January 2026, 17.00 - 18.45 at Holding Patterns, 2 Albion Place (below Renaissance hair salon), Leeds, LS1 6JL, but don't have time to read the book, BBC iPlayer has a five-part mini-series of the book we are discussing - The Narrow Road to the Deep North. While there are some small changes in the story, it stays true to the book.

Register following this link:

https://humanists.uk/events/leeds-humanists-book-club-the-narrow-road-to-the-deep-north-by-richard-flanagan/

Our Book Club resumes on 21 January 2026, 17:00 -- 18:30 at a new venue: Holding Patterns, 2 Albion Place (below Renaissance hair salon), Leeds, LS1 6JL

Leeds Humanists Book Club: ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ by Richard Flanagan

Please join us for an exploration of love, memory and wartime trauma.

January's book club choice is The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. This novel explores one man's experience of being a prisoner of war, a forced labourer on the Burma Death Railway during World War 2 and how it impacts his life many years down the line.

The author's father was a POW in Burma. So the novel can be seen as the son trying to understand the man he never quite knew, especially during his formative years, the man who could not talk about those terrible years, the man who needed to look forward and never back...

What questions does the book raise? Many. What does trauma do to a person at the time and many years down the line? How does it affect how they relate to others, including their family? Does trauma form the key part of the identity of a trauma survivor, or is it more complex than that?

Many more questions can be asked. We would love to hear them, along with any other ideas and thoughts that you might have. We look forward to seeing you!

This event is free, but any donations are welcome to help with our running costs.

https://humanists.uk/civicrm/event/info/?id=2567

04/01/2026

Our Book Club resumes on 21 January 2026, 17:00 -- 18:30 at a new venue: Holding Patterns, 2 Albion Place (below Renaissance hair salon), Leeds, LS1 6JL

Leeds Humanists Book Club: ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ by Richard Flanagan

Please join us for an exploration of love, memory and wartime trauma.

January's book club choice is The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. This novel explores one man's experience of being a prisoner of war, a forced labourer on the Burma Death Railway during World War 2 and how it impacts his life many years down the line.

The author's father was a POW in Burma. So the novel can be seen as the son trying to understand the man he never quite knew, especially during his formative years, the man who could not talk about those terrible years, the man who needed to look forward and never back...

What questions does the book raise? Many. What does trauma do to a person at the time and many years down the line? How does it affect how they relate to others, including their family? Does trauma form the key part of the identity of a trauma survivor, or is it more complex than that?

Many more questions can be asked. We would love to hear them, along with any other ideas and thoughts that you might have. We look forward to seeing you!

This event is free, but any donations are welcome to help with our running costs.

https://humanists.uk/civicrm/event/info/?id=2567

04/01/2026

Happy New Year to you all, and let's hope 2026 is happy, healthy and fulfilling for us all.

Exeter Humanists have an event this week that you might be interested in. Please follow the link below to register for this Zoom event, hence sharing it.

24/12/2025

Season's Greetings to you all. We're really looking forward to sharing events with you after Christmas.

15/12/2025

2025 is drawing to a close rapidly, and the Leeds Humanist Group Committee is starting to plan events for 2026. Although we're titled "Leeds", we do cover the whole of West Yorkshire, and we're very conscious that our in-person events have all been Leeds-based.

So, we need your help, please! We'd like to know:

1) What type of events would you like us to put on next year (remembering we have a very limited events budget)
2) What is the best time/day for you (e.g. morning, lunchtime, evening, weekends)
3) Do you prefer meetings in person or online?
4) If in person, if meetings were held outside Leeds City Centre, would you be able to attend?
5) If in-person meetings could be arranged in towns/Cities other than Leeds, do you know of any suitable venues that are easy to get to by public transport/have parking and are free or reasonably cheap?

Comments below, please!

Thank you!