Humanists of the San Joaquin Valley

02/15/2022

Hello fellow Humanists and friends,

Next Sunday, Toni Eames & Michelle will be leading us through a very interesting discussion of Disability Basics for Would-Be Allies.

Join us for an open and honest conversation about basic things everyone should know about disability. Topics will include person-first vs identity-first language, simple etiquette, nonobvious disabilities, thoughtful accommodation tips, useful technology, service animals (misunderstanding abounds!), and more.

Bring your questions! There are no silly questions and no subjects off limits.

The meeting is Sunday, February 20, from 1-2:30 p.m., on our usual Zoom. If you need the link, message Devin Carroll.

We are hosted by UU Humanists of Fresno, part of the UU Church of Fresno. This is a joint meeting with the Humanists of the San Joaquin Valley.

01/07/2022

January 16: Controversial Atheists.
The AHA rescinded the Humanist of the Year Award from Richard Dawkins. Was this fair?
Many of the "New Atheists" have been criticized for views they expressed. Names include Michael Shermer, Sam Harris, and Stephen Pinker. Are they really that bad?
Ayn Rand was a famous atheist who criticized socialism. She pointedly refused to be called a Humanist.
Madeline Murray O'Hair, perhaps the most famous American atheist, lived a controversial life. Should she be admired?

02/07/2019

We are postponing this one until March.

March 17, 2019
Is eating meat a humanist sin?
Vegetarian and vegan morality and practicality.
What are reasons for not eating meat? Can we morally eat a little meat?
Does it matter how the animals are raised? Can livestock ever be good for the environment?
Can we morally eat eggs? Cheese? Fish? Insects?
What nutrients are lacking in a meatless diet? What are some vegan sources?

02/07/2019

February 17, 2019
Categories of morality.
We can distinguish many kinds of morality. An important factor is to whom we owe a moral duty. We can have a duty to a god, such as daily prayer. We can have a duty towards tribal identity, such wearing a beard. Humanist morality entails a duty to all people including ourselves. We also recognize a duty towards other animals and to all of nature. Sexual morality is complex. It can involve duties to our family, our children, and our spouses. It includes “golden rule” humanist morality that prohibits r**e and exploitation. Decency is partly sexual morality and partly tribal identity. It varies widely from one culture to another.

02/07/2019

January 20, 2019
What are these gods we don't believe in? Definitions and descriptions. Logic and science of atheism. Devin Carroll leading discussion.

02/07/2019

December 16, 2018

The Alternatives to Violence Project
Marlene Masten and Barbara Cutright
(AVP) is a volunteer-run conflict transformation program. Teams of trained AVP facilitators conduct experiential workshops to develop participants' abilities to resolve conflicts without resorting to manipulation, coercion, or violence.
The Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP) is a vital effort that can bring new meaning to the Central Valley. After a lull in local activity and interest, a group of workshop facilitators is restarting efforts to rebuild this program in Fresno.
AVPUSA.org was begun in New York prisons over 30 years ago, providing practical life skills to inmates through workshops conducted by volunteers. Trained and apprenticed inmates serve within facilitator teams (2-5 per workshop) to contribute to positive changes in the prison climate. Research has shown a resulting:

Reduction in infractions by participants,
Significantly lower levels of expressed/experienced anger,
Lower rates of confrontations,
More optimism after six months,
Positive effect on the overall climate of the facility, where inmates were seeking ways to constructively effect their living environment,
Efforts by participants to lead others toward conflict-free lives, and
Dramatic reduction in the number of assaults between inmates in maximum-security units.

Facilitators go through 60 hours of training by experienced facilitators, then apprentice for an additional 70 hours before becoming certified facilitators. The program is monitored by AVP/California and local peers.

AVP in California has grown from 11 workshops in 2002 to 481 in 2016. More than 3,983 volunteers have donated 20 hours or more, for a total of 220,140 hours volunteered. We are two-thirds of the way toward servicing all the CDCR prisons in the state and have waiting lists generally well over 100 inmates in all prisons.

02/07/2019

November 18, 2018.
Humanists discuss immigration policy.
Discussion on the ideal immigration and border policy, from a Humanist perspective. Designing a just and humane system that meets the needs of our country and of immigrants and refugees. Our current system leads to suffering of families and people, and disruption of our economy. What can we do better? Devin Carroll will lead discussion.

02/07/2019

October 21, 2018
The Pantheist Alternative to Both Traditional Theistic Religion and Humanism. Hear about the pantheist alternative and discuss how humanism, theism, and pantheism might find common ground despite notable differences.
Our speaker Harold Wood is a leader of the Universal Pantheist Society.
http://www.pantheist.net/what-is-pantheism.html.
“Pantheism holds that the cosmos, taken or conceived of as a whole, is synonymous with God. The Cosmos is divine, and the earth sacred.”
Harold is a member of the Visalia UU Fellowship.
Some Fresno Humanists already consider themselves pantheists. Devin Carroll spoke on his interpretation of pantheism at a meeting in 2009. See his remarks on his essay page: https://sites.google.com/site/homedevin/humanist-essays
This will be a great discussion, and we expect to see a large turnout to welcome Harold to Fresno.

"Faith in wilderness, or in nature as a creative force... is a philosophy, a faith; it is even, if you like, a religion. It puts your ultimate trust not in human intelligence, but in whatever it is...

02/07/2019

September 16, 2018.
Dan Yaseen and Camille Russell will screen the documentary, Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code. Dan and Camille are leaders of Peace Fresno and they are associated with the Community Alliance newspaper. Dan has a monthly radio show on KFCF called “Speaking Truth to Empire”.

"The film tells the story of how little known Vatican documents of the fifteenth century resulted in a tragic global momentum of domination and dehumanization. This led to law systems in the United States and Canada and elsewhere in the world, that are still being used against Original Nations and Peoples to this day. The film concludes with traditional teachings developed over thousands of years that provide a much needed alternative for humans and the ecological systems of Mother Earth at this time."