The Humanists of Colorado, based in Denver, Colorado, is a local chapter of the national American Humanists Association. Our local group was founded in 1980.
The Humanists of Colorado, based in Denver, Colorado, is a local chapter of the national American Humanists Association. Our local group was founded in 1980.
Here is a short list of the events we have held over the last couple of years:
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
The April 2012 meeting of the Humanists of Colorado continues our annual
theme of Politiconomics by featuring Bob Bows, communications manager of
the Public Banking Institute (PBI). Bob is a political economist
(Stanford ‘71) known for a diverse set of accomplishments including
designing prototypical vote-by-mail procedures in Colorado, helping
start a public television station, and helping to bring the Colorado
Rockies baseball franchise to our state.
Bob's talk, entitled "The Colorado Economy, OccupyWallStreet, and Public
Banking", asks why the state of North Dakota had (with the last data
available) the nation's lowest unemployment rate and the largest budget
surplus, with no bank failures in the previous decade. His answer,
intriguingly, is that North Dakota is the only state currently operating
its own bank!
This month we take a break from our year's theme of econo-politics for a refreshing talk on philosophy, specifically ethics, more specifically ethics in ancient Greek philosophy. UC Boulder's Dr. Ellen Wagner, an expert on Greek philosophy, will speak on "How to Lead an Excellent Human Life, No Supernatural Beings Needed!" She says: "Aristotle designed a beautiful argument for a virtue ethics based on nothing more than human nature, in its complexity. His thinking about ethics and virtue has stood for more than 2,000 years and can inform our humanist ideas today. We'll discuss the strengths and weaknesses of what he argues."
Sunday 12 February 2012 - Colorado Move to Amend
Michael Melio, Colorado Chair of Move to Amend, will be discussing the disastrous Citizen's United decision by the (not very) Supreme Court that turned on the spigot of corporate bribes in American politics -- and what Move to Amend is doing about it. (And what you can do, too!)
Sunday 8 January 2012 - Introduction to Humanism
This month we feature a combination presentation on the topic of Humanism itself, a topic we try to cover once per year or so. Our previously planned speaker has been dragged off to Paris by his day job, so we are pulling out all the stops to replace him. We will show some short videos from the "Introduction to Humanism" DVD by Florida's Jennifer Hancock; we will feature some short talks by 3 different individuals on topics in Humanism; and we will take as many questions as the audience would like to ask. This should be a good meeting for those new to Humanism
Our annual HumanLight party celebrates the winter solstice, when the days start lengthening again. A potluck will start at 6:00 (bring whatever you wish, no suggestions). Later in the evening, we will hold our annual paperback book exchange. Bring one or more paperbacks to trade, and take home the same number. Also, we will be sharing our thoughts on this year's theme of Sustainability, whether original or quoted. In keeping with our 2011 theme of Sustainability, our hosts, Ray and Betty Flescher, have their leased solar panels up and running.
In recent years the HOC has often collected money at meetings, to
distribute to charitable organizations. Our friends the Denver Atheists,
under the dynamic leadership of Eric Meer, have gone a step further, and
formed an organization, "Atheists For Humanity", complete with a web
site, a Board, and so on, specifically intended to make it easy for
people like us to lend a helping hand to those who might benefit from
it.
In December, during the traditional season of sharing, Eric Meer will
visit our meeting and describe his organization, how it works, and how
much success it has had so far, and explain why we should consider
jumping on this particular bandwagon.
Yes, we've already done a program on solar energy this year, but this
one is different. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technology is a way of
using solar energy on a much larger scale than photovoltaics can
provide. CSP technology will use solar power to boil water in order to
turn the turbines that generate electricity, replacing the fossils fuels
that are used in most power plants today. This has the potential to move
solar energy from a minor role in our energy production to a major
contributor of clean, sustainable electricity.
Allison Gray of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will
give the presentation on this exciting new technology. Allison joined
NREL in 2008, working as an engineer in the Concentrating Solar Power
group. Before working at NREL, Allison worked on concentrating solar
thermal and photovoltaic technologies for 4 years at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work there included investigating system
performance and reliability, data acquisition, and solar resource
studies. Her Master's thesis focused on improving the passive cooling
system of a high concentrating photovoltaic system using a numerical
model and experimental data.
This year's series on Sustainability continues, with two speakers.
First, Nancy Kellogg of company Lightly Treading will talk and take
questions on Home Energy Audits. Nancy has been involved in energy
efficiency for over thirty years. She holds a BA in Business
Administration and is also certified in building science. She has been
with Lightly Treading for over 10 years, conducting energy audits,
energy ratings, educational presentations and inspiration for our
community. Nancy is very passionate about helping homeowners address
their energy concerns and has helped hundreds of homeowners solve their
comfort issues.
Next, Jeff Tejral will speak about Xeriscaping. Jeff is a conservation
specialist for Denver Water with over fifteen years of training and
experience in water conservation, drought tolerant landscaping and
low-water vegetable gardening. He currently manages Denver Water's
conservation rebate programs which provide opportunities for 1.3 million
customers to use only what they need. Jeff's talk will be a brief
overview of each of the steps for a homeowner to go from living or dead
lawn to a healthy low-water xeriscape. Attention will be given to price
and maintenance changes.
It has been years since the HOC has shown a movie, since we prefer
human interaction with speakers. But, a film that spends a lot of time
on Humanist concepts was released earlier this summer, and already
available on iTunes, and we will show it this month. If everyone enjoys
the experience, we might make it an annual event.
The film is "The Ledge", described online as "A thriller in which a
battle of philosophies between a fundamentalist Christian and an atheist
escalates into a lethal battle of wills." Written and directed by
Matthew Chapman, the film features some stars, including Terence Howard
and Liv Tyler, but is most notable for its courage in discussing belief
and non-belief. The film is rated "R" (for language and sex, but not
much violence), so this might not be the best HOC meeting for children.
Sunday 14 August 2011 - Humanist Celebrants
Every so often we like to do a presentation on various aspects of
Humanism. This month we will host a panel of humanist celebrants.
Most human societies have a tradition of marking important life events,
including weddings, funerals and baby namings among others, with some
sort of ceremony. Traditionally, these ceremonies have been in the
domain of religion, but the need for these ceremonies transcends and
most likely predates religion. Humanist celebrants fill this need for
the non-religious.
We have invited a panel of humanist celebrants to discuss topics such as
what they do, the history of humanist celebrants, and to what extent
humanist celebrants are resources to the secular community . Panel
members will include Celebrant emeritus John Abramson; HOC
vice-president and humanist celebrant, Tim Bailey; Humanist Celebrant
Sean P. Curley, and Life-Cycle Celebrant ® Jennifer
Bailey, who along with Tim operates Celebrating
Times of Change.
Our sustainability series continues with a presentation on
alternative energy, specifically solar photovoltaics (PV). Matt Johnson
of
Namaste Solar will be presenting "Solar PV 101". Topics covered in
this presentation include:
- How solar PV technology works
- Solar PV design considerations
- Environmental and financial benefits of solar PV
- The role of solar PV in our current and future energy
portfolio
Our June meeting will be our annual picnic + entertainment + elections
event.
Meet at the usual place at the usual time. If the weather is bad (as it
has been in recent years) we will meet inside, otherwise we will enjoy
the good weather outside.
Instead of a potluck with listings by last name, we will hold a picnic,
starting at the usual time of 6:00. The HOC will provide some grilling
foods and two portable grills. Bring whatever picnic foods you like,
including additional grilling foods if you like.
We are still discussing entertainment possibilities, and will post news
here.
Any current member who would like to join the Board of the HOC should
contact any of our Board members, or send a letter to our PO Box 461112,
Glendale, CO, 80246, or simply speak up during the picnic. We will vote
for Board members that evening.
Should be a great time as always!
Dr. Kathleen Hynes is a volunteer speaker for the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) of Colorado. After receiving a PhD in Sociology
from the University of Denver, she held a faculty appointment at the
University of Colorado School of Medicine, dealing mostly with medical
ethics. She later left the University and began her own research
business, which she has pursued for over two decades.
Dr. Hynes will use this opportunity to discuss several topics of
interest to the ACLU and Denverites, including immigration issues,
prisoners' rights, and the Patriot Act.
For our second talk in our Sustainability series, HOC board member Deiadra Swartz will give a presentation on global water sustainability, water poverty and gender equity. Here is how she describes her presentation:
"The main focus of my presentation will be global water issues, which will illustrate the need for more sustainable local water practices; I’ll summarize the latest research on gender equity and water poverty; then I’ll end with a call to action – things that each of us can do to make difference. You know that I’ll be looking forward to presenting to HOC on April 10th so be ready with those tough questions!"
Deiadra is a lawyer, writer, professor, mentor, and professional speaker; yet somehow she still finds time to be a single mom. Deiadra earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University, and her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Denver College of Law.
We are pleased to have Deiadra’s service as a dedicated Board Member with this organization. Among her other affiliations, Deiadra lists the Universities Council on Water Resources, Colorado Business Women, Colorado Coalition for Reason, and Gender & Water Alliance based in The Netherlands.
Sunday 13 Mar 2011 - David Eller: Cruel Creeds, Virtuous Violence
In his previous books for a general audience, Natural Atheism and Atheism Advanced, Dr. David Eller provided fresh arguments for an atheistic worldview and explained why atheists must advance beyond a simple non-belief in gods to the rejection of belief without evidence altogether.
At the next HOC meeting, Eller will discuss his new book, Cruel Creeds, Virtuous Violence: Religious Violence across Culture and History. In this book, Eller examines the many different forms of violence manifested in religions throughout history and the world. As the subtitle suggests, Eller discusses violence not just in the Abrahamic religions we are so familiar with, but in eastern and tribal religions as well.
One week after the HOC meeting, Eller will lead the discussion of his book at the Denver Humanist Book Group meeting. There are still a couple of spots available and plenty of time to read the book.
Copies of Eller's new book will be available for purchase and signing.
Dr. David Eller is a professor of anthropology at the Community College of Denver.
Our 2011 series on Sustainability kicks off with a talk by Steve Andrews.
Steve consulted, wrote and taught in the energy realm from 1980 through 2009, and continues to give presentations (250 and counting) on the long view regarding world energy supply constraints.
Topics to be covered include world oil production by nation, differing forecasts of oil production, alternative fuels, and the increasing role of the financial system on both supply and demand. Steve will also cover and take questions about items in the news recently related to petroleum production.
Last year the Humanists of Colorado became increasingly interested in charitable activies. We held speakers on the topic, we donated collected money, and we donated collected goods.
This month, we will hear from an expert in the field.
Balbir Mathur of Wichita, Kansas founded and continues to run the longstanding charity "Trees For Life International"
(http://www.treesforlife.org/), best known for organizing
and supporting the planting of trees as food sources in poor countries, although their activities are varied, including the recent spinoff "Books For Life".
Balbir will tell us about his life in charity, the activities of Trees For Life, the effect of the internet on charities, ideas for group-run charitable activities and anything else
this born storyteller wishes to recount.
The winter solstice was a secular celebration time long before it was chosen for religious holidays. Join us to eat, drink, talk, and share the party season.
A potluck will start at 6:00; bring whatever you wish, no suggestions for this one. Later in the evening, we will hold our annual paperback book exchange.
Bring one, or more, paperbacks to trade, and take back the same number. Also, we will be sharing our thoughts on What It Means To Be Human, whether original
or quoted.
Students today are different than they were 20 years ago; they have more access to information than ever before. However, most traditional schools and districts are
teaching as if we are still in the industrial age. In December, Karen Sorensen
(http://www.21stcenturyedu.com/) will hold a workshop/presentation on why and how education
should be brought into the new century.
21st Century Education takes the themes of civics, environment, personal finance, career and life readiness, business, economics, health, and global awareness, integrating
them with the academic disciplines of reading, writing, math, English, language arts, world languages, history, science, geography, and the arts. These connections are aided
through the use of technology to create project-based learning environments through which students develop cognitive thinking skills such as problem solving, communication,
innovation, critical thinking, leadership, creativity, and curiosity.
Our series on "Humanism in World Traditions" concludes this month with a talk on the Quakers, also known as the Religious Society of Friends. As so often in this series,
we have located the best person available to tell us about a religion which shares many tendencies with Humanism.
Martha Roberts was not born into a Quaker family, but was "convinced", as the Friends say, as an adult, and has since spent decades as an active member of the Society:
serving on committees, giving workshops, teaching classes, chairing a national conference, and serving on a committee which wrote a book describing the faith and practice
of Quakers in the Southwest.
A month before the 2010 elections, we will host representatives of some of the political campaigns in Colorado. As of this writing (Friday, October 6) we have three confirmed speakers:
Eleanor Celeste will speak on behalf of Michael Bennett for Senator from Colorado.
Jamie Van Leeuven will speak on behalf of John Hickenlooper for Governor of Colorado.
Bob Kinsey, candidate for Senate from the Green Party, will speak himself.
We are still trying to line up speakers on behalf of Dan Maes for Governor and Ken Buck for Senator, and possibly other speakers as well. Watch this space for updates.
Our series, Humanism in World Traditions, continues this month with two speakers covering the two great Chinese religions. Don Scheuer (bio to follow) will speak on Taoism, known to most westerners as an abstract philosophy stemming from a 230-year-old book by Lao Tzu, but Don will tell us what Taoism is really about. Ken Roberts, past President of the HOC, will speak on Confucianism, the even more ancient humanistic philosophy that dominated chinese cultural developments until late in the 20th century.
(Sorry about the change of topic. The previously-scheduled topic, "Political Campaigns", will be held instead in October, closer to the next elections, so that the campaigns have a chance to get themselves organized.)
Was the United States founded as a Christian Nation? Do our laws favor Christianity over other religions, or no religion? Does our society define its values through Christanity? These are questions that affect all of us, and there is a lot of confusion and hype surrounding them. This presentation attempts to take a rational look at these questions.
Our speaker, Sean Curley, is an active member of the Humanist and Atheist communities, both in Colorado and nationally. Sean is on the board of the Boulder International Humanist Institute, is the regional Ambassador for the Atheist Alliance International, and is an active Humanist Celebrant (Reverend). Besides being an activist and public speaker, Sean is pursuing a degree in Creative Writing. He has published a book on parenting, Humanism for Parents - Parenting without Religion, and has completed a novel that covers the founding of Christianity.
On July 11 you are invited to the fourth presentation in our series, "Humanism In World Traditions". The topic this month will be the Baha'i Faith, a monotheistic religion with perhaps 6 million adherents worldwide that emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind.
Our speaker, Matt Weinberg, is a researcher and writer with interests relating to international development, science and ethics, and human rights. His presentation will explore the question of human identity in a globalizing world from the perspective of the Baha'i teachings.
As usual in June, the monthly Humanists of Colorado meeting on the 13th will be given over to eating, talking, and entertainment.
We will hold a picnic starting at 6:00, just outside the usual meeting place (or inside if it rains.) The HOC will provide a grill and some food for grilling. Instead of organizing by last name, everyone else should bring whatever they like to bring for a picnic/grill out!
At 7:30 or 8:00 we will move inside for some entertainment, which has not been determined yet. Perhaps music like last year, or perhaps something else. Watch this space for an update.
On May 9 you are invited to the third presentation in our series, "Humanism In World Traditions". This time we feature the most humanistic religion known to us, so humanistic that the HOC meets in one of their churches: Unitarian Universalism, a historical outgrowth of Christianity that is now ... well, you'll have to attend to hear more.
Even better, we have lined up a local speaker so knowledgeable about UU'ers, he can be found introducing the topic on their video website, UU Planet TV (at the URL http://www.uuplanet.tv/video/Unitarian-Universalism-Rev-Mich). Michael Corrigan is a minister at the First Universalist, and will speak on the history of the Unitarian Universalist movement, its deep ties to Humanism, and its current currents. Michael will also describe the First Universalist Church, our host these many years, and will answer questions about all of the above.
Book Collection: This month, the HOC is inaugurating a new practice, the collection of goods at our monthly meeting for various purposes. This first collection will be a classic, books, to be donated to local public libraries. Don't recycle those old potboilers, romances, space operas and textbooks, let them be reused!
Climate change as a topic has risen steadily in importance for over 20 years. For Sunday, April 11, we have lined up one of the best speakers available to explain why. Bob Henson is a writer and editor for the consortium that runs the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, as well as the author of "The Rough Guide To Climate Change". Bob will show a slide presentation followed by questions, and will cover background info on climate change, impacts on Colorado, last December's meeting in Copenhagen, and recent controversies in the press.
Michelle M. Davis of the Beth Ami Colorado Congregation of Humanistic Judaism, will speak to us about the trends of Judaism from a Humanist viewpoint. There will be a summary of the history of Humanistic Judaism, brief bios of some of the pioneers such as Sherwin Wine, and a discussion regarding how Humanistic Judaism integrates the traditions and ideals of Judaism with Humanistic principles.
From their website:
"Beth Ami - Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, provides the opportunity to celebrate Jewish culture and identity consistent with a humanistic philosophy of life. Humanistic Judaism offers a Secular alternative in contemporary Jewish life, and is compatible with many belief systems. It was established by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine in 1963 in Detroit, Michigan, and has grown into a worldwide movement. Beth Ami is affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism."
This lecture is one within our series covering Humanism and World traditions. Whether you are interested in Judaic thought or how contemporary Humanistic Judaism and Secular Humanism integrate, be sure to attend this fascinating and informative lecture.
With thoughts of the tragedy in Haiti fresh in our minds, the February meeting of the Humanists of Colorado will be devoted to a topic we have been discussing off and on over the last year: charitable activities. We will hear some comments from the Board of the HOC, followed by presentations from a few selected knowledgeable charity enthusiasts who will relate their experiences and explain how the HOC could follow their lead. At the end of the meeting we will attempt to achieve consensus on how the HOC should enter into the realm of charitable activities.
This month we begin an occasional series on "Humanism in World Traditions". Two presenters will speak on the topic of Buddhism, one of the world religions often characterized as Humanistic in nature.
Thay Tinh Man is Abbot of the Compassionate Dharma Cloud Monastery is Morrison, and will speak from the standpoint of one whose life has revolved around Buddhist traditions.
Barry Albright will also speak, from the standpoint of one who is knowledgeable about Buddhism, but has not devoted his life to the practice.