Humanist and secular alternatives to religion Books

Book SynopsisThe study of New Religious Movements (NRMs) is one of the fastest-growing areas of religious studies. This Handbook covers the current state of the field and breaks new ground. Its contributors are drawn equally from sociology and religious studies and include both established scholars and rising stars in the field. The core chapters deal with such central issues as conversion, the brainwashing debate, millennialism, and modernization. Another section deals with NRM subfields such as neopaganism, Satanism, and UFO religions. The final section considers NRMs in global perspective. CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, 2005

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Book SynopsisThis book is a translation of Aziz al-Azmeh's seminal work Al-'Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif that was first published in Beirut in 1992.

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Book SynopsisEveryday Humanism seeks to move the discussion of humanism's positive contributions to life away from the macro-level to focus on the everyday, or micro-dimensions of our individual and collective existence. How might humanist principles impact parenting? How might these principles inform our take on aging, on health, on friendship? These are just a few of the issues around everyday life that needed interpretation from a humanist perspective. Through attention to key issues, the volume seeks to promote the value of humanism at the level of the ordinary, typical occurrences and conditions of our existence.Table of ContentsIntroduction SECTION I: BEING A HUMANIST 1. Humanism and the Problem of Fear Dale McGowan 2. Humanism and the Problem of Being Human Jennifer Michael Hecht, Columbia University 3. Humanism and Healthy Living Susan Rose and Katrina Scott, independent scholars, USA SECTION II: THE HUMANIST IN RELATIONSHIP 4. Coexistence Chris Stedman, Harvard University 5. The Expression of Love Anne Klaeysen, Columbia University 6. My Neighbor's Keeper? Humanism and Charity Anthony Pinn 7. Humanism's Obligation to the Next Generation Bob Bhaerman, independent scholar, USA 8. Humanism and Online Social Networking Jamila Bey, independent scholar, USA SECTION III: DOING HUMANISM 9. Community Greg Epstein, Harvard University 10. Humanist Ethics in Everyday Life Nigel Warburton, Open University, UK 11. An Ecological Turn Henk Manschot and Caroline Suransky, University of Humanistics, Netherlands 12. Politics and Political Life Andrew Copson, British Humanist Association 13. Political Involvement in a Troubled World Alan Tacca, journalist, Uganda

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Book SynopsisYoung people are doing faith differently. They are redefining community, ministry and ritual for a new era. In the face of planetary crisis, the next generation no longer see faith as a private matter, instead they are integrating it with activism and the need for systemic change. Influenced by the wealth of different teachings and traditions available around them, their identities are increasingly multifaceted and emphatically global. This collection of stories and interviews with young adults and their allies explores this new landscape, reflecting both the energy and inspiration of the next generation and the tremendous challenges they face. It points towards an exciting evolution in the way we are relating to the sacred.With stories from:Adam Bucko, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Kara Moses, Abbas Zahedi, Camille Barton, Bruna Kadletz, Dekila Chungyalpa, Matt Youde, Amrita Bhohi, Sun Kaur, and many others.With supporting stories from senior leaders including:His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Rabbi Laura Janner Klausner, Bhai Sahib Dr Mohinder Singh, and more.Table of ContentsTbc.

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Book SynopsisFunerals are among the most important life events in Western society, and fashioning a personalized ceremony for yourself or for a loved one is often the most meaningful way to celebrate the life of the deceased. For those wanting non-religious or secular funeral ceremonies, this step-by-step guide begins by identifying what you want from the funeral and showing how you can make it happen. With sections on society's views of mortality, our need for rituals and crafting the actual ceremony, this guide provides the tools and philosophy to understand, plan and tailor a funeral for individuals. Includes all the tools necessary for the creation of a ceremony, such as a Ritual Profiles, checklists, and many other handy resources.Trade ReviewJeltje Gordon-Lennox has captured every conceivable aspect of what makes a meaningful funeral ritual, and condensed it into an easily digestible and enjoyable format to read. It's hard to imagine you would need another resource than this one. It has everything, and it's so well done. -- Kyle Tevlin, I Want a Fun FuneralA modern and comprehensive guide for navigating the complex emotions and multitude of tasks related to the death of a loved one. Jeltje's practical approach includes a "ritual profile" and other thoughtful tools that help mourners bridge the gap between the past and the future by creating meaningful, healing and authentic experiences through the power of ceremony and ritual. -- Linda Stuart, Life-Cycle Celebrant, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaI find this book incredibly helpful as I return to parish ministry after a decade away. I can throw away my antiquated funeral resources and just use the creative process offered by Jeltje Gordon-Lennox. -- Rev. Sara G. Armstrong, Montezuma Valley Presbyterian ChurchInevitably, we all pass away. Whether the funeral we need to prepare is 2 months or 20 years away, or for ourselves or someone who died leaving no instructions, most of us are at a loss to know what to do. Jeltje slips her hand into yours and accompanies you, step by step, through the process of crafting rituals that honour life and relationships. This guide fills a huge void. It is equally useful for the deeply religious, those who claim no religion and those somewhere in-between. -- Suzanne P. de Boer, Educational Consultant for children with special needs, Modesto, California, USAEven young children understand the importance of commemorating a death with others. A friend and I once buried a baby bird that had fallen from its nest. We marked the spot with a lily and precious drops from our ice cream cones. With humility and care, this book brings us back to the authenticity of early funeral rituals. -- Mia Mohr, artivist with a transatlantic group of artists and lives in Talca, ChileTable of ContentsRitual Toolbox: List of Tools with Their Icons; List of Figures; Foreword by Margaret Holloway; Acknowledgements; Preface; Part I - MortaliTy; 1. My Death Waits; a) Notes on last wishes; 2. Gone Too Soon; a) Notes on ritual profile and strategy; Part II - our need for ritual; 3. The Sense of Ritual; a) Notes on repackaging ritual; 4. Preplanning Makes Sense; a) Seven destressing techniques; b) Questionnaire on my ritual profile; c) Coronach will; d) Inventory on ritual profilefor funerals; Part III - Crafting theceremony; 5. Planning the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the planning phase; b) Notes on the pillars of ritual design; 6. Creating the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the creating phase; b) Notes on rules for ritual design; 7.Realizing the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the realizing phase; b) Notes on funerals for sensitive situations; Part IV - the FUTURE OF THE DeaD; 8. New Mourning; Glossary; Resources; a) Notes on mortality, illness and dying; b) Notes on solace for the bereaved; References; Index

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Book SynopsisJodocus Badius Ascensius (1462-1535) was a scholar and printer who played a central role in the flourishing of humanism and print culture in the French Renaissance. In a career spanning four decades, he was involved with the print publication of something approaching one thousand editions. He was known for the ''familiar'' commentaries he wrote and published as introductions to the major authors of Latin (and, less frequently, Greek) antiquity, as well as on texts by medieval and contemporary authors. His commentaries and prefaces document the early stages of French humanism, and his texts played a major role in forming the minds of future generations. This book provides an account of Badius''s contributions to pedagogy, scholarship, printing and humanist culture. Its main focus is on Latin language commentaries on classical texts. It examines Badius''s multiple roles in the light of changing conceptions of textual culture during the Renaissance. It also explores the wider context of tTable of Contents1. Jodocus Badius Ascensius: The Making of a Name ; 2. Self-Representation and Authorship ; 3. Defining Commentary ; 4. Badius and Textual Culture ; 5. The Commerce of Learning ; 6. Silvae morales (1492) ; 7. Badius's Commentary Editions: The Classical Poets ; 8. 'Morals and Letters' ; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisFocusing on the crossover between the sacred and the secular, this volume gathers the work of media experts, religious historians, sociologists of religion, and authorities on American studies and art history. Topics range from Islam on the Internet to the quasi-religious practices of Elvis fans.Trade ReviewIt is diffucult to imagine that Hoover and Clark's collection will not work to inspire and encourage further research...The book should have considerable value to students of this field. -- Gustav Niebuhr Journal of the American Academy of ReligionTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Cultural Construction of Religion in the Media Age, by Stewart M. Hoover 1. Overview: The "Protestantization" of research into Media, Religion, and Culture, by Lynn Schofield Clark Part 1. Mediation in Popular Religious Practice 2. Protestant Visual Practice and American Mass Culture, by David Morgan 3. Believing in Elvis: Popular Piety in Material Culture, by Erika Doss Part 2. The Mediation of Religion in the Public Sphere 4. Public Art as Sacred Space: Asian American Community Murals In Los Angeles, by J. Shawn Landres 5. All the World's a Stage: The Performed Religion of the Salvation Army, 1880-1920, by Diane Winston 6. "Turn It Off!": TV Criticism in theChristian Century Magazine, 1946-1960, by Michele Rosenthal Part 3. Religion Made Public Through the Media 7. Between Objectivity and Moral Vision: Catholics and Evangelicals in American Journalism, by John Schmalzbauer 8. The Southern Baptist Controversy and the Press, by Mark G. Borchert Part 4. Implicit Religion and Mediated Public Ritual 9. Scapegoating and Deterrence: Criminal Justice Rituals in American Civil Religion, by Carolyn Marvin 10. Ritual and the Media, by Ronald L. Grimes Part 5. Explicit and Public Expression in New Media Contexts 11. Allah On-Line: The Practice of Global Islam in the Information Age, by Bruce B. Lawrence 12. Internet Ritual: A Case Study of the Construction of Computer-Mediated Neopagan Religious Meaning, by Jan Fernback 13. Religious Sensibilities in the Age of the Internet: Freethought Culture and the Historical Context of Communication Media, by David Nash Part 6. Specific Religions and Specific Media in National and Ethnic Contexts 14. Religious Television in Sweden: Toward a More Balanced View of Its Reception, by Alf Linderman 15. Religious to Ethnic-National Identities: Political Mobilization Through Jewish Images in the United States and Britain, 1881-1939, by Michael Berkowitz 16. Between American Televangelism and African Anglicanism, by Knut Lundby 17. "Speaking in Tongues, Writing in Vision": Orality and Literacy in Televangelistic Communications, by Keyan G. Tomaselli and Arnold Shepperson Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisNine major scholars of philosophy, religion, law, ethics, history, anthropology, and politics consider the fate of Western secularism in modern global societies. Extending Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, this anthology explores the transformation of Western secularism beyond Europe, and the collection closes with Taylor's response to each essay.Trade ReviewIn counterpoint to Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, a stellar list of contributors offer a diverse range of critical perspectives exploring the ways in which the secular and secularism are translated and transformed as they travel beyond Latin Christendom: from China to India, from the Mexican Revolution to Sufi brotherhoods in Senegal. There is no comparable collection, as challenging and rewarding for expert and educated public alike. -- Jose Casanova, Georgetown University Beyond the Secular West is a distinguished and important set of essays that responds to A Secular Age with critical, broad-ranging, and sympathetic intelligence. The contributions hang together coherently despite the various regions and disciplinary orientations that they represent and richly illuminate the complexity of the issue of secularity as a global phenomenon with a long, diverse history. -- Uday Singh Mehta, CUNY Graduate Center This volume responds to Charles Taylor's A Secular Age. Framed with an introduction and responses by Charles Taylor, the essays explore how Taylor's work applies to cultures beyond Western Latin Christendom... Highly recommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface, by Akeel Bilgrami 1. Can Secularism Travel?, by Charles Taylor 2. The Sufi and the State, by Souleymane Bachir Diagne 3. The Individual and Collective Self-Liberation Model of Ustadh Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im 4. Creating Democratically Friendly Twin Tolerations Outside of Latin Christendom: Tunisia, by Alfred Stepan 5. Secularism and the Mexican Revolution, by Claudio Lomnitz 6. Is Confucianism Secular?, by Peter van der Veer 7. Disenchantment Deferred, by Sudipta Kaviraj 8. An Ancient Indian Secular Age?, by Rajeev Bhargava 9. Gandhi's Radicalism: An Interpretation, by Akeel Bilgrami 10. A Secular Age Outside Latin Christendom: Charles Taylor Responds, by Charles Taylor List of Contributors Index

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Book Synopsisaeo A compelling, original book which will redefine our perceptions of medieval civilization -- and of the renaissance and the evolution of modern Europe. aeo Possibly the best book by a man who is widely regarded as the greatest medieval historian.Trade Review"Here the 'practical, intellectual and spiritual aspects' of twelfth-century history are discussed by a historian whose knowledge of the period and mastery of the art of writing are almost without equal." History Today "The combination of synthesis with fresh and vivid work on detail is one of Southern's particular gifts ...The proportions of the book will fit harmoniously into the overarching structure outlined at the start of the book, but this volume can also stand just as well on its own - already a classic." Reviews in History "The recovery of scholasticism therefore calls for two qualities: technical expertise, and lucidity of thought and expression. No historian combines these qualities more conspicuously than R.W. Southern." Times Literary Supplement "This book is more than a synthesis of a life's work on twelfth-century Western culture by Britain's greatest medievalist - it is the most important book in recent decades on the twelfth-century renaissance and its significance. This is a book to be treasured and reflected upon for years to come." Norman F. Cantor, New York University "That such a sweeping vision is expressed so lucidly, while simultaneously conveying the human details and experience of the period with a combination of sensitivity and scholarly rigour, justifies the description by its first reviewers: 'masterpiece.'" Journal of Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsPreface. List of Maps and Plates. Abbreviations and Short Titles. Two Preliminary Maps. Introduction. PART ONE – AIMS, METHODS, AND ENVIRONMENT. 1 Scholastic Humanism. I Contrasting types of humanism. II Characteristic features of scholastic humanism. III The problem of the natural sciences. IV Summits of success. V The regulation of social life. VI The loss of hope. 2 Chartrian Humanism: A Romantic Misconception. I Introduction. II Humanism and the School of Chartres. III Replies to critics. 3 The Sovereign Textbook of the Schools: The Bible. I The qualities of the Bible in scholastic thought. II Methods of investigation. III Bringing the message of the schools to the world. 4 Social and Political Roots of Scholastic Thought. I Pre-scholastic and scholastic Europe. II The new symbiosis of schools and government. III The schools, society and the individual. IV The schools and the papacy. 5 The Men and Their Rewards. I Scholars of the world. II Ancients and Moderns. III The new age. IV The glory and gossip of the schools. 6 The Scholastic Metropolis of Northern Europe. I Old institutions: new needs. II Stages in the triumph of Paris. III Conclusion. IV Appendix – A schedule of Parisian masters. PART TWO – TURNING DOCTRINE INTO LAW. 7 The Outlook in Northern Europe. I Truth and truth-enforcement. II Law and society in northern Europe. III Summits of northern European legal scholarship, c. 1050–1120. IV Federalism v. centralization. 8 The Outlook in Northern Italy. I Cultural potentialities and limitations. II Irnerius and the menace of Roman law. 9 The Integration of Doctrine and Law: Gratian. I Demand and response. II The man and his work. III The originality of his work. IV Method of work and date of compilation. V Gratian’s change of mind about Roman law. VI The personality behind the work. VII Did Gratian teach canon law? VIII The first masterpiece of scholastic humanism. IX Time and Place reviewed. Index.

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Book SynopsisCan secularism offer us moral, aesthetic, and spiritual satisfaction? Or does the secular view simply affirm a dog-eat-dog universe? At a time when the issues of religion, evolution, atheism, fundamentalism, Darwin, and science fill headlines and invoke controversy, The Joy of Secularism provides a balanced and thoughtful approach for understandingTrade ReviewOne of The New Yorker's Reviewer's Favorites of 2011 "[T]he book valuably works over middle ground, the space vacated by both dogmatic religionists and dogmatic atheists. It is tolerant of, and even interested in, the varieties of religious practice, and maintains an engaged and equitable tone of voice. We might call this the New Secularism... Essays ... by Adam Phillips (on helplessness) and Rebecca Stott (on Darwinian wonderment), make for a nicely prismatic collection, in which the contributors happily pursue their own interests, and are often at their most secular when they're not trying especially hard to be. The book naturally radiates outward from its editorial theme as an ideal medieval town might spread outward--from a relaxed and unpoliced center."--James Wood, New Yorker "George Levine has put together a diverse collection on what it means to be a secularist, with thoughtful essays from philosophers, historians, literary critics, and evolutionary theorists... The essays are literate and sophisticated."--Simon Blackburn, Prospect "In his upbeat Introduction, Levine's own joy in his religionless world is amply manifest. He is rapt in nature, especially birds, so expressions of aesthetic awe and wonder predominate. Secularism is not a fall, he affirms. Or rather, it is a fall, but upward (in Amy Clampitt's words) into the dazzling sun. Is life worth living in a (religiously) disenchanted world? 'You bet!' Levine answers emphatically."--Tamas Pataki, Australian Book Review "This volume ... is a valuable first contribution to an important topic, and will no doubt inspire much more work in this area."--Whitley Kaufman, Philosophy in Review "While avoiding triumphalism, these essays make a powerful case for a secularism that is both intellectually rigorous and heartfelt."--Peter D Smith, Guardian "Demonstrating that a world of secular enchantment is a place worth living in, The Joy of Secularism takes a new and liberating look at a valuable and complex subject."--World Book IndustryTable of ContentsContributors vii Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 George Levine Chapter 1: Challenges for Secularism by Philip Kitcher 24 Chapter 2: Disenchantment--Reenchantment by Charles Taylor 57 Chapter 3: Enchantment? No, Thank You! by Bruce Robbins 74 Chapter 4: Shock Therapy, Dramatization, and Practical Wisdom by William E. Connolly 95 Chapter 5: Freud's Helplessness by Adam Phillips 115 Chapter 6: A Secular Wonder by Paolo Costa 134 Chapter 7: Prehuman Foundations of Morality by Frans B. M. de Waal 155 Chapter 8: The Truth Is Sacred by David Sloan Wilson 168 Chapter 9: Darwinian Enchantment by Robert J. Richards 185 10: The Wetfooted Understory: Darwinian Immersions by Rebecca Stott 205 Notes 225 Index 253

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Book SynopsisIn contemporary Turkey—a democratic, secular, and predominantly Muslim nation—the religious healer is a controversial figure. Attracting widespread condemnation, religious healers are derided as exploiters of the sick and vulnerable, discredited forms of Islamic and medical authority, and superstitious relics of a pre-modern era. Yet all sorts of people, and not just the desperately ill, continue to seek them out. After years of research with healers and their patients in working-class neighborhoods of urban Turkey, anthropologist Christopher Dole concludes that the religious healer should be regarded not as an exception to Turkey''s secular modern development but as one of its defining figures. Healing Secular Life demonstrates that religious healing and secularism in fact have a set of common stakes in the ordering of lives and the remaking of worlds.Linking the history of medical reforms and scientific literacy campaigns to contemporary efforts of Qur''anTrade Review"A well written and structured mature ethnographic work that investigates into the micro-politics of secularism in refreshing ways. It constitutes an important contribution to the study of neglected practices and worldviews at the margins of Turkish society, which were forced into exilic locations by secularist as well as normative Islamic discourses." * Anthropos *"Healing Secular Life is a remarkable examination of the intersecting worlds of secularism and religion in Turkey, as seen through the experience of popular religious healing. Dole's great accomplishment is to project the aesthetic and moral sides of therapeutic remaking of people's lives and worlds as the ethnographic framing for understanding how politics and religion come together in the sensibility of ordinary people who are living through an extraordinary time. A fascinating and compelling ethnography." * Arthur Kleinman, Harvard University *"A fine ethnography that examines the cultural politics of healing practices in contemporary Turkey. It offers a fresh and original account of the cultural discourses and modes of aesthetic representation and perception that congeal around questions of religious healing." * Robert Desjarlais, Sarah Lawrence College *"A very impressive, theoretically sound and consistent, and empirically detailed account of how state power and its secularist project in Turkey excludes, despises, attacks, and yet contains and controls the religious therapeutic authority." * Berna Turam, Northeastern University *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Medicine and the Will to Civilization Chapter 2. Healing Difference at the Limits of Community Chapter 3. Hagiographies of the Living: Saintly Speech and Other Wonders of Secular Life Chapter 4. The Therapeutics of Piety: Ethics, Markets, Value Chapter 5. A Malaise of Fracturing Dreams: The Care of Relations Chapter 6. Healing Secular Life: Two Regimes of Loss Conclusion: Fragment Appendix: Genres of Healing Notes Glossary References Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisExamines the entanglement of secularity and liberality in the foundation of the modern state in Britain."Modern" Britain emerged from the outcome of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The rather standard Whig account of the long nineteenth century is one of growing stability, progress and improvement. And yet nothing was preordained or inevitable about the period's stability. Ruling elites felt the constant anxieties of revolutionary terrorism. As Lubenow argues, it was a period of disorganization seeking organization. The great nineteenth-century reform acts against religious monopoly were aspects of this process of political organization. While religion did not disappear, these political actions gradually changed the constitutional position of religion.As a result, a political vacuum was created which was then filled by a secular "clerisy". These "fit and proper persons", educated in the reformed universities, qualified by success in competitive examinations, began to fill positions in the Civil Service and in the professions. The effect was to replace the eighteenth-century system of confessional loyalties with a liberal political culture based on merit. Lubenow's latest study examines the work of these intertwining nineteenth-century secular-liberal processes. Steeped deeply in archival research, this book considers biographical characteristics such as education, political connections and social associations, but it is equally conceptually guided by categories such as liberalism and secularism. It fills an important gap in the political history of nineteenth-century British liberalism by taking up the question of entanglement of secularity and liberality in the foundation of the modern state.

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Book SynopsisThis book argues that theism has always understood the divine as awaiting human cognisance and worship.Trade Review"This book is concerned to stress the reciprocity and mutual trust that subsist between the divine and the human. Creation was not so much an act of power as a gift or delegation of God's own creativity... the act of creation was a risk in which God entrusted himself to human beings, who have the possibility of becoming co-workers, but are not forced to be such. This general thesis is then illustrated and confirmed in an examination in some of the major areas of human endeavour. The argument is enlivened throughout by a wealth of illustration from literature." -- John MacQuarrie, DD, formerly Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, Oxford."Bishop Cragg develops the case for Christian theism in a book that will challenge the confident agnostic or atheist no less than the Muslim or Jew. This is a distinguished book in a crowded field." -- Shabbir Akhtar, International Islamic University, Malaysia.Table of ContentsContents: Foreword by Professor Paul Preston; Acknowledgements; The Climate of Appeasement; The Paris Embassy and the Impact of Berlin; The Paris Milieu: Anglo-French Relations and the Foreign Office; The First Five Months (AprilSeptember 1937); Decline of the Popular Front and the Anschluss (October 1937-10 March 1938); The May Week-end Crisis and its Aftermath (11 March-31 August 1938); The Munich Crisis (September 1938); From Munich to the Polish Guarantee (October 1938 to 31 March 1939); The Outbreak of War and Retirement (17 March to 23 October 1939); Conclusions and a Postscript; Appendix: Principal Officials in Phipps's Paris Embassy; Index.

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding Humanism is an easy-to-read and informative overview of the beliefs, practices, and values of humanism as a non-religious worldview. This short and lively book explores humanism both as a broad historical tradition of thought and as a stance embodied in organised institutions. It sets out clearly and systematically the beliefs and values of humanism as well as the reality and personal experience of living as a humanist today. Questions discussed in this book include: How do humanists see the relation between science and religious belief? Is humanism wedded to science as the only valid form of knowledge? What value do humanists place on the arts, and can they value religious art? Does the emphasis on human responsibility depend on an untenable belief in 'free will', and is this undermined by psychology and neuroscience? Do humanists think that life is sacred? What account would humanistsTrade Review"There has rarely been a time when a clear statement of Humanist values has been so necessary. In intellectual life, these include a respect for evidence, the independence to follow any argument to where it leads, and an enlightened suspicion of claims to be authoritatively in possession of truth – religious or otherwise. In morality, they include an emphasis upon our fundamental equality and a respect for human rights, including the right to lead one’s own life in one’s own way. These values are united within the framework of a world view, premised on the recognition we each have only one life to lead, and that it is each person’s own responsibility – no-one else’s – to live that life to the fullest possible extent. In this welcome book, the Humanist framework is set out in terms which are both thorough and clear." Alan Haworth, author of Political Philosophy After 1945 (2022), Totalitarianism and Philosophy (2019), and Understanding the Political Philosophers: From Ancient to Modern Times (2012). "A great choice for students and teachers wanting a thorough modern account of humanism." Jim Al-Khalili, Vice President of Humanists UK. "An easy-to-read and informative overview of humanism. The manual for those wishing to delve deeper into this broad tradition of historical thought." Shaparak Khorsandi, Vice President of Humanists UK. Table of Contents1. Humanist organisations 2. A shared humanity 3. Human reason 4. Human imagination 5. Human responsibility 6. Human values 7. Is life sacred? 8. Human rights and secularism 9. Life and meaning 10. Humanism and religion. Index

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Book SynopsisHumanists are quick to defend threats to the separation of church and state, but they have not always been consistently unified in engaging with pressing issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality—namely, those linked to economic, environmental, and social justice. Drawing on his tenure as executive director of the American Humanist Association, Roy Speckhardt calls for humanists everywhere to center justice in their humanism by promoting public policy based on ethical humanist principles. Acknowledging the challenges inherent to this type of advocacy and activism—such as balancing short-term needs with long-term goals and espousing a common humanity without erasing differences—he makes a compelling case for championing justice-centered humanism. He also provides guidance for doing so, whether on the local, state, or federal level. Precisely because there is no such thing as cosmic justice in an afterlife, he reminds, it’s especially important that humanists everywhere combat injustice in this life.Trade Review" Justice-Centered Humanism is a spectacular look at how humanism and social justice can work in concert to achieve a more inclusive and fair public policy. Speckhardt's use of humanism as a lens for viewing public policy provides useful insight not only for engaged humanist thinkers, but also for anyone who seeks to understand what "Good Without God" can truly mean." Jared Huffman, member, U.S. House of Representatives"Through the American Humanist Association, and driven by his nontheistic values, Roy Speckhardt has planted the seeds of a reason-based, secular revolution in politics. Now, in Justice-Centered Humanism , he teaches all of us how to do the same." Hemant Mehta, Friendly Atheist"Speckhardt delivers a much-needed dose of reality in Justice-Centered Humanism and effectively conveys the importance of moving beyond the 'ivory tower' approach that many are accustomed to. Wanting to make changes in the world requires us changing along with it if we are to truly uphold our values." Mandisa L. Thomas, Founder and President, Black Nonbelievers

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Book SynopsisFor the first time in human history, a significant percentage of the world’s population no longer believes in God. This is especially true in developed nations, where in some societies nonbelievers now outnumber believers. Unless religion collapses completely, or undergoes a remarkable resurgence, countries across the globe must learn to carefully and effectively manage this societal mix of religious and irreligious. For in a world already deeply riven by sectarian conflict, this unprecedented demographic shift presents yet another challenge to humanity. Writing in an engaging, accessible style, philosopher and lawyer Ronald A. Lindsay develops a tightly crafted argument for secularism—specifically, that in a religiously pluralistic society, a robust, thoroughgoing secularism is the only reliable means of preserving meaningful democracy and rights of conscience. Contrary to certain political pundits and religious leaders who commonly employ the term secularism as a scare word, Lindsay uses clear, concrete examples and jargon-free language to demonstrate that secularism is the only way to ensure equal respect and protection under the law—for believers and nonbelievers alike. Although critical of some aspects of religion, Lindsay neither presents an antireligious tirade nor seeks to convert anyone to nonbelief, reminding us that secularism and atheism are not synonymous. Rather, he shows how secularism works to everyone’s benefit and makes the definitive case that the secular model should be feared by none—and embraced by all.Trade Review" The Necessity of Secularism discusses one of the most vital issues facing America and the world, and it does so with the logic and respectful tolerance for differences that itself expresses the very spirit of secularism. No matter what one's views on the existence of God, this is a unifying book. I can only hope that it will be read by all those for whom it is intended, which is, in a word, everyone." Rebecca Goldstein, author, Plato at the GooglePlex"This is a first-rate book. If you want to understand why a secular state is so important, why it's not the same thing as an atheist state, and why religious people should embrace, not fear, secularism, you should start with The Necessity of Secularism . Lindsay's book is entertaining, passionate, and presents a beautifully clear and well-argued case." Stephen Law, author, Believing Bullshit

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