Welcome to our Web Site
Written by Pat Sunday, 27 November 2011 15:00
Welcome to Concord Area Humanists web site. We are a casual and inclusive collection of Humanists of all types from the Concord area in Massachusetts.
Are you a Humanist? You may already be one and not know it! Now you can enjoy finding out. Come to a meeting of the Concord Area Humanists (CAH). Our main forum for exchanging ideas is in the comfortable parlor of First Parish of Concord's Meeting House. We also meet in other venues. You are welcome to visit any of our meetings.
Our Humanist Philosophy. The opening statement of Humanist Manifesto III, Humanism and its Aspirations encapsulates our philosophy:
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism,
affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment
that aspire to the greater good of humanity”
If this statement feels right to you, then you’ll enjoy meeting with many others in our community.
We are affiliated with the American Humanist Association and the UU HUUmanists, and bring together their complementary aspirations. We encourage those interested in Humanism to join one of these major national Humanist organizations. You may tap into their resources, at www.americanhumanist.org and www.huumanists.org. We are also sponsored by the Concord First Parish in Concord Wright Tavern Center for Spiritual Development.
You’re Invited! We organize frequent open discussions, often with guest speakers. We enjoy investigating the intersection of science and culture, ethics and social trends, books and ideas, from a rational Humanist perspective, where we are influenced by evidential information, rather than by supernatural dogma. Your thoughts and participation will be most welcome!
The life stance of Humanism -- guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience -- encourages us to live life well and fully.
We post our meetings on www.Meetup.com, where you should check for the most up-date information and leave an RSVP for meetings you woulf like to attend. If you would like to receive emailed program announcements, then email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , with "SUBSCRIBE CAH" in the subject line.
Humanism - The Larger Picture Revisited
Written by Pat Saturday, 18 June 2011 07:54
This article updates one submitted eighteen months ago on the same topic.
At that time I described our CAH group as an intersection of the American Humanist Association (AHA) and the Universalist Unitarian Association (UUA), at an interesting time. We have members in both, and are entering a period when we will make important decisions on how we proceed with our presently small group.
Recently CAH became affiliated with both the AHA and the national UU HUUmanists. We are now more are now more solidly at that intersection.
We were represented at the recent AHA national conference, and will have stronger representation at the upcoming UUA General Assembly. If you attend that Assembly, please visit the HUUmanist booth in the Exhibition Hall. Our CAH will be strongly represented at the booth. We will be trying to interest Parishes across the country in seeding groups like ours open to all interested in Humanism, to reach out with our powerful common Humanist message based on the AHA's "Affirmations of Humanism - Humanist Manifesto III," and the UUA "Seven Principles". Both these documents are very accessible on the Internet, together with commentary.
The numbers are still roughly the same as in the original article. AHA has about 12,000 members. The UUA has about 160,000 members, of whom more than half typically identify as Humanists when polled. The national UU Humanist Association (UUHA), although only having about 1000 members at present, is an active constituency within the UUA. .
In the mid 1900s, Unitarians were in the forefront of modern Humanism. This position has diminished over the last several decades. However, the UUA now has a new President, Peter Morales, who is a Humanist.
The Humanist constituency in the UUA is waking up. There are more than 80,000 potentially Humanist UUA members ready to be awakened! This why we can say the CAH is at an interesting intersection with the AHA, which is now the largest Humanist organization in the US.
Good Without God
Written by Maria Cox Monday, 25 January 2010 09:38
– an update from our friends at Harvard Humanist
We're delighted to inform you that Harvard Humanist chaplain Greg Epstein and his book Good Without God were featured in an excellent story on Jan 24th, 2010 by ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. The piece has already reached the "top videos" section and the front page of the ABC News website. Please check it out and forward it/this message as widely as possible: the more views the piece receives, the longer it will be featured on the ABC site, which will lead to even more new exposure for Humanism. Here is the video:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9650818Humanism - The Larger Picture
Written by Patrick Everett Thursday, 07 January 2010 08:09
Our CAH group is an intersection of the American Humanist Association (AHA) and the Universalist Unitarian Association (UUA), at an interesting time. We have members in both, and are entering a period when we will make important decisions on how we proceed with our presently small group.
Kinds of Humanism
Written by Larry Shafer Monday, 14 December 2009 12:08
Larry muses on Fred Edwords' essay on Humanism.....
Western Cultural Humanism is a good name for the rational and empirical tradition that originated largely in ancient Greece and Rome, evolved throughout European history, and now constitutes a basic part of the Western approach to science, political theory, ethics, and law.
Arab-Israeli Conflict
Written by Patrick Everett Tuesday, 28 July 2009 16:25
As Humanists, we have an obligation to understand the undercurrents in what may affect the peace of the world. The Israeli/Palestine conflict, and Israeli interactions with the Arab world are all part of a tinder box that could flare up in the coming years, if we do not help find a solution to the problems. I would like to bring attention to those who may not be familiar with it, a homegrown joint American/Israeli organization that has significant input to perhaps helping the situation, with a very balanced approach. I commend attention to the following URL which presents a meaningful understanding of the problems and how the US can contribute to solutions: http://peacenow.org/features.asp?rid=&cid=3361