Featured

The Nones

Ryan Burge by Portland Seminary – https://www.flickr.com/photos/35459775@N04/54578902215/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php

11 a.m., December 14, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, for a fascinating discussion of the data surrounding religion and nonbelief in the United States, and how these trends intersect with politics. It also offers an intriguing look at the growing polarization in both religious and political spheres.

We will watch and discuss an April 2022 talk from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, in which Ryan P. Burge discusses the “Nones”, those who don’t identify with any religion.

Prof. Burge teaches political science, especially religious demography, at Eastern Illinois University. He wrote the 2021 book, The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. His newest book is 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America, in which he postulates that the way most people think about religion and politics is only loosely connected to the actual empirical data.

You can preview this video at https://youtu.be/cTlDGddklw8

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Sequoia Room of the Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-12-14/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312402345/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20251214/eda0d931-15f0-4bb1-bf1b-9117067fd02d/the-nones

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1999305341503427068

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Objective Morality

Keith Swenson

11 a.m., December 21, 2025

Join our friend Keith Swenson next week, either in person or online.

Ancient philosophers debated ethics and morality, which is the topic of how to live the right life (also called the good life or eudaimonia). Many of my non-religious friends struggle to understand what should be considered the source of morality. These are fine upstanding moral people. They understand what it means to be fair, good, and kind. They would not live their lives any other way. But they are not really sure where morals come from.

This talk will take the point of view that moral truths are real, and they come neither from God, nor are they random. Moral behavior is as it is because of the form of human interaction with each other and with the world. Humans have learned how to behave morally through a self-reinforcing natural process that can be readily seen in the world once we know how to look for it. Moral guidelines are not an accident, nor are they commandments from the supernatural. Instead we can say succinctly: we discovered the best way to live because it is the best way to live.

Bio:
Keith is a local resident of the Silicon Valley area and a long time member of the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community. After a career in software engineering, he focuses mainly on philosophy topics and runs a couple of websites on topics of philosophical interest. He has a degree in physics and in computer science from the University of California. In his spare time he likes to hike in the wilderness and plays in a classic rock band.

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Sequoia Room of the Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-12-21/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312423350/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20251221/a74c6f82-07cb-42b5-97dc-251276f6878b/objective-morality

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1999941155908415612

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Atheist Community Holiday Banquet

China Stix Restaurant

6:30-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 17, 2025

The Atheist Community of San Jose invites fellow secular thinkers for a warm, friendly holiday gathering—great for you to make new friends, share ideas for the year ahead, and build community.

Details
Save the date! Wednesday evening December 17, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

China Stix Restaurant, located in Santa Clara Town Center Shopping Mall, 2110 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA, 95050; restaurant phone: 408-244-1684.

Price per person: $20, or $25 to help us with cost inflation. When you come to the event, bring cash or a check made out to the Atheist Community of San Jose. (An ATM is available there.)

Please sign up soon so that we can give the restaurant a good estimate of the number of people to expect. We need to be sure to have the correct number of banquet tables.

Come join your fellow Atheists to get reacquainted with old friends and to meet newcomers to our Atheist Community. Have some fun with like-minded clear-headed individuals as we wrap up 2025! Consider bringing along a new partner or friend or date or relative or someone else who wants a glimpse of our secular community. The nonreligious portion of the U.S. population is ever-increasing; come celebrate being part of the wave of the future!

Let us use this opportunity to share ideas about what the Atheist Community of San Jose should be and do during this coming important year of 2026. We value your input and your participation in planning and carrying out new activities as well as our traditional ACSJ events.
Also please consider bringing your checkbook or cash (not credit or debit card) to make a tax-deductible contribution to the ongoing work of ACSJ in this next year. Because ACSJ does not have a membership fee, the organization depends on your generosity to continue having our exciting events. Any contributions to the Atheist Community are much appreciated.

Each year the Atheist Community comes together at the China Stix Restaurant in Santa Clara for our varied holiday banquet gathering. The company is delightful at your banquet table, and the food is superb, featuring many of your favorite Chinese dishes. If you have allergies or special food limitations (such as vegan or vegetarian or gluten-free), the China Stix will always accommodate your needs. Just let us know here on Meetup well ahead of time, so we can tell Judy.

Given that Covid and the flu and colds are ever with us, please be extra careful to avoid contracting some contagious disease. If you feel ill just before the banquet, please cancel your participation in consideration of your fellow Atheists.

We look forward to seeing you for our joyous holiday celebration!
Please don’t forget to bring along your $20 (or $25) per person in the form of cash or a check. See you there!

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-12-17/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312373971/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1998580250767454422

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Behaving Decently: Kurt Vonnegut’s Humanism

Kurt Vonnegut by Bernard Gotfryd / Adam Cuerden

11 a.m., December 7, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a talk about Kurt Vonnegut by Wayne Laufert, given on June 2022 for World Humanist Day..

Why did iconic author Kurt Vonnegut describe himself as a “Christ-worshiping agnostic”? Find out in this presentation about the new Humanist Press book “Behaving Decently: Kurt Vonnegut’s Humanism”. Author Wayne Laufert will explore the values that the freethinking Vonnegut expressed in his fiction and nonfiction.

Kurt Vonnegut was the American Humanist Association’s Humanist of the Year in 1992 and honorary president until his death in 2007.

Wayne Laufert is a former newspaper reporter and editor who runs the Vonnegut Baltimore book club. Behaving Decently: Kurt Vonnegut’s Humanism is his first book. He has been a member of the humanist Baltimore Ethical Society since 2013 and a fan of Kurt Vonnegut since long before that. Wayne joined the Vonnegut Baltimore book club in 2011, as it began its second season. These days he runs the club with lots of help.

We’ll watch the first 26 minutes. The remainder of the hour-long video was Q&A, which is well worth listening to but made the video too long for our Forum.

You can pre-watch this video and listen to the Q&A at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA9Muei60vw

Attend in person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Milpitas Library Group Study Room A, 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035-4323. Often after our meeting, we find a nearby inexpensive eatery for a luncheon.

Attend online:
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-12-07/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312329615/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20251207/4d88c76c-cc89-4e69-800a-9eaade2f3f86/behaving-decently-kurt-vonneguts-humanism/a>


Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1997378212536713366

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

My Life Journey to Discover Meditation

Carl Angotti

11 a.m., November 30, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we welcome Humanist Community member Carl Angotti to tell us about “My Life Journey to Discover Meditation”.

Carl writes: I am giving this talk to introduce fellow humanists to meditation, not as some super solution to life’s problems and concerns, and not because I discovered something that suddenly changed my life forever, but something that has been part of a lifelong process.

As I see it, most Humanists are thinkers, and many of us are “doers”, but learning to “un think” and “un do” is foreign to many of us. Only a few of us have discovered Meditation as another way to enhance their understanding of their world. My talk will literally start from childhood, through adulthood, to my first real experience of Meditation, and later experiences. I have been meditating, off and on, for 24 years. Perhaps you might want not take so long as I did to experiment with this different state of being, and learn to use it in your life.

Come join us to hear my thoughts, and answer questions about what meditation is, and what it is not, in my experience.

Bio

Carl Angotti was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and after graduating from college in 1962 he came to Southern CA, and then to the SF Bay Area of CA in 1965. He is a long time humanist and member of the Humanist Community. He started his journey from agnostic to unbeliever over 62 years, starting as a Unitarian, then shifting later to becoming a Humanist over this same period. He has long been interested in learning about philosophy, psychology and of course engineering. He as been a technical engineering consultant in the Bay Area for more then 35 years.

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Old Mill Clubhouse, 49 Showers Dr, Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-11-23/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312147371/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20251130/fddb3930-f625-4a55-8b82-60768f290ce9/my-life-journey-to-discover-mediation

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1992799035581972907

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508