“God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction” with Dan Barker

Dan Barker

2:30-4:40 p.m., January 17, 2026

Join our friend Dan Barker in San Francisco, either in person or online.

What words come to mind when we think of God? Merciful? Just? Compassionate? In fact, the Bible clearly lays out God’s primary qualities: jealous, petty, unforgiving, bloodthirsty, vindictive, and worse.

Come join this tour through the Bible, guided by Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president (and former minister) Dan Barker, as laid out in his book, God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction.

After meeting God — as portrayed in His own words, some would say — you might well run the other way. Dan did.

THIS IS THE SECOND of five stops on Dan Barker’s Western Tour in January, with events in Olympia WA, San Francisco CA, Palo Alto CA, Sacramento CA, and Salt Lake CIty UT. On January 18 in Palo Alto, enjoy an unusual opportunity for casual conversation with Dan and a recital of his secular songs.

HOSTED BY the San Francisco Bay Chapter, Freedom From Religion Foundation. Dedicated to the preservation of the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, FFRF is the nation’s largest freethought organization, with over 40,000 members and 25 chapters nationwide. SF Bay FFRF supports the national organization, does outreach tabling, sponsors speaking events and hosts a monthly social lunch. See www.sfbayffrf.org.


Attend in Person
Join fellow Atheists, Freethinkers, and Humanists in the Latino/Hispanic Community Room on the lower level of the Main Library of the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102-4705.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.


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.


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Meet Dan Barker: Music and Casual Conversation with FFRF’s Co-President

© A Better Life/Christopher Johnson theatheistbook.com

2:30-4:30 p.m., January 18, 2026

Enjoy this special opportunity, either in person or online, to relax, converse with and enjoy the secular music of Dan Barker, leading church-state separation advocate, author, composer, and co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. You can look forward to an energizing mix of thoughtful discussion, live music, and engaging freethought conversation.

THIS EVENT is the third of five stops on Dan Barker’s Western Tour in January, with events in Olympia WA, San Francisco CA, Palo Alto CA, Sacramento CA, and Salt Lake City UT. The day before this event, January 17, in San Francisco, Dan will speak about his book, God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction

Your hosts will set out a buffet after our conversation, and welcome additional dishes and snacks. The Fireside Room has a microwave oven.

All events are open to the public, and everyone, members, friends, newcomers and strangers alike are warmly invited to attend.

HOSTED BY the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Atheist Community of San Jose, Humanists at Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, and the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community.


Attend in Person:

Join fellow members of the community in the Fireside Room of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 E Charleston Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306.


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:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2026-01-18/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312555561/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20260118/2737f9e7-08eb-43d5-825f-df783b6b3553/meet-dan-barker-music-and-casual-conversation-with-ffrfs-co-president

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Secularization of Society

Prof. Phil Zuckerman

11 a.m., January 11, 2026

Join us this Sunday, either in-person or online, as we watch and discuss an interview by Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker, co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, with Professor Phil Zuckerman about the growing secularization of the United States and of the world. The interview is from an August 2023 airing of Freethought Matters.

Phil Zuckerman is Professor of Secular Studies and Sociology at Pitzer College in Claremont, California. Thanks to his pioneering work, Pitzer College was the first college in the United States to offer a secular studies program, created in 2011. Prof. Zuckerman is the author of many groundbreaking books, including Living the Secular Life, Faith No More, Society Without God, and What It Means to Be Moral.

You can preview this 28-minute video at https://youtu.be/x19e47DOo6g


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:
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Monthly Event Calendar:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2026-01-11/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312762714/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20260111/843f109f-70cc-44f0-a030-1a29c78f3fba/secularization-of-society

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

AI Beyond ChatGPT

Michael Abramson

11 a.m., January 4, 2026

(No meeting Sunday, December 28. Merry Yuletide!)

Join our friend Michael Abramson next week, either in person or online.

The focus of this discussion will be on General Artificial Super-Intelligence (GASI) coming next after Generative AI (GenAI, such as ChatGPT) based on Large Language Models (LLMs). We’ll try to look behind the facade of sensationalist claims, fancy images, and videos to understand what is technically possible, what to expect, what the risks are, and what we could/should do about all this.

Here is a link to the slides: AI beyond ChatGPT. It’s perfectly fine if you review them before our discussion. These slides will likely become obsolete in a few months if not sooner, but they could provide initial pointers for your own research.

Bio: Michael Abramson is a professional software engineer with a lifelong interest and career in modeling the dynamics of complex systems. He is currently working as a contractor developing simulation software for the NASA Aviation Systems Division. He lives in Mountain View.

01/04/2026 AI Beyond ChatGPT from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.


Attend in Person
Join fellow Humanists in the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022-3742. (We had earlier said the Manzanita Room of the Los Altos Community Center. That was a mistake.) Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.


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:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2026-01-04/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312586487/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20260104/cf5d5361-93f4-43b0-aaee-3e3366356d2b/ai-beyond-chatgpt

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Solstice Dinner

Solstice sunrise over Stonehenge

6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, December 18, 2025

The Hospitality Committee of the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community warmly invites you to a Winter Solstice dinner celebrating the merger of the Humanist Community and the Bay Area Humanists.

Details

Thursday, December 18
6:30 – 8:30 PM
At a welcoming Italian restaurant in Palo Alto—conveniently located midway between San Francisco and San Jose.

Enjoy authentic Italian cuisine with many vegan-friendly dishes.
We will order individually from the restaurant’s mid-range menu.
RSVP to humanistcommsv@gmail.com or 408-650-8466

From recent reviews:
The staff here are truly the best.
Nice ambiance.
Awesome servers and yummy food.
The food was excellent, which is why I am giving this visit a five-star rating.
An excellent pick for some great Italian food.
The ravioli was so savory, and just felt like I was eating a whole bowl of spaghetti in one bite.


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Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Bay Area Humanists and Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-12-18/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/312454589/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/2000760526704693653

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