Is the “Rise of the Nones” Over in the US?  Not So Fast!

Prof. Elizabeth Drescher

11 a.m., June 29, 2025

Join Santa Clara University professor Elizabeth Drescher in person OR online.

Recent demographic data has suggested a leveling off or perhaps even a turn-back of the 30-year trend of increasing religious unaffiliated in the United States. Are we in the midst of a new “religious revival” in America? A deeper dive into the data raises challenging questions for the religious and nonreligious alike about the changing role of religion and nonreligion in American life.

Professor Drescher teaches religious studies at Santa Clara University, where she also directs the Living Religion Collaborative, a place-based center for student and faculty engagement with local religious and nonreligious communities. A scholar of non/religion as it is experienced by ordinary people in everyday life, she is the author of Choosing Our Religion: The Spiritual Lives of American Nones (Oxford 2016) and numerous other books and articles on lived religious and nonreligious experience.

The Atheist Community of San Jose joins with the Humanist Community to co-host this event.

06/29/2025 Is the None-ing of America Over? – Elizabeth Drescher from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
On the first and fourth Sunday of the month, like this Sunday, attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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.

———-

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 number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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What Can We Do

Matt Schlegel

11 a.m., June 15, 2025

Join us either in person or over Zoom, as we welcome Matt Schlegel.

Humanity is now in the midst of the polycrisis, in which multiple crises confront us all at once – the climate crisis with extreme weather and fire events, acute land and marine biodiversity loss, domestic political turmoil, and increased geopolitical tensions. With so much happening simultaneously, it can be overwhelming. For those who do want to do something they often ask, “What can I do?” But is that the right question? Long time climate activist Matt Schlegel says a better question to ask is, “What can we do?” In this talk, Matt shares tips on how to start down the path towards finding or building a community of people who want to create a better, pro-social world that focuses not only on navigating the current crises but also directs energy towards building that better future for all life on our one shared planet.

Bio
Best-selling author Matt Schlegel is committed to developing highly effective, style-diverse teams and giving them the tools and strategies to navigate environments defined by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), and tackle challenges that are seemingly impossible. Principal of Schlegel Consulting (https://evolutionaryteams.com/), Matt discovered a powerful system called the Enneagram and used it to develop a novel set of tools, strategies, and applications for team effectiveness that he uses in his consulting practice and shares in his book Teamwork 9.0. As the climate crisis becomes an ever more daunting problem, Matt uses the Enneagram tools to guide teams towards pro-social solutions that address the crisis. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattschlegel/

06/15/2025 What Can We Do? – Matt Schlegal from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
This Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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.

———-

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 number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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“Writing Doom”, a short fiction film about the dangers of AI

Superintelligence Imagined, Creative Contest on the Risks of Superintelligence

11 a.m., June 8, 2025

This Sunday we will watch Writing Doom (2024), a prize-winning film from The Future of Life Institute on the risks of advanced Artificial Intelligence. This video stood out for its ability to deliver on the key message of the institute’s “Superintelligence Imagined” creative contest, while also producing a striking and entertaining piece of media. The institute was so impressed that they added an additional $20,000 ‘Grand-Prize’ to celebrate this submission.

The Future of Life Institute is a privately-funded organization whose mission is to steer transformative technologies toward benefiting life and avoiding large-scale risks.

You can watch this 27-minute video at: https://www.suzyshepherd.co.uk/writing-doom

Attend in Person:

This Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists in the Orchard Room at the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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.

———-

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 number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

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https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-06-08

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/308312131/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250608/64e7a1a3-7878-4bc0-bdb5-557d86808516/writing-doom-a-short-fiction-film-about-the-dangers-of-ai

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Playing God: An Evolutionary History of World Religion

David Fitzgerald

11 a.m., June 1, 2025

Join us either in person or over Zoom, as the Atheist Community of San Jose and the Humanist Community co-host our old friend and superb speaker David Fitzgerald.

Recently scholars around the world have made some jaw-dropping discoveries in the field of global religious history—including ones that overturn so much of what we think we know about the founders and origins of major world religions.

Mr. Fitzgerald, author of Nailed and The Complete Heretic’s Guide to Western Religion series, including The Mormons and Jesus: Mything in Action, reveals the changing scholarly views and surprising new developments in the study of the origins of our top ten world religions. His 3-volume book on these findings, PLAYING GOD: An Evolutionary History of World Religion, is out now. Dave will bring some of his new books for sale and for signing.

Author David Fitzgerald is an award-winning writer, historical researcher, and atheist activist who lectures internationally at universities and secular events, and is a frequent guest on many podcasts. He has been a passionate advocate for atheism, civil rights, and secular humanism his entire adult life. From 1990 to 2020, Dave was a top atheist leader in San Francisco. He now lives in Eureka, CA.

Please don’t miss Dave Fitzgerald!

To quote our freethought compatriot from the Stockton Atheists, David Diskin, “Dave Fitzgerald has a list of engaging, entertaining, and informative talks on all walks of religion. He’s an absolute favorite.”

06/01/2025 Playing God: An Evolutionary History of World Religion – David Fitzgerald from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of June, such as June 1, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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.

———-

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 number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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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

How about a little humor around politics

Graham Kay

11 a.m., May 25, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we explore some of the political humor out there. A skit that one person might think is the best, doesn’t seem funny to someone else. Isn’t that funny?

“The Final Days” White House Correspondents’ Dinner Skit, 6 minutes long, from 2012. A president laughing at himself.
https://youtu.be/PbbUYhyoWz8

Some old Mark Russell routines seem quite recent.
https://youtu.be/lSApwyHrsJE

A Canadian Explains Why Trump Can’t Invade Canada. Everyone on the Program Committee thought this quite funny. 5 minutes.
https://youtu.be/pdLaAyZ0waI

“Republican or Not”, a 5-minute Saturday Night Live skit from 2022, is not anti-Republican.
https://youtu.be/8h_N80qKYOM

“President Obama’s Anger Translator”, as seen on C-SPAN. Another president having fun at his own expense. 5 minutes.
https://youtu.be/HkAK9QRe4ds

Attend in Person:
Attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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.

———-

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 number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-05-25/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1925792645734859001

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250525/5e3713f5-8a48-410d-8a4e-60aeac35b80b/how-about-a-little-humor-around-politics

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