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Humanism has influenced the modern world tremendously. But many people have only vague ideas about what humanists believe. There is no authority to say who is and who is not a Humanist, and opinions vary over a considerable range. But to be a viable movement, there must be some principles that Humanists share widely, if not universally. Jim Barnett (Co-President of the Bay Area Humanists, www.sfhumanists.org, and a humanist for decades) will review the principles that he believes are essential to Humanism.

You can view the slides for this excellent presentation (captured in the video below) by clicking here.

Humanist Community Forum (2014-08-03): The Twin Pillars of Humanism (Jim Barnett) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Why Reality Needs a Religion (and Why Atheism isn’t Good Enough)

Marc Perkel

July 27, 2014

Marc cropped Marc Perkel, founder of the Church of Reality, explains why Reality needs a religion and why Atheism isn’t good enough. In a perfect world Atheism becomes totally meaningless. No one cares what you don’t believe in, they care about what you do believe in. And what should you believe in? Reality!

Atheism needs Reality because without Reality there would be no place for God not to be real in. Realism is the science of understanding who we are, what our purpose is, and how we can live our lives in Right Relationship to Reality so that Reality doesn’t excommunicate us from existence.

So – Atheists – it’s time to put down your Bibles, quit talking about God, and start focusing on what is real rather than what isn’t real. If you know everything about nothing then you know nothing about everything.

You can watch the video of this most interesting presentation here.

Humanist Community Forum (2014-07-27): Why Reality Needs a Religion (and Why Atheism isn’t Good Enough) – Marc Perkel from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

The Mondragon Cooperatives

Richard Hobbs

July 20, 2014

With 120 worker-owned cooperatives developed over nearly six decades, the Mondragon Cooperatives in the Basque region of Northern Spain offer perhaps the most shining example on planet earth of institutions that are democratic, egalitarian, cooperative, sustainable, and kind. With no laid off workers since 1956 and higher income than Spanish workers, what lessons can we learn from the largest worker-owned cooperatives in the Western world? Richard Hobbs (an immigration attorney, former director of the Office of Human Relations of Santa Clara County, and Executive Director of Human Agenda) will discuss (having just returned from his latest visit there).

Humanist Community Forum (2014-07-20): The Mondragon Cooperatives (Richard Hobbs) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Dark Deception

Lawrence Pratt

July 13, 2014

Lawrence Pratt will discuss his recent novel “Dark Deception”, which deals with the struggle of the individual against “tribal” pressures to conform and obey when the individual mind wants to choose another path. Dark Deception is a fictional adaptation of the events that led the author and his wife from dedicated members of an authoritarian faith to complete atheism, and could easily be subtitled “How Religion Turned Us to Atheism”.

Humanist Community Forum (2014-07-13): Dark Deception (The Individual versus the Tribe) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

The 2014 American Humanist Association Conference & A Discussion of our Group’s Future

July 6th 2014

2014 Philad-AHA-600

Humanist Community in Silicon Valley (HCSV) members who attended the 73rd Annual Conference of the American Humanist Association in Philadelphia, Pa, from June 5 to June 8 will report their experiences, and reactions to the dynamic and expanding activities of the national Humanist organization of which HCSV is a proud chapter. The future of HCSV will also be a topic for this Forum. Please join us to offer your hopes and dreams for HCSV.