DISCUSSING THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF LIFE

        Red Bank Humanists begins its 5th year with 50+ members, people who enjoy lively discussions about the philosophy of Humanism, rational inquiry into just about any topic, including the exploration of ethical values. Their free public Forum takes place on the 2nd Sunday of every month at 10:30 a.m. at the Red Bank Charter School, 58 Oakland St. The next monthly Forum is Sunday, September 9th at 10:30 a.m. Guest speaker Jay Gartman of the ACLU – NJ will present a talk on “The History of the Separation of Church & State: Why court cases are necessary to protect our civil liberties.”
        The Forums tackle a wide range of topics from Humanist philosophy, psychology, art, politics, and religion – all approached from the perspective of reason and science.
        “We generally have two topics at each Forum.” said Ron Steelman, President of Red Bank Humanists and the facilitator of many of the discussions. “We usually sit in a large circle so that we can have in-depth discussions, rather than lectures. A presentation is made on each topic to help frame the discussion, and then we make sure each person who wants to join the discussion has a turn to talk. We’ve learned that the more who contribute to the discussion, the broader and deeper it becomes.”
        The Red Bank Humanists approach to their public Forums is similar to the “Socrates Cafes” that been gaining popularity, but the Humanists have a specific goal to cultivate rational inquiry, ethical values, and human development. Those who attend are freethinkers, agnostics, skeptics, rationalists, non-religious, and some are atheists. All are searching to understand our universe and how best to be a positive part of it.
         A definition of Humanism that the group espouses is by noted Humanist Fred Edwords of the American Humanist Association: “Humanism is a philosophy for those in love with life. Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options. Instead of finding solace in prefabricated answers to the great questions of life, Humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery that this entails.”
         “We welcome Humanists of all stripes,” said co-founder and Board member, Eric Seldner. “And so, we are affiliated with many important organizations such as: American Humanist Association, the Council for Secular Humanism, the Institute of Humanist Studies, the Center for Inquiry, and the New Jersey Humanist Network. All their links are on our website at: www.redbankhumanists.org .
         “The beautiful thing about our meetings is that we keep it civil. People are entitled to their opinion and we can discuss any topic, anything at all – as long as we remain civil to each other,” said Vice-President, Bruce Fowler.
         “The RBH Forums and events provide a great opportunity to spend time with others who are also interested in using critical thinking and science to explore life,” adds Treasurer Melissa MacDonald. “And the diversity of our membership creates an environment ripe with intriguing and different perspectives.”
          Current members of the organization come from many different professional backgrounds such as, scientists, home construction suppliers, engineers, housewives, artists, musicians, therapists, professors, physicians, insurance salesmen, nurses, marketing professionals, chauffeurs, writers – just about everybody.
          This year Red Bank Humanists contributed financial support to HABcore, the local non-profit that provides housing and training to the homeless, and to Camp Quest, the first residential summer camp for the children of Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists, or whatever other terms might be applied to those who hold to a naturalistic, non-supernatural world view.
          Other Red Bank Humanists events include a monthly “Camaraderie,” a dinner at an area restaurant where the discussion is free-form and usually evolves a lot of laughter. In addition, several times a year the group presents a “Humanism 101” course at an area library, sharing the philosophy of many great Humanist thinkers, scientists, and humanitarians, and explaining how Humanism offers a natural way to develop a moral compass. The next “Humanism 101” presentation is Wednesday, September 5th at 7:00p.m. at the Middletown Library, 55 New Monmouth Road.
Red Bank Humanists is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable corporation in the state of New Jersey, organized for educational purposes.

HIGH RES PHOTO: 2007 RED BANK HUMANISTS PICNIC
http://www.redbankhumanists.org/hi_respix/RBH_07Picnic.jpg

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