Victoria Secular Humanist Association

Members and friends of Humanism in Victoria are invited to our VSHA Summer Solstice Celebration:
Sunday June 24, 2012, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Tickets $20.00 (purchase in advance please)

Fairfield Community Centre, Garry Oak Room
1335 Thurlow Road, Victoria

Join us for a party to celebrate the summer solstice and our humanist community. Your ticket includes a buffet dinner provided by Goldstream Catering, and entertainment by folk singer Robert Anderson. Lively conversation will be provided by you and your fellow humanists. There will be a cash bar.

Join us May 16 for a lively discussion on the topic: Is personal privacy a thing of the past? John Pope will moderate. This event is free and open to the public.

Have we gone too far with public surveillance?

We all have personal stories of our encounters with authorities. Bring stories of your experiences with airports and borders, internet intrusions, police encounters, etc. to the Cafe.

Questions to ponder:

How intrusive is our current government? Should we be concerned, or should we welcome the increased safety that we are told we receive from it?

The presenter for our Humanist Cafe this Wednesday will be our President, Dr. Jim Skinner. Dr Skinner will open a discussion on the uniqueness of the contemporary American political scene with the four Republican candidates' religious fundamentalism taken as a given alongside the public's distaste - bordering on fear - of ever having a humanist as a major political figure on stage. This event is free and open to the public - join us at the James Joyce Bistro (View & Douglas) for a lively discussion!

Some links on the subject:

Religion and politics in America
"The first bumper sticker I saw when I arrived in the United States said 'Got Jesus?' So did the second one. And the third."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3658172.stm

Thanks to Nancy Swartz for this report on the presentation and discussion with Dr. Jim Hackler, Dept. of Sociology, University of Victoria:

The meeting, free and open to the public, was well attended. Dr. Hackler’s presentation provoked thoughtful discussions among guests and members. Participating and listening to the comments, one person said that the VSHA is the right place for her. I feel the same way.

Join us for the Humanist Cafe on Wednesday, April 18, 7:30 to 9:00pm, at the James Joyce Bistro (corner of View & Douglas). This event is free and open to the public.

The topic wsill be Eugenics. Dr. Paul Kamill will present thoughts for discussion from his article "Dirty little secret". Here are a few excerpts:

The Board has decided to move our members' Spring Party to June, closer to the Spring Solstice. We'll let members know the when and the where once bookings have been made. (The party had been tentatively scheduled for May 13.)

A presentation and discussion with Dr. Jim Hackler, Dept. of Sociology, University of Victoria

Cedar Hill Recreation Centre (Finlayson & Cedar Hill Road)
Sunday, April 15 at 10:30 a.m. to noon

In the light of the Federal Government's current move to build more prisons and impose harsher sentences on criminals, the burning question must be whether this will really do much, if anything, to reduce an already-declining rate of non-white collar crime in Canada.

Join us for a lively discussion, at our last speaker event of the spring. The meeting is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome to help offset room rental.

Join us Wednesday evening at the James Joyce Bistro (corner of View & Douglas), 7:30 to 9:00, for a lively Humanist Cafe discussion, introduced by Barrie Webster and moderated by John Pope. The topic: Is the Northern Gateway Project Good for Canada? Our Cafes are free and open to the public - just bring your opinions!.

Join us for freewheeling discussion Wednesday evening at the Humanist Cafe. It's free and open to the public. John Pope will moderate discussion on the topic: Is Canada Still a Secular Country?

Religious values and dogma are now visibly showing in Canadian government policy under Stephen Harper. His proposed "Office of Religious Freedom" is the latest and most blatant attempt by this government to accommodate religious values in Canada.

If we believe we have a secular country, where is the outrage over this? The main-stream media is mostly quiet about this, and the political opposition is completely mute about it. Even Humanist and Atheist organizations have been slow to attack this plan. Why? Have we become to complacent or are we giving up the fight?