TQ and South Devon Humanists have been in existence for more than ten years.
We meet on the fourth Thursday of each month in Totnes for alternating evening meetings at the Quaker Meeting House just off Ticklemore Street, or for lunch at the Bay Horse Inn in Cistern Street.
Meetings regularly include talks and discussions on humanist, moral and scientific subjects.
TQ and South Devon Humanists are affiliated to Devon Humanists and to the British Humanist Association.
If you would like more information, or to join TQ and South Devon Humanists please
e-mail: hazel@fuller1972.freeserve.co.uk
ortelephone Hazel Fuller on 01803 864156
or
e-mail: south@devonhumanists.org.uk
Next Meeting: THE MAGIC OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Prof. Daniel Dennett, American philosopher and cognitive scientist will be asking what we know about our own minds in a video recording of a talk he recently gave entitled "The Magic of Consciousness". He suggests that we are being fooled by our minds and the presentation tests the audience's awareness of what they actually take in of what is happening around them. A fascinating subject which I am sure will lead to an interesting discussion.
The meeting and will take place in the Quaker Meeting Rooms, Ticklemore Street, Totnes, starting at 7.30 p.m.
Look forward to seeing you there.
Previous Meeting
After a summer break we restarted evening meetings in September at a new venue, the Quaker Meeting House just off Ticklemore Street. Same time, 7.30 p.m. and same 4th Thursday of the month. At the first meeting there David Love gave an illustrated presentation on an astronomical view of the beginning of the universe which was enthusiastically received.
4th Thursday lunches on alternate months will continue with the next one being at the Bay Horse, Cistern Street,in October. Usual time of 12.30 for 1 p.m. Please contact Hazel beforehand if you are coming so she can let the pub know how many to cater for.
In August we held our summer garden party lunch at the home of David Love in Torquay. As usual this was well attended and thanks are extended to David and his wife Liz for their generous offer of their lovely home as the venue.
Hazel Fuller
Tel: 01803 864156
Previous Meeting: November 2010
Thursday, 25th November at 7.30 p.m. Discussion at Birdwood House.
"Why the Birth Stories of Jesus are unlikely to be true" - a talk by David Love.
As part of South Devon Humanists’ series of lectures and discussions, David Love (pictured) explained why it is that stories about the birth of Jesus should not be taken entirely seriously.
“Many New Testament scholars now accept that the birth stories of Jesus are probably entirely legendary, and were added to the Jesus story later”, said the Torquay-based astronomer. "However, though these views are now widely accepted by historians, such information has not been allowed to percolate down to the ordinary churchgoer.”
David explained how and when the books of the New Testament were written. He compared and contrasted the two birth stories set out in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, highlighting the contradictions between them, and discussed the oddities within each story, and also listed some of the many people in legend and history who have been born from the union of a god and a mortal woman.
MRSA and the War between Man and Bacteria
“Penicillin, hailed in the 1940s as a miracle treatment, has become virtually useless against a bacteria it initially killed”, said Paul. He will show how common bacteria have evolved to combat antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause.
“These are modern day examples of Darwin's Theory of Evolution through natural selection. You can see this happening before your very eyes. It is war between man and bacteria. Can man win this war, or will bacteria always fight back through evolution?"
He explained, “To study evolution you probably need at least 1,000 generations. In mankind this would take something like 20,000 years. However, some bacteria - in the right conditions - double every 20 minutes, so evolution can be witnessed over a matter of a few years. And here we see an arms race for survival."
“Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin that killed many bacteria. However, a strain developed resistance and therefore thrived, becoming the dominant bacteria. Scientists then developed a new type of penicillin, methicillin, which killed the now dominant bacteria. However, another strain has evolved which is now resistant to methicillin - better known as the deadly superbug MRSA.“
Paul added, “Resistant forms evolve all the time. As man develops different drugs to kill different strains of bacteria, some will become resistant. There will never be an outright winner in this arms race, but hopefully man will always have the upper hand. It is the survival of the fittest - evolution through natural selection.”
Paul worked as a microbiologist in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years. During this time he was involved in many clinical trials, working with drugs for many infectious diseases and for cancer and eczema. He was even known to use himself as a guinea pig from time to time! Paul took early retirement in 2001 and moved to South Molton with his wife. Here he became a member of the North Devon Humanists. Paul is a great Charles Darwin fan and he is currently planning a trip of a lifetime to Galapagos.”
* Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is better known as MRSA
'Dover Beach' in South Devon
'The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore.
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled..
But now I only hear.
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath,
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear,
And naked shingles of the world.',
As part of South Devon’s Humanists series of discussions, local lecturer Ros Allen gave a talk on Matthew Arnold's famous poem Dover Beach.
“Dover Beach is an outstanding 19th century poem, and one that modern Humanists can easily relate to,” Ros said.
"Matthew Arnold was born in 1822, became apostate at the age of 22, and his loss of faith resounds through his best poems. 'Dover Beach', written in the same year as Darwin's 'Origin of Species', is his most famous work. We analysed the poem which is a courageous attempt to face the pain of truth.”
South Devon Humanist Summer Party
South Devon Humanists recently got together for their annual summer party at the home of member David Lowe in Torquay.
Many thanks to David and his wife for providing the venue, and those that turned up with a contribution to the lovely selection of food and drink.
It was good to meet humanists from other areas.
Let's End Prayers Now!
"Many councils across the country have stopped insisting that Councillors say prayers at the beginning of meetings", said South Devon Humanist Kevin Dixon. "However, Devon County Council, Torbay Council, South Hams District Council and Teignbridge District Council still retain this out-dated and discriminatory practice. We call on these councils to move on".
Advice from the National Association of Local Councils states that: "... Council(s) should consider removing the saying of prayers to ensure compliance with general statutory duty set out in so. 71 (1) of the 1976 (Race Discrimination) Act and to eliminate any risk of challenge under the Human Rights Act 1998."
A national test case is being progressed to establish whether Local Authority-hosted religious activities as part of Council meetings are lawful. "Will Council taxpayers have to pick up the bill for lawyers to defend the indefensible and then pay compensation? In 2006 a recommendation was made by a Torbay Council working party to end Prayers so as to meet good practice standards regarding equality & diversity. Having publicly admitted that they are acting in a discriminatory way, Torbay is vulnerable to legal action. They can't say they were not aware", said Kevin.
The new government White Paper 'Communities in Control' states that "There has been growing disenchantment with formal political mechanisms. Turnout at elections has been declining... local people don't feel they have an adequate say in the running of local services. And a majority do not think councillors represent their views... councils should do more to promote participation" p.2-3 "We need to make our public services truly democratic and open to all", he added. "The retention of religious services is a barrier for those of other faiths - and none - from becoming involved in serving their local community. Exeter and Plymouth Authorities have already abandoned prayers, while Totnes and Bideford Councils have replaced prayers associated with a specific religion with a few minutes of silence at the beginning of meetings during which time members may gather their thoughts or pray as they so wish. There have been no negative effects in abandoning these rituals."
To encourage further public debate on the issue, Humanists have posted a thread on the Forum site of South Devon's daily paper, the Herald Express, under 'News and Local Life' called "Do we want our Councillors to pray?" The address is: www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk
Discussing Science in South Devon
The meeting, held in Birdwood House in Totnes, covered a wide range of discoveries and concluded with predictions and a debate amongst an audience that had travelled from across South Devon.
“The 20th century saw a development of physical knowledge unprecedented since the days of Isaac Newton”, said Gordon “Einstein's theory of relativity and new astronomical observations led to a revolution in our understanding of the cosmos - how matter behaves on the large scale. Quantum theory, describing the behaviour of matter on a small scale, provides a basis for the modern electronics industry”.
The Atheist Bus Campaign
Media coverage has attracted a great deal of public interest and has raised the profile of Humanism across the county.
The atheist posters were the idea of the British Humanist Association and have been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins. The BHA planned only to raise £5,500, which was to be matched by Professor Dawkins, but raised almost £145,000.
Professor Dawkins said: "Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children. Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side. This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion."
Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the BHA, said: "We see so many posters advertising salvation through Jesus or threatening us with eternal damnation, that I feel sure that a bus advert like this will be welcomed as a breath of fresh air. If it raises a smile as well as making people think, so much the better." See the BHA website for more information: www.humanism.org.uk
The Antiquity of Homo sapiens
“The environment in Africa at this time was changing. The lush forests containing many species of ape were becoming much drier. Forests gave way to a savannah landscape with grass and trees only in stands at intervals. It was these conditions that forced adaptation.”
“The first human feature to appear was bipedalism. This was a feature of a species called australopithecines which evolved about 4 million years ago. Primitive stone tools began to be made at approx 3.2 million years ago. There were several hominid species at this time so it is not possible to pinpoint the exact line of human descent due to the rarity of fossils. The brain size of all of these species were only marginally bigger than the brains of chimpanzees. Homo habilis evolved from one of the australopithecine species and from them Homo erectus who appeared around 2 million years ago. This species is definitely a human ancestor who was bigger brained and was the first to leave Africa. It was in Africa however that Homo erectus evolved into Archaic Homo sapiens at about 400,000 years ago. They are the ancestors of Homo sapiens, our own species, who appeared about 200,000 years ago. Our species gradually replaced the descendants of Homo erectus, although the last ones disappeared only comparatively recently. The last Neanderthals died out 30,000 years ago and the species Homo floresiensis as recently as 10,000 years ago”.
Darwin 200
His ideas, stimulated by his participation in the influential voyage of HMS Beagle, were finally published in 1859 as 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection'. Therefore, 2009 marks another significant anniversary.
Darwin's idea of evolution by natural selection has been described as the single best idea anyone ever had.
Darwin stayed at Meadfoot House in Torquay and evidence about the antiquity of humanity - which challenged Biblical ideas of the age of the earth - was found in Kents' Cavern. To recognise his contribution to human knowledge, Devon's Humanists are organising events during the year. Pictured left is our current display at Totnes Library.
Devon’s Humanists have launched a website to celebrate Darwin 200 and we are looking for articles relating to Charles Darwin’s discoveries and his impact on the world. The site can be found at: www.darwin200devon.org.uk
‘As it Goes’: Kurt Vonnegut, Writer for a Generation
“Kurt Vonnegut caught the imagination of a post-war generation in novels like Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle,” said Dave. ”He was a prolific and genre-bending American novelist known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction.”
“Vonnegut's experience as an American soldier and prisoner of war had a profound influence on his later work. While imprisoned in Dresden he witnessed the fire bombing of the city in February 1945, which killed 25,000 people, scenes he described as ‘utter destruction, carnage unfathomable.’ He was one of very few to survive, by sheltering in an underground meat locker of Slaughterhouse Five. This experience gave him the theme and title for one of his most famous works.”
“Vonnegut was politically active into his eighties. He disbelieved in the supernatural and considered religious doctrine to be ‘so much arbitrary, clearly invented balderdash’. He served as president of the American Humanist Association - taking over from Isaac Asimov - until his death in 2007.”
Humanist & Atheist Quotes
Seneca the Younger 4BC- 65AD: "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."
Blaise Pascal: "Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions".
Richard Jeni: "You're basically killing each other to see who's got the better imaginary friend".
Epicurus: "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
Unknown: "Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned."
Gene Roddenberry: "We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty Humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes".
Steven Weinberg: "With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."
Carl Sagan: "You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe."
Unknown: "Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer".
Ferdinand Magellan: "The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church".
Albert Einstein: "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death".
Delos B. McKown: "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike".
Galileo Galilei: "I do not think it is necessary to believe that the same God who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence wished us to abandon their use, giving us by some other means the information that we could gain through them".
Voltaire: "Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities".
William Drummond: "He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that dares not reason is a slave".
Bumper sticker: "You keep believing, I'll keep evolving".
Robert G. Ingersoll: "As people become more intelligent they care less for preachers and more for teachers".
Justin Brown: "If the Bible is mistaken in telling us where we came from, how can we trust it to tell us where we're going?"
Unknown: "People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs".
Terry Pratchett: "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it."
US President-elect Barack Obama: "Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teaching of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."
Daphne du Maurier - Secular Humanist?
"Daphne du Maurier was a non-believer but interested in spirituality and also the occult", said Chris. "She began writing short stories in 1928, and in 1931 her first novel, 'The Loving Spirit' was published. It received rave reviews and further books followed. Then came her most famous three novels, 'Jamaica Inn', 'Frenchman's Creek' and Rebecca'. Each novel was inspired by her love of Cornwall, where she lived and wrote."
"Her essay 'This I Believe' sets out her beliefs. She wrote 'One of the great problems of our time is how to live without religion'. The essay contains a substantial and effectively expressed analysis of beliefs which today could be labelled as secular humanism."
The Humanist Vegetarian Group
Humanism is an approach to life based on humanity and reason. Humanists recognise that moral values are properly founded on human nature, reason and experience. Our decisions are based on the available evidence and our assessment of the outcomes of our actions, not on any dogma or sacred text.
Some humanists as well as religious adherents believe that Homo Sapiens are such a special case in nature that they have unique rights over animals which they can exploit as they wish. The Humanist Vegetarian Group refutes this.
Vegetarianism in its ethical form is an approach to life based on compassion for all animals. The Humanist Vegetarian Group understands that humans are merely animals and that the capacities which evolution has bestowed upon us for survival give rise to compassion, fairness and morality, which we apply as well as we are able to all animals.
In addition to the ethical position the Group welcomes members who are motivated to promote Vegetarianism for a variety of reasons including environmental concerns, economics, dietary preferences, aesthetics and health.
For more information, see: www.humanist.veggroup.org
Links
The People’s Republic of South Devon website was established in 2005 to fill a gap in local news coverage.
Judas Asparagus
The Children's Bible in
a Nutshell
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one,' but I think He must be a lot older than that.
Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
Then God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff.
Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David.. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.
There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, "Close the door! Were you born in a barn?" It would be nice to say, "As a matter of fact, I was."
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans.
Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.
But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.
