NEW LOCATION (Henri's) and LATER TIME (3p-6p)

Topic: When Does Principle Become Dogma?

Dogma - the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization.

Most secularists are allergic to dogmatic thinking especially when using the definition of dogma that includes 'an inflexible belief in unprovable assertions and authoritative doctrine' but atheists themselves have been called dogmatic and recently I was told that some atheists find the Humanist Manifesto to be too dogmatic for their tastes. How can we protect our principles from rigid thought?

NOW WITH A LOCATION!!! SEE BELOW

Topic: LOVE AND COMPASSION

For most religious people, love - whether from or for their god or for their fellow man - is the meaning behind their faith. Where is love and compassion for others in our conversation as Humanists? Does it have different meaning to us or are we afraid of sounding... religious?

Please take a look at this site I came across recently CHARTER FOR COMPASSION. We will be using it as a starting point to the conversation. Be forewarned: The Charter for Compassion, though they hint at being more open-minded, is being constructed around religion. This is one reason why it makes such a great discussion topic. Is religion uniquely superior in its role as builder of "a peaceful and harmonious global community" as this particular organization is saying it wishes to be?

Location: Sorry, I'm still working on finding an indoor location to escape the summertime heat. It will probably be a restaurant. If anyone has any (preferably cheap) suggestions, I would be grateful.

Hope you're all having a great summer!!!

SUMMER PICNIC IN THE PARK
The picnic tables will be set up at noon-ish but discussion starts at 2pm.
The tables are under a grove of trees and not in the sun but there is a big nearby field for frisbee and frolicking fun.
Bring your own picnic and/or share a potluck dish. We'll have bread, cheese, and fruit-type snacks.

** Come really early for the monthly Audubon Society Bird Watching walk which starts at 8am at the Wildlife Preserve. For more info, call Kris Ohlenkamp at 661-299-6986 or call 818-346-6712. (Not affiliated with us in any way)***

DISCUSSION TOPIC: Relative Moralism
A heavy topic for a light day but rich with food for thought. I did a quick search for links to some definitions and some of the arguments for and against relative morality:

Wikipedia definition for moral relativism
A brief overview
Legal definition
From Michael Shermer's book "The Science of Good and Evil"
A non-religious argument against relative morality
A religious argument against relative morality
If you want to dig deeper

DIRECTIONS
(It's really easy to get to. I'm just verbose...)
Turn north onto Woodley Ave from Burbank Blvd or south from Victory Blvd. You will be in the Sepulveda Basin park area.

Look for signs for the Wildlife Preserve (also Japanese Garden and Tilllman Water Reclaimation)

When you turn east onto this street, stay to the right at the immediate fork. Drive down the long straight road, past the Reclaimation plant on the left and the playground and parking lot on the right.

We will be at the two lone picnic benches on the right, near the road. There are just before the entrance to the Wildlife Preserve at the end of the road.

Parking is just AFTER the picnic benches and at the Wildlife Preserve.

Topic: How can we be the change that we want to see in the world?

A succinct definition of Humanism is that it is "a progressive lifestance that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity." What can we as a group do to promote these ideas? How can we add to the greater good? For that matter, what is a meaningful life?

This topic is a progression from our last topic: What would the world be like if Secular Humanism was the dominant philosophy?

Darwin's 200th birthday is coming up (Feb 12) and in commemoration we'll be talking about evolution.

It is hard to imagine that any secular humanist doesn't believe in evolution but the theory has such wide influence and relevance in our lives, it's worth discussing. We'll touch on common misconceptions, some recent fights against teaching it by religious groups, as well as evidence for evolution and it how impacts our daily lives.

The location is still TBD. Weather will determine where we'll meet - either at our usual location or someplace indoors.

Hope to see you all since it's been a little while.