We are reminded of the power of nature, and how diligent we must be in better understanding how our species contributes to the conditions that can lead to such natural disasters as tornadoes, hurricanes, and other destructive phenomenon.

But we are also reminded of human beings’ capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice in times of incredible strife and loss. We are heartened by the heroism and generosity of friends, families, communities, and total strangers who have wasted no time in committing themselves to rescue and recovery.

Let’s help them out, too. Please give what you can to support relief efforts such as the Red Cross.

Should examination of religious beliefs remain largely off limits for skeptics? Should secular humanists be as critical of fringe science claims, including alternative medicine, as they are of religious beliefs? To what extent do skeptics and humanists have a common mission? Both skeptics and humanists support science and critical thinking—but what else unites them? Are there public policy issues on which skeptics and humanists can productively collaborate? 

The best way to answer these questions is to bring skeptics and humanists together to talk about them—and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

On October 24-27, 2013, we’re holding The CFI Summit: a joint conference of the Center for Inquiry and its affiliate organizations, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism.

The heated battles over church-state separation, the health crisis caused by vaccine misinformation, the threats to our schools from pseudoscience and pseudo-history, the oppression of women and religious dissidents around the world, the countless victims of fraudulent psychics and alt-med practitioners, the growth of the “Nones” and the sociology of belief, and where humanists and skeptics can (and cannot) work together – all of it will be part of the grand discussion at the CFI Summit.

Speakers already scheduled to appear at this landmark event include science entertainer Bill Nye, author Susan Jacoby, physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow, science education advocate Eugenie Scott, science journalist Cara Santa Maria, scholar of secularism Phil Zuckerman, atheist blogger Greta Christina, activist and philanthropist Todd Stiefel, journalist and author Katherine Stewart, psychologist and performer Richard Wiseman, secularist orator Sean Faircloth, along with many more names to be announced in the coming weeks – Plus a special live edition of the Point of Inquiry podcast with hosts Indre Viskontas and Chris Mooney!

The CFI Summit will also have a first for CFI. President & CEO Ronald A. Lindsay will host an exclusive Members Meeting, a chance for CFI Friends of the Center and Associate Members of CSH or CSI to join in conversation with organization leadership. Members will be able to weigh in on what they see as the best way forward for our movement, and how our organizations can best work together to achieve those goals.

REGISTER NOW!

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An Open Letter to the Secular Community

It is an amazing time to be part of the secular movement. Look at what’s happened in 2012 alone.  We held the Reason Rally, the largest event our community has ever had, which brought over 20,000 atheists, humanists, and other secular people together on the National Mall. We are growing, attracting new people, and drawing more attention than ever before.  A big part of that growth is thanks to our large and dynamic online community.  Online secular communities have helped people encounter new ideas, deepen and broaden their thinking, and even change their minds.

A Problem with Online Communication

At the same time, the fact that so much of our community is online brings with it certain challenges.  Communicating primarily online can make it difficult to recognize each other’s humanity. Online we don’t have the same vocal and physical cues to tell us what another person means by his or her comments, so it’s easier for misunderstandings to develop. The instantaneous and impersonal nature of online communication also makes it much easier for these misunderstandings to escalate, or for civil arguments to turn into bitter fights. Like many online communities, our comment and forum threads all too often become places for name calling and even threats, rather than honest dialogue based on mutual respect. Between the small but vocal number of abusive participants (often called “trolls”) who hurl threats and insults, and the overheated rhetoric of some ordinarily friendly and reasonable people, our online environment is in danger of turning toxic. Fortunately, our secular values of reason and compassion give us tools to rise above the lowest common denominator of online communication.

Our Position and Our Pledge

We, the leaders of the undersigned national secular organizations, pledge to make our best efforts toward improving the tone and substance of online discussions. The secular movement as a whole is friendly, welcoming, and committed to the use of reason and evidence as a means of resolving disagreements. We refuse to allow the deplorable conduct of a few to debase the reasonable, appropriate, and respectful conduct of the overwhelming majority of our community.

We seek to promote productive debate and discussion. We firmly believe open and candid discussion is the most reliable means of resolving differences of opinion and bringing about needed change.  

Insults, slurs, expressions of hatred, and threats undermine our shared values of open and candid discussion because they move us away from an exchange of views supported with reasons. 

Of course we will disagree with each other on some issues, but we can do a better job of expressing our disagreements. We can resolve to avoid mischaracterizing the positions of others, relying on rumors as the basis for our opinions, and using inappropriate tactics such as guilt by association. Instead, we can give one another the benefit of the doubt, strive to understand the whole story, and de-escalate rhetoric to foster more productive discussions. We can become better at disagreeing by treating each other like reasonable human beings.  

It takes patience to educate people, but we can change how people think by having a constructive dialogue.  If that weren’t the case, we wouldn’t bother in the first place to communicate online about important issues.

The Debate over Sexism and Feminism

Before listing some specific recommendations regarding improvement of online communications, we have observations about one particular set of interrelated issues that has engaged much of the secular community in the past year, namely sexism within the secular movement, the appropriate way to interpret feminism, and the extent to which feminism, however interpreted, should influence the conduct, policies, and goals of movement organizations. This set of issues is worthy of careful consideration, but in a few areas our positions should be very clear.

The principle that women and men should have equal rights flows from our core values as a movement. Historically, there has been a close connection between traditional religion and suppression of women, with dogma and superstition providing the rationale for depriving women of fundamental rights. In promoting science and secularism, we are at the same time seeking to secure the dignity of all individuals. We seek not only civil equality for everyone, regardless of sex, but an end to discriminatory social structures and conventions – again often the legacy of our religious heritage—that limit opportunities for both women and men.

Unfortunately, the discussion of these issues has suffered from the same problems that plague online discussion in general—although arguably to a greater extent.  Some blogs and comments actually exhibit hatred, including rape threats and insults denigrating women. Hatred has no place in our movement. We unequivocally and unreservedly condemn those who resort to communicating in such a vile and despicable manner.

CFI has joined a diverse coalition of secular and humanist organizations, led in this case by our ally the American Humanist Association, in filing an amicus brief in two cases the U.S. Supreme Court will hear March 26 and 27. These cases challenge the constitutionality of laws that limit the marriage rights of LGBT Americans: California’s “Proposition 8,” in which a voter-initiative reversed a state court decision allowing same-sex marriage; and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”), which denies federal marriage-related rights to same-sex couples who are legally married under the laws of their state, and also allows states to deny marriage benefits to same-sex couples who were legally married in other states or countries.

In both cases, religiously based denial of LGBT Americans’ basic humanity has been codified into law, betraying the secular ideals set forth in our founding documents and, in denying them the benefits of a civil institution, relegating gay and lesbian Americans to second-class status.

This battle for equality for LGBT Americans is one that CFI has been waging for many years. We have filed other amicus briefs in several jurisdictions when new cases concerning marriage equality have arisen (see more at our website’s advocacy page). Earlier this year, CFI joined the Respect for Marriage coalition, a partnership of groups dedicated to the repeal of DOMA and the promotion of same-sex marriage rights. And while it remained an ugly mark of discrimination on our military, we also worked for the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” which, thankfully, is no longer the law. Our overall case in favor of same-sex marriage rights can be read in our position paper on the subject, written by Dr. Ruth Mitchell, and the connection between marriage equality and human rights is cogently set forth in CFI president Ron Lindsay’s 2010 essay in Free Inquiry.

Here are some links related to these two cases. Stay tuned as we keep you updated on further developments.

• Oral arguments for Hollingsworth v. Perry (Proposition 8) will be heard March 26, 2013. Our amicus brief can be read here. 
• United States v. Windsor (DOMA) arguments will be heard March 27, 2013. The amicus brief is available here. 

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The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is www.centerforinquiry.net.

Steven Pinker is the author of eight books, including How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Language Instinct, and most recently The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence has Declined. His interview with Indre and Chris focuses on the premise of his latest book: that we now live in the least violent and most peaceful period of human history, particularly relevant in light of the tragic recent events in Newtown, Connecticut.

Our hosts also interview Tom Di Liberto, a meteorologist at NOAA and winner of the 2013 America’s Science Idol contest, an event cosponsored by Point of Inquiry as part of CFI’s outreach to make science more relevant to the public, along with cosponsors the National Science Foundation, Discover Magazine, and Popular Science. 

Point of Inquiry is where the brightest minds of our time sound off on issues surrounding science, religion, culture, and politics. Chris Mooney, author of The Republican Brain and The Republican War on Science, and neuroscientist (and opera singer) Indre Viskontas engage in pointed and critical conversations with leading scientists, philosophers, social critics, and entertainers.

Watch the complete video of our live show here or download the audio version (MP3). You can subscribe to receive all Point of Inquiry episodes, free, through iTunes or through any other podcast or RSS client.

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The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is www.centerforinquiry.net. 

Here we focus on Bill’s trip to CFI–Kenya, where he spent much of his time. 

First on the itinerary for Bill’s five-day engagement, he met with the children involved in the CFI–Kenya program “Humanist Orphans.” This is an ambitious initiative for the education and assistance of kids and their families from all across rural Africa who have been accused of witchcraft. Bill met with teachers, students, and families, shared stories, and gave them an excellent lesson on humanism and the dangers of superstition, of which they have direct experience.

Bill later met with leaders from various community organizations on the ground in Nairobi, sharing strategies and insight on skepticism and combatting superstition. He even got to spend time engaging with the brilliant young minds of the University of Nairobi Humanists and Freethinkers, giving them a firmer grasp on the ideals of humanism.

Reporting on the visit, George Ongere, director of CFI–Kenya told us that Bill was “inspiring” and that it “instilled confidence in us,” particularly because exposure to international members of the organized global freethought community gives these local activists the opportunity to be “more prepared to defend their stance intellectually” as well as “more confidence in our activities.”

It heartens all of us at CFI to know what fantastic work is being done by George and everyone at CFI–Kenya, and that interactions that bridge national and cultural divides, like Bill Cooke’s sojourn, make this worldwide movement stronger and more closely-knit.

Our thanks to George Ongere for his report and his efforts and to Bill Cooke for making this important trip. To learn more about CFI–Kenya’s recent activities, see George’s article at the Skeptical Inquirer website.

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The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is www.centerforinquiry.net. 

To encapsulate and reflect upon the year gone by, and to look with fresh eyes at 2013, the Center for Inquiry presents its Annual Report for 2012. This is the first time CFI has produced such a report, and given all that has happened and all that we have planned, 2012 proved to be a year that demanded this kind of documentation.

We tell the story of 2012 from the perspective of the three main pillars of CFI’s work: 

Advocacy: Working for science and secular values in public policy in areas such equal treatment for the nonreligious, church-state separation, and science-based health policy. Internationally, bringing our expertise and activism to work on behalf of the freedom of expression and combatting the persecution of nonbelievers.

Community: Building networks at the local, state, national, and international levels, as well as on college and high school campuses, providing support and camaraderie to those who seek meaningful interaction with their fellow human beings outside of religion. National conferences and dynamic local events fueled debate and discussion among a growing and dynamic freethought community throughout the year.

Inquiry: Enlightening minds of all ages and inspiring the innate human desire to learn and explore, with educational programs, world-renowned publications, paranormal investigations, and even a summer camp for the young and inquisitive. 

In addition, this report also updates the reader on what’s been going on at CFI as an organization, including changes in staff and leadership, highlights of our presence in the media, CFI’s work as a multimedia platform unto itself, as well as a listing of our major donors.

The 2012 Annual Report can be downloaded here in PDF format. Take a look back at all we achieved together in 2012, and get ready for an even more amazing 2013.

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The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is www.centerforinquiry.net. 

Restrictions on freedom of belief and expression around the world are among the defining issues of our time, as governments at all levels crack down on speech or beliefs that they view as dissenting, threatening, or blasphemous. But one aspect of this crisis has reached a boiling point, and done so mostly under the radar of the media: the persecution of the nonreligious. 

Timed for Human Rights Day on December 10, IHEU has released Freedom of Thought 2012: A Global Report on Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists and the Non-religious. The report examines the laws and conditions in 60 different countries in which atheists, humanists, and skeptics are persecuted or discriminated against—in 2012 alone. Laws in these countries include restrictions on rights regarding citizenship, marriage, and access to education, as well as the criminalization of religious criticism, and even the mere expression of nonbelief. In many cases, the punishment for this kind of “crime” is death.

CFI was proud to have contributed a significant amount of research to this report, and was joined by the American Humanist Association, the Secular Coalition for America, and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. The media has taken notice of this crucial human rights issue, with coverage of the report from such outlets as Reuters, Slate, NBCNews.com, and many others.

These restrictions on speech and belief around the world have long been a prime focus of CFI, and our participation in this report is part of our larger campaign to shine a light on this issue, the Campaign for Free Expression. At the campaign website, you can learn more about those who have been the victims of so-called blasphemy laws and prohibitions on “defamation of religion,” as well as how you can take action to help affect change. 

A PDF of the IHEU report can be downloaded here.

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The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is www.centerforinquiry.net.

Judith Walker is a graduate of Wellesley College with a degree in sociology and anthropology. She earned her JD from the University of Colorado School of Law and served as an Assistant Colorado Attorney General in the Higher Education Unit representing Colorado state institutions of higher education. She joined the University of Colorado Foundation in 1985, where she worked for thirteen years as the Director of Development for the Boulder Campus College of Arts and Sciences and then as a Vice President for Development specializing in fund-raising management and major gifts. She has been a member of other nonprofit boards, including the Wyoming Outdoor Council, the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming, and the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado at Boulder. With a primary interest in the field of “living well without religion,” Walker began her work with CFI in 2008 as an instructor for the CFI Institute Summer Session. She is currently a CFI Institute fellow specializing in philosophical naturalism. Her work has been published in Free Inquiry magazine and other philosophical and freethought publications.

“Judy Walker brings a great deal of valuable experience to the CFI board,” said Ronald A. Lindsay, President and CEO of the Center for Inquiry. “She’s trained as a lawyer, has worked as a development officer, and possesses a firm grounding in humanist philosophy. She understands our mission and has the practical knowledge to help us advance that mission.”

Edward Tabash, who has been serving as interim chair since October, has been elected Chair of the Board and will serve a two-year term.

Tabash is a constitutional lawyer in the Los Angeles area. He graduated magna cum laude from UCLA in 1973 and from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in 1976. The son of an orthodox rabbi and an Auschwitz-survivor, after decades of philosophical searching, he concluded that the universe is natural and not supernatural. He has represented the Center for Inquiry in amicus briefs, arguing for the separation of church and state, before the United States and California Supreme Courts. He has also represented the Center in arguing against the existence of any supernatural being in debates against such prominent religious philosophers as William Lane Craig and Richard Swinburne. He has an extensive background in general law practice and has been volunteering for the Center for Inquiry, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry since 1995.

“I look forward to working with Eddie Tabash in his new capacity as chairman,” said Lindsay. “Eddie is already a well-known leader in our community, with a long association with this organization and this movement. I know that his experience and familiarity with our work and his passion for our mission make him the right choice to be our chair.”

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The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is www.centerforinquiry.net.  

“We’re extremely fortunate to have two such important figures in the skeptic movement formally take leadership positions at CSI,” said Barry Karr, executive director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. “Dr. Hall and Dr. Novella have made extraordinary contributions to the public’s understanding of science, and have better armed us against the insidiously false and absurd claims that pervade medicine and the media.”

Harriet A. Hall, MD, a retired Air Force physician and flight surgeon, has made a national name for herself by educating the public about pseudoscientific and so-called alternative medicine. She is a contributing editor and frequent contributor to both Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptic magazines, and wrote “The Health Inspector” column for O, The Oprah Magazine. On the web, she contributes to the blog Science-Based Medicine and serves as an advisor for the website Quackwatch. In 2008, she published the book Women Aren’t Supposed to Fly: The Memoirs of a Female Flight Surgeon, and co-authored the 2012 textbook, Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions.

Steven P. Novella, MD, is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. His column “The Science of Medicine” regularly appears in Skeptical Inquirer, and he is host of the popular weekly science podcast The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe. His website NeuroLogicaBlog covers news and issues in neuroscience, skepticism, and critical thinking, and he is founder and executive editor of the website Science-Based Medicine. He is currently president of the New England Skeptical Society, a senior fellow and Director of Science-Based Medicine at the James Randi Educational Foundation, and a founding fellow of the Institute for Science in Medicine. 

Members of the CSI Executive Council are charged with developing programs for the Committee and making recommendations as to the activities and areas of activism on which CSI should focus. They serve on the editorial board of Skeptical Inquirer, assist and advise in conference and event planning, take part in the election of new Fellows and Consultants, and represent CSI at outside events and in the media.

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The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization that encourages the critical investigation of paranormal, alternative medicine, and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. It is also the publisher of the magazine Skeptical Inquirer, and an affiliate organization of the Center for Inquiry. Learn more about CSI and SI at www.csicop.org.