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"Local Humanist Group Meets National Leader"

Source: The University Daily Kansan (Kansas State University)
Date: January 27, 2003
Author: Cal Creek
Editor: Lindsay Hanson


Saturday afternoon, eight atheist students met at Free State Brewery, 636 Massachusetts St., to have lunch with a predominant speaker in the humanist movement, which questions the existence of God.

Students from the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics and Jo Ann Mooney, president of Heartland Humanists, an adult group from Kansas City, Mo., had lunch with Ed Buckner, executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism. Buckner's group is based in Amherst, N.Y.

Stephanie Kirmer, Topeka freshman and Soma president, organized the lunch with Buckner. She said she thought it was important for local free-thought organizations to realize that there was a national free-thought movement.

"This lunch is an opportunity for a more informal dialogue between him and the atheist and agnostic students here at KU," Kirmer said.

Buckner was in the area to speak at Kansas State University on Friday night and at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Kansas City, Mo. He gave a public address Saturday and spoke to the Heartland Humanists last night.

A former professor of educational research and statistics, Buckner travels the country speaking on topics like "This is a Free Country, Not a Christian Nation," "The Rights and Reputations of Nonatheists" and "What Do Secular Humanists Believe?"

Raised as a Catholic, Kirmer converted to atheism four years ago. Atheism, a division of humanism, denies the existence of God.

She said humanists were not dedicated to serving a higher being; they focused on humans.

"A person does not believe in a supernatural explanation of the earth, but they still have a moral obligation to other human beings," Kirmer said.

At the lunch, students discussed several topics with Buckner such as local free-thought groups increasing activity in the community, current events and the humanist movement as a whole. Buckner emphasized the importance of raising awareness about atheism.

The students appreciated the support that experts provided, said Alana McAllister, Soma member and Andover senior.

"They're better at explaining the tenets of what we think and why we think it than a student," she said.

McAllister said atheism carried a stigma that wasn't true.

"A lot of times people think atheism equates with Satanism," McAllister said. "They think because you don't have religion, you don't have morals."


This article was retrieved from www.kansan.com/stories.asp?id=200301270006
 

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