List of secularist organizations

Secularist organizations promote the view that moral standards should be based solely on concern for the good of humanity in the present, without reference to supernatural concepts, such as God or an afterlife, any desire to do good for a reward after death, or any fear of punishment for not believing in life after death. The term secularism, as coined and promulgated by George Jacob Holyoake, originally referred to such a view.[1] Secularism may also refer to the belief that government should be neutral on matters of religion, and that church and state should be separate. The term here is used in the first sense, though most organizations listed here also support secularism in the second sense.

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Conway Hall, home of the Conway Hall Ethical Society, the oldest freethought community in the world. (Established 1793)

Background

Secularists, and their organizations, identify themselves by a variety of terms, including, bright, freethinker, naturalist, rationalist, or skeptic.[2][3] Despite the use of these various terms, the organizations listed here have secularist goals in common. Note that, while most of these organizations and their members consider themselves irreligious, there are certain exceptions (Ethical Culture, for example).

In some jurisdictions, a provincial or national humanist society may confer upon Humanist officiants the ability to conduct memorial services, child naming ceremonies or officiate marriages — tasks which would be carried out by clergy in most organized religions.[4][5][6]

List
  • The Brights' Net is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to "building a constituency" and "constructively address[ing] the marginalized situation of persons who have a naturalistic worldview."[7]
  • The Clergy Project provides support, community, and hope to religious professionals who no longer hold supernatural beliefs.
  • European Humanist Federation is a union of "numerous humanist organisations from most European countries" whose purpose is to promote humanism and secularism in Europe.[8]
  • International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is "the sole world umbrella organisation embracing Humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, laique, [sic][9] ethical cultural, freethought and similar organisations world-wide." IHEU is a union of over 100 Humanist or secularist organizations in more than 40 countries. It is an international NGO (Non-governmental organization) with special consultative status with the United Nations.[10]
    • International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation (IHEYO), IHEU's youth wing
  • International League of Humanists
  • Rationalist International
  • Sunday Assembly

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Finland

France

Germany

Iceland
  • Sidmennt – Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Italy
  • Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR)

Luxembourg

Netherlands

New Zealand

Northern Ireland

Norway

Philippines

Romania

Scotland

Singapore
  • Humanist Society of Singapore

Sweden
  • Swedish Humanist Association

Switzerland

Turkey

United Kingdom

National organisations

Local groups

There are many local humanist groups around the United Kingdom, most being affiliates of Humanists UK and the National Secular Society. Of these, Leicester Secular Society has particular claim to fame in being the world's oldest secular society, founded in 1851.[16] Others include North East Humanists.

United States
Freedom From Religion Foundation billboard
American Atheist bench and "Ten Commandments" display (Bradford County, Florida).

See also

Notes and references
  1. "Secularism". Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 1989.
  2. The Secular Coalition for America, which has been identified by Brights.net as representing the interests of "secularist organizations", describes its constituency as "nontheistic Americans", including those who go by the labels "atheist, humanist, freethinker, agnostic, skeptic, bright, ignostic, materialist, and naturalist, among others." Who does the Secular Coalition for America represent? Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine at the Secular Coalition for America website (Accessed 5 April 2008)
  3. Some less common secularist labels include: apatheist, godless (in the non-pejorative, literal sense), ignostic, infidel (or unbeliever), heathen, materialist, or realist.
  4. "Humanist Canada: Humanist Weddings". Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  5. American Humanist Association: Humanists Stand Ready to Perform Same-Sex Marriage Ceremonies
  6. The Humanist Society Listing of Humanist Celebrants
  7. The Movement, The Brights' Network, 2008 (Accessed 9 April 2008)
  8. Presentation, European Humanist Federation website, 2006 (Accessed 10 April 2008)
  9. Laïque (French): "secular"
  10. About IHEU Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, IHEU website (Accessed 5 April 2008)
  11. Eroakirkosta.fi – Internet Deconstructing State Church in Finland
  12. "Les non-religieux veulent aussi être consultés". L'essentiel (in French). Edita SA. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  13. The Norwegian Humanist Association Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, Human-Etisk Forbund website (English version), 2011 (Accessed 5 February 2011)
  14. Membership Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, Human-Etisk Forbund website (English version), 2004 (Accessed 9 April 2008)
  15. South Place Ethical Society website (Accessed 5 April 2008)
  16. Leicester Secular Society website (Accessed 5 April 2008)
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