Building humanist communities: Alice Fuller, Catherine Dunphy, Isabel Russo, and James Croft discuss

Описание: In this session from August 2014's World Humanist Congress in Oxford, our panellists tackle whether there more that humanists can do as national and local communities to develop its coherence as a movement.

Summary: If the humanist movement is to help bring about a new Enlightenment, does it first need to build its own self-confidence and coherence as a collection of people? This session explores various aspects of the humanist movement as a community and how that element of humanist organisations can contribute to these requirements. What is the need (if any) for what are called (depending on country) ‘counsellors’ or ‘pastoral support’ in the humanist movement? Should there be an element of teaching or promoting in their roles or the roles of other humanist professionals? What is the role of ceremony? Can the humanist model of completely personalised ceremonies be sustained as the movement grows? Is it really fully realised even now in every country? If not, is there a risk of descent into meaningless ritual? Is there a need for local humanist community - for local meetings or chapters? What is their role? And is it inward- or outward-looking or both? How do these functions cohere and contribute to an overall movement?

Alice Fuller, former BHA trustee and coordinator of Young Humanists as of 2015, chairs the event. Her panellists are Isabel Russo, Head of Ceremonies for the British Humanist Association; James Croft of the Humanist Community at Harvard; and Catherine Dunphy, a former Roman Catholic chaplain who since started the Clergy Project, a peer community for ex-clergy.