Secular Society member, Emma Campbell, advocates that there be respect for all beliefs, including non-belief. South Africa is a country shaped by different cultures, traditions, religions and ways of understanding the world. In our homes, workplaces, schools and communities, we encounter people whose beliefs differ from our own. Some people find meaning through religion or
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An Interview with the Author – Synthil Kistnasami Tell us something about yourself and your beliefs, if any. Today, I identify as a Humanistic Atheist, I am not convinced of the existence of a God or any supernatural being, nor do I worship deities or manifestations of divinity. Yet my identity is inseparable from my
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Belonging is not a luxury. It is not a soft, sentimental idea. It is a fundamental human need. Psychologists have long recognised that the need to belong sits alongside our need for safety and security. We are social beings. We thrive when we feel seen, understood and accepted. We suffer when we feel excluded, misunderstood
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This opinion piece was written by SASS member “Joy” Bless. It started with some rather personal experience: first with a friend of mine, in South Africa, then with a niece in Latin America. Two very different regions of the world, two very different cultures and religions, but with the same reaction: “How can you not
The Growth of the Non-religious Population and its Challenges Read More »
In a world where religious beliefs have traditionally provided answers to life’s most profound questions, those of us who embrace a secular worldview often find ourselves navigating these existential conundrums without the comfort of divine explanations. Yet, far from leaving us adrift, this perspective offers a rich, nuanced approach to understanding our place in the
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This review of the life and work of Daniel Dennett was written for the Secular Society of South Africa by Barrie van Zyl. Daniel Dennett, an American philosopher and cognitive scientist, well known for his support of atheism and secularism, died on 19 April 2024 at the age of 82. He remains one of the
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A paper presented by Rick Raubenheimer, President, on behalf of the South African Secular Society (SASS) at the Conference on Religious Freedom in South Africa, “Freedom of Religion or Belief in a Democracy”, at The University of Johannesburg (UJ), 11-12 April 2024. Kindly address all correspondence in this regard to the President of SASS at
Atheists in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Discrimination and Progress Read More »
Categories: Atheism, PhilosophyGenres: Atheism, Philosophy, ReligionPublished: 1/1/2014Format: HardcoverPage Count: 254Goodreads Rating: 4.21Goodreads ID: 18747558ISBN13: 9780989936002ISBN: 0989936007Book URL: GoodReads.comThe myth persists. Even in our modern world, countless people believe that without God, one’s life has no purpose or meaning — that the lives of atheists are devoid of joy and happiness because they are not religious.
A Better Life: 100 Atheists Speak Out on Joy & Meaning in a World Without God Read More »
Categories: Atheism, Philosophy, ReligionAuthor: Raymond D BradleyGenres: Atheism, Philosophy, ReligionPublisher: Ockham PublishingPublished: 2/12/2016Format: PaperbackPage Count: 372Goodreads Rating: 4.71Goodreads ID: 29066346ISBN13: 9781910780084ISBN: 9781910780084Book URL: GoodReads.comFew can offer a more experienced view on religion than Ray Bradley. Having been raised as a ‘winner of souls for Christ’ in the 1940s, he spent the next 40 years as
God’s Gravediggers: Why No Deity Exists Read More »
Categories: Atheism, PhilosophyAuthor: A. C. GraylingGenres: Atheism, PhilosophyPublisher: Bloomsbury USAPublished: 3/4/2014Title: The God Argument: The Case against Religion and for HumanismFormat: PaperbackPage Count: 288Goodreads Rating: 3.78Goodreads ID: 17978141ISBN13: 9781620401927ISBN: 1620401924Book URL: GoodReads.comExamining all the arguments for and against religion and religious belief–across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious and
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