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172. The Cardiff Humanists
I am a Humanist. When recently I was asked what is a Humanist, I was hard-pressed to give it a description. I wrote, “Humanists are an evolving society of like-minded people who endeavor to reduce pain and suffering, while expanding the well-being of lives without a belief in magic. That is, the Humanist can experience magic as qualia without imposing magic into their understanding of reality.”
Once a month, always on a Wednesday, I meet with the Cardiff Humanists at the Friends Meeting House at 43 Charles Street. This grey stone vicarage was built about 1860 for the vicar of Saint John the Baptist Church. Today it is conspicuous by contrast, sitting between two newly built box-shaped buildings. The Quakers purchased it in 1931 and presently encourage other organizations to meet there, so the Cardiff Humanists have been booking a space. I am proud of the association the Cardiff Humanists have to Welsh born Bertrand Russell, who served as the titular President of the Cardiff Humanists for many years and until his death in 1970 at 97. I always get a kick out of that.
There is an obnoxious evangelist who too often takes the southern end of The Hayes as her pulpit. She pontificates using a loudspeaker, threatening pedestrians with eternal damnation. Not even children are spared from her threats. Her bigotry is blatant, condemning gays and declaring Allah is not god. If you don’t accept her god’s love and only her god’s love, you are forever doomed to her god’s sadistic punishments. Outside diners at nearby restaurants are invited inside by the staff to be spared her imprecations. Her offensive remarks come through my windows, which are open in summer. I have a friend whose apartment is closer, who is hard of hearing and has double-glazed glass, and yet even with her windows closed, this evangelist’s volume is an infuriating interruption to her peace. Her notoriety sows disgust among shoppers and shop owners for her and her god.
If there is a god, let’s hope it’s a kinder god than the one she describes.
I have suggested to my fellow Humanists that our organization should send out a representative wearing a sandwich board every time this obnoxious woman preaches. It would announce us as the opposition and we could hand out pamphlets and brochures to make the public aware of the Cardiff Humanists. The very pedestrians giving the preacher a wide berth would probably be amused by our representative, and might want to show their disdain for the preacher by accepting our material.
The August meeting was a screening of People's Emergency Briefing, a 45-minute documentary bringing expert authorities to the lectern to explain the present crisis of climate change. It was narrated by Chris Packham, the TV presenter and naturalist. It was free. It was fully booked and I had not registered. Fortunately, as a former board member and having friends among the organizers, I was invited to fill a vacancy when another member could no longer make it.
There was plenty of room. Only two dozen people showed and there were empty seats. It was an exceptionally hot evening and there is no air-conditioning in the Quakers Meeting House. Trains were not running north of Radyr station because of major engineering work affecting services to and from Treherbert, Aberdare, and Merthyr Tydfil. Also, while we were screening the film, we were competing against a solar eclipse. Nevertheless, it was a memorable evening.
The film claims that climate models prepared by researchers have underestimated the speed at which climate change is occurring. As Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University, Hayley Fowler declares, "The climate we live in today, is the least extreme climate we will experience in our lifetimes." It's a thought to dwell on.
After the meeting, many of us retired to the pub Porter’s, tucked away on Barrack Lane, to continue the dialogue.
I have registered for the September meeting. The talk then will be Hoaxes, Myths and Lies - moon landing conspiracy theories. The speaker will be Phil Wallace from the Astronomical Society.
I think if more people knew about the Cardiff Humanists, they would take refuge in our organization, basking in the kindness and camaraderie of fellow Humanists; where knowledge, morality, and solutions are pursued in an open forum. Humanists do not administer received knowledge, which is fixed, but operate through experiential knowledge that is continually tested against reality, then modified and improved accordingly. We are not looking to indoctrinate anybody in a singular belief or to restrict what they can learn. We are an alternative to dependence on the supernatural for making the world a better place and to religious dogma. We are an evidence-based organization.
Mr Bentzman will continue to report here regularly about
the events and concerns of his life. If you've any
comments or suggestions, he would be pleased to hear from you.
You can find his
several books at www.Bentzman.com.
Enshrined
Inside Me, his second collection of
essays, is now available to purchase.
