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Randy Best
ESWoW Newsletter - March 1, 2012
- From The Leader - Admit I'm An Atheist? Maybe Not
- Community Call - Sunday, March 4, 2012
- Extra Reading
From The Leader
Admit I'm An Atheist? Maybe Not is Suan Rose's take on Randy Best's take on a piece by John Shook. The subject will be explored furhter in our next Community Call.
ESWoW Community Call - Sunday, March 4, 2012
Non-Theism Today: Where is Ethical Humanism?
Randy Best, Leader Ethical Culture Society of the Triangle, NC
Given the recent proliferation of non-theistic authors and greater awareness of the non-theistic life-stance and non-theist groups - Where does Ethical Humanism stand in this contemporary landscape of ideas?
Please join us for the ESWoW Community Call on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 5pm PT, 6pm MT, 7pm CT, and 8pm ET.
The contact number for the call is 866-740-1260, access # 5766842#.
Please join us and invite anyone you think might be interested.
Extra Reading
Here are two readings Randy provided for us:
- Sally Quinn's 5 Lessons After 5 Years of On Faith
- John Shook's response - A New Year's Resolution: Admit You're An Atheist
Talk to you Sunday!
Yours in Ethical Community,
Susan Rose, Leader
Ethical Society Without Walls
Tags: Harvest of Gratitude and a Ritual for Thanksgiving Day - Percival Chubb
Harvest of Gratitude - Percival Chubb
And the fruitful earth has fulfilled the promise of spring.
The work of those who labor has been rewarded: They have
Sown and reaped, planted and gathered.
How rich and beautiful is the bounty gathered: The golden
Grain and clustered corn, the grapes of purple and green,
The crimson apples and yellow pears, and all the colors of
Orchard and garden, vineyard and field.
Season follows after season, after winter the spring, after
Summer the harvest-laden autumn.
From bud to blossom, from flower to fruit, from seed to bud
Again, the beauty of earth unfolds.
From the harvest of the soil we are given occasion to garner a
Harvest of the heart and mind:
A harvest of resolve to be careful stewards of all life’s gifts and
opportunities.
A harvest of reverence for the wondrous power and life at work in
Things that grow and in the soul.
A harvest of gratitude for every good which we enjoy, and of fellowship
For all who are sustained by earth’s beauty.
Guest Platforms
Philosophical Foundations of Ethical Culture
David Sprintzen's address to the Ethical Culture Society of Westchester on Sunday Jan. 17, 2010
Foundations of Ethical Culture: Ethical Culture History
Dr. Howard Radest
http://www.nysec.org/2009/10/22/radest-foundations-ec-history/
Sustainable Living and Ethical Culture
Bart Worden
New York Society for Ethical Culture Sunday Address
January 24, 2010
http://www.nysec.org/2010/01/24/worden-sustainable-living-and-ethical-cu...
Reclaiming Ethical Culture Spirituality
Anne Klaeysen, Leader, NY Society for Ethical Culture.
Anne gives us a guided meditation for the opening words of this Platform. She shares on the distinctive niche Ethical Culture fills in the world. You can find her talk on the website of the Ethical Society of Northern Westchester (in NY) (http://www.esnw.org/Main.html). You can then select Listen to ESNW Lectures in the left-hand column and find Anne's talk on that page.
Memorial Day Event to Honor Victims of War - Randy Best
Memorial Day event to Honor Victims of War
May 31, 2010
Randy Best, Leader
Ethical Humanist Society of the Triangle
Moral Implications of the War in Afghanistan Read more »
Dangerous Ideas, Randy Best
Randy Best platform from February 2009
Before starting this talk, I want to give notice. I am going to make some strong statements criticizing supernatural religion. These views are my own. They are not an official position of Ethical Culture since Ethical Culture takes no position and welcomes differing viewpoints.
Consider my views to be one of many.
While preparing this talk, I ran across this quote by Don Marquis:
This cynical view of our capabilities almost caused me to give up and stay home today. In any event, I hope to prove Don Marquis wrong and instigate some thought in my audience.
I gave a Platform with this title a few years ago in St. Louis. My thinking has changed some since then.
The ideas for this new talk were formed this February which saw the confluence of Charles Darwin's and Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthdays and, of course Valentines Day.
All three of these events bring to mind dangerous ideas. Read more »
The World Where We Live - Part 1 (Kate Lovelady - April 19, 2008)
Platform Address Part 1 of 3 by Kate Lovelady
Co-presented by Kate Lovelady, Randy Best, and Tony Hileman
American Ethical Union Assembly, Austin, TX, April 19, 2008
For the platform address today you'll be hearing from three leaders: me, Randy Best, and Tony Hileman, and then the National Leaders Council will be welcoming Tony officially into Leadership with a certification ceremony. First Randy, Tony, and I will each be sharing our unique thoughts on the theme of this Assembly, "Where We Live."
I’m going to speak from a personal and environmental point of view, primarily because I am a dreadfully literal-minded person. When I think about Where I Live, I see the big blue marble, the earth as seen from space, and I see my yellow house with its front porch and daffodils in St. Louis. And I think how those two images are related: how my practical, mundane choices of where and how I live, affect that big blue marble.
Read more »
The World Where We Live - Part 2 (Randy Best - April 19, 2008)
latform Address Part 2 of 3 by Randy Best
Co-presented by Kate Lovelady, Randy Best, and Tony Hileman
American Ethical Union Assembly, Austin, TX, April 19, 2008
In addressing the theme of this Assembly, I am going to follow the example of Barack Obama's minister, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
It’s not my job to make you comfortable.
As you know, this year's theme is:
Where We Live... An exploration of issues and ideas that affect where and how we live.
Our experience of the world creates our values which influence our decisions about where and how we live.
As a humanist, I experience the world as lacking inherent meaning -- it is therefore up to me to discover values through my life experience and make meaning.
Jennifer Michael Hecht wrote in her book Doubt: Read more »
The World Where We Live - Part 3 (Tony Hileman - April 19, 2008)
Platform Address Part 3 of 3 by Tony Hileman
Co-presented by Tony Hileman, Kate Lovelady, and Randy Best
American Ethical Union Assembly, Austin, TX, April 19, 2008
As Humanists, we all value and appreciate courage, we try to do brave things and avoid doing foolish things. This morning I'm realizing a bit late that to follow either of the previous speakers, Kate Lovelady or Randy Best, might be considered brave. But to try to follow both of them is downright foolish. But, as I said, it's too late now so I'm gong to try.
The theme of this year's Assembly is "Where We Live." And there's been no shortage of talk about that, mostly from Texans who want to make sure you know they're from Texas. I want to thank our hosts from Austin. But in doing so I feel a need to rise in defense of the great state of Indiana.
Now unlike Texans we Hoosiers don't usually brag about our home state. In fact we seldom mention it at all. We figure if the other person is from Indiana we'll recognize it soon enough. And if they aren't, well, there's just no need to embarrass them.
Now I know it riles a Texan to hear that, and a riled Texan is not something you want to come near. But those of you so riled should just settle down and settle back because I'm going to keep talking until I feel it's safe to quit. I figure as long as I'm up here I'm out of harm's way, though that could be a false sense of security. Read more »
A Concept Map for Ethical Culture
I like the Concept Map (/content/concept-map). It is both an overview of Ethical Culture History and a consensus statement by Ethical Culture Leaders at the time it was written (1991). What I would like most is to hear your comments and questions. Rather than passive waiting, I will, as moderator, provoke discussion as well. What are your reactions to the Concept Map's descriptions of Ethical Culture as "Ethical Humanism" - an expression of humanism albeit a religious humanism? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Randy Best
An Introductory Conversation with ESWoW Leaders - Susan Rose and Randy Best (or the dangers of ad lib-ing without notes)
This is a transcript of a recorded conversation. We strongly recommend that you listen to the attached mp3 audio file.
Randy: Hello, I’m Randy Best, one of the Leaders of the Ethical Society Without Walls…
Susan: …and I’m Susan Rose the other Leader of the Ethical Society Without Walls, and we’re here today to talk a little bit about what we see as the purpose of the Ethical Society Without Walls. Would you like to start Randy?
Randy: Certainly. The Ethical Society Without Walls is a new way of making connections with others to create a community that explores ethical values. Ethics are lived out in our relationships with others and this website will be a tool that allows people to explore how to live more ethical and more meaningful lives. What do you think Susan?
Susan: I think that it will be a very useful way for people – it’s very easy sometimes to talk about living an ethical life but it’s very hard to do that on your own – and I think our website will give people a chance to be part of different forums, and email lists, and have a way to really be able to discuss what it means to live an ethical life, and get feedback from people, and create those connections that will be supportive.
Randy: Right. We will be posting Blogs and talks which we call Platforms, on this website – but those really aren’t the teaching tools. I think that, that really where the learning comes for all of us is in the comments and feedback that people post on those Blogs and websites – and Platforms I mean, and what people say on the list-servs that we have. Read more »
