KHEC Logo

KHEC Curriculum Framework 1.0

The Continuum of Humanist Education (COHE)

. The goals of the COHE, which is developed and managed by the Institute for Humanist Studies, are to provide individuals with an understanding of humanism and to help them apply that understanding to better comprehend the world, develop personal potential, and contribute to a better society. To achieve this, COHE provides lessons in an interactive distance learning website. Students work at their own pace and own level using Web technology such as chat rooms and bulletin boards to “meet” and talk with other students and faculty. Interactive assessments, glossaries, and other features enable students to receive instant feedback and support for their work.

The introductory modules are free and instantly accessible to any online student at any time. Higher level modules are minimally priced to ensure that the greatest possible number of people can use this resource. A complete listing of currently available courses is available. Courses are available following a simple online registration and enrollment procedure; there are no entrance requirements. COHE courses are offered as enrichment courses which carry no credit beyond the satisfaction of increasing one's understanding of the humanist worldview. The faculty is comprised of noted educators drawn from the international humanist community. COHE adds new courses over time, depending on student demand.

The following is a brief overview of the survey course “Introduction to Humanism: A Primer on the History, Philosophy, and Goals of Humanism.” The course is divided into two lessons. Lesson 1 summarizes the history of humanist ideas and their role in the development of the modern world. Lesson 2 explores the meaning and scope of the humanist life stance in the current era. Students are free to navigate the course in sequential order or skip to selected topics according to their interest. The program description also states that --

Although not at all required, we hope you'll consider registering as a COHE student before reading this free demo course. Registration is free, with no obligation to enroll in COHE courses. Registering and logging in prior to reading the lessons of Introduction to Humanism will unlock your door to the COHE Message Board, where other COHE students are discussing and debating the stimulating topics and provocative questions they encounter in their courses here, this one included. Important: You must be registered and logged in if you wish to enroll in other COHE courses, even those without tuition. Only this demo course is open to the public without registration.

In addition to the introductory demonstration course, courses are offered in the following areas: Science and Humanism [Evolution, Creationism, and the Nature of Science]; Psychology and Humanism [Understanding Ourselves and Our Universe]; Religion and Spirituality [Developing Human Potential Without Religion]; Ethics [Sacred vs. Secular Ethics];  Law and Politics [Religion and the Constitution]; and Humanist Activism and Organization [Humanist Activism].

Three Humanist Resources for Parents


The Family of Humanists (FOH): “A Humanist Movement Dedicated to Family Life.” The FOH is a group of families and individuals from around the US and abroad who are applying the Humanist philosophy of life to issues of interest to families and family members of all ages. The FOH provides publications including a monthly newsletter, books on humanism for children, as well as pamphlets describing their philosophy and a listserv. They also have an email-based discussion list for discussing Humanism and the Family of Humanists.

The Internet Infidels’ Discussion Board: This is one of the better known freethought forums on the Web; the Secular Lifestyle topic is a good place for parents to communicate. The forums include feedback, philosophical, debates, and community forums.

The Parents' Corner: This is a compendium of articles and resources that help non-theistic parents deal with the challenges of secular child-rearing. The needs of non-theistic parents often are ignored by existing resources, some of which even go so far as to condemn the idea of raising children without religious belief. The Parent's Corner is intended to address this imbalance by providing information that addresses the unique challenges that non-theistic parents face.


Resources from the British Humanist Association


We are greatly indebted to, and can learn much from, from our colleagues in the British Humanist Association (BHA). They have launched a website of resources to teach about Humanism at www.humanismforschools.org.uk.Six highly useful toolkits contain videos, teachers’ notes and student worksheets. Downloadable PDFs contain versions of the BHA’s briefings on ethical and philosophical issues from a humanist perspective. Videos integrated into the toolkits (also available to download from the site for use in other contexts) include humanists talking about their beliefs and values. Here is a brief description of the six toolkits:

Toolkit 1: What Makes Us Special? One of the important human attributes is the ability to ask questions about the world around us and investigate those questions. This attribute is important for humanists; it means that we can understand the world and use the answers to our questions to change the world. This toolkit introduces children (ages 5 to 7) to these ideas and to stimulate them to explore their responses.

Toolkit 2: What Do We Celebrate and Why? This toolkit explores a humanist perspective on two key ideas with children ages 7 to 11. The first is that our human relationships and the love, commitment, and responsibility in those relationships, gives us the support we need in life and that there is no god or afterlife. The second is that because this is the only life we have, we should try to live a full and happy life and help others to do the same.

Toolkit 3: How Should We Treat Other People and Why? This toolkit explores with students ages 7 to 11 ways in which humanists make moral decisions. It focuses on two key ideas: the “Golden Rule” and the use of reason. It introduces the ideas that our ability to reflect on issues of right and wrong comes from human nature and that the way to answer questions of what actions are right and wrong is to ask what the effects of those actions will be on ourselves and others.

Toolkit 4: How Do You Know It's True? This toolkit explores with students ages 11 to 14 ways in which humanists approach the question of what is true. Humanists use reason and evidence. They look for evidence, weigh the strength of evidence, look for ways to test the evidence, and look for the simplest explanations of it. The toolkit applies these arguments to the question of whether god exists and introduces more reasons that some humanists have for being atheists or agnostics.

Toolkit 5: How Do You Tell Right From Wrong? Students ages 12 to 14 explore ways in which humanists make moral choices. They look at the ways in which these concepts can be applied to practical ethical decisions and compare the humanist approach to ethics with their own ideas and with those of people from religious traditions they have studied.

Toolkit 6: What's It All For? This toolkit for students ages 12 to 14 explores beliefs about what gives a sense of meaning and purpose in life and why. It focuses on three points: humanists base their ideas about the world on reason and evidence; humanists conclude that this is the only life we have and that there is no evidence for life after death; humanists say that there is no evidence of ultimate purpose or destiny in the universe and that we have to make our own meaning and purpose. We must look to our own human attributes to address the problems in the world and make our own destiny.

The BHA web site suggests that teachers can construct their own lessons by following the instructions provided. Each toolkit contains teaching notes, a lesson guide, worksheets, and a class presentation.  We could not begin to capture the breath and depth of these marvelous documents. Instead we present the following two examples:

From the Toolkit 3: How Should We Treat Other People and Why?

TEACHING NOTES

Introduction. The aim of this toolkit is to explore the ways in which humanists make moral decisions. It focuses on two key ideas: the Golden Rule and the use of reason. Humanists say that our ability to reflect on issues of right and wrong comes from our own human nature. We have the ability to empathise with others. We can imagine ourselves in another person’s place and think about how we would feel. We can see that everyone would want to be treated well by others and therefore we should treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated (the ‘Golden Rule‘). As humans we also have the ability to reason. We can work out from the available evidence the likely consequences of an action, the harm or good which is likely to result from it. Humanists say that on this basis we can judge how far an action is right or wrong.

Humanists say that our moral values have developed along with our evolution as social animals. Our values are based on our common human need to live together harmoniously in groups. We need the kind of rules and behaviour that enable social groups to work well.

Humanists argue that our shared human nature and needs explain the considerable agreement among religions and societies about what is ethical. They believe that the Golden Rule is so widespread across the world and in most religions and philosophies because it is based on our common humanity - we all want to be treated well and we all need to live together harmoniously.

The first two activities in this toolkit give a scenario with an ethical dilemma and summarise humanist ethics in relation to it. The third explores the Golden Rule and compares humanist ethics with some religions and other philosophies. The fourth gives examples of how humanists apply their ethical views in practice.

Learning Objectives. Pupils are able to: (1) understand two key concepts that humanists use to make moral decisions, (2) compare some religious views and humanist views about ethics, and (3) explain their own views on how we should treat others and compare their own ideas with those of humanists.

Summary of Activities. The pupils reflect on an ethical dilemma. They think about their options and debate what they would do in this situation using a ‘traffic light’ discussion. Pupils then investigate, using video clips, what humanists might do in this situation and why, and imagine the next scene with a humanist in their place. The pupils explore, using information on screen and their own research, how far some religions and philosophies share humanist views of ethics and why. They record their research on a writing frame. The pupils then revisit the initial ethical dilemma, thinking about what they would now choose to do in that situation and comparing their ideas with those of humanists.  The pupils evaluate the ideas they have studied, using challenging questions and exploring them through drama, discussion, or extended writing.



From Toolkit 4: How Do You Know It’s True?
Lesson Guide

Preparation
Download the Worksheets and preview the screens.

Introductory Activities

Screen One

-- Using screen 1, in pairs or groups the students look at the British Humanist Association’s ‘happy human’ logo. They talk about what they already know about Humanism. They then look at the statements on screen and decide which they think is true or false.

-- The aim is for pupils to recap on prior knowledge and start thinking about the humanist ideas they will encounter in this toolkit.


Screen Two

-- Using screen 2, students watch a short video clip in which humanists describe the reasons for them becoming humanists and what humanist values mean to them.

-- Students should discuss whether or not they feel Humanism makes sense to them, and whether humanist values conflict with those of some religions they have studied - and why.


Main Activities
How do you know it's true?


Screen Three

-- Using screens 3, students should first give an answer to the following statements and then run the videos to see what other people think. In each case, the important point made is that the only way to know if something is true is to examine the evidence for it, and to make a reasoned judgment.

-- You do not need to run all these videos, just enough to make the point.

-- The statements are:

          - The stars and planets influence what happens to you in your life
          - There are such things as ghosts
          - Henry VIII had six wives
          - Green plants need light to grow well
          - If my friend grazes his knee he will feel pain
          - There are intelligent beings on other planets

The importance of reasoning and evidence


Screen Four

-- This screen describes how humanists decide on the truth. They use reasoning and evidence. Do your students agree that this is how the truth is discovered?

Is there a God?

Screen Five

-- In this video clip humanists give their views on the existence of God. They stress the need to use reasoning and evidence in their decision making.

-- Ask students if they agree with this approach and ask them to compare it with the 'God-view' given in some religions they have studied.

-- Explain to the students that for many humanists the question of whether there is a god or not is simply answered by saying that, because there is no evidence for the existence of god(s), then there is no reason to believe in them.

-- Next we are going to explain some of the specific arguments that some humanist thinkers have made concerning god(s).


Thoughts on god

Screen Six

-- Using screen 6, students can investigate how humanists have applied reason and evidence to different aspects of the question of whether there is a god.

-- Students drag each thinker into the frame to give their view in one short statement: 

          - Feuerbach - 'Such as are a man's thoughts...., such is his God.'
          - Darwin - 'The old argument of design in nature....fails.'
          - Einstein - 'I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his     creatures...'
          - Hume - 'A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature.'

-- Using Worksheets 4b and 4c, the students then work in small groups, taking one thinker per group. They read the information on their chosen thinker. They write down answers to the questions on Worksheet 4b. Using the worksheet to help them, they present that thinker's idea to the rest of the class and say how far, in the group's opinion, the thinker has made a good argument that god does not exist.

Plenary

Screen Seven

-- Using screen 7, summarize the key idea in this toolkit:  that humanists use reason and evidence to work out what is or may be true.

-- The students choose one (or more) of the examples from screen 3.  Through discussion or writing, they explain how a humanist might respond to this statement and how far they agree or disagree with the humanist viewpoint and why.  They refer to reason and evidence.

-- Students do some creative work to communicate and apply their understanding of the key concepts of reason and evidence, atheism, agnosticism, and belief:  a play script or cartoon/animation of ‘God v Hume’;  a letter from Darwin to Thomas Huxley, wondering whether to publish his ideas on the origin of species; a report for the school magazine about the survey of students’ ideas in screen 3, using graphs and interviews to show the results; an essay exploring one of the following questions: ‘Can reason and evidence tell us everything about the world?’  ‘Can your own experience alone tell you what is true?’  ‘If large numbers of people believe something, does that make it likely to be true?’

Extension Activities Introduce the following four hypotheses:
        - The earth is flat   - The sun moves around the earth
        - Cheese creates mice  - You can cure plague by putting the herb rue on your         windowsill. (These are all early, now discredited, ideas which were proved false by         scientists and explorers using reason and evidence.) 

The students imagine that they are 16th and 17th century scientists and explorers who have set out to see if these hypotheses are true or false. In pairs they think of some experiments which could test the hypotheses. They use the questions in Worksheet 4a to help them.They write up their experiments, creating some suitably 'antique' documents and using the language of scientific enquiry. Worksheet 4d is a writing frame to help students organize their work.

Find out more about some of the explorers and scientists who used reason and evidence to disprove earlier hypotheses, in particular Galileo, Magellan, Mendel, and Pasteur.

Note: Transcripts of the videos are available to download in video library area.
******************************************************************************************************
These two brief examples from the British Humanist Association are only the “tip of the iceberg.” We strongly urge users of the Kochhar Humanist Education Center web site to view the BHA teaching resources. Again, the address is: www.humanismforschools.org.uk.You and your students will profit greatly from this educational excursion to the United Kingdom.


Prometheus Books Readers of this bibliography will note that a prominent publisher of books dealing with Humanist issues (for all age groups) is Prometheus Books. Here is how to contact them: 59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, New York, 14228-2197. Toll Free Number: (800) 421-0351.Email: marketing@prometheusbooks.com or check their catalog on-line: www.prometheusbooks.com/cat.html. The following is a partial listing of their publication categories. (Each includes numerous titles.) The categories include: Atheism, Biblical Criticism, Church & State, Creationism vs Evolution, Critical Thinking, Education, Freethought, Gay & Lesbian, Great Books in Philosophy Series, Great Minds Series - Freethought, Humanism, Moral Issues, Religion & Politics, Science & The Paranormal, Women's Issues, and Young Readers.

Humanist Heroes and Heroines

As you will note, there is some redundancy in the following lists of resources. This is a realization that many, many Humanists are recognized by numerous sources for their contribution to the betterment of humankind.

Famous Freethinking and Humanists
More Famous Freethinkers and Humanists
Resources from the Freedom From Religion Foundation
The Council for Secular Humanism: Humanist Hall of Fame
Famous Humanists: prominent influential people whose “religion” was Humanism
List of Humanists from Wikipedia
Signers of Humanist Manifesto III – Humanism and Its Aspirations (2003)
Freethinkiners
Famous Dead Nontheists
Who are some of your favorite Humanists, and why?

Famous Freethinkers and Humanists

Compiled by Fred Edwords, AHA Director of Communications

 

John Adams.  John Adams was a Harvard graduate and lawyer who became a leader among the patriots who were opposing British tyranny against the American colonies.  He led the protest against the Stamp Act and was a member of the Continental Congress.  He was also part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence and he was the one who first said that George Washington should be made commander in chief of the American troops.  Later, he was one of the people who wrote the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution.  He became vice president of the United States under President George Washington and was later elected as the second U.S. president.  He and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

 

John Adams is particularly important to humanists because he strongly supported the separation of church and state.  Back in his day, some states passed laws that punished people for criticizing the Bible.  John Adams was against those laws.  Adams wrote: “We should begin by setting conscience free.  When all men of all religions . . . shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power . . . we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society.”  Today many people try to say that the United States is a Christian nation.  But in his Treaty with Tripoli, a Muslim country in North Africa, John Adams said that "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion . . ."   

  

Steve Allen.  Have you ever heard of the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno?  Well, before Jay Leno, the "Tonight Show" was run by Johnny Carson.  And before him it was run by Jack Paar.  And before him it was run by Steve Allen.  Steve Allen started the show.  He was and is a great comedian who was really popular on TV in the 1960s.  I used to watch him as a kid.  Steve Allen is also a famous pianist and musical composer.  One of his songs is "South Rampart Street Parade."

Well, Steve Allen is a humanist.  And he says so, writing books on how to think clearly and rationally.  Humanist organizations have given him awards and he has spoken, told jokes, and played the piano at many humanist conferences over the years.  In the 1970s he went on radio and told millions of listeners that they should learn more about humanism.

  

Isaac Asimov.  One of the greatest science fiction writers of all time was Isaac Asimov.  He wrote the Foundation series, "Nightfall," "I, Robot," Fantastic Voyage, and many other famous science fiction works.  But he also wrote factual books about science, the arts, history, and all sorts of other things.  He wrote so much -- over 477 books -- that he was called "the greatest explainer of the age" and was listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the author who wrote the most books on the greatest number of subjects.  At least one of his books is in every Dewey Decimal System category, the cataloging system that many libraries use.  Asimov was born in Russia but came with his family to the United States when he was three.  In college he studied biochemistry and later became a professor of the subject.  He was very honest and public in telling people that he was an atheist and a humanist.  From 1985 until his death in 1992, he was the president of the American Humanist Association.  One of his most popular books is Asimov's Guide to the Bible, which shows that the Bible is a book myth, legend, and a little history but not the word of God.  In 1989, when writing about humanism, Asimov said:  “We humanists celebrate humanity, want humanity to survive, and recognize that, if humanity does survive, it will be by its own efforts.  Never can we sit back and wait for miracles to save us.  Miracles don't happen.  Sweat happens.  Effort happens.  Thought happens.  And it is up to us humanists to help -- to expend our sweat, our effort, and our thought.  Then there will be hope for the world.”

  

Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin was born in England on the same day and in the same year as Abraham Lincoln was born in the United States.  So humanists celebrate both of these men's birthdays together.  When Darwin went to college in England, he started out studying to be a minister.  But then he found that he liked studying nature better.  During a voyage around the world on a ship called the Beagle, in which he examined fossils and living animals, he got into a lot of arguments with the captain of the ship, Robert Fitzroy.  Fitzroy believed that God made all the animals and plants and put them here just a few thousand years ago.  But Darwin was gathering facts that showed how animals evolved naturally.  Later, in 1859, Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species.  That book changed science forever; the theory of evolution became the major principle of biology.  And, over time, Darwin gave up all belief in religion and a god, seeing the universe as natural.  Today, however, many people (called creationists) don't want students to learn about Charles Darwin or evolution.  They are afraid that such scientific information will cause people to give up religion just the way Darwin did.  That's why it's often hard for kids to learn much about evolution in school.

  

Clarence Darrow. The most famous lawyer in American history was Clarence Darrow.  Although he made a lot of money, one day he decided to give up his prosperous career and devote his life to defending the "underdog."  Thus he defended labor union organizers and fought against capital punishment.  He saved over 100 people from being executed and not one of his clients was ever sentenced to death.  One of his biggest cases was the Scopes "Monkey Trial" in which he opposed William Jennings Bryan.  In this trial, many people in Dayton, Tennessee, wanted to keep kids from learning about evolution in school.  So they sent a school science teacher named John Scopes to jail.  Clarence Darrow became Scopes' lawyer and, in his trial he got many people all over the United States to see how silly it was to try and outlaw the teaching of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Clarence Darrow, who was born in Ohio, was an outspoken agnostic who wrote pamphlets arguing that there was no way anybody can know if there is a God or not.  He was very popular with freethinkers and social reformers but very unpopular with fundamentalist Christians.

  

Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass was the son of a black woman, Harriet Bailey, and an unknown white man.  In 1838, he managed to escape his enslavement.  It was then that he gave himself the name Douglass, inspired by the hero in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Lady of the Lake.  In 1841, after giving a stirring public speech against slavery, he became a leading abolitionist.  In 1847 he became editor of the North Star, an abolitionist newspaper. During the Civil War, Douglass helped organize two black regiments in Massachusetts.  After the war was over, he worked in the South to promote civil rights for African Americans.  He later secured important positions as marshal of Washington, D.C. and minister to Haiti. Frederick Douglass was a freethinker who knew that getting black people to become Christians was one of the ways white slave owners had kept blacks under control.  Douglass was a good friend of America's most famous 19th century freethinker, Robert G.  Ingersoll.

 

Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein is recognized as one of the greatest physicists of all time.  He developed the theory of relativity and won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921.  Though born in Germany, he had to leave the country when Hitler and the Nazis took over.  So he became a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey and was made a U.S. citizen.  He later contributed to the development of quantum mechanics.  Though he was against war, he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning him that the Nazis were on the verge of developing an atom bomb and so the United States would need to go to work on such a project in order to win World War II.  Among Einstein's books is one called Essays in Humanism and he was a member of the American Humanist Association.  He saw no reason to believe that there was a personal god running the universe.  Though he sometimes looked upon all of nature as God, most of the time he didn't believe in a God at all.  His greatest hope was that all of the nations of the world would get together to form a single world government that would bring lasting peace.

 

George Eliot.  Back in the 1800s, women weren't supposed to have careers and most publishers wouldn't publish any book written by a woman.  That's why Marian Evans changed her name to George Eliot.  It allowed her to become a famous author!  She wrote great novels like Silas Marner and Middlemarch and is considered the first modern English novelist. Though she was raised a strict evangelical Christian, she later rebelled against that faith and became a strong freethinker.  Although in each of her books the lives of the women and men seem determined by circumstance, she was primarily interested in the responsibility that people take for their lives and with the moral choices that they must make.

 

In addition, Fred Edwords compiled a short list of Humanists that included: Isaac Asimov, scientist; Margaret Atwood, author and literary freedom activist; Brock Chisholm, physician and first Director-General of the World Health Organization; Albert Einstein, physicist; Betty Friedan, feminist activist;  R. Buckminster Fuller, futurist and inventor;  Julian Huxley, philosopher and first Director-General of UNESCO; Richard Leakey, anthropologist;  Abraham Maslow, psychologist; John Boyd Orr, the first Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization; A. Philip Randolf, human rights activist;  Carl Rogers, psychologist; Bertrand Russell, mathematician and philosopher; Jonas Salk, physician and developer of the polio vaccine; Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood;  Andrei Sakharov, physicist and human rights activist; and Gloria Steinem, feminist activist.

More Famous Freethinkers and Humanists

Compiled by Bob Bhaerman, Coordinator of the Kochhar Humanist Education Center

Corliss Lamont, a prolific author and significant philosopher of Humanism, wrote sixteen books, hundreds of pamphlets and thousands of letters to newspapers on significant social issues during his life-long campaign for peace and civil rights. In 1935 he published The Illusion of Immortality, which was a revised version of his Ph.D. dissertation. His most famous work is the 1949 book, The Philosophy of Humanism, currently in its eighth edition. Lamont's political views were Marxist and socialist for much of his life. In 1953 he wrote Why I Am Not a Communist.  Lamont served as a director of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1932 to 1954 and, until his death in 1995 at the age of 93, as chairperson  of the National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, which successfully challenged Senator Joseph McCarthy's senate subcommittee.

Following the deaths of his parents, Lamont became a philanthropist. He funded the collection and preservation of manuscripts of American philosophers, particularly George Santayana. He became a substantial donor to both Harvard and Columbia, endowing the latter's Corliss Lamont Professor of Civil Liberties. Lamont was president emeritus of the American Humanist Association, and in 1977 was named Humanist of the Year. In 1981 he received the Gandhi Peace Award. In 1998 Lamont received a posthumous Distinguished Humanist Service Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union. The Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York is named the Corliss Lamont Chapter of the American Humanist Association in recognition of his lifelong devotion to and explanation of Humanism.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), a champion of free thought and a dynamic orator. During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army as a colonel. After the war, he resumed his law career and became a champion of freethinking and a defender of the scientific ideas of Darwin and T. H. Huxley. Ingersoll proudly claimed to be an agnostic, a word newly coined, and he was known as the "great agnostic." Such an identity prevented his seeking political office, for there was much opposition to freethinkers among the electorate (as there continues to be). He was able to contribute something to politics, however, by speaking out for candidates. Ingersoll's lectures on religion and science, combined with discourses on literary and historical subjects, made his tours very popular. He moved to Washington in 1879 and continued his lectures on "The Gods," "Some Mistakes of Moses," and "About the Holy Bible." His oratory became legendary and he was sought out by patrons who endorsed his position and clients eager to find legal protection behind the magic of his courtroom presence. Ingersoll quotes are legendary. Here are just a few examples. For more, see: www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/robert_green_ingersoll.html   

--- An honest God is the noblest work of man.  
--- Few nations have been so poor as to have but one god. Gods were made so easily, and the raw material cost so little, that generally the god market was fairly glutted and heaven crammed with these phantoms.
--- Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.
---  If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane. --- It is a blessed thing that in every age some one has had the individuality enough and courage enough to stand by his own convictions.
---  Let us put theology out of religion. Theology has always sent the worst to heaven, the best to hell. 
---  Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.
--- The Church has always been willing to swap off treasures in heaven for cash down.  
--- The inspiration of the Bible depends upon the ignorance of the gentleman who reads it.
---There is no slavery but ignorance.

James Randi (born in 1928) known as The Amazing Randi is a stage magician, skeptic, and opponent of pseudoscience. His interest in debunking the paranormal** started when, as a teenager, he attended a show of a magician who asked for someone to help him with his performance. Randi wanted to do that, having started with magic tricks himself. When Randi raised his hand, the magician said “Ah, young man, you're a magician yourself aren't you?'” much to Randi's amazement. After the show, Randi asked the man how he knew this. The man told Randi he didn't. It was part of the routine. Whenever he turned out to be right, he'd credit his “magical powers”; when he was wrong, he'd turn it into a joke.  [** Paranormal is defined as “not within the range of normal experience or scientifically explained phenomena.”]

Randi worked as a professional stage magician since the 1950s. He entered the international spotlight in the 1970s when  he challenged the claims of  “magician” Uri Geller. Randi accused Geller of being nothing more than a charlatan who uses standard "magic" tricks to accomplish his paranormal feats and he backed up his claims in the book, The Magic of Uri Geller.  Geller responded  by filing a number of lawsuits against Randi. The rivalry has continued for more than three decades.

Randi has been instrumental in exposing frauds who exploit this field for personal gain.  He also serves as an expert witness and consultant to lawyers in the field of paranormal claims.  He is perhaps most famous for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge in which the James Randi Educational Foundation will award a prize of $1,000,000 to anyone who is able to show evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event under test conditions agreed to by both parties. (No one has.)

A. Philip Randolph (1889 – 1970), the son of a Methodist minister, was greatly influenced by Karl Marx and the Socialist Party’s vision of the nobility of the masses. In 1917, as editor of The Messenger, he called on black men to refuse military service, leading President Woodrow Wilson to call him the most dangerous Negro in America. Although never a porter himself, Randolph became the formidable chief of the International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and won wage increases and shorter hours for the porters.

In 1941 when Randolph announced that he would lead tens of thousands of his constituents in a protest march on the White House, President Roosevelt told him, “Questions like this have sociological implications. They can’t be gotten at with hammer and tongs. They can’t be settled with marches.” Randolph remained unswayed. “You can’t bring 100,000 Negroes to Washington. We can’t have that,” said Roosevelt. Randolph again remained unswayed. So Roosevelt sighed, picked up a pen and signed an order establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission, arguably the single most important decree since the 13th Amendment which officially abolished slavery in the United States.

According to sources, Randolph may have listed himself in Who’s Who as a Methodist, but he did so to avoid public criticism of his outlook of secularism and humanism. “We consider prayer as nothing but a fervent wish,” he once declared. Randolph signed the Humanist Manifesto II. In 1970, the American Humanist Association named him Humanist of the Year for his tireless work to advance the rights of African-Americans.

Resources from the Freedom From Religion Foundation


The Foundation promotes freedom from religion with a weekly national radio broadcast, a newspaper, a freethought billboard campaign and other educational endeavors, including scholarships for freethinking students.

Another valuable web site is -- www.ffrf.org/     When you are at the site, go to the “Freethought of the Day” which, in turn, will lead you to “Famous Freethinkers & Secular Stars.”  When you further “click” on the names, you will find pictures and biographical information on many people, some historical and some contemporary, for example: Susan B. Anthony, Lance Armstrong, Johannes Brahms, Luther Burbank. George Carlin, Andrew Carnegie, Georges Clemenceau, George Clooney, Marie Curie, Simone de Beauvior, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Sigmund Freud, Lorraine Hansberry, Katherine Hepburn, David Hume, Robert Ingersoll, Jack London, H.L. Mencken, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Andy Rooney, Carl Sagan, Margaret Sanger, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Julia Sweeney, Guiseppe Verdi, Alice Walker, and Mary Wollstonecraft.

When you return to the “Freethought of the Day,” you will find that it is a daily freethought calendar that highlights birthdates, quotes, and “other historic tidbits.” Check your dates of interest, for example, a “date of interest” to the compiler of this resource is November 15th. (I see that I share a birthday with Gora, the Indian atheist philosopher born in 1902 – only a mere 30 years before I became a very young freethinker!)

The Council for Secular Humanism: Humanist Hall of Fame


Source: http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=hall_of_fame&page=index 

The "Humanist Hall of Fame" is edited by Timothy S. Binga, Chief Librarian of the Center for Inquiry Libraries, which includes the world's largest collection of freethought and humanist literature. Commenting on the new Hall of Fame, Mr. Binga stated that "Some of the greatest philosophers, artists, scientists, and social reformers in history did not believe in god or the supernatural. They believed this was the only life we had, and that we all have a responsibility to make the best of it for ourselves and for future generations. These freethinkers challenged tradition and went beyond orthodox beliefs to expand human understanding and improve society. The Humanist Hall of Fame honors these great pioneers and explains the principles that motivated their lives and works.
The following comprehensive biographical statements can be found at the Council for Secular Humanism’s web site: February's Humanist of the Month - Robert Green Ingersoll; March -- Giordano Bruno; April --  Matilda Joslyn Gage; May – Voltaire; June – Thomas Paine; July – David Hume; August – Frances Wright.
[Note: Mr. Binga is seeking nominations for outstanding humanists, agnostics, atheists and freethinkers to be featured in coming months. Both historic and contemporary figures will be considered. Nominations for candidates, with an explanation of why they should be honored, should be sent to Mr. Binga at: tbinga@centerforinquiry.net.]

Famous Humanists: prominent influential people whose “religion” was Humanism


Source: www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_humanist.html


Many Humanists … openly and clearly declared that Humanism is their religion. (Obviously the word "religion" is used by these Humanists in its general and sociological sense, meaning "ultimate concern" or "principle motivational philosophy" and not in any sort of specific sectarian or theological sense….) (Other) Humanists prefer to avoid identifying Humanism as a "religion," as they primarily associate the word … with a religion that they were raised in and now wish to distance themselves from or with religions that they disagree with.  Links to a number of people (who names are underlined) can be found.

  • Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - acclaimed American author of science fiction, as well as realistic and satirical fiction
  • Isaac Asimov - leading science fiction writer (Jewish); served as president of the American Humanist Association
  • Philip Jose Farmer - acclaimed science fiction writer
  • Gloria Steinem - Feminist activist (Jewish)
  • Paul Kurtz (1926-) - American philosopher, skeptic; founder of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) and the Council for Secular Humanism
  • Barbara Smoker (1923-) - British humanist activist and freethought evangelist. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism
  • M. N. Roy (1887-1954) - Indian political thinker; founder of Radical Humanism
  • Margaret Atwood - author and literary freedom activist
  • Brock Chisholm - physician and first Director-General of the WHO (World Health Organization)
  • Betty Friedan - feminist activist (Jewish)
  • R. Buckminster Fuller - futurist and inventor (Unitarian)
  • Julian Huxley - philosopher and first Director-General of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization)
  • Richard Leakey - anthropologist
  • Abraham Maslow - psychologist and creator of Third Force Psychology (Jewish)
  • John Boyd Orr - the first Director-General of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
  • A. Philip Randolf - human rights activist
  • Carl Rogers - psychologist and creator of Client Centred Therapy
  • Jonas Salk - physician and developer of the polio vaccine (Jewish)
  • Andrei Sakharov - physicist and human rights activist

List of Humanists from Wikipedia


Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_humanists


A partial list of both secular and religious humanists. Links to additional information are noted:

  • Isaac Asimov - Asimov was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • A. J. Ayer - Ayer was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Arthur C. Clarke - Clarke was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Francis Crick - Crick was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Richard Dawkins - Dawkins is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • John Dewey - Dewey was a signer of the original Humanist Manifesto.
  • Murray Gell-Mann - Gell-Mann is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Stephen Jay Gould - Gould was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Daniel Handler - American author better known under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. Handler calls himself an atheist and a secular humanist.
  • Julian Huxley – Huxley, a self-described "scientific humanist," presided over the founding congress of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. 
  • Corliss Lamont – Lamont was a significant philosopher of Humanism.***
  • R. Lester Mondale - Mondale was a signer of all three Humanist manifestos.
  • Karl Popper - Popper was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Curtis W. Reese - Reese was a signer of the original Humanist Manifesto.[5]
  • Gene Roddenberry - American scriptwriter and producer, creator of Star Trek. Roddenberry has been called "one of the most influential yet unheralded humanists of the twentieth century."
  • Richard Rorty -  Rorty was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Salman Rushdie - Rushdie is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Carl Sagan - Sagan was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Peter Singer - Singer is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Peter Ustinov - Ustinov was a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • James D. Watson - Watson is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • E. O. Wilson - Wilson is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy Of Humanism.
  • Edwin H. Wilson -Wilson was a signer of the original Humanist Manifesto.  He also co-authored Humanist Manifesto II.
  • Sherwin T. Wine - Rabbi and founder of Society for Humanistic Judaism.

Others are listed on the following humanist organization pages: -- British Humanist Association. See also -- Lists of secularists --  Agnostics, Atheists, Nontheists  and List of secularist organizations

Signers of Humanist Manifesto III – Humanism and Its Aspirations (2003)


The following academics and other prominent persons were signatories to the document, who signed the statement "We who sign Humanism and Its Aspirations declare ourselves in general agreement with its substance":

21 Nobel laureates signed the statement:

Freethinkers

-- Compiled by Jim Walker – Source: nobeliefs.com/freethinkers.htm
freethinker n. One who has rejected authority and dogma, especially in his religious thinking, in favor of rational inquiry and speculation.
-The American Heritage Dictionary

Thomas Paine, political writer (1737-1809). This remarkable political philosopher and freethinker influenced the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Paine condemned the practice of slavery in his "African Slavery in America" and published his most famous work, "Common Sense" in 1776 just six months before the issuance of the Declaration of Independence. He also wrote "Rights of Man," "Age of Reason," and "The American Crisis."

Thomas Jefferson, scientist, statesman, and 3rd President of the U.S. (1743-1826): American revolutionary leader, scientist, skeptic, political philosopher, and third president of the United States. The freethinker Jefferson expressed exponents of the Enlightenment that emphasized human reason, science, and education. He established the University of Virginia and authored the Declaration of Independence, and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom.

Robert Green Ingersoll, agnostic writer and thinker (1833-1899): American lawyer, freethinker and orator, known as the Great Agnostic because of his antireligious views. He wrote many anti-orthodox lectures and his talks scandalized the clergy.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, woman's rights (1815-1902): American social reformer who, along with Susan B. Anthony, led the struggle for the rights of women. She fought against slavery and helped form the National Woman's Loyal League in 1863. She opposed the Christian Church and the Bible because she realized that it served as a stumbling block in the way of woman's emancipation.

Bertrand Russell, scientist and philosopher (1872-1970): British philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate, who emphasized logical thinking instead of superstition. He realized that the Christian religion, as organized in the churches, "has been and still is the principle enemy of moral progress in the world."

Richard Feynman, physicist (1918-1988): American physicist, Nobel laureate, and great teacher. Feynman ceaselessly questioned scientific "truths." He held many varied interests. His curiosity moved well beyond science as he rejected superstition and dogma.

Isaac Asimov, scientist, writer, historian (1920-1992): The 20th century's most recognized one-man encyclopedist, with 477 published titles by his own count. Asimov explored what interested him: science, science fiction, the Bible, literature, history, and human nature. One of the most influential science fiction writers, he also wrote many science books which explained complex physics with easy to understand terms. Asimov as a freethinker also wrote a guide to the Bible, Old and New testaments. He illuminated the events in historical terms, exposed the many problems with the Bible and laid bare the supernatural claims.

Carl Sagan, scientist and writer (1934-1996): Sagan served as a professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Sagan received the highest award of the National Academy of Sciences. He had the ability to convey the wonder, and excitement of scientific discovery. His clear vision and honor to science has led him to see the problems with irrationality and superstition.

Stephen J. Gould, scientist and writer (1941-2002): An evolutionary biologist, writer, humanist, and freethinker, Gould provides an exceptional example of a scientist and freethinker who had the ability to explain complex subjects and to correct the misconceptions of history. Many of his books explain the complexities of Darwinian evolution and why Creationism fails as a science.

Paul Kurtz, professor, writer , publisher, secular humanist: President of Prometheus Books, Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Editor-in-Chief of Free Inquiry magazine, editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine and Chairman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Paul Kurtz has perhaps done more through the publishing industry to promote reason and science than anyone in the 20th century.

Daniel C. Dennett, scientist and philosopher: Computer scientist, philosopher, freethinker, and writer, Dennett's first book, Content and Consciousness, appeared in 1969, followed by Brainstorms (1978), Elbow Room (1984), The Intentional Stance (1987), Consciousness Explained (1991), Darwin's Dangerous Idea (1995), Kinds of Minds (1996), Brainchildren (1996) and Freedom Evolves (2003). He co-edited The Mind's I with Douglas Hofstadter in 1981. He has authored of over 100 scholarly articles on various aspects on the mind, published in journals ranging from Artificial Intelligence and Behavioral and Brain Sciences to Poetics Today and the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.

Richard Dawkins, scientist and writer: Biological scientist, evolutionist, and writer, Dawkins explains evolution in terms of replicating information, that indeed, all living things give example of vehicles of information. He explains the nature of scientific reasoning and exposes the dangers of religious dogma. A brilliant writer.

Michael Shermer, skeptic, writer, publisher. Publisher of Skeptic magazine, director of the Skeptics Society, Adjunct Professor of History of Science at Occidental College. Michael Shermer gives lectures and appears on television and radio shows, describing the problems of belief systems.

James Randi, paranormal investigator, conjuror, and a breath of rational fresh air: An internationally known investigator of the paranormal and occult, Randi has exposed some of the greatest paranormal fakes in modern history. Randi not only has steel bravery, but intelligence, compassion, and a healthy sense of humor. He has written numerous books including Flim-Flam!, The Truth About Uri Geller, An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural

  • Famous Dead Nontheists

    This is a very lengthy list of famous dead people who have rejected God and religion. They are “people throughout history who have advocated living life without deference to a transcendent power. The list is in order of birth date.” (Since the list is so long, we will not reproduce it but rather direct you to the web site: corvallissecular.org/links-index.html.  
    Scroll down to “Famous Freethinkers” where you will find this list. The purposes, according to the list’s compilers, “are to combat the pervasive myth that atheists are terrible, immoral people and to convince the undecided that it is OK to be an atheist. Just like any other large group of people, some of these people lived exemplary lives and others did not.  The point is not that these people are all heroes, but simply to notice that there are more non-theists out there than most people realize.”  For a list of living celebrity atheists, the compilers recommend Reed Esau's Celebrity Atheist List. A link to this lengthy list also is provided.
    Freethought Quotations.  Also see this list of quotations from famous freethinkers, both historical and recent. We can’t begin to list them all so turn to the web site where you will find them:   www.geocities.com/athens/cyprus/2478/quotes.html.
     However, here are just two brief examples:
    "I believe in god, (only) I spell it nature" -- Frank Lloyd Wright

    "Question boldly even the existence of God" -- Thomas Jefferson

    Who are some of your favorite Humanists, and why?


    Source: themagicalbuffet.com/blog1/2008/09/22/10-questions-with-a-humanist/
    Additional comments by Fred Edwords:
    There are so many persons because they have been active in such a wide range of fields. When it comes to taking courageous stands for liberation: suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, family planning pioneer Margaret Sanger, civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph, and Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov. When it comes to scientific innovation: Julian Huxley, Linus Pauling, Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Pinker, and Carolyn Porco. I am energized by the astuteness of social critics like Barbara Ehrenreich and Wendy Kaminer. I am amazed by the imagination of an inventor like Buckminster Fuller or a fantasy novelist like Philip Pullman. All of these people are or were part of the organized Humanist community in some way. But stepping beyond such individuals, there are those who have proclaimed their Humanism independent of the movement, such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, whose hands-on humanitarian work has been an inspiration.

    A Research Activity.  A fun and an educational experience for you and your family is to “google” the following people and write up short statements describing their lifestance:   Ethan Allen, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Benjamin Franklin, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, James Madison, Christopher Marlowe, George Bernard Shaw, Percy Bysshe Shelly, Socrates, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman.

    Resources for Humanist Children’s Groups.

        This comprehensive list was developed by the Humanists of Georgia with the support of the American Humanist Association. The complete list can be found at --
    http://www.geocities.com/gahumanists/childresources.htm.  The following is a partial listing of the resources:

    Humanist Children's Affirmations (adapted from Free Inquiry)

    • Our moral standard is based on the Golden Rule and requires personal responsibility.
    • We use our minds, logic and science to understand the world, not supernatural explanations.
    • We believe in and commit to working for human and civil rights and are opposed to discrimination and intolerance.
    • We think that religion should stay out of government and vice versa.
    • We work toward resolving differences with others using peaceful methods.
    • We are devoted to Mother Earth as our home and pledge to protect her.
    • We do not accept the existence of an afterlife and understand that we must live THIS life to its fullest
    • We have as a personal goal to develop our human potential in a way that contributes to society.
    • We respect the right to privacy.
    • We are cultivating our skepticism and are critical of untested claims, yet retain an open mind toward new ideas.
    • We are proud to be Humanists and believe in the power of Humanism to improve the lot of humankind.
    • We will set an example for other children to follow, and be the best that we can be!

    Morality

    • Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers by Dan Barker. 76 pp., Ages 7-12, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.
    • It's Up To You... What Do You Do? by Sandra McLeod Humphrey. 115 pp., Ages 6 & up, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.
    • If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? by Sandra McLeod Humphrey. 115 pp., Ages 6-12, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.

    Racial Tolerance/Civil Rights

    • Anti-Bias Curriculum- Tools for Empowering Young Children by L. Derman-Sparks & the A.B.C. Task Force.  National Assocaition for the Education of Young Children
    • 40 Ways to Raise a Nonracist Child, by B. Mathias & M.A. French, Harper Perennial.
    • All the Colors That We Are/Todos los Colores de Nuestra Piel, by Katie Kissinger.
    • Friends from the Other Side (Amigos del Otro Lado, by G. Anzaldúa.  Ages 4-12. Children's Book Press.
    • From Slave Ship to Freedom Road by J. Lester, R. Brown.  Ages 8-teen.  Scholastic.
    • Teaching Tolerance, a quarterly magazine of teaching for racial justice published by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
    • Human Rights for Children.  A curriculum for Teaching Human Rights to Children Ages 3-12.
      Hunter House Inc., Publishers.
    • Worth and Dignity of All People. By Marjory Donn.Ages: 6-13: Grades 1 to 8 (4 age levels)
      Publisher: Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church -- 3215 Powder Mill Road Adelphi, MD 20783-1097.  URL: http://www.pbuuc.org. Five sessions for 1st through 8th grades, with suggestions for preschool, senior high, adults and an intergenerational service. Sessions on building a caring classroom, understanding people with disabilities and anti-racism at all age levels; sexism, ageism and homophobia dealt with at some age levels. Cassette tape of songs is included.

    Religious Tolerance

    • Religions Explained- A Beginner's Guide to World Faiths by A. Ganeri.  Your World Explained Series, Henry Holt & Co.
    • The Crucible by Arthur Miller. For older children.
    • The Story of the Salem Witch Trials by Z. Kent.  For ages 6-12. Cornerstones of Freedom series, Children's Press.
    • Mrs. Katz and Tush, by P. Polacco.  Ages 4-12. Picture Yearling Books. Points out commonalities between oppression of Jews and blacks in the context of a young African-American boy meeting his neighbor from Poland.

    Science vs. Religion

    • Starry Messenger by Peter Sís.  Ages 5-12.  Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. Tells the story of Galileo and his persecution by the Church for saying that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not vice versa.
    • The National Academy Press has a variety of materials explaining the nature of science and how it differs from religion as a way of explaining the world.

    Comparative Religion

    • What About Gods? by Chris Brockman. 31 pp., Ages 5 & up. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.
    • Religions Explained:  A Beginner's Guide to World Faiths by Anita Ganeri,1997.  69 pp., Ages 7-12.Henry Holt, NY

    Critical Thinking

    • Gullible's Travels by Steve Allen.  60 min audiotape .  Ages 8-15.  Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.
    • Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics by Dan Barker. 80 pp. Ages 9 & up.Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.

    Coping with Death and Tragedy

    • Why Did it Happen? by Janice Cohn. Ages 7-12.  Morrow Junior Books.  A teaching tool to help children understand and cope "when bad things happen to good people".
    • Why Do Bad Things Happen? Curriculum supplement by Barbara Shelton and Cathy Cartwright. For
      10- to 13-year-olds. East Shore Unitarian Church Attn: Curriculum Supplement 12700 SE 32nd St Bellevue WA 98005. (URL: http://home.gzinc.com/eshore/Curriculum_Supplement.htm )  Includes 25 lesson plans.

    Social Action

    • The Best of Everything Social Action Resource. For all age groups.Compiled by Beth Brownfield.
      107 W. Rustic Lodge Ave, Minneapolis, MN. 55409. ( bethbrownf@aol.com). This resource, developed for the Pacific Northwest District Spring retreat "RE for the REal World", is a collection of successful social action and social justice projects for children and youth. It also includes information on a "Random Act of Kindness" program.

    Evolution

    • Evolution by Eyewitness Science.  Ages 8-16.  Dorling Kindersley.  Part of a series of books and videos that give a simple and highly accurate view of science and how the scientific explanations of origins and life differ from, and refute, Judeo-Christian explanations.
    • The Tree of Life: The Wonders of Evolution by Ellen Jackson. 38 pp., Ages 4 9. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY. 
    • The National Center for Science Education provides a list of children's books on evolution.
    • Eyewitness Video Series are movies about 30 minutes long that provide a fascinating lesson on topics related to evolutionary theory including animals' adaptations to different habitats and physical science/geology lessons that provide information on how the Earth has changed over time, providing different habitats at different stages in Earth's history.(www.sargentwelch.com/eyewitness-video-series-biomes/p/IG0041583/,/eyewitness-video-series-biomes.../WL6209-27_EA)
    • Note: An additional list of resources on evolution is provided with a brief description of the resource and its potential use.