On Sunday, April 3, the Wolfson Lecture Taskforce will host the 4th Annual Dr. Irving & Annabel Wolfson Lecture, celebrating humanism in liberal religion.  Funded by a gift from the estate of Irving Wolfson, this lecture is an annual opportunity to recognize and celebrate those whose work continues to promote humanistic values in our world and/or liberal religious movement.

 

This year's lecturer is Herb Silverman.  Growing up in Philadelphia, Herb's life journey has taken him from Orthodox Jew, to apathetic atheist, to activist atheist when he moved to South Carolina. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Syracuse University and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the College of Charleston. Herb is founder and president of the Secular Coalition for America, founder of the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry, and founder of the Atheist/Humanist Alliance student group at the College of Charleston. He ran for Governor of South Carolina in 1990 to challenge the state provision that prohibited atheists from holding public office. After an eight-year battle, he won a unanimous decision in the South Carolina Supreme Court that nullified the anti-atheist constitutional clause. He has appeared in a number of debates, including one at the Oxford Union in Oxford, England on the topic: Does American Religion Undermine American Values? He has written articles for the Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Humanist, Free Inquiry, Secular Nation, On Faith, and other publications. His latest book is Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt.

 

Herb's writes about his talk on April 3, entitled "Positive Atheism"  that it will put a positive face on atheism and dispel the many stereotypes that abound about this world view. "Since we have but one life to live, we try to make the most of it in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. This usually involves helping others to fulfill their needs, too. In fact, God loves us more than he loves religious people because we don't bother him for anything. And, yes, most of us do have a good sense of humor."

 

As is our tradition, following the lecture on April 3, we will gather for a grand reception in the Fellowship Hall of the church.  Please join us for what we are sure will prove to be a fantastic morning!

Easter Sunday - March 27	Members & Friends of UUCW
April 3	Meditation Group
April 10	Linda Miller, Doris Horgan, Mary Plummer, Pauline Courchesne
April 17	UUCW Green Team
April 24	Stewardship Committee