Platform Video:Religion, Bias and Inaccuracy in Education

Religion, Bias and Inaccuracy in Education (5/23/2010) from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Matthew LaClair is a college sophomore attending the New School in New York City. In September of 2006, when a high school student, his U.S. History teacher was preaching his religion during class, telling the students that if they reject the Lord's salvation, they belong in hell. He also dismissed the theory of evolution and the big bang theory, saying that they are not scientific, and made many other inappropriate statements. Matthew challenged the teacher and school board who refused to deal with the situation in any manner. The story has generated five articles and two editorials in the New York Times, along with a flurry of print, television and radio coverage. Matthew LaClair will talk about this, as well as his experience challenging an American Government textbook for presenting inaccurate and biased information, and how these two situations are examples of problems occurring all around the country.

Matthew has served as a board member of the Secular Student Alliance and as president of Center for Inquiry's Student Initiative Program. He has appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, Air America, Brian Lehrer, BBC international radio and several others. He has also been awarded the James Madison Religious Liberty Award from the Center for Inquiry, the Ethical Hero Award from the American Ethical Union, the Ethical Humanist Award from the New York Society for Ethical Culture and several others. He is a co-host of the radio program Equal Time for Freethought on WBAI 99.5FM. Matthew attended the Sunday school at the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County.

Introduced by Scott Harris.

Platform Video: Ethical Culture on HNN podcast

If you're planning to be at the Ethical Culture Society on Sunday, March 14, you're in for a rare treat: the making of a podcast. Co-hosts of the Humanist Network News audio podcast, Jes Constantine and Jende Huang, will interview an EC member and conduct an audience discussion forum. The recorded result will be brought back to their Albany, NY, studio and produced into an upcoming episode, which will then be available for download to your computer or portable listening device. How 21st century!

To whet your whistle, listen as Jes and Jende plug the event in HNN episode #47 (listen to the whole episode or fast forward to 46m 20s):

(Scroll down in the above player to episode #43 to hear the interview with Kate Lovelady, Leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis - starts at 25m 12s and runs for 14 minutes.)

Originated by the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS), the HNN podcast was retained by the American Humanist Association when the two organizations merged in 2009. The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County received an IHS grant in 2004 that was used to produce this commercial:

Platform Video: Haiti 101: From Columbus to Clinton

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, January 31, 2010, by James Delia, Esq. (introduced by Eric Sandhusen):

Haiti 101: From Columbus to Clinton from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Haiti 101: An historical perspective on the creation of the western hemisphere's poorest country) An introduction to Haiti, the western hemisphere's poorest country, including an overview of its history (focusing on European domination/slavery), demographics, politics, religion, culture and economy. Jim will blend in his in-country observations during the past two Julys and will offer a prognosis for the future.

Jim Delia, a new member of EC, was born and raised in Bergen County, growing up in Waldwick. He attended St Joseph Regional High School in Montvale and St Joseph University in Philadelphia, where he earned in B.A. degree in political science. He went on to Seton Hall School of Law, graduating in 1987 with a Juris Doctorate degree. Jim has served as law secretary to Superior Court Judge James Murphy; and in the Bergen County Prosecutor's office, as assistant prosecutor, chief of the White Collar Crime Division and deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Squad. He led a Grand Jury investigation into allegations of guard brutality committed at the Meadowlands. In 1993, Jim entered private practice as a partner in the firm of Wells, Jaworski and Liebman in Paramus. He is a member of the Ridgewood YMCA and Paramus Chamber of Commerce Boards of Directors.

Jim also has history as a soccer player and coach, playing all the way through college and coaching children from the age of 5 through 18. It is this experience with soccer that gave him the entree to coach in Haiti in 2008. He ventured to Haiti for the first time to run a one week soccer camp for 70 youths from the YMCA d'Haiti . He returned this past July for two weeks and helped establish the first YMCA d'Haiti National Team.

Platform Video: My Personal Memories of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, January 17, 2010, by Theodora Smiley Lacey (introduced by Barbara Landberg):

My Personal Memories of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement (1/17/2010) from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Speaker: Theodora Smiley Lacey

Theodora Lacey, a native of Montgomery, AL, is deeply committed to the struggle for equality for all mankind. She became a true champion for civil and human rights working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the famed Montgomery Bus Boycott. A recently retired science teacher and an active participant in community affairs she played a major role in the successful integration of the Teaneck Public Schools.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including Teacher of the Year in Teaneck, Most Outstanding Secondary School Teacher Award from Princeton University, Woman of the Year from the New Jersey Senate , honored by the Bergen Record newspaper as One of the Most Intriguing People in New Jersey and listed in Whos Who in Among America’s Teachers. Serving on several boards, civic organizations and as a lecturer, she has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Europe and Asia. Mother of four, grandmother of ten, great grand- mother of four.

Platform Video: Liberalism, Individualism and Values

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, January 3, 2010, by Dr. Joseph Chuman (introduced by Ed Gross):

Liberalism, Individualism and Values from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Harvard professor Michael Sandel, author of Public Philosophy, “is worried that those espousing a liberal political philosophy, including leaders in the Democratic Party, weaken themselves by refusing to engage in discussion about religious and moral values, especially those that support their political positions,” notes Dr. Chuman. “While I understand the problem that Sandel and others point to, I conclude that the cure is potentially worse than the disease.”

Ethical giving: local and global

Vibrant communities thrive on companionship, but religious communities like Ethical Culture add compassion and other virtues. To sustain ourselves we give of our time, effort and pocketbook. It is how we both keep the roof over our heads and support others during times of loss and transition.

Charity begins at home, but that is not enough for some. Many seek ways to donate to causes outside of their immediate community. Witness organizations like Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity and countless others that extend the reach of local donors to become global.

Humanists who want to extend their giving outside of their local community can do no better than to consider the nascent Foundation Beyond Belief, a non-profit charitable and educational foundation created (1) to focus, encourage and demonstrate the generosity and compassion of atheists and humanists, and (2) to provide a comprehensive education and support program for nontheistic parents. Each quarter, FBB selects ten charities that will benefit from humanist giving.

Their first charity in the area of human rights is the Bergen County Sanctuary Committee, which began in part as a brainchild of our own Dr. Joseph Chuman, leader of the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County. (Click here for video.) BCSC is a particularly good example of a local charity with global reach in that it provides succor to former citizens of other countries whose search for asylum has brought them to our local area.

So if you've taken care of your local charitable needs and are seeking to make a difference across the globe, consider the Foundation Beyond Belief.

Blythedale Children's Hospital: another Ethical Culture accomplishment

The corporate department in which I work circulated an internal flier asking employees to consider donating to one of two area children's hospitals in conjunction with its annual charity drive. The company generously matches employee contributions dollar for dollar, so it's a great use of one's personal donation funds.

I checked out both hospitals' websites before deciding. The history page of the Blythedale Children's Hospital (Valhalla, NY) begins thusly (my emphasis):

Blythedale's first recorded history dates back to 1891, when a group of women of the New York Ethical Culture Society began visiting shut-in children in New York City, furnishing them with clothing and food, as well as obtaining medical attention for them.

Slam dunk! Another in a long long of past charitable causes boot-strapped into existence by Ethical Culture. Because of this history that I hold so dear, I'll be giving them a little more than I would have otherwise. It doesn't render the other children's hospital any less worthy, but this one holds a personal connection for me.

Platform VIdeo: Ethical Culture and Human Rights

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, December 6, 2009, by Dr. Joseph Chuman (introduced by Ed Gross):

Ethical Culture and Human Rights (12/6/2009) from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

Dr. Joseph Chuman has been the leader of The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County for over 35 years. He holds a Ph.D. in religion from Columbia University, where he is adjunct professor of religion and an academic advisor in the human rights curriculum. Dr. Chuman lectures frequently to public audiences on philosophy, social issues and humanist thought.

Ethical Culture Touches Human Beings

In todays platform at the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County Dr. Joseph Chuman, our leader, presented a stimulating presentation on the concept of human rights, it's ongoing evolution and it's growing presence in the collective modern consciousness.

One tidbit I found particularly interesting was the impact specifically, Ethical Culture has had on the revolutionary 'Human Rights' gains of our recent times. Major gains like that of child labor laws, civil rights, and public health can be traced back in part, to several of the Ethical Culture movements leaders and activist members.

Recently I took my child to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side for a tour of a tenement with interesting historical antidotes that shed light on life in the tenements through a span of time. What I did not hear about in the museums presentation regarding the improvements to public health laws brought upon the tenement dwellings was that it was Ethical Culture leaders that spear headed those efforts. That I learned today at our Sunday platform. It's hard to fathom how many human beings were touched upon by Ethical Culture with just that one successful effort.

Platform Video: What is HumanLight?

The following ECS/Bergen Platform address was delivered on Sunday, November 29, 2009, by Patrick Colucci (introduced by Susan Lesh):

What is HumanLight? from Ethical Culture Society Bergen on Vimeo.

[The video referenced in this video can be viewed at humanlight.org.]

Everything You always wanted to know about HumanLight, the Humanist Winter Holiday, but Were Afraid to Ask

Ok, so maybe you were not afraid to ask really, but just haven't thought about HumanLight much before, or have never even heard of it? Here's your chance to learn all about the winter holiday designed to promote humanism and celebrate humanist values. Patrick Colucci has been involved with promoting and publicizing HumanLight since it's earliest inception, so he can probably answer any questions you might have. (If he can't answer something, he'll make up a reasonable-sounding guess....we humanists do always try to be reason-based, afterall!)

Patrick Colucci is vice-chair of the HumanLight Committee (www.humanlight.org) and a member of the New Jersey Humanist Network (www.njhn.org) and the American Humanist Association. Based in New Jersey, he's a long-time activist in the movements for Humanism and for peace and social justice.