The death of Indian scholar and reformist Mr. Asghar Ali Engineer comes as something of a surprise to those who continue to read his lively writings on the problems of the Indian day... Mr. Engineer dedicated his life to tolerance and peaceful religious co-existence, for which he accepted the Right Livelihood Award in 2004 - "for promoting over many years in South Asia the values of religious and communal c ...

In a special day for adherents of New Humanism – the doctrine of peace and nonviolence elaborated by the Argentine author, philosopher and spiritual guide, Silo [Mario Rodriguez Cobos] – celebrations were held around the world to remember the 4th of May 1969.  On that date Silo stood in the foothills of Mount Aconcagua on the border of Argentina and Chile to give his speech, the Healing of Suffering. “Only ...

In a world that is characterized by all sorts of violence (physical, economical, racial, psychological, sexual, etc.), a fanatic and intolerant aspect manifests itself with preoccupying intensity in the three monotheistic religions (Christianism, Judaism and Islam). Apart from constituting a dramatic reality, violence inspired, exercised or justified by religion is an incontrovertible historical fact. Yet t ...

By Ken Butigan. This past Monday hundreds of Episcopalian bishops, clergy and lay people challenged the U.S. culture of violence by prayerfully enacting the Stations of the Cross in the streets of Washington, D.C. Drawing on what for Christians is a solemn ritual depicting Jesus’ journey to his crucifixion, a procession of 400 members of the Episcopal Church — including 20 bishops — called on the nation and ...

In the early 1980s, as a student in New Zealand with no income, I could not afford inter-city travel and so spent a lot of time hitch-hiking between my home-town of Tauranga and my university town Hamilton. Once I was picked up by a fairly muscular guy who quickly turned the conversation towards fitness and men’s bodies. At first I thought he was just a sports fanatic. But as his compliments about my legs ( ...

The Catholic Church has a mottled history, this is well known. Now, we have this fine message from its spiritual leader, the Pope, an Argentinian. What does a humanist see in this message? Certainly, it is a timely message. It is hoped that everyone addressed responds in kind to its plea. That would immediately begin solving the problems large and small. The call, as such, will not reach that ‘everybody’ bu ...

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, aged 76, was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Wednesday 13 March, 2013. He will take the name Francis I. He was proclaimed as the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, but clearly has a strong European ancestry. Thus, a Jesuit Argentinian is to lead the ancient Catholic Church into its future. That’s a positive ou ...

“I’m not saying this for ideological reasons… I’m not trying to give an ideological speech… Ideologies are dead…”  Precisions and declarations such as these are increasingly frequent and accepted and even valued as a sign of modernity and distancing oneself from an old, nostalgic and surpassed mentality. This rejection of ideologies cannot be understood without putting it in a precise historical context: wi ...

By Rick Wayman, Director of Programs & Operations, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. During the lunch hour on the final day of the ICAN Civil Society Forum in Oslo, around 150 people attended a panel discussion on “Ethics in International Politics.” At the end of the panel discussion, Fr. John Dear briefly brought up an important example that shocked many in the audience. He said that many of the employees ...

Chilean Humanist, Tomas Hirsch, gave a talk this morning at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik to members of the Spanish faculty, local humanists and members of the general public.  The theme that Hirsch was invited to develop was the process of development taking place in Latin America and especially the situation in Chile. In his brief descriptions of progressive Latin American countries, he touched o ...