A Positive Voice for Atheism First Quarter: 2017 Due to the Freedom of Information Act of AAI, the Secular World Magazine is now an online magazine free for all. And yes, you can still subscribe to receive the hardcopy. www.secularworldmagazine.com IN THIS ISSUE: The Need for Critical Thinking The Battle for Our Children: Fact Versus Fiction Secularism in The Workplace What's humanism? Life Post-Trump & more! d www.AtheistAlliance.org/Activities/AAI-Foundation A Positive Voice For Global Atheism First Quarter : 2017 In this issue... Letter from the Editor by Rustam Singh 5 A Secular ‘Booster’ by Diego Fontanive 8 The Battle For Our Children: Fact Versus Fiction by Zachary R. Phillips 11 Secularism In The Workplace by Mart Hoe 14 The Rise Of Humanism by Jing Dalagan 18 We The People Of This World by Rob Penczak, Elliot George, Justin Clark, and CW Brown 22 Become a Supporting Member of Atheist Alliance International Supporting AAI means promoting naturalism, science and reason while challenging and confronting religious privilege and discrimination against atheists and religious minorities around the world. AAI's projects include funding new groups and conferences, school and social service projects, bringing attention to religious discrimination, as well as legal and asylum support for those targeted by religious bigots. AAI operates entirely through the support of our members. Even more, if you live in the US, your donation to AAI is fully tax-deductible. 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Together, we'll create a sane and rational world! atheistalliance.org LETTER FROM THE EDITOR A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Rustam Singh Like many Indians in my circle growing chasing the western dream – it was up in the nineties, I grew up in what I chasing the western freedom. convinced myself was a lower-middle class society. Cable television barely As I grew older, it pains more than it played any English cinema (forget TV should affect me personally to see shows), and that too at late night hours what's happening with the civilized with essentially just smutty sexually world, the same world that all my graphic films on a loop. But as I grew childhood I considered to be as close as older, internet became cheaper and to utopia it gets. When the leader of the India grew wiser, our paychecks rose and free world doesn't even apologize for disposable cash became a reasonable saying that he “grabs women by the asset everyone had access to. Finally, pussy”, when Sharia councils exist and with one person illegally downloading flourish in the UK, IS beheads people all the TV sitcoms on a painfully slow listening to music, if you get raped in dial-up connection, I witnessed a world Dubai you being the victim can be which offered an alien lifestyle – but sentenced to jail, witchcraft still exists in yet, somehow made sense. I was never parts of Africa, LGBT rights are fascinated with the sexual liberation it stigmatized in a majority of individuals offered, or witty dialogues and edgy worldwide, science and rational cuss words, but the freedom in which bloggers get beheaded in Bangladesh in individuals existed. Sure I knew TV is all broad daylight, I get a sinking feeling of fictional drama, and even most helplessness. All my earlier life I average westerns do not lead such confidently believed sure individuals lifestyles, but merely the simple act of can be good as well as bad, and that spread in seconds, how did we choose someone living in his own tiny hardly has anything to do with their to select obvious fake news instead? Did apartment, going to a job and traveling associations, but as a general collective, the opportunity to have infinite back to his own life was such a the good will always win over the bad. sources actually make us more liberating taboo for a vast majority of Turns out, the numbers have switched – confused as science says? What does my country. When I was 18, I got my or were they always like that and me like this spell for the future? first freelance writing job that started the rest the rest of the world is just more aware of their presence, courtesy the paying my bills – which I knew only In a world where nobody wants to see immunity their numbers have granted two other kids were doing at my age. direct advertisements, and use clever them? The idea of someone working ways to block ads, yet nobody wants to alongside studying was so alien, it was How did this wave of “alternative pay subscriptions either, how are media associated with extreme social stigma facts”, deep fried in the artery labels or content generators supposed and having over felt classicist all my chocking intangible concept of national to earn their revenue? If sponsored life, it was associated with quiet pride become so mainstream that we news crosses a certain line of content vs mummers that my family's going have to hard search for objective paid news, does it not become a biased through financial woes (which we facts? In a world of social media and promotional instead of a factual thankfully weren't). It was never about frenzies, easy blaming and the ease of news reporting portal? These are access to news First Quarter : 2017 | | 5 | LETTER FROM THE EDITOR metaphor, real edible beef), instead of pressing questions we need to ask problems, we may have overstepped saying strict action will be taken by the ourselves before we question our news our reach to not notice the system in government to punish those guilty, they sources – are we willing to pay that tiny which things work for the majority are promoted an ancient belief that a cow is fraction of money to pay for those that still the very old systems that bigots holy mammal for Hindus hence its risk their lives and reputation to get the used. Liberals brought essentially every slaughter must be banned. Sure, facts straight or listen to those that work celebrity to perform everything you can thousands of Hindus freely eat it in on click-bait, pointlessly sexualized and think about including parodies, stand- South India, and so have for centuries in advertisement soaked paid news. ups, comics, talk shows, news, earlier generations, but all of a sudden advertisers and promotions in the everyone must be reminded of this To my best understanding, these disastrous US elections. Every witty fictional, misguided tradition based negative elements, fascists, bigots, Twitter status, every rhyming micro- living. When some unarmed student, conservatives and all those that use all poetry, every dank meme and every coming from a Muslim family (although sorts of excuses to avoid progress are inspirational cover photo possible was the individual said he does not identify inherently no different than rationalist utilized, but no avail – since as a practicing Muslim in some liberals. They grew their narrow minds conservatives simply ignored all that interviews), spoke about the in the same circumstances that all hate and just voted. No new media or radical grew in – u n b e l i e v a b l e o f t e n special law in the inherited state of Kashmir f r o m t h at l i te ra l l y friends and allows police to family and s h o o t d o w n schooling anyone or arrest at an early a n d h a r a s s age, fierce w i t h o u t a n y propagand prior warrants or a d u r i n g even stating the t e e n s , r e a s o n s f o r feeling of doing so, he got alienation half mauled by a and social paid crowd of isolation in goons. An year the youth later and merely and then few weeks ago, fixating on some form of cause that gives outreach was utilized than plain old t h e s a m e them the feeling of belonging. Does standing in line to vote – no Starbucks individual now tries to make a speech on this excuse their behavior and views? color schemes, and no T-Shirts or caps. a different topic in a university, and Of course not. Does it teach us that The exact same thing happened in similar goons appear throwing rocks at there's still hope inside even the most India's elections in 2014 as well. journalists, threatening rape to the conservatives to change? Possibly. Expressing solidarity is one thing, but female students and beating up expecting it to match up to real change everyone just attending college while Rewind again to my childhood, I always that happens via proper lawful the police stood and watched. Instead of envisioned the west as a mystical place intervention is just building castles on protecting free speech, our Prime where life was so progressive it was like clouds.