http://bmorethical.org a humanistic religious fellowship Wed, 02 May 2012 01:04:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 a humanistic religious fellowship The Baltimore Ethical Society no a humanistic religious fellowship http://bmorethical.org/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/Congress_Hotel_Icon_Small_20100515.jpg http://bmorethical.org http://bmorethical.org/anniversary-banquet/ http://bmorethical.org/anniversary-banquet/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 00:06:20 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=1037 http://bmorethical.org/anniversary-banquet/feed/ 0 The Baltimore Ethical Society celebrated its 60th Anniversary with a banquet on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Four speakers addressed the society that evening. The speeches of three are offered here as a podcast.  First, Michael Franch, The Baltimore Ethical Society celebrated its 60th Anniversary with a banquet on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Four speakers addressed the society that evening. The speeches of three are offered here as a podcast.  First, Michael Franch, past Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society and current associate minister at First Unitarian Church of Baltimore.  Second, Dale Adams, a long-time BES member who with her sister attended the initial Baltimore Ethical Society Sunday School. Her father, Roy Patterson, was a founding member of the Baltimore Ethical Society. Third, Diana Ulman, a past Society member who also attended the initial Sunday School.  Her father, Ken Milford, initially brought the Baltimore Ethical Society into being, later signing the Society's incorporation papers with Roy Patterson and Pell Kangas and becoming its first president. Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society, introduces the other speakers.  He gave the evening's fourth speech, which is available in video. Listen to the podcast. The Baltimore Ethical Society no 39:44 http://bmorethical.org/pythagoras-and-dark-energy/ http://bmorethical.org/pythagoras-and-dark-energy/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:04:51 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=1001 http://bmorethical.org/pythagoras-and-dark-energy/feed/ 0 During the 6th to 4th centuries B.C., the Pythagoreans were a small secretive cult of ascetics who step-by-step discovered abstract mathematics. Their central metaphysical doctrine was that our natural surroundings are an incarnation of the logical arr... During the 6th to 4th centuries B.C., the Pythagoreans were a small secretive cult of ascetics who step-by-step discovered abstract mathematics. Their central metaphysical doctrine was that our natural surroundings are an incarnation of the logical arrangement of what they called “number.” This curiosity reached across the centuries to ignite the thinking of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and others. Why did science refrain from pursuing theological issues and when and why did it begin to avoid metaphysical issues as well? Don Helm is a member of the Baltimore Ethical Society. Originally planning to major in classical Greek, Don was inspired by Pythagoras to switch his major to mathematics in his senior year of college. He holds an A.B. degree (cum laude) in mathematics from Amherst College, an M.Div. in theology from the Hartford Seminary, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in engineering from Cal in Berkeley and had a career with several institutions of scientific research and of higher learning. Further bio-information is available from Who’s Who in America. Listen to the podcast of this platform address delivered April 10, 2011: The Baltimore Ethical Society no 36:40 http://bmorethical.org/growing-up-humanist-framework-for-a-better-society/ http://bmorethical.org/growing-up-humanist-framework-for-a-better-society/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:45:47 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=975 http://bmorethical.org/growing-up-humanist-framework-for-a-better-society/feed/ 0 Young people in today’s American society face many challenges.  Tumultuous economic conditions, continued discrimination leveled against large segments of the population, and progressive climate change are all serious issues that we as a nation have fa... Young people in today’s American society face many challenges.  Tumultuous economic conditions, continued discrimination leveled against large segments of the population, and progressive climate change are all serious issues that we as a nation have failed to deal with effectively.  Can the current American moral framework, which seems lacking and foundationless, be cited as a source aggravating these problems?  Can Humanism provide the generation now entering adulthood effective solutions? Katherine “Kati” LaClair grew up in New Jersey, attending the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County in Maplewood for much of her childhood.  Two years ago, she graduated from Drew University in Madison, NJ, with a BA in neuroscience.  She then moved to Baltimore, where she is pursuing a PhD in cellular and molecular medicine at Johns Hopkins and currently studying the disease mechanisms of and therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease. Last November, LaClair, by then a regular visitor, joined the Baltimore Ethical Society.  She recently co-founded BES-Youth Action (BES-YA) to involve the next generation of Ethical Humanists in direct action with the Society and the larger community. Listen to the podcast of her platform address delivered April 8, 2012: The Baltimore Ethical Society no 21:00 http://bmorethical.org/apocalyptic-environmentalism/ http://bmorethical.org/apocalyptic-environmentalism/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:15:39 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=960 http://bmorethical.org/apocalyptic-environmentalism/feed/ 0 Many environmental activists warn that ignoring climate change is leading to dramatic ecological and humanitarian catastrophe. Some say we’ve already passed the tipping point – that rising sea levels and collapsed ecosystems will threaten our very surv... Many environmental activists warn that ignoring climate change is leading to dramatic ecological and humanitarian catastrophe. Some say we’ve already passed the tipping point – that rising sea levels and collapsed ecosystems will threaten our very survival. How do we process such challenging predictions? Do we take comfort in critics who denounce these activists as exaggerating Cassandras? Or has the horror of ecological apocalypse driven our species into nearly suicidal denial? What’s a humanist to do? Hugh Taft-Morales is the Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society.  Listen to the podcast of his platform address, delivered on February 11, 2012. The Baltimore Ethical Society no 37:17 http://bmorethical.org/history-brought-us-to-this-moment/ http://bmorethical.org/history-brought-us-to-this-moment/#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:43:34 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=952 http://bmorethical.org/history-brought-us-to-this-moment/feed/ 0 http://bmorethical.org/60th-anniversary-celebration/ http://bmorethical.org/60th-anniversary-celebration/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:23:22 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=937 http://bmorethical.org/60th-anniversary-celebration/feed/ 0 http://bmorethical.org/more-than-a-celebration-of-longevity/ http://bmorethical.org/more-than-a-celebration-of-longevity/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:53:22 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=955 http://bmorethical.org/more-than-a-celebration-of-longevity/feed/ 0 http://bmorethical.org/top-ten-reasons-to-attend-the-reason-rally/ http://bmorethical.org/top-ten-reasons-to-attend-the-reason-rally/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:03:16 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=857 http://bmorethical.org/top-ten-reasons-to-attend-the-reason-rally/feed/ 0 http://bmorethical.org/community-currency/ http://bmorethical.org/community-currency/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:58:28 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=852 http://bmorethical.org/community-currency/feed/ 0 http://bmorethical.org/details-to-come%e2%80%a6/ http://bmorethical.org/details-to-come%e2%80%a6/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:56:06 +0000 wpadmin http://bmorethical.org/?p=850 http://bmorethical.org/details-to-come%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0