Delaware Association for Humanism

Atheists, agnostics, Brights, skeptics and other free thinkers improving the human condition and our planet through reason, science, tolerance and compassion

Ten Guidelines of Humanism

1. Treat others as you would reasonably want and expect to be treated by others.
2. Never bear false witness to the young and credulous.
3. Do not pass on traditional myths, manipulations and superstitions as truth.
4. Never imply to the young and naive that you know what you do not know.
5. Recognize that we are all part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change.
6. Understand our obligations to the sustainment and integrity of all life.
7. Admit that in nature there aren't any mysteries, just temporary ignorance of natural facts.
8. Do not be afraid of the truth learned in gentle, consistent and rational discipline.
9. Enjoy helping the young to excel beyond their ancestors as they stand on your reliable shoulders.
10. When you offer your shoulders, be very careful not to face backwards towards the darkness of the superstitious past, but forward to the light of the future.

The Humanist Institute - A Leadership Training Program

The Humanist Institute exists to equip humanists to become effective leaders in a variety of organizational settings, including within the humanist movement itself.

The Humanist Institute is dedicated to fostering leadership that is:

• Ethically grounded,
• Wise and well-informed,
• Fluent in institutional dynamics, and
• Committed to meeting the real needs of people.

The Humanist Institute strives to prepare humanist leaders to be:

• Advocates, who are persuasive articulators of humanist world view in the public sphere,
• Innovative thinkers, who keep our movement alive with their provocative insights and writings,
• Experts, who have the skills to help organizations function and help people achieve their goals.

The Humanist Institute is an independent graduate-level program that works in cooperation with existing humanist organizations. The program can be completed in a three-year period involving intensive reading and reflection. Students come to New York City or Washington DC for long weekend seminars in April and December and a five-day seminar in August for the nouvelle lune. The program provides a unique opportunity to bring together a diverse faculty and student body of those who take a non-theistic, naturalistic approach to humanism, whether interpreted in secular or religious terms.

New Moon

It comes about every month. The phenomenon of the “new moon”, or “black moon”, is a stage of the lunar cycle. It is when the moon is between the earth and the sun . Which makes it almost invisible to the naked eye.

For astronomers, the new Moon is a good chance to observe other celestial bodies because the Moon is not visible at night and its luminosity is low at this time of the night.

Unlike the full moon, the new moon marks the end of a cycle and the start of a new one. This phenomenon is frequent and returns approximately every month, the lunar cycle lasting 29.53 days . This Friday, November 5, the Moon will therefore start again in an increasing phase, a period that can have benefits for people sensitive to moons but also for plants.

With the new Moon marking the start of a new lunar cycle, it can - for those who believe it - have an influence on everyday actions. Cutting your hair during the waxing phase of the Moon, in other words between the new Moon and the full Moon, allows faster regrowth.

It can also affect sleep, such as during a full moon. Or, more surprisingly, on gardening. Taking care of your garden during the ascending phase of the Moon allows you to have more resistant plants . It is therefore advisable to sow its seeds, plant and harvest during this period.

Curriculum Outline

1. Essential Humanism
2. Being Human
3. Humanist Ideas in World Religion
4. Leadership
5. Critical Thinking
6. Science, Methods and Uses
7. Contemporary Culture
8. Aesthetics
9. Celebration

For more information, contact:

The Humanist Institute
c/o Kristin Wintermute, Business Manager
PMB 220,8014 Olson Memorial Hwy.
Golden Valley MN 55427

email: manager@humansitinstitute.org

Telephone: 763-545-8941

Delaware Association for Humanism is governed by three Directors.

James Presley
Email: James Presley
DAH: Director since Oct. 2009

Alan Palmer
Email: alchymyst [at symbol] verizon.net
DAH: Managing Director

Glen Schmiesing
Email: glen@schmiesing.net
DAH: Director since Oct. 2019

News

See our new membership form!

Look for events at our site on meetup.com.

DAH's 2023 Annual Meeting was held Sunday, January 29, at the Kirkwood Highway Public Library. A motion was approved to amend the Bylaws, Article III (Governance), Sec. 4 (Terms of Service), to limit Directors to no more than three (3) full, consecutive terms, effective immediately. Then, Alan Palmer, James Presley and Glen Schmiesing were reelected to the DAH Board.

We have an on-going series of informal discussions, our Freethinkers Forum, on the Third Saturday of each month at 5:00 pm back again at Dead Presidents Bar + Restaurant, 618 N Union St., Wilmington, DE 19805. This meetup is for people to freely discuss anything they would like..

Our lecture/discussion series co-sponsored by Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark (UUFN) and the Delaware Association for Humanism (DAH) is suspended until further notice.

This series offers a philosophical examination of a wide range of questions in ethics and value theory, with an accent on individual choices. The program will allow an hour for discussion with drinks and snacks provided. Donations are welcomed to help defray expenses.

By Laws

Article I - Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name and form of organization . The name of this organization is the Delaware Association for Humanism, Inc. (DAH). DAH is a Delaware non-profit corporation, which was incorporated May 15, 2017.

Section 2. Purpose . DAH is an educational and altruistic organization, which advocates the use of reason and scientific inquiry for the betterment of humanity and the continued viability of the environment. DAH is committed to the progressive philosophy of Humanism and is dedicated to the moral principles, which are derived from critical intelligence and human experience.

Section 3. Affiliations . DAH shall be a chartered chapter of the American Humanist Association and shall be affiliated with the Council for Secular Humanism.

Article II - Conditions for Membership

Section 1. Agreement . Any individual who agrees with Article I, Section 2, and has met the dues requirement of Article II, Section 2, is a member of DAH.

Section 2. Dues . Dues shall be $35 per calendar year, regardless of when received, except that for payments received after September 30 of each year membership shall be effective immediately and include the following calendar year. Dues shall be reduced by $10 for members in good standing of the American Humanist Association.

Article III - Governance

Section 1. Board . The business and affairs of DAH shall be managed and controlled by a Board of Directors (collectively the "Board," and individually a "Director"). The Board shall consist of three (3) Directors, who shall serve with no financial compensation, except for reimbursement of documented expenses approved by the Board.

Section 2. Board Responsibilities . The Board shall call all Membership meetings. The Board shall meet at the call of the Managing Director or as agreed by consent of a majority of the Board. The Board shall keep minutes of Board and Membership meetings and all financial transactions, and shall submit reports as required by law. Quorum for the Board shall consist of a majority of its Directors. The Board shall approve all contracts, including acceptance of conditional gifts. The Board shall designate a Member, who does not have responsibility for handling funds to review financial records and report at the Annual Membership Meeting. If there is a vacancy on the Board, the remaining Directors shall appoint a Director to serve until the next election. The Board may delegate specific responsibilities to one or more Members.

Section 3. Managing Director . The Board shall designate one of its Members as Managing Director. The Managing Director shall serve as Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer.

Section 4. Terms of Service . The Term of Office of Directors shall be one (1) calendar year. No Director shall serve more than three (3) full, consecutive terms, unless no replacement candidate is willing to serve.

Section 5. Membership Meetings . Membership meetings shall be held at the call of the Board with mail or email notice sent at least 72 hours before the meeting. The Board shall mail or email notice and a proposed agenda for the Annual Membership Meeting at least ten (10) days before the meeting. The Annual Membership meeting shall be the first Membership meeting of the calendar year. All members shall be eligible to vote.

Section 6. Elections . All members shall be eligible to hold any office. Directors shall be elected by simple majority of members present at an Annual Membership Meeting. No proxies will be considered.

Section 7. Member Initiatives . Members are encouraged to submit to the Board proposals for activities, events, and community service projects. Members shall have the right to annually review any of DAH's records by appointment with the Managing Director or his/her designee. If a member has a concern about management or control of DAH, the member is encouraged to bring his/her concern to the Board.

Section 8. Disciplinary Action . At the request of any member or on its own initiative, with appropriate due process and conflict-of-interest procedures, the Board shall investigate allegations of misconduct, including but not limited to conduct injurious to DAH. If the Board recommends removal of a Director from office or a Member from membership, the Board shall call a Membership meeting to decide on the action. Removal of a Director from office or a Member from membership shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of Members present and voting.

Section 9. Revisions to Bylaws . From time to time or at the request of a Member, the Board shall review the bylaws and determine whether the bylaws warrant revision. If the Board decides to propose a bylaw revision, the Board shall propose the revision at a duly-called Membership Meeting. If a bylaw amendment is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of members present and voting, the bylaw amendment shall be passed and take effect at the beginning of the next calendar year unless another effective date is stated in the amendment.

Amended as approved at Membership Meetings May 30, 2019, Jan. 23, 2020 and Jan. 29, 2023.