The Heart of Humanism

This blog entry contains the flyer for our exciting event next monday, and a controversial poem by Langston Hughes. Please note the poem is not to be taken as a statement of the values of contemporary Humanism, but rather, as evidence that Hughes (along with many famous African American Intellectuals) engaged in a serious critique and ultimately a rejection of traditional religion, in favor of a more human-centered philosophy of life. For a detailed description of the upcoming event, see the entry below.

Goodbye Christ
by Langston Hughes
Published in Negro Worker (Nov.-Dec. 1932)
***
Listen, Christ,
You did alright in your day, I reckon—
But that day’s gone now.
They ghosted you up a swell story, too,
Called it Bible—
But it’s dead now,
The popes and the preachers’ve
Made too much money from it.
They’ve sold you to too manyKings, generals, robbers, and killers—
Even to the Tzar and the Cossacks,
Even to Rockefeller’s Church,
Even to THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.
You ain’t no good no more.
They’ve pawned you
Till you’ve done wore out.

Goodbye,
Christ Jesus Lord God Jehova,
Beat it on away from here now.
Make way for a new guy with no religion at all—
A real guy named
Marx Communist Lenin Peasant Stalin Worker ME—
I said, ME!

Go ahead on now,
You’re getting in the way of things, Lord.
And please take Saint Ghandi with you when you go,
And Saint Pope Pius,
And Saint Aimee McPherson,
And big black Saint Becton
Of the Consecrated Dime.
And step on the gas, Christ!
Move!

Don’t be so slow about movin?
The world is mine from now on—
And nobody’s gonna sell ME
To a king, or a general,
Or a millionaire.

This week we turn our attention to the annual “Lincoln Lecture” on Humanism for 2006. I’m particularly excited about it, because the topic is dear to my heart and this year’s lecturer is one of the Humanist scholars & thinkers I personally admire most, anywhere in the world today. Here is the official announcement:

African American Culture and Religion: Do They Always Go Hand in Hand?
The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University (with the Harvard Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research) proudly presents the 13th Annual Alexander Lincoln Memorial Lecture:
Dr. Anthony Pinn
“Doing Humanism: reflections on the Nature and Practice of African American Humanism.”
MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 7:00pm
Harvard Science Center Hall E
Free & Public
African Americans tend to be thought of as among the most “religious” groups in American society. But especially given recent debates on religion’s role in science, politics, terror, and more, the time may have come to ask: is there room for a Humanistic, agnostic or atheistic form of spirituality in African American life and culture? One of the nation’s leading young scholars of African American Religion, Dr. Anthony Pinn, passionately argues not only that African American Humanism can thrive today, but that it has been developing for well over a century. Pinn, a Harvard and Columbia-trained professor at Rice University, in his mid-forties, is the author/editor of seventeen books, on subjects such as African American religion and spirituality, hip hop, and African American Humanism; he is currently editing an Encyclopedia of African American Religious Culture.

Pinn points out that, since the time of slavery, American Blacks have been critiquing the Christian narrative that suffering is redemptive and should therefore be accepted and not struggled against. Many have even left behind belief in God altogether in favor of a focus on earthly reason and compassion. This Humanist alternative in African American spiritual life traces its roots to the religious questioning of thinkers such as Frederick Douglas and W.E.B. Du Bois, the agnosticism of James Baldwin, the socialist-influenced irreligion of Huey Newton and Langston Hughes, and the full-fledged modern Humanism of Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker (Walker was even the recipient of the prestigious American Humanist of the Year award in 1997).

Invited by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University (and co-sponsored by the Harvard Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research), Pinn will deliver the 13th Annual Alexander Lincoln Lecture, entitled, “Doing Humanism: reflections on the Nature and Practice of African American Humanism.” He will reflect on questions such as, what should African American Humanism “look like” on a practical level? And how can 21st-century African Americans look to provide meaningful concrete alternatives to the liturgy, community, ritual, and social identity of the Black Church and other traditionally religious groups?

The Lincoln Lectureship has been an informal ‘Harvard Humanist of the Year’ award, given in previous years to notable figures ranging from the great scientist E.O. Wilson, to Human Rights heroes Taslima Nasreen and General Romeo Dallaire.

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, Memorial Church, Wednesday 11/15, 5:30pm

The event below is co-sponsored by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard and the Harvard Secular Society. In addition, as advisor to the Harvard College Interfaith Council I’ve been working closely with the organizers, and the Humanist Chaplaincy has provided both funding for publicity (I believe we are the only individual chaplaincy to have done so) and access to our graphic designer, who created the flyer. Hope to see you at the event!

“The Neuroscience of Moral Decision-Making”, Thursday, November 16th, 2006, 7:00 pm
Professor Joshua Greene
Science Center Hall D
Free & Open to the public

For more info see http://masshumanists.org

If you haven’t been keeping up here, last Thursday Oct. 26 the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard and the student group we sponsor, the Harvard Secular Society, brought actress/writer Julia Sweeney to Harvard to perform her new one-woman play, Letting Go of God. The event was a wonderful success, not only because Julia more than lived up to the New York Times’ rave review, entitled “Questioning Religious Faith and Yet Finding Inspiration,” but also because it was evidence of just how much our Humanist community here at Harvard is building great momentum. I can’t say thank you enough to all the Humanist undergraduate and graduate students who helped put it all together. Julia’s performance amounted to our biggest event ever– and also to Julia’s largest crowd ever for a performance of the full version of the show. So, read the unprecedented Harvard Gazette article, and/or just enjoy the photos below! All photos by the wonderful Rick Friedman unless noted.

One audience member checks out the program as the audience flows in. Inside the program was a beautiful invitation to this event.

A huge crowd (or the part of it that fit inside at this point) lines up in the Cathedral-like environs of Memorial Hall/Sanders Theater.

Total attendance: approximately 750.

Harvard Secular Society President Amanda Shapiro helps introduce Julia. (Photo by Andy Connor.)

After all our hard work preparing: the show finally begins…

How does the mind work?

Biblical scene.

Harvard Kennedy School of Govt. alumna Sunny Schwartz at a table promoting local Humanistic Jewish Congregation Kahal B’raira, during intermission. Several Humanist-related local organizations and Unitarian Universalist Churches helped spread the word about the show.

A standing–no, jumping– ovation.

Humanist Chaplains Greg Epstein and Tom Ferrick greet Julia as the applause continues.

A fascinating Q & A with the audience followed the show.

Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein, congratulating Julia and thinking: “I love my job.”

Wasn’t that great?! Epstein, Ferrick, and Shapiro gathering onstage after the show, along with Peter Blake HGSE, Sean Bala ’09, Matt Valente ’08, and Will Nygard ’08.

Some members of the Harvard Secular Society, the Humanistgrads, and the Humanist Association of Massachusetts got together afterwards for photos.

This great shot of us by graduate student Andy Connor. Thanks, Andy!

You can purchase the CD now at www.juliasweeney.com…

But you can only get the autograph & “hi mom!” cameraphone shot right here.

Julia with Amanda as Greg explains, “this show might not even have happened if it wasn’t for her…”

Julia and Julie Duncan ’09 making the “Pat face.”

A longing parting glance at the famous Sanders Theater chandelier. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have our own beautiful space in which to hold Humanist events?