Good without God
Does morality come from above?
Can people live a fulfilling and
moral life without believing in a
higher power?
These big questions and more will be discussed at "The Humanist Perspective," a talk by Dr. Rod Martin, President of the Humanist Association of London and Area. The talk takes place at the Wolf Performance Hall in the Central Library on June 8, beginning at 7 p.m. This is the second lecture in a two-part series from HALA entitled "Evolution of Belief."
"Humanism is sort of a way of life or a life stance that has to do with trying to live a meaningful, good life without necessarily believing in God," explained Martin.
"Religious faith gives people a sense of meaning, morality, values," he continued. "A lot of people think that if you don't believe in God, then there's no basis for right or wrong … For a lot of people, it's really, really threatening to think that there's not a God."
As part of the talk, Martin will outline his own background and give the reasons for his decision to leave the Christian faith and turn to humanism. His background gives him a unique perspective on the debate of whether or not God exists; raised as an evangelical Christian, Martin obtained his degree in Theology from the University of Waterloo. He was a minister for a few years, and said he remembered that faith was a huge part of his life.
"Over time, reading about science and evolution, I came to recognize that I don't believe in God. This was a very difficult thing for me, and very depressing to me — my whole faith was such an important part of my life — how can I live now?"
The point of the talk is not to convert anybody, Martin stressed. "I want to talk about humanism as an alternative to faith," he added. "It's more about just making people aware that there is another perspective."
All people, regardless of faith or religion, are welcome to attend the talk on June 8, as well as HALA's monthly meetings held on the second Wednesday of every month at The Cross Cultural Learner Center at 505 Dundas St.
To learn more about HALA, visit humanists-london.org. For more details about the event, visit tinyurl.com/HALAtalkfb.
These big questions and more will be discussed at "The Humanist Perspective," a talk by Dr. Rod Martin, President of the Humanist Association of London and Area. The talk takes place at the Wolf Performance Hall in the Central Library on June 8, beginning at 7 p.m. This is the second lecture in a two-part series from HALA entitled "Evolution of Belief."
"Humanism is sort of a way of life or a life stance that has to do with trying to live a meaningful, good life without necessarily believing in God," explained Martin.
"Religious faith gives people a sense of meaning, morality, values," he continued. "A lot of people think that if you don't believe in God, then there's no basis for right or wrong … For a lot of people, it's really, really threatening to think that there's not a God."
As part of the talk, Martin will outline his own background and give the reasons for his decision to leave the Christian faith and turn to humanism. His background gives him a unique perspective on the debate of whether or not God exists; raised as an evangelical Christian, Martin obtained his degree in Theology from the University of Waterloo. He was a minister for a few years, and said he remembered that faith was a huge part of his life.
"Over time, reading about science and evolution, I came to recognize that I don't believe in God. This was a very difficult thing for me, and very depressing to me — my whole faith was such an important part of my life — how can I live now?"
The point of the talk is not to convert anybody, Martin stressed. "I want to talk about humanism as an alternative to faith," he added. "It's more about just making people aware that there is another perspective."
All people, regardless of faith or religion, are welcome to attend the talk on June 8, as well as HALA's monthly meetings held on the second Wednesday of every month at The Cross Cultural Learner Center at 505 Dundas St.
To learn more about HALA, visit humanists-london.org. For more details about the event, visit tinyurl.com/HALAtalkfb.
