What we’re about
Join us in celebrating Humanism!
The Jefferson Humanists is a chapter of the American Humanist Association.
Our Vision : Free thinkers building a better community
Our Mission: to expand an ethical and life affirming humanist community devoted to science, reason, inclusion and social responsibility. Through community building, lectures, social activism, and discussion we expand our member’s awareness gain an understanding of the issues facing the world and provide learning opportunities through guest speakers on a variety of topics.
In addition to a wide variety of activities (including book discussions, hiking, happy hours and more), join us for our regular monthly meetings, which are held on fourth Sunday evenings at 4pm.
A typical meeting consists of a Keynote Speaker or Special Program followed by an opportunity for questions and answers.
Before the presentation, take some time to browse our free Humanist library, become a member of our Chapter, sign up for our newsletter, explore volunteer opportunities to help us build a stronger chapter, meet new friends, ask questions about Humanism and have some appetizer and wine.
For more information about the Jefferson Humanists, see our website, www.jeffersonhumanists.org. You can also keep current on what we are doing and humanist issues in your community and the world on our Facebook page.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- JH Salon: Brainstorming session for 2025 topicsLink visible for attendees
We'd need your help come up with new JH Salon questions for future discussions.
We invite you to join us on Zoom the evening of December 2nd to help brainstorm topics that we can discuss during our JH Salons in 2025. To prime the pump, you can find some interesting examples of topics at https://thesalonhost.com/21-topic-ideas-for-your-2021-salon/ and http://thesaturdaysalon.com/topics/. We also have a list of our past salon discussions at the bottom of this Meetup.
Once we get a list, we will vote on the suggestions to create a schedule of questions for 2025.
If you are unable to attend this session and you have ideas for Salon questions, please fill out this form to submit your ideas: https://forms.gle/hbsEeakAVJM4QgHg7
PLEASE BE SURE TO RSVP on Meetup or email [email protected] to so we know who will be attending.
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ABOUT THE JH SALON
Much like the salons of France during the Enlightenment, we will discuss a variety of topics and lubricate the discussion with a few libations. Topics will be worded as questions and can be related to science, sociology, politics, philosophy, history, ethics and more. Attendees are not required to read anything in particular before the discussion, but it certainly helps to do some study before the discussion to be able to make a coherent argument and back it up.
A few JH Salon ground rules:
- Respect others and their opinions.
- Don't come with a personal axe to grind.
- Criticize ideas, not individuals.
- Don't make personal attacks.
- Allow everyone the chance to speak.
- Don't take things personally.
- Listen actively and with an ear to understanding others' views.
The JH Salon will be held on the first Monday of every month.
"THE AIM OF ARGUMENT, OR OF DISCUSSION, SHOULD NOT BE VICTORY, BUT PROGRESS." ~ Joseph Joubert
This program is hosted by Jefferson Humanists, a chapter of the American Humanist Association. To find out more and become a member, go to www.jeffersonhumanists.org
PAST JH SALON TOPICS
- Are humans the ultimate animals?
- Is universal healthcare a basic human right?
- Should their be checks to immigration to the U.S.?
- Can we ever become a color-blind society?
- Should college in the U.S. be free?
- Can humans coexist with nature?
- Should voting be mandatory?
- Should election campaigning be limited to a few weeks?
- Should humanists celebrate religious holidays?
- What social services should be provided by the government?
- Should recycling be mandatory?
- What gun laws would be beneficial to the U.S.?
- Is the American dream dead?
- Are there limits to free speech?
- Is factory farming necessary?
- Should all illicit drugs be legalized?
- Should governments allow private business to run prisons?
- Is religion necessary for morality?
- Is space exploration worth the cost?
- Do humans overestimate their abilities?
- Do monuments and commemorative statues matter?
- Does capitalism help or hurt the world?
- What obligation do we owe other animals?
- What impact do sensational news headlines have on overall well being?
- War, What is is good for?
- What obligation do we have to refugees?
- Is money real?
- Does the U.S. Constitution protect human rights?
- Should states be allowed to violate human rights?
- Does a tipping culture hurt or benefit workers?
- Does AI stifle our intellect and should it be regulated?
- Should humans travel into space?
- How can we have productive discussions with those of opposing viewpoints and reach acceptable compromises?
- How do we make the 10 commitments more memorable?
- Should the US support Ukraine against Russia?
- What should we do to better rehabilitate inmates?
- What lessons have we learned from US Covid response?
- Is there a way to control misinformation?
- Is abortion reproductive health or something more?
- What is the balance between development and environmental sustainability?
- What are the impacts of loneliness on individuals and our society?
- What limits should be placed on Generative AI?
- Book Group Meeting - Sat Dec 14 - Best Books you read in 2024Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, CO
Join FROG, the Free thinkers Reading Opportunity Group, for the Saturday December 14 book group meeting from 2-4:00 PM. This is our annual "Best Books You Read in the Past Year" session. We will gather over food and drink to share the titles of books we enjoyed over the past year. This annual event is always a great opportunity to learn about books that escaped your radar.
Location: We will be meeting at the Jefferson Unitarian Church (JUC), at 1430 W. 32nd Ave, Golden. (Our group has no affiliation with the church.) Enter the main door to the church and turn right once you are past the coat racks. NOTE: We are meeting in the main church building, not the Mills Building, our usual location.
The Humanists will be providing some food and drink for this event, and you are invited to bring a dish to share. It adds to the fun!
RSVP to this Meetup or email [email protected].
This book group is sponsored by the Jefferson Humanists. (Find friends. Share Ideas. Do Good!) For more information about humanism see https://www.jeffersonhumanists.org.
Upcoming Book Discussions:
January 11, 2025: The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America by Greg Grandin
The entire 2025 schedule is available at https://www.jeffersonhumanists.org/jh-frog-book-group/)
- Discuss a Doc - The Four HorsemenLink visible for attendees
In December, we invite you to watch the documentary, The Four Horsemen.
On the 30th of September 2007, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down for a first-of-its-kind, unmoderated 2-hour discussion, convened by RDFRS and filmed by Josh Timonen.
All four authors have recently received a large amount of media attention for their writings against religion - some positive, and some negative.
In this conversation the group trades stories of the public reaction to their recent books, their unexpected successes, criticisms and common misrepresentations.
They discuss the tough questions about religion that face the world today, and propose new strategies for going forward.
You can find a free copy of this documentary at https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/four-horsemen/
REMINDER: Watch this documentary on your own and then join our discussion on Monday, December 16th, at 7 pm.
RSVP to this Meetup or email [email protected]. Only those who RSVP will receive the Zoom link to for the discussion. Attendance is limited to the first 15 people who RSVP.
We hope you will join us for Discuss a Doc, a monthly discussion where we discuss the humanist issues raised by documentary films.
HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR A FUTURE DOCUMENTARY TO DISCUSS? Submit it at https://forms.gle/cGpetT9Ee5vwwTtQ9
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