On this day ten years ago (10/10/10), the Humanist Society (Singapore) came into being. We started with only 13 members and almost no resources. All we had was a common dream, to build an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the non-religious and protecting the secular space. Above all, we wanted to help promote rationalism, evidence-based thinking and compassion in the public sphere.
Here are some moments at our founding:
[Read more…]Special offer! In celebration of Singapore’s 55th birthday this month, we are selling red and white humanist bottles and mugs at discounted prices. Buy your own humanist mug at $9.90 each, and a humanist bottle at $12 each. This offer ends on 21 Aug 2020, midnight.
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When Singapore implemented the Circuit Breaker in April, we launched the Humanism At Home programme where we had events held on Skype and Zoom. In total, we had 11 online events, including World Humanist Day and several Skype discussions (Skype Parties). Although Singapore moved to Phase Two on 18 June, we adopted a cautious approach and decided to observe the situation for a while longer before resuming physical events.
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Every year, on the 21st of July, Singapore observes Racial Harmony Day commemorating the tragic 1964 race riots, which, half a century ago, threatened to tear our city apart. Since then, Singaporeans have worked hard to prevent history from repeating itself by rebuilding trust between ethnic groups and fostering harmonious interracial relations.
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On 21 June 2020, Archbishop William Goh of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore delivered an online sermon titled “Fear God or Fear Man.” The sermon was followed by a written sermon published on the website. As of 1 July, the online sermon has attracted over 5,500 views on Facebook and 5,100 views on Youtube. Given the widespread viewership, the Humanist Society (Singapore), or HSS for short, would like to respond to some of the points delivered.
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Recently, Mubarak Bala (above), the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested for “blasphemy” after he allegedly posted criticism of Islam on his Facebook page.
[Read more…]Following approval from the Registry of Societies, the proposed ‘2020 Amendment’ to the Constitution of the Humanist Society (Singapore) has been voted upon and accepted at the Annual General Meeting on 14 March 2020.
Here are the broad changes:
1. Associate Membership.
Associate Membership is now available for our friends, allies, and partners who are religious and subscribe to the values of humanism. A separate Declaration is available for applicants to ratify, in lieu of the Minimum Statement of Humanism. Associate Members enjoy the same fees, requirements, and privileges as our regular, Full Members, but will neither be eligible to vote nor run for office in the Executive Committee.
2. Membership Grace Period.
Previously, members were not eligible to vote at any general meeting unless membership dues had been paid at least one month before the meeting. With this ‘grace period’, members will be eligible to vote as long as all membership fees have been paid before the general meeting.
Members will also be allowed to pay their annual subscription fees during the extended six-month ‘grace period’ to prevent their membership from lapsing.
As part of our #HumanismAtHome initiative, we encourage you to show your moral support to frontline staff, especially medical staff, who are risking their lives to keep us safe. You may do one of the following:
[Read more…]You may have seen the article regarding a recent police investigation involving a post made by an ‘NUS Atheist Society’ Page on Facebook.
The Humanist Society (Singapore) finds this post unhelpful amid the current crisis. We are a community of non-religious people, founded upon values of reason and compassion. The post made by NUS Atheist Society is neither reasoned nor compassionate. NUS has also since stated that the Page is not affiliated with the university.
The evolving Covid-19 situation affects us all, regardless of race or religion. We would like to encourage productive and rational dialogue during this crisis. We should focus on disseminating facts, providing comfort, and promoting public unity amidst the pandemic.
Executive Committee
Humanist Society (Singapore)
Seven years is a long time, as long as three of the four MNCs I used to work for in my 26 year career before HSS. I see things like Darwin sees evolution, something that volunteers with a couple of years at a stretch do not and cannot see.
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