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Fully Human/Fully Alive addresses profound questions like: Why are we here?; How do face our own death?; Why do we need others?; and How do we make our lives significant? from a humanist psychological standpoint.

"The story of Darwin, his life, times, and some of the ... scientists who supported and advocated for him at the birth of the scientific revolution"--

What happens when somebody starts a church on a lark, in order to let its wealthy followers cash in on the growing trend of religious exemptions? And then succeeds, beyond his wildest dreams? And then can't get back out again?

A collection of notable essays on humanist philosophy from the first 45 years of The Humanist magazine.

Michael Werner's new introduction to humanist thinking, values, and ethics packs a lifetime of experience into a guide for humanist living - not just through dry science, but through the exuberant flowering of human emotion.

This collection of essays from the personal, inspirational stories of leaders in the humanist movement will be published on May 23, 2016. Why do people become humanists? Those religiously opposed to humanism often think (and say on the Internet) that people become humanists out of pride, narcissism, and a desire to pursue a depraved life free of moral judgment. Personal Paths to Humanism is not only a sound refutation of the absurd claim of humanism's detractors, it is truly inspirational to read. We asked a cross-section of American Humanist Association leaders and members to simply tell us their stories and they did! Many came to humanism from various religions-some mild, some strict-while others came from secular backgrounds. Some came to humanism at an early age, others later in life. A few experienced rapid change, but most came to it gradually. The variety in such transformations, and their causes, proved stunning-but so did the similarities! Beyond this, we discovered that when people share their life journeys with us, a bond occurs. We not only learn but we identify. Humanist ideas aren't just a set of philosophical abstractions; they are living things, arrived at by processes of change that we recognize and feel. While we release this initial volume in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the American Humanist Association in 2016, we're so impressed by the nature of these stories that we are getting ready to receive more personal stories for a second volume. In the long run, we hope to build a perpetual archive of life stories to inspire future generations of humanists.

In The Myths that Stole Christmas, Johnson argues that Christmas has been hijacked by seven different myths-seven myths that control how people conceive of and celebrate the holiday. Myth #1: Jesus Is the Reason for the Season Myth #2: There Is a War on Christmas Myth #3: Our Christmas Traditions Are Old-Fashioned Myth #4: Christmas Spending Is Good for the Economy Myth #5: Santa Claus Is Saint Nicholas Myth #6: The Santa Claus Lie Is Harmless Myth #7: Christmas Can't Change Historically, holiday celebrations served useful social functions; they smoothed tension between social classes; they helped us prepare for the long hard winter; they turned the literal darkest days into the "hap-happiest season of all." Modern Christmas celebrations, however, serve as a source of conflict-and can make us anxious, stressed, fat, poor and stupid. Christmas owns us; we do what it wants, when it wants. But, Johnson argues, taking a close look at the history of the holiday, and the social, political and economic issues that surround it, can turn the tables and allow us to own Christmas once again. Christmas is not a Christians-only holiday that can only be properly celebrated a certain way. Christmas belongs to us all and we can each simply make it what we need it to be.

Walker's 22 new essays cover the spectrum, from "The Islamic Holocaust" being perpetrated against women to the dizziness of crystal-gazers in "Encountering the New Age." Walker explains in depth how religion has been perverted from its naturalistic roots in the celebration of the mystery of new life to a patriarchal orgy of violence. In "Does Religion Make People Good?," Walker responds with an emphatic "No!," citing extensive evidence of "Bible Morality" to produce today's Christian "God the Monster." Women have borne the brunt of patriarchal religion's evils - Walker even argues cogently for "Religion As the Root of Sexism." Yet in her conclusion, "Family and the Future," the ever-upbeat Walker imagines a return to the original, best traditions of religion as a metaphor for the wonder of the universe.

Lists candidates for the "best" and "worst" excerpts from a variety of scriptures, including the Hebrew Bible, the Qur'an, the Bhagavadgãitãa, Buddhist sutras, and the Book of Mormon, and invites readers' opinions on the selections.

Carl Coon distills billions of years of natural and human history into a few beautifully-written pages in his new book, "A Short History of Evolution." Coon demonstrates why there is no need to believe in any magical force at work to explain how things came to be the way they are, and how everything has happened in accordance with a natural order of change. Not content to stop with the emergence of homo sapiens 50,000 years ago, Coon shows how processes akin to those of biological natural selection have shaped the growth of our civilization. Even war, with all its horrors, has had beneficial effects on our species as a whole (if not on the individuals immediately affected). At least as important as war, though, is "altruism" - a naturally occurring phenomenon without which our species would never have survived. Treat yourself to a view from 50,000 feet of how we came to be the way we are.

This book by Hiram Crespo, the founder of the Society of Friends of Epicurus, discusses the ancient wisdom that seems to be the best philosophical solution for current problems such as widespread anxiety, thoughtless confusion of values, socioeconomic crisis, religious fanaticism, and environmental hazards.

Lyle Simpson's "Why Was I Born?" explores the psychology underlying religious belief, through the prism of Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" and the Meyer-Briggs personality typology. Rejecting the easy answers of our society, Simpson addresses profound questions like "Why are we here?", "How Do We Face Our Own Death?", "Why Do We Need Others?", and "How do We Make Our Lives Significant?" from a humanist psychological standpoint, making vastly more sense than anyone who tries to answer these questions through our cultural traditions.

When her seismic expose of religious abuses lands on the best-seller list, Professor Mira Veron becomes a darling of the literati and a target for religious extremists and culture-warriors alike. With her soon-to-be-ex-husband scheming to undermine her, her opportunistic agent attempting to cash in on her name, and a seductive born-again assassin tracking her every move, she meets up with a publishing tycoon who is guarding a volatile secret. Veron is drawn into an underground network by the promise of cataclysmic religious revelations only to watch as her new associates mysteriously die one by one. Under siege by forces seen and unseen, she embarks on a desperate quest for answers. Now she must choose between defending her work and defending her life. Fans of Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Dan Brown and Minette Walters will enjoy this suspenseful exploration of religion and politics, atheism and evangelism, secularism and domestic terrorism, in twenty-first century America.

"Holidays and Other Disasters" considers the major U.S. holidays-Easter, Christmas, Opening Day, etc.-from an atheist's perspective. It examines explicitly religious holidays, those that have a definite if not always acknowledged religious thrust (Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving) and secular holidays that had religious elements added on (like Labor Day) by way of personal stories, usually the author's own. Where other people have especially revealing holiday stories, as is the case with Jack Johnson (the first black heavyweight champion) and the Fourth of July, novelist Salman Rushdie and Valentine's Day or labor leader Eugene V. Debs and Labor Day, Rodwan tell theirs. Of course, holidays aren't about religion alone, and Holidays and Other Disasters doesn't look narrowly at them as pageants of piety. Rather, the book considers the various issues holidays raise, including race and class, and discusses other forms of expressive activity, such as literature, music and sports, along with religion and holiday rituals.

Given today's religiously charged political climate-and an increase in secular Americans pushing back against the Religious Right-this book from Humanist Press fits the times by taking a look at some of history's greatest secular heroes. "Damned Good Company" by Luis Granados contains 20 tales of incredible human bravery where claims of divine authority were defiantly challenged. From Socrates to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, these stories will inspire those today who want to stand up to the Christian Right, the Muslim fanatics, the oppressiveness of Catholic and Jewish orthodoxy, the rising Hindu Taliban, and everyone else who claims the God-given right to tell the rest of us what to do. In short, it's a "Profiles in Courage" for humanists.