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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 22h

Cuba voted through its Family Code in 2022 with a 67% majority, winning in every province. It covers same-sex marriage, adoption and new rights for women and carers, and was almost unreported in the west. Peter Tatchell on Angus Reid's documentary A Week in the Sun newhumanist.org.uk/articles/que...

newhumanist.org.uk

Queer revolution in Cuba?

Angus Reid's new documentary "A week in the Sun" shines light on Cuba's sweeping new rights for women and queer people

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 28/09/2026

No one should live in fear for wanting to be free of dogmatic control. No one should lose their children, be shunned by those they love, or find themselves with no home, no support, and no one to turn to. Leaving one of these groups can mean losing everything. humanists.uk/donate/actio...

Leaving a coercive religious community can mean losing everything.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 23h

In Oxford? Hear lived experiences of leaving religion and finding humanism with Oxford Humanists at'Recovered from Religion' on 13 October. This event is free but registration is essential. Head to our website to find all our Local Group events! humanists.uk/civicrm/even...

humanists.uk

Recovered from religion | Oxford Humanists | Humanists UK

Our October meeting is entitled “Recovered from Religion”. This evening will feature people sharing their lived experiences of moving from membership of a religious group, through questioning and…

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 23h

'Racism has relied on pseudo-scientific grounds for decades. Science cannot justify the bigotry of racists.' Our Vice President, Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue with a Racist and Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics. #HumanistBookshelf.

‘Race is real because we perceive it. Racism is real because we enact it. Neither race nor racism has foundations in science.’

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

Discover Cornwall's freethinking history, from Chartist William Lovett to Virginia Woolf's St Ives holidays. Hear our #HumanistHeritage Manager Maddy Goodall with Cornwall Humanists, 4 October. Free entry but registration essential. humanists.uk/events/the-h...

humanists.uk

The history of free thought and humanism in Cornwall | Cornwall Humanists

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

'The humanist view of life is progressive and optimistic, in awe of human potential, living without fear of judgement or death, and finding enough purpose and meaning in life , love, and leaving a good legacy.' Humanists UK Vice President Polly Toynbee. Great themes found in any #HumanistBookshelf

‘What matters is not what nature has given us but what we choose to do about it. The humanist view of life is progressive and optimistic, in awe of human potential, living without fear of judgement or death, finding enough purpose and meaning in life, love, and leaving a good legacy.’

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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

When an algal bloom turned the Wye green, regulators were testing only a few spots a few times a year. Locals started testing weekly. Nicola Cutcher on the rise of the river guardians. newhumanist.org.uk/articles/why...

newhumanist.org.uk

Why I became a river guardian

Across the UK, ordinary people are taking action to protect our rivers from pollution

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

We welcome welcome Dr Mark Williamson of @actionhappiness.bsky.social to talk about his new book, 'Make Life Happier: 23 practical happiness experiments to try.' Book your placer now and join us on 30 November 2026. humanists.uk/events/in-co...

humanists.uk

In conversation with Mark Williamson

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

Eloquently put, as always. The works of A C Grayling sit on many a #HumanistBookshelf, including, but not limited to: The God Argument: The Case against Religion and for Humanism, The History of Philosophy, The Meaning of Things: Applying Philosophy to Life, Democracy and Its Crisis.

‘To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.’

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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Lemmy and Ozzy recorded "I Ain't No Nice Guy" in 1992. Keith Kahn-Harris on how they left metal a much nicer place than they found it: charity fundraising, dry bars, vegan menus. And none of it is really that surprising. newhumanist.org.uk/articles/hea...

newhumanist.org.uk

Headbangers give the best hugs

As metalheads mourn their Prince of Darkness, has the “devil’s music” accidentally become a force for good?

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

Why do we believe in things that go bump in the night? Folklorist Deborah Hyde draws on history, psychology and anthropology in conversation with Madeleine Goodall. 21 Oct. Book now! humanists.uk/civicrm/even...

humanists.uk

In conversation with Deborah Hyde | Humanists UK

Why do so many people believe in things that go bump in the night? Folklorist Deborah Hyde draws on history, psychology, and anthropology to explain one of the most stubborn…

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

Nolan's film has brought Homer to millions. But what does the Odyssey value when the gods are no moral guide? Join Tim Whitmarsh and Andrew Copson online on 10 Nov to find out. Book your place now! humanists.uk/events/gods-...

humanists.uk

Gods without good: morality in the Odyssey | with Tim Whitmarsh and Andrew Copson

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

The brilliant Janet Ellis, President of Humanists UK, on discovering humanism and the global community that comes with it. Find Janet's #HumanistBookshelf recommendations on our website! Link in bio.

‘Humanism is important for me because it puts a name to the beliefs and values that so many non-religious people like me already have. It gives those values a proper place in our society and in our lives. It’s not just me saying ‘I think this’. In fact, I’m part of a community of like-minded people with similar ideas, approaches, and moral convictions. And we’re so much stronger when we come together.’

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Understanding Humanism @humanismedu.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Are you a humanist? A good communicator? Enthusiastic about helping young people learn about humanism? If so, you could apply to be a Humanists UK school speaker! Come to our free, informal, online taster on Tuesday 13 October to find out more. Info below ⬇️ humanists.uk/school-speak...

humanists.uk

School Speaker Training

Are you committed to a humanist approach to life? A good communicator? Enthusiastic about using your knowledge and personal experience to help young people learn about humanism? If the answer is yes,...

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

The Northern Ireland Assembly has voted 46–29 to back the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill at Second Stage. This is a major step towards ending harmful attempts to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

humanists.uk

Victory! Northern Ireland Conversion Practices Ban Bill passes key vote

The Northern Ireland Assembly has voted to pass the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill at Second Stage. MLAs voted 46 in favour and 29 against, with 15 abstentions. Northern Ireland…

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

We love this from our Vice President Shaparak Khorsandi, author of Scatter Brain, Kissing Emma, Nina Is Not OK and A Beginner's Guide to Acting English. #HumanistBookshelf

‘The humanist perspective is a profound and inspiring one – and it’s not just a modern perspective. Through the centuries and all around the world, people have looked to reason and to science in place of superstition and sought to make the most out of the one life they have. It’s crucial that this voice is heard.’ Shaparak Khorsandi

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 29/09/2026

Some lovely words on the humanist approach to life by our patron Stephen Fry, author of Mythos, Heroes, Troy, Moab Is My Washpot, The Fry Chronicles, The Hippopotamus and The Liar. #HumanistBookshelf.

‘Humanism is an approach to life which encourages ethical and fulfilling living on the basis of reason and humanity, and rejects superstition and religion. The most immediate impact of living as a humanist is that we believe this life is all there is – so what we do and the choices we make really count.’ Stephen FryActor, author, humanist

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Understanding Humanism @humanismedu.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Explore a humanist understanding of human nature and potential in our short animation! Humanists believe we can find joy, meaning, and purpose in life by making the most of our natural capacities. understandinghumanism.org.uk/res_films/hu...

understandinghumanism.org.uk

Human nature, human potential

Alice Roberts explores the questions at the heart of humanism: ‘What are we?’ ‘What are we capable of?’ and ‘How should we make best use of our capacities?’

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 28/09/2026

Our Vice President Alice Roberts on the humanist approach to life, as taken from the #TheLittleBookofHumanism, a recommended title for your #HumanistBookshelf!

Throughout history there have been non-religious people who have believed that this life is the only life we have, that the universe is a natural phenomenon with no supernatural side - using reason and humanity to guide us... Today, people who hold these beliefs and values are called humanists' Alice Roberts, Scientist, author, humanist.

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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

JD Vance’s accidentally hilarious memoir. 'The vice president displays neither self-awareness nor an understanding of irony in this strange book'. Ralph Jones reviews: Communion – Finding My Way Back to Faith for New Humanist. Read the full review on our website. newhumanist.org.uk/articles/jd-...

The vice president displays neither self-awareness nor an understanding of irony When Vance laments the erosion of Christianity in public life over the last century, he writes, “If the Titanic is going down I’d rather be on board than hop on a lifeboat.” You only need to look at his life, however, to recognise that not only would he have leaped onto the first vessel available but that he would have elbowed elderly women out of the way in order to get the best seat.Ralph Jones, New Humanist Autumn 2026 edition

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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A Kent classroom where Farage selfies circulate like celebrity photos: teacher Paige Horsford on quietly challenging the politics children bring in from home, in a council now led by Reform. Read more on our website today: newhumanist.org.uk/articles/the...

newhumanist.org.uk

The view from a school in a Reform-led council

As a teacher, I encourage children to question the hate that some of them are taught at home

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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In the latest issue of New Humanist magazine, we go inside the fight against resurgent hate in the UK. The June race riots. The rise of Christian Nationalism, and how the UK Government gave the far right a veneer of respectability. newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe?ut...

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 28/09/2026

We're very touched by the messages and donations coming through to @faith2faithless.bsky.social. We've raised £20,645 so far. That's 42% of our target. Will you help us reach 50% by the end of the day? Donate now: humanists.uk/donate/actio...

Faith to Faithless
“You will realise that you are, have always been and will always be worthy of unconditional love. The world is full of kind, loving, compassionate humans, all working to make it a better place.”
A message from our supporter, Sarah, to anyone who is leaving a high-control religious group.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 28/09/2026

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Many listeners will be wondering how they can help. That's why we've just launched a crowdfunder for @faith2faithless.bsky.social, the @humanists.uk service that makes sure that people facing the toughest journey of their lives don't have to face it alone. humanists.uk/donate/actio...

humanists.uk

FtF Crowdfunder 2026

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Listening to the BBC Radio 4 documentary 'Faithless' last night, I was moved by the courage of the apostates who shared their stories, and heartened to see the BBC spotlight such an underrepresented group. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Illuminated - Faithless - BBC Sounds

Examining the line between religious devotion and unhealthy control.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 24/09/2026

50,000 couples a year would choose a legal humanist wedding in England and Wales. Our trained and accredited celebrants are ready. The Government needs to make it legal.

A couple celebrate their wedding. Headline reads: Humanists UK: Couples are waiting. Humanist celebrants are ready.

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Tim Minchin @timminchin.bsky.social sums it up best: a book about 'how to be good and feel good without kidding yourself’. No gimmicks, no life overhauls. Just seven simple foundations based on 2500 years of humanist thought, & contemporary science and psychology. Looking forward to publication day!

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Delighted (& definitely happy!) to finally be able to share this properly: my new book, 'How to be a Happy Human: Seven Humanist Foundations for a Better Life' – out on 19 November & available for pre-order now. www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-...

humanists.uk

How to be a Happy Human by Andrew Copson out for pre-order now

Humanists UK has announced the forthcoming publication of How to be a Happy Human: Seven Humanist Foundations for a Better Life, a new book on living well by Chief Executive Andrew Copson. Published b...

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New Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A selfie with Farage gets treated like meeting a footballer in a Reform-led Kent constituency. Teacher Paige Horsford on classroom life, and quietly challenging the politics children bring in from home. newhumanist.org.uk/articles/the...

newhumanist.org.uk

The view from a school in a Reform-led council

As a teacher, I encourage children to question the hate that some of them are taught at home

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

People leaving high-control religions face profound consequences yet their experiences are rarely heard. BBC's "Faithless" gives four the space to tell their stories in their own words. Proud @humanists.uk supports so many such and grateful to them for speaking so openly.

humanists.uk

Groundbreaking documentary on Faith to Faithless to air on Radio 4

A groundbreaking radio documentary Faithless will air on Radio 4 this Sunday, following the story of four supporters of Faith to Faithless, Humanists UK’s award winning service supporting people who h...

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 23/09/2026

The home of humanism @conwayhall.bsky.social opened its doors #onthisday 1929. It is one of two surviving buildings in the UK built for the non-religious to gather and find community. heritage.humanists.uk/conway-hall/

heritage.humanists.uk

Humanist Heritage: Conway Hall

Conway Hall has effected a transformation. From the day of its opening the life of the Society has been full […]

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 23/09/2026

Of all the books we've been recommended for our #HumanistBookshelf, Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark has been recommended more than any other. It's easy to see why.

‘I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues... when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.’ Carl Sagan. Cosmologist, author, humanist.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 23/09/2026

These aren’t isolated conversions. Catholic dioceses are bringing more publicly funded schools into church-controlled academy trusts. Staff are now questioning the loss of local control. We’ve warned this risks concentrating power over admissions, staffing, RE, and worship in religious bodies.

An empty classroom. Headline reads: Lancashire school strikes expose tensions over Catholic academy consolidation

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026

Humanist weddings have transformed how people marry in Scotland and Northern Ireland, by allowing non-religious couples to have meaningful ceremonies true to their beliefs. Couples in Yorkshire have waited long enough for the same right.

Two brides holding hands during a wedding ceremony, overlaid with a news headline about humanist celebrants in Yorkshire hoping for wedding law reform as a consultation concludes.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026

A seminal book on the role of women in society, The Second Sex by French existentialist and humanist Simone de Beauvoir is a classic that examines the status of women and challenges the deeply ingrained social norms that perpetuate gender inequality. #Humanistbookshelf

‘Woman is shut up in a kitchen or in a boudoir, and astonishment is expressed that her horizon is limited. Her wings are clipped, and it is found deplorable that she cannot fly. Let but the future be opened to her, and she will no longer be compelled to linger in the present.’

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026

The most powerful thing about reading is discovering words for what we've always felt but never could say. Baldwin was a master at this.

‘You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.’

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026

For millions, Terry Pratchett opened the door to a lifelong love of reading. The passage below, from Reaper Man, has always struck us as one of his most moving – a humanist meditation on death and legacy that continues to be read at humanist funerals today. #GNUTerryPratchett

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026

Jehovah’s Witnesses have announced a major change to their long-standing ban on blood transfusions. Members can now choose for themselves whether to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. In practice this means that almost all modern blood transfusions are now accepted.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 21/09/2026

Fantastic words on what brings meaning to life by the great humanist playwright, Lorraine Hansberry, the first black woman to have a play on Broadway. Her most famous play 'A Raisin in the Sun' is, to this day, a fearless commentary on racism and the 'American dream'. #Humanistbookshelf

I wish to live because life has within it that which is good, that which is beautiful, and that which is love. Therefore, since I have known all of these things, I have found them to be reason enough and – I wish to live. Moreover, because this is so, I wish others to live for generations and generations and generations and generations.

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 21/09/2026

The cutting words of Christopher Hitchens, perhaps the heaviest hitter of the New Atheist publishing boom of the 2000s, drawn from his bestseller God Is Not Great. Nearly fifteen years after his death, he remains one of the most read atheists of all time. #HumanistBookshelf.

‘Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it. The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.’ Christopher Hitchens

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 21/09/2026

One of the most influential voices of the American Revolution: Thomas Paine. Paine's incendiary critiques of tyranny, organised religion, slavery, and extreme inequality, have kept his work on humanist bookshelves for over two centuries. #HumanistBookshelf

‘Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.’

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 21/09/2026

Zadie Smith in her essay On Beauty, cautioning readers to focus on developing their own independent convictions, and to be wary of ideologies that claim to hold all the answers, or an ultimate meaning to life, or that spare us the work of deciding what we actually stand for. #HumanistBookshelf

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 21/09/2026

'There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.' The man who wrote War of the Worlds – H. G. Wells – bringing some Darwinian thought to the forefront of his other brilliant science fiction novel The Time Machine. #HumanistBookshelf. 🧵

‘It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony with its environment is a perfect mechanism. Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change. Only those animals partake of intelligence that have a huge variety of needs and dangers.’

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Jack Russell @jackru.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

No #HumanistBookshelf would be complete without at least one book (and preferably many, many books) by the truly legendary: Ursula K. Le Guin 💙 www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/produc...

worldofbooks.com

Earthsea

Buy Earthsea By Leguin Ursula K. Available in used condition with free delivery. ISBN: 9780241995693. ISBN-10: 0241995698

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Jim Aldrich🌱 @jimaldrich.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

'The Man Died' is on my reading list

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 21/09/2026

Why do people believe in the supernatural? Join us online on 21 October as folklorist and author Deborah Hyde explores the psychology and history behind such beliefs, in this unscripted hour-long conversation. £4.50. Book now #HumanistBookshelf

humanists.uk

In conversation with Deborah Hyde | Humanists UK

In this series, Humanists UK hosts unscripted, one-on-one discussions over the course of 60 minutes with philosophers, scientists, campaigners, entertainers, and historians. Deborah Hyde is a folklori...

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 19/09/2026

Wole Soyinka, the first Black African winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, knows this firsthand. He was imprisoned in Nigeria for nearly two years, much of it in solitary confinement, and has spent his life defending the freedom to write. Put The Man Died on your #HumanistBookshelf.

‘Books and all forms of writing have always been objects of terror to those who seek to suppress truth.’

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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 19/09/2026

Nobel laureate Doris Lessing's rules for reading: browse freely, follow what attracts you, drop what bores you, and never read out of duty or to keep up with a trend. A book that bores you at twenty may open doors at fifty. #HumanistBookshelf

‘There is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those, dropping them when they bore you, skipping the parts that drag-and never, never reading anything because you feel you ought, or because it is part of a trend or a movement. Remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty-and vise versa. Don’t read a book out of its right time for you.’

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