Humanisterna, IHEU’s Swedish member organisation, is arguably the world’s fastest growing national Humanist group: membership jumped up by 150% in 2006, and today the group has over 3000 members. Humanisterna had the advantage of being led by charismatic and prominent leaders like Michael Goransson and Carl-John Kleberg, and now by internet entrepreneur Christer Sturmark (see cover page). Christer Sturmark modestly denies that the rapid rise in membership numbers has anything to do with his high profile activism and regular presence on TV and Radio, championing the cause of rationalism and critical thinking.

Humanisterna is the new name for the Human-Etiska Forbundet which was founded in 1979. As Wikipedia notes, the organisation promotes science as the primary method for finding answers to empirical questions, and staunchly opposes pseudoscience. Much like James Randi’s USD 1 million challenge, the organisation launched the Kristallkulan (“the Crystal ball”) prize in 2000. The prize money is Swedish Kroner 100,000 and will be awarded to anyone who can ‘demonstrate beyond doubt that they possess a paranormal or supernatural talent that cannot be explained by conventional science’.

Humanisterna publishes Humanisten, a bi-monthly magazine, offers help and advice in creating secular ceremonies, organises summer camps for teenagers, and also gives the Ingemar Hedenius Award for promotion of Humanism. The 2006 prize went to ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus.