A LAW case in California has stated that humanism is not a religion (as has been claimed by some). John Peloza, a schoolteacher in California, objected to being asked to teach the theory of evolution in schools. He claimed that by forcing him to teach the 'religion' of evolution the District was violating the First Amendment which does not allow religious teaching in schools.

The Court called Peloza's case 'frivolous... To say that red is green or black does not make it so'. They said that the complainant suggested that the schoolorganised a 'state-supported religion of evolutionism, or more generally of "secular humanism" ... We reject this claim because neither evolutionism or secular humanism are "religious" for Establishment Clause purposes.' (Secular Humanist Bulletin, CODESH, USA)

The fullest history to date of humanism in Sweden has been written by the Norwegian scholar Finngeir Hiorth. He prefers the word 'secularism' to cover various forms of unbelief such as atheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, rationalism, and freethought. His work covers contemporary humanism and the Swedish Human-Etiska Forbundet, the earliest secularists, some leading secularists of more recent times, and external influences on secularism. As anyone who knows Hiorth's writings would expect, it is extremely lucid and comprehensive.

Sweden is a country which has about 28 per cent secularists. However, organised secularism is not so strong, and the national secularist organisation, the Human-Ethical Association, has around 800 members, with no paid staff. It aims at realising the ideas of humanism as codified in the UN Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, in the Humanist Manifesto of 1973 and in the UN children's convention of 1989. The Human-Etisk Forbundet aims at a society without state religion in which various views of life can compete on an equal basis for the favour of the public radio, TV, newspapers and schools.' (Secularism in Sweden is published by the Human-Etisk Forbund, St. Olavsgt 2Z N-0166, Oslo, Norway)

The Gay & Lesbian Humanist Association (UK) has launched a new briefing document describing the different moral stances taken on lesbian and gay sex by Christianity and Humanism. Entitled: 'Lesbian and Gay Sex: Contrasting Moral Views', the 8-page briefing contrasts the repressive Christian view of homosexuality with the enlightened, rational humanist view.

GALHA's secretary, George Broadhead, explained that the briefing had been produced mainly to meet the increasing number of requests the Association received from pupils and students doing projects on homosexuality, and who often want specific information about the Christian and Humanist stance on the subject. The briefing will be widely distributed among gay university groups. George Broadhead said: 'We think that lesbians and gays should be made fully aware of the inherent homophobia of the Christian religion and the liberating alternative which the humanist outlook provides.' (Available at £1 from GALHA, 34 Spring Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CVS 2HB, UK)

The Polish humanist magazine Bez Dogmatu in its issue for February 1995 covers Catholic Priests, non-Christian values, and social and antisocial life. Jan Wolenski discusses the Catholic priests' demand to be paid by the government for teaching religion in public schools. Barbara Stanosz shows that the new political class in Poland abuses the public language in the way described by Orwell as 'newspeak'.

In a section on non-Christian values there are texts which present the main philosophical principles and practical aims of the humanist movement. This includes information about IHEU, a part of the statute of the Polish Association for Humanism and Independent Ethics and some excerpts from the Declaration of the British Humanist Association.

Bohdan Chwedenczuk in discussing social and anti-social life argues against introducing religious customs and practices into university life.

In an article about hope, Dr Matthew les Spetter of the New York Society for Ethical Culture wrote:

World humanism and the Ethical Culture movement are illustrations of hope justified by persistence in the quest and realisation for norms for a better life. As I attend the meetings of our International and Humanist Ethical Union, I am again and again struck by commitments to practical ethics from Norway to India, from some of the former 'Iron Curtain' countries to Israel or Canada or Bangladesh. It is hope nourished in a functional not an ideological way.

One example: one of our groups in Italy, the Centra Conscienzia, occupies itself especially with children whose home situations have led to learning impairment or other dysfunctions. This group tries to break through trauma with the use of arts and music. One little boy, when asked to paint a picture of how he felt, painted large sheets of paper entirely black. By insisting for many months on his right to express exactly what he felt, a gradual breakthrough of confidence was achieved which made it possible for this child to see the adults working with him as resources who could be trusted. This allowed him to gain a sense of self without feeling rushed to conform to prescribed patterns of behaviour.

After first being encouraged to make use of his emotional reality to move forward as a respected child, he slowly gained the ability to break out of isolation. Such positive beginnings are what Erich Fromm meant by the kind of hope which leads to 'a state of greater aliveness'. (Newsletter of the New York Society for Ethical Culture Nov/Dec 1994)

The American Humanist Association has named anthropologist and social biologist Dr Ashley Montague as 1995 Humanist of the Year. Dr Montague has doctorates in both science and literature and has written over a hundred books.

In 1942 Dr Montague published Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy o[ Race, a book which scientifically invalidated the concept of race. It became the basis for the UNESCO position on the subject and served to bolster liberation movements worldwide. His 1953 book The Natural Superiority of Women had parallel effects on feminism. The Elephant Man (1971) had a strong influence on the effort to bring equality to the handicapped.

Montague produced, financed, wrote and directed the film One World or None for the National Commission on Atomic Information and the American Federation of Science Workers. (Free Mind newsletter of the American Humanist Association, March/April 1995)

The Case for Reason

A pamphlet has been produced by the Indian Secular Society entitled The Reason Case: In Defence of Freedom of Expression. The subject is the blasphemy case brought against Dr d'Avoine in 1933. Dr d'Avoine was brought up as a Catholic and after training practised as a medical doctor in Bombay. He was for many years the corresponding Secretary of the Rationalist Press Association, London. In 1930, the Anti-Priestcraft Association (later renamed the Rationalist Association of India in 1931) was established with Dr d'Avoine as a leading member.

In the September 1933 issue of Reason he wrote an article entitled 'Religion and Morality'. He made it clear that rationalists stood for the best and highest code and pointed out that the followers of traditional religions attached more importance to unimportant spectacular practices and superstitious rites than to serious ethical and moral considerations. He was prosecuted for blasphemy on the grounds that he had outraged the religious feelings of Roman Catholics and Muslims. d'Avoine's acquittal was hailed as a triumph for freedom of expression and liberty of the press.

In an introduction to this excellent and detailed pamphlet, V.K. Sinha writes: 'Human rights; in particular freedom of speech, as recent history 'has repeatedly demonstrated, are continuously under siege. Every generation has to battle anew to secure these rights.' He refers to the current intolerance between Hindus and Muslims, the persecution of Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasrin. 'A country is indeed socially and culturally impoverished if it has to depend exclusively on its courts to safeguard Human Rights. True vigilance has to come from the people themselves. Then only liberty would be firmly secure.' (Indian Secular Society, 850/8A Shivajinagar, Pune 411 004, India)

The singer Madonna has stated: 'I see myself in the first place as a humanist.' Perhaps, in order to increase humanist young supporters, more pop stars should be persuaded to support humanism.

An edition of the magazine Index on Censorship (UK, 1/95) is devoted to homosexuality in Russia and Eastern Europe. In an interview with a gay Russian writer, Alberto Manguel, he says that 'Gay history extends along a road largely lit by the bonfires of the censor'. The editor, Ursula Owen, writes that 'Political freedoms in the former Communist world have been widely reported, but not the state of personal and sexual freedoms.' 'Even in countries which decriminalised homosexuality years ago, gays and lesbians are marginalised by custom and practice.'

There is an account, by Yaroslave Mogutin, of the persecution of gays in the Soviet gulag. The scarcity of lesbian writing suggests that their fight for visibility has barely begun. The special issue also includes well-known western writers such as Lionel Blue on being 'Gay and Jewish' and a memoir by Edmund White. The editorial concludes: 'Even when there is decriminalisation, opinion and prejudice are taking far longer to change.' (Index on Censorship, Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9LH)