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Humanist Canada
March 2023 Newsletter
Last month, we brought you an article on the changing demographic of non-religious Canadians. This month, we want to expand on that and discuss what this means to Canadian society and how we as Humanists can fill a community void.
Our article is written by Daniel Dacombe. Daniel sits on our Newsletter Committee, lives and works in southern Manitoba, and has a special interest in this topic. His article is filled with links that we encourage you to click as they provide a deeper understanding of the material.
FEATURE ARTICLE:
RELIGIOUS TRAUMA SYNDROME
In our newsletter last month, we highlighted how 34.6% of Canadians now identify as nonreligious. This has been ongoing for years, yet more recently it has been noted that the trend is accelerating. Academics studying the issue have floated possible causes for this increase, and more research is being conducted all the time. This is an exciting time to be a Humanist when so many people are looking for a healthy, positive, secular way of being!
However, the growth of the religious “nones” does not come without a cost. Many people are leaving their religions with deep, painful experiences of trauma. In recent years the concept of Religious Trauma Syndrome – a term coined by psychologist Dr. Marlene Winell in a 2011 article for the British journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Today – has been coming up more and more in the public discourse.
Religious Trauma Syndrome is the condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination. They may be going through the shattering of a personally meaningful faith and/or breaking away from a controlling community and lifestyle. The symptoms compare most easily with post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which results from experiencing or being confronted with death or serious injury which causes feelings of terror, helplessness, or horror. This can be a single event or chronic abuse of some kind. With RTS, there is chronic abuse, especially of children, plus the major trauma of leaving the fold. Like PTSD, the impact of RTS is long-lasting, with intrusive thoughts, negative emotional states, impaired social functioning, and other problems. - Source
Religious trauma can be caused by many factors. Clergy sexual abuse, poor treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals, and the pervasive threat of hell can all contribute to its development. As these are also some of the reasons cited by people leaving religion behind it is safe to say that for at least some of the individuals entering the nonreligious category, religious trauma may come with them.
In this issue of the newsletter we wanted to provide resources for members of Humanist Canada who may be dealing with the effects of Religious Trauma and their networks. Please use and share these resources as you deem appropriate.
Deconversion Anonymous – a private Facebook group for people to unpack their deconstruction/deconversion from religion in a safe and welcoming environment
Member Profile
Craig Barlow
Craig Barlow is an influential member of Humanist Canada and is working with Humanist Canada to create a course on Intersectionality. The study on ”Intersectionality” was an idea that came to him after he was at a Spoken Word event, and that encounter made him examine gender and what that means. Upon further investigation, he became aware that Intersectionality is for all humans today. The removal of the AHA Humanist of the Year Award given to Richard Dawkins led Craig to fund the course.
John Dewy's book, "A Common Faith," began Craig's journey to Humanism and Humanist Canada. Craig didn't attend church as an adult, though he grew up in a Christian Science family. He still believed in God and had joined the Unitarian church because they were eclectic and encouraged their members to develop their theology, then own it and live it. During this process, Craig worked his way to the realization that there is no God. One regret was that he didn't start to analyze and consider different points of view in his 20s. Deconstructing and rebuilding takes time and effort, and Craig was grateful that he had the time to do this. He now feels that he can make a broader commitment to Humanism that will support people who have and are deconstructing from religion.
Craig is not wealthy but aware that his life is privileged. He has benefitted from having good jobs and from the generations before him. During the pandemic, he was encouraged to evaluate his giving, his methods and the amounts he was giving. During his time on the Unitarian fundraising committee, the focus was on determining the appropriate amount of giving. Not only a percent of your income was considered, but also your asset base. He looked at his asset-based and decided he could be giving more and giving now. He began donating what he viewed are large amounts of money to fund social investments. Craig says, "The bonus of donating now is that one gets to see the benefit play out and, as a bonus, meet interesting people.” "Now is the time!," is Craig's philosophy.
Craig encourages all of us to step up and create ripples. Even a small amount of money can create a ripple into the future and provide for the future generation of young humanists. The white boomer generation has lived a privileged life without too much sacrifice. “If you do not believe in the afterlife and have a strong guaranteed income, then donate to groups that encourage humanist principles or give of your time. Be the change you want to see.”
Craig is hoping the course on Intersectionality will appeal to the younger generation. He is a Lifetime member of Humanist Canada and a member of the Ontario Humanist Society and Humanist International. He has provided financial contributions to the Humanist Canada Chaplaincy program, the development of a course on Intersectionality, Yellowhead Institute, Play it Again, Farm Radio in Africa and women's shelters and is a monthly donor to Humanist Canada. Craig lives in Ottawa with his wife.
MONTHLY WEBINAR
All in the (human) family
Neanderthals, Denisovans and us
SUNDAY, MARCH 26TH AT 3 PM
Join Dr. Bence Viola, a paleoanthropologist focusing on the biological and cultural interactions between different hominin groups in the Late Pleistocene.
Over the last decade, the development of ancient DNA technology, allowing us to study the genetics of past populations, transformed our understanding of our origins. It be came clear, that up until about 40,000 years ago our species was not alone on this planet, but coexisted with several other human groups such as the Neanderthals, Denisovans and others. These populations interacted, and the genetical traces of these contacts still linger in us today. In this talk, Dr. Viola will present some of the recent advances in our understanding of how these groups interacted both biologically and culturally. They will focus on Central Asia, especially the Altai Mountains, where these three populations, early modern humans, Neanderthals and the enigmatic Denisovans - a group only known from a few fragmentary fossils and their DNA - interacted.
By combining ancient DNA, archaeological and morphological data we will look at the dynamics of these populations, and explore these contacts.
Are you interested in reproductive rights? We have an opportunity for a member of Humanist Canada to be the liaison with the Ontario Coalition of Abortion Clinics and the National Abortion Federation regarding the Dr. Henry Morgentaler Scholarship. The time commitment is not great with meetings usually in the evening about four times a year. The next scholarship award will be in September 2023.
As Humanists we are enthusiastic about life, its meaning, possibilities and how to do good things based on evidence and experience.
Inspired by a recent coffee chat with the director of the Young Humanists of UK, Humanist Canada became interested in reaching out to young Humanists to find out how you, younger generations of Canadians, can focus the energy many of you have for making Humanism relevant and worthy of your advocacy and involvement.
Humanist Canada is putting together a focus group of young adults between the ages of 18-35. We'd like to learn about your ideas, interests and top priorities so that we can better support your contributions to Humanist Canada and the Humanist movement.
If you are between the ages of 18 and 35 and would like to participate in the focus group of secular Canadian Youth, please email our Program Director Anna Popovitch at anna.popovitch@humanistcanada.ca.
OPPORTUNITY #3
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
Are you a writer? Do you have a few hours a month to spend helping with the newsletter?
We are looking for one more volunteer for the newsletter committee. If you enjoy researching and writing, as well as being part of an integral team here at Humanist Canada, get in touch with us. We could use your help!
Contact members@humanistcanada.ca.
GIVE TO HUMANIST CANADA
Thank you for joining Humanist Canada's efforts to bring reason and compassion to Canada. Please consider making a donation to our work that helps us bring you the programs you have come to rely on.
