What Humanism Means Today

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of the US Secretary of Defense's memo on Scouting America and reflects on the organization's evolving policies and its historical ties to the military, while honoring the contributions of humanist leader Bob Barnes.

The US Secretary of Defense, recently, released a memo with plans for severing of government ties with Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America. Hegseth's reasoning stems from the organization's allowance of girls as members, which he argues has transformed it into a group that undermines “boy-friendly spaces.” Douglas' personal reflections as a former Boy Scout provide context to this discussion, emphasizing the depth of support the military historically provided, including logistical and medical assistance for events like the National Scout Jamboree. We make note of Scouting America’s evolving policies, particularly their decision to accept girls and members of the LGBTQ+ community. But the organization still excludes atheists and promotes Christian Nationalism since evangelicals took over the group in the late 1980s. This is why the federal government should cut ties, not for made up gender issues. We pay tribute to Bob Barnes, a notable Canadian humanist leader and friend to the show, who recently passed away. We share some personal anecdotes about previous interactions with Barnes and his contributions to the humanist community, while honoring his work with…

People in this episode

Host: Douglas

Guest: Bob Barnes

Topics covered

• Humanism
• Scouting America
• LGBTQ+ inclusion
• Christian Nationalism
• community support

Keywords

• Boy Scouts
• military support
• humanist community
• evangelicals

Mentioned in this episode

Places: US, America

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