Seth Andrews vs. God: Who is the Better Designer?
Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist (and popular Podcast for Inquiry guest) will be coming to Toronto on Sunday, August 11, to witness the Great Intelligent Designer Smackdown. The talk will start at 7:30 PM at the Tranzac Club, just south of Bloor on Brunswick Avenue (halfway between Bathurst and Spadina). Tickets are only $20 for CFIC members and are available now on Eventbrite.
Come out for what will be an informative and entertaining evening, and reconnect with fellow Toronto-based CFIC and Humanist Association of Toronto members.
We look forward to seeing you — face to face! in person! — in August.
What Religion Costs in Canada
Join us on Tuesday, March 19, at 7 PM ET (4 PM PT) for an online roundtable discussion about the cost of religion in Canada, quantified by original research conducted by the CFIC.
Bettianne Hedges of Humanist Canada will be hosting Leslie Rosenblood from CFIC alongside Teale Phelps Bondaroff and Ian Bushfield of the BC Humanist Association. They will discuss the many ways Canada still tangibly privileges religion and its institutions over similar non-theistic organizations. Just a few policy choices cost Canadians billions — yes, with a B — each and every year.
You can learn more by reading CFIC’s Cost of Religion in Canada reports or watching the recent Podcast for Inquiry conversation with CFIC’s Executive Director, Sandra Dunham: Why does Canada give $5.6 Billion annually to religious charities?
Register today. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, March 19.
We Did It! Thank You!
Best wishes for 2024!
Thank you to everyone who donated to our year-end campaign! You have helped us exceed our lofty goal of $30,000! This will allow us to carry on promoting science, secularism, and critical thinking in 2024. While the change in year is simply the turning of a page on a calendar, it also is an opportunity to look back on our activities of the past year and to shore up plans for the coming year.
Last year we were pleased to bring you 12 editions of Critical Links and 24 podcasts. We also held a joint virtual conference, “When Religious Leaders Become Atheists.” And members of many of our branches resumed in-person meetings. In Ontario, we also continued to pressure the government to stop publicly funding religious education.
We have big plans for 2024. We will be conducting research into the needs of non-religious inmates and will see our petition for one public secular school system presented in the Ontario legislature. Of course, we will continue to bring you news and viewpoints through Critical Links and Podcast for Inquiry. And we will continue to expand our growing library of critical thinking resources. Other projects that will be shepherded along include the public funding of religious hospitals; the misleading question about religion on the long-form census and the Advancement of Religion as a charitable purpose.
Your financial support allows us to carry on and tackle some big issues. But it is our members’ ideas that launch us in new and exciting directions. Do you have a project that warrants attention? And a little energy to move it forward? Tell us about it. Perhaps we can do even more!
Thank you for your support in making 2023 a great year for CFIC and stay tuned for more.
Secularism Works
Axial Tilt is the Reason for the Season.
December is a month dominated by religious traditions. Some humanists are able to overlook religious traditions and focus on generosity, celebrating with friends and family. It provides a break in the long dark days that surround the Winter Solstice. Other non-religious folks struggle with the constant rhetoric about the benefits of religion. Whichever camp applies to you, please consider making a donation to CFIC as we fight for secular values in Canada.
There is a strong positive correlation between secularism and desirable social outcomes such as reduced poverty, rates of incarceration, teenage pregnancies, and addictions; and increased literacy, life expectancy, employment and wealth. Yet in spite of this the Canadian government continues to endorse and subsidize religious perspectives and practices over secular values and institutions.
Perhaps the most egregious evidence of this is that the government provides charitable status for organizations whose goal is “the advancement of religion.” This single issue costs Canadians more than $5.5 billion each and every year!
However, it does not stop there. Many provinces have faith-based hospitals. While these hospitals are open to the public treatment is often determined by religious principles at odds with the best interests of the patient – regardless of whether the patient is a member of that faith or not. As a result, people are denied access to medical assistance in dying, birth control and abortion.
Even the census fails to be impartial in the matter of religion. The census asks: “What is this person’s religion? Indicate a specific denomination or religion even if this person is not currently a practising member of that group.” (emphasis added) This wording leads to higher reported rates for all religions at the expense of accuracy.
As 2023 draws to a close, give the gift of secularism. Please consider donating to CFIC so that we can do more to promote secularism for all.
For more information see:
The Cost of Religion in Canada 2022
When Religious Leaders Become Atheists
Sudbury Inmates’ Reading limited to Christian Bibles
Religion: Freedom “Of” or Freedom “From”
What It Means to be Moral with Phil Zuckerman
Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist, on the un-Christian behaviour of many Christians
Gift a Donation
Although we are secularists, for many of us gift-giving is a part of the year-end holiday season. You may give gifts because you love doing it, or because you temporarily get caught up in the season, or simply because it is expected. Whatever your rationale, if you are looking for an idea for the hard-to-buy-for critical thinker on your list please consider donating to CFIC in their honour. With a donation of $25 or more, CFIC will send a personalized e-card to that special person.
Here are a few reasons why a donation to CFIC is the perfect holiday gift:
- It’s tax-deductible
- It’s environmentally friendly
- It will never be regifted
- One size fits all, and it will never go out of style
- This is a gift that won’t languish in a drawer somewhere
- No clutter!
- No messy wrapping paper
- This makes a perfect gift for someone who could use a little more skepticism in their life
- Best of all it helps a cause you believe deeply in.
If you would like to make a donation and have CFIC send a personalized acknowledgement to someone special on your list:
- Make a donation of $25 or more
- Tell us who you’d like us to send a card to and select your card here.
Have you already made a donation and wish to send a card? Just complete step 2 above.