A Helpful Handbook for Humanists September 7, 2011

A Helpful Handbook for Humanists

By Hemant Mehta
September 7, 2011

My friend Jen Hancock has just released a short ebook appropriately titled Jen Hancock’s Handy Humanism Handbook:

The Kindle edition is only $0.99!

Not only that, but through the end of the month, the Humanists of Florida Association (HFA) will give away a copy of the book to anyone who donates to the organization.

You can check out sample chapters from the book (and find out how to get the entire book for free) at her website.

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  • RBH

    It’s available for the Nook, also at $0.99.   Not all of us are slaves to Amazon! 🙂

  • Jennifer Hancock

    Just FYI – the free offer includes a coupon to get it for free from Smashwords – and from there you can download it in any format you like for whatever reader you like.

  • edgyllama

    Jennifer,

    Thanks for making the book so easily accessible.  It was an easy read and a good primer to
    Humanism.  I’ll be checking out The
    Humanist Approach to Happiness: Practical Wisdom.

    Some thoughts that came to mind while reading the book:

    – The book seemed kind of harsh on Catholicism at one point.  And Islam got a favorable mention.  Warranted in both cases?

    – While the threat of eternal torture may keep some religious folks
    in line, I would imagine it is the “my buddy/father-figure/role-model Jesus is always
    watching and what would he think if he saw me doing ____?” that forms the basis
    for many a Christian’s moral code.  Of
    course, then we circle back to that individual’s perception of WWJD (or think)
    and are we not then back to that individual deciding right and wrong based on
    their past experiences/upbringing and the pressures of their surrounding
    societies – in general, same as a Humanist?

    – What Humanism fails to offer is a magical solution to problem
    solving.  I think that, as long as people
    hold on to the notion that they can maybe get something (moving mountains) for
    nothing (praying) instead of doing it the good ol’ Humanist way (grab a shovel
    and start digging), then Humanism will never be popular.

    – As with any –ism, one danger is to paint with too broad of a
    stroke.  I’m an atheist and I’m married
    to a very devout Catholic woman who surprises me daily in that she doesn’t conform
    to the picture painted on the Interwebs of her as a practicing member of that religion.  I sometimes struggle to remember that isms
    are made up of individuals with their own characteristics.

  • If this introductory paragraph on her website is indicative of her writing style throughout the book, I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to endure the torture of  reading it:  
    “This book is written to provide a quick overview of the philosophy of Humanism for the average Joe or Jane. I don’t care which actually because I’m a Humanist and I don’t judge people based on their gender or skin color or any other arbitrary characteristic. So, let’s revise that introductory statement. This book is for the average human, regardless of his or her name, who wants to learn more about Humanism.”  
    -Jen Hancock at http://www.jen-hancock.com/handyhumanism/ 

  • Ebordky

    Thank you for mentioning this book. I bought it yesterday and read it today. It has been very helpful in answering questions about myself and how I feel about things. I have not considered myself Christian for a very long time and I had not found my place in today’s realm of things. I don’t believe in god anymore, but atheist never sounded right to me when describing myself. I now can describe myself as a Humanist and understand what that means. I recommend this book for anyone questioning their beliefs and ideas. We do fit in and we do have a place!