A Strong Humanist Movement Needs Shared Futures and Practical Services - Lone Ree Milkær, EHSN

A Strong Humanist Movement Needs Shared Futures and Practical Services - Lone Ree Milkær, EHSN

Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/ Gary and Leon reflect on the Humanists International quarterly staff gathering in London. Leon updates on the UN Human Rights Council 62nd session, where HI delivered statements on domestic violence and the Istanbul Convention, and supported an Austrian member's statement in the Universal Periodic Review. Gary introduces the upcoming deep-dive episode on the General Assembly. This week's guest is Lone Ree Milkær, a Danish cultural scholar, folklorist, and humanist movement leader with more than 20 years of experience. Lone served as president of the Danish Humanist Society from 2015 to 2023 and as vice president of the European Humanist Federation. She is the co-founder and network manager of the European Humanist Services Network (EHSN), coordinating 20 European humanist organisations on ceremonies, humanist existential care and chaplaincy, and youth work. In this episode we cover * How attending a friend's humanist wedding first brought Lone into the movement — and why her own registry office wedding felt like "sign here and out the door" * Lone's PhD research: how climate change activism creates livable futures through shared narrative — and what humanists can learn from it * What the European Humanist Services Network is, how it works, and why it focuses on ceremonies, existential care, and youth * The challenge of scale: managing a network from the Norwegian Humanist Association (one of the world's largest) to small, newly formed Eastern European organisations * What's next for EHSN: accreditation of humanist weddings, funerals, and existential care services; a new fundraising working group Further reading and references * European Humanist Services Network (EHSN): https://humanistservices.eu/ * About EHSN: https://humanistservices.eu/about-ehsn/ * Danish Humanist Society (Humanistisk Samfund): https://www.humanistisksamfund.dk/ * European Humanist Federation: https://europe.humanists.international/ * Luxembourg Declaration on AI and Human Values: https://humanists.international/policy/luxembourg-declaration-on-artificial-intelligence-and-human-values/ Follow Humanist International * Sign up for our free Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] * Support Humanists International [https://humanists.international/support-gbp/] * Follow our Campaigns [https://humanists.international/what-we-do/] * About - Humanists International [https://humanists.international/about/]  * Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026 [https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/] This podcast is produced by Humanise Live. Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live [https://humanise.live/] 🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

The Fight to Keep Religion Out of Government - Rachel Laser, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/ [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] Gary and Leon are joined this week by Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church.  Americans United (AU) is the only organization dedicated solely to defending the separation of church and state. We are the shield protecting the foundational American principle of freedom of religion — including the right to believe or not believe — for all. Rachel became president and CEO of AU in February 2018. She is the organization’s first non-Christian and female leader in its 78-year history. Rachel is a lawyer, advocate and strategist who has dedicated her career to making our country more inclusive. In her position at Americans United, Rachel oversees the organization’s work to protect freedom of conscience for all and ensure religion is not used to justify discrimination. In 2025, she was appointed to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Rachel joins Freedom of Thought to explain what white Christian nationalism really is, how it differs from religious extremism (and why the terms are used interchangeably), and why AU fights it every day in the courts, in Congress, and in the public square.  She also addresses the anti-Christian bias task force's April 2026 report, Pete Hegseth's Pentagon prayer services, the billions flowing to discriminatory private schools through voucher programmes, and what the LGBTQ crackdown has to do with all of it. The episode closes with Rachel's sources of hope  and the annual Summit for Religious Freedom — and an open invitation to listeners to join AU at au.org [http://www.au.org]. In this episode we cover * What white Christian nationalism is and why it's the defining threat to church-state separation in America today * School vouchers: billions in public money flowing to religious schools that can legally discriminate against LGBTQ students, women, and disabled children * Maddonna v. HHS: the case of a Catholic mother turned away from a taxpayer-funded foster care agency for being the wrong type of Christian * The anti-Christian bias task force, Pete Hegseth's Pentagon prayer services, and the LGBTQ crackdown * What gives Rachel hope — and how to join Americans United at au.org Further reading and references * Americans United for Separation of Church and State: https://www.au.org/ [https://www.au.org/] * Rachel Laser — AU profile: https://www.au.org/about-au/people/rachel-laser/ [https://www.au.org/about-au/people/rachel-laser/] * Case: Maddonna v. HHS: https://www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/legal-cases/cases/maddonna-v-department-of-health-and-human-services/ [https://www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/legal-cases/cases/maddonna-v-department-of-health-and-human-services/] * Case: Clergy challenging Missouri abortion ban (Rev. Blackmon v. Missouri): https://www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/legal-cases/cases/rev-blackmon-v-missouri/ [ https://www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/legal-cases/cases/rev-blackmon-v-missouri/] * PRRI Christian nationalism research: https://www.prri.org/research/a-christian-nation-understanding-the-threat-of-christian-nationalism-to-american-democracy-and-culture/ [https://www.prri.org/research/a-christian-nation-understanding-the-threat-of-christian-nationalism-to-american-democracy-and-culture/] * USCIRF — Rachel Laser commissioner page: https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/commissioners/rachel-laser [https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/commissioners/rachel-laser] * Summit for Religious Freedom: https://thesrf.org/ [https://thesrf.org/] Follow Humanist International * Sign up for our free Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] * Support Humanists International [https://humanists.international/support-gbp/] * Follow our Campaigns [https://humanists.international/what-we-do/] * About - Humanists International [https://humanists.international/about/]  * Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026 [https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/] This podcast is produced by Humanise Live. Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live [https://humanise.live/] 🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

What Does a Humanist Life Stance Look Like in Practice? with Christian Lomsdalen

Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/ Gary and Leon mark World Humanist Day — sharing a brief history of how the 21st of June became the humanist calendar's most important date, from the American Humanist Association's grassroots observances in the 1980s to its official adoption by the AHA and Humanists International in the 1990s. Leon also notes that blasphemy laws have now been repealed in Northern Ireland — a meaningful milestone on this year's World Humanist Day. Gary introduces a three-stage model of humanist organisation development (persecution, secularism campaigning, lived humanism) and the team shares news of their upcoming London staff gathering, including a canoeing session. This week's guest is Christian Lomsdalen, President of the Norwegian Humanist Association (Human-Etisk Forbund), a position he has held since 2021. Christian is a Norwegian academic, scholar of religion, and educational podcaster whose podcast has reached up to 200,000 yearly listeners in Norway. He and Gary discuss what it means to build a fully-realised humanist life stance — covering 75 years of humanist confirmation ceremonies, the NHA's new chaplaincy programme in hospitals and the military, the Ungtring 2030 free speech project for young people, the Humanist Compass leadership programme, and the European Humanist Services Network. The episode closes with a preview of the Stumbling Cafe, an informal dialogue event Christian will be hosting at the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa. In this episode we cover * World Humanist Day history — from the AHA in the 1980s to the official June 21 designation * A three-stage model of humanist organisation development * Humanist confirmations in Norway * Humanist chaplaincy in hospitals, prisons and the military * Free speech and leadership projects for young people * What are "Stumbling Cafes"? Further reading and references * Norwegian Humanist Association (English): https://www.human.no/om-oss/norwegian-humanist-association * Humanist confirmations in Norway: https://www.human.no/seremonier/humanistisk-konfirmasjon/humanist-confirmation * Christian Lomsdalen — Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Lomsdalen * European Humanist Services Network (EHSN): https://humanistservices.eu/ Follow Humanist International * Sign up for our free Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] * Support Humanists International [https://humanists.international/support-gbp/] * Follow our Campaigns [https://humanists.international/what-we-do/] * About - Humanists International [https://humanists.international/about/]  * Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026 [https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/] This podcast is produced by Humanise Live. Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live [https://humanise.live/] 🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

Fighting Religious Indoctrination in Schools with Monica Belițoiu, ASUR

Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] Gary reports from the Humanist UK Festival of Humanism — over 650 humanists gathered in Bournemouth for the flagship annual event. Leon updates on the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, where Humanists International is active on resolutions covering freedom of expression, domestic violence, and early child marriage. And the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa is now six weeks away and close to sold out. This week's guest is Monica Belițoiu, Executive Director of the Romanian Secular Humanist Association (ASUR) and board member of Humanists International. Monica talks about ASUR's campaign giving Romanian parents the legal tools to opt children out of religion classes — including a school textbook that told children they would be hit by a car for skipping Sunday church. She also discusses the Bucharest Science Festival, an EU-funded project on scientific literacy and disinformation, and the European Humanist Services Network — a model of regional humanist cooperation now being explored in Latin America under new regional officer David Pineda. In this episode we cover - * Humanist UK Festival of Humanism — over 650 humanists gathered in Bournemouth * UN Human Rights Council 62nd session: freedom of expression, domestic violence, child marriage * World Humanist Congress 2026 Ottawa — now an annual event, 500+ tickets sold, six weeks to go * Humanists International strategy review — Berlin, October 2026 * ASUR's campaign against religious indoctrination in Romanian public schools * The school textbook telling children they'd be hit by a car for skipping church * Bucharest Science Festival and ASUR's EU scientific literacy project * European Humanist Services Network — a replicable model for global humanist cooperation * New Latin America regional development officer: David Pineda, based in Guatemala Further reading and references  * Romanian Secular Humanist Association (ASUR): https://asur.ro/asur-english/  * Bucharest Science Festival: https://www.bucharestsciencefestival.ro/  * European Humanist Services Network (EHSN): https://humanistservices.eu/  * Humanist UK Festival of Humanism 2026: https://humanists.uk/events/festival2026/  * World Humanist Congress 2026 — Ottawa, August 7-9: https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/ * Global Alliance for Human Rights — OHCHR: https://www.ohchr.org - Freedom of Thought Report: https://fot.humanists.international Follow Humanist International * Sign up for our free Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] * Support Humanists International [https://humanists.international/support-gbp/] * Follow our Campaigns [https://humanists.international/what-we-do/] * About - Humanists International [https://humanists.international/about/]  * Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026 [https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/] This podcast is produced by Humanise Live. Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live [https://humanise.live/] 🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

Resisting Christian Nationalism with Empathy, Community and Creators - Fish Stark

Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] Gary and Leon open Season Two with updates on the World Humanist Congress — now just two months away and on track to sell out in Ottawa — alongside news of a new Latin American Membership Development Officer, an upcoming Human Rights Council session, and Humanists International's participation in EU dialogues on artificial intelligence in Brussels. This week's guest is Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association — one of the co-founders of Humanists International and a co-sponsor of this year's World Humanist Congress. Fish talks about why humanism is the right cause for this moment in America, the fight against white Christian nationalism and threats to church-state separation, and two bold new initiatives: the American Empathy Project — a national day of service backed by $100,000 in grants — and the AHA's humanist creator fund, investing in secular content creators to reach young Americans where they are. In this episode we cover * Congress updates, Latin America expansion and EU AI dialogues * Why humanism is growing in America — and what the AHA is doing about it * Fighting white Christian nationalism and defending church-state separation * Pete Hegseth's removal of humanists and atheists from the DoD recognised belief list * The American Empathy Project — the biggest humanist mobilisation since the Reason Rally * The AHA creator fund — backing secular influencers to grow the movement Further reading and references * American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org [https://americanhumanist.org] * Fish Stark — AHA Executive Director: https://americanhumanist.org/what-we-do/speakers-bureau/stark/ [https://americanhumanist.org/what-we-do/speakers-bureau/stark/] * The American Empathy Project: https://www.americanempathyproject.org [https://www.americanempathyproject.org] * How to Humanist Podcast — AHA: https://americanhumanist.org/thehumanist/how-to-humanist-podcast/ [https://americanhumanist.org/thehumanist/how-to-humanist-podcast/] * European Humanist Services Network (EHSN): https://humanistservices.eu [https://humanistservices.eu] * World Humanist Congress 2026 — Ottawa, August 7-9: https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/ [https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/] * Global Alliance for Human Rights — OHCHR: https://www.ohchr.org [https://www.ohchr.org] * Luxembourg Declaration on Artificial Intelligence — Humanists International: https://humanists.international/congress-declarations/ [https://humanists.international/congress-declarations/] Follow Humanist International * Sign up for our free Newsletter [https://humanists.international/sign-up-for-the-newsletter/] * Support Humanists International [https://humanists.international/support-gbp/] * Follow our Campaigns [https://humanists.international/what-we-do/] * About - Humanists International [https://humanists.international/about/]  * Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026 [https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/] This podcast is produced by Humanise Live. Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live [https://humanise.live/] 🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.