We are a rational, caring, inclusive community of people from many different backgrounds and traditions. Our focus is upon the ethical values people have in common, not on things that keep us apart.
The Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago is a democratic fellowship and spiritual home for those who seek a rational, compassionate philosophy of life without regard to belief or nonbelief in a supreme being.
We value the importance of living an ethical, responsible, and joyful life. We promote intellectual, philosophical, and artistic freedom, avoiding dogma and rigid creed. We nurture a sense of wonder about life, nature, and the universe, and are inspired by positive models of human achievement. Shaped by the forces of humanism, democracy, science, and religious reform, we cherish human diversity and focus on what we have in common, not on what keeps us apart.
While respectful of the faiths and traditions we have been born to, we serve as a new religion or as an alternative to religion. We care for and support each other, sharing our joys and sorrows. Like traditional religious communities, we celebrate births, conduct wedding ceremonies, host memorial services, and provide for the caring, ethical education of our children in our Golden Rule Sunday School.
We believe in deed beyond creed and in working for a better world. We recognize the worth and dignity of every person, and strive to act so as to bring out the best in others and thereby in ourselves.
A typical Sunday meeting consists of a speaker or presentation focusing on current issues, ethical philosophy, lifespan education, or the arts. Since our members come from Jewish, Protestant, Buddhist, Catholic, "mixed" and other backgrounds, we focus on the values people share in common. Ethics are always at the center of our philosophical and educational core.
For more information about the Society, or the Golden Rule Sunday School, call the Society at (847) 677-3334 or send e-mail to office@ethicalhuman.org.
Many of the projects our organization initiated or helped to found have evolved into powerful, independent, institutions---Henry Booth Settlement House, the Visiting Nurses Association, Chicago Urban League, the Legal Aid Society, and the first free kindergartens (begun by members from our NY Society).
Jane Addams, founder of Hull House, was on our Board of Lecturers for many years, as were other important civic leaders and educators in the metropolitan Chicago community.
Keywords: Ethical Culture
Humanist Humanism Freethinker Rational
Golden Rule Sunday School
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