Last August, after the chapter's meeting place was moved to Eliot Hall, and the Journal took its present form, I wrote the Mission Statement, and with editing by the Planning Committee, it was published. It was my feeling then, as now, that the chapter needed to state its authority, what it believed in, and what it intended to do. We did not pretend that the prose was perfect. We felt that humanists would understand the meaning and take it for its intent. It would seem that there is always a better way to say almost everything, and the only way to offend no one is to say nothing. This is done all the time.

The real question facing this Humanist Chapter is not the content of the Mission Statement, or how we organize. The question is whether or not there even can be a Humanist Chapter at all. My working thesis as a member of the Planning Committee is that all humanists are self-converted. There are no humanist missionaries, no one asks the "golden question," no tracts are passed out on the street corners, and there are no radio or TV programs. If there is an outreach program, I am unaware of it. Some humanists are born into it, I know of a couple, but there are few multi-generational heirs to a humanist's belief.

How does a humanist become a humanist? There are as many answers to that question as there are humanists. And no one knows how many humanists there are, not to mention the many more who are, but don't know it yet.

However, I have learned that there are certain common characteristics. Since everyone became a humanist on one's own, no one owes anything to anyone. There is a strong individualism, a "spit in your eye" and "chip on the shoulder" sort of thing. There is a rejection of almost any kind of authority, of dogma or creeds or allegiance to organizational structure, and membership requirements. In fact, anything even reminiscent of organized religion is rejected.

I'm reminded of the story about the Democrats who, when they organize a firing squad, form a circle. It would seem that the humanists, when they meet, if they meet, also form a circle, but with everyone facing outward.

I have been asked these questions many times: "Why do we need a humanist organization?", and "What can you do for me that I don't already have or that I can't get elsewhere?"

Well, organized religion promises salvation. Of course, religions have to spend most of their energies toward proving that there is a need for salvation. It almost seems incidental that they work on what happens after salvation. To a humanist, there is no need for salvation and that is the end of it. So there can be no promise of salvation, any variety of which would be helpful, but humanists can't promise anyway.

So what can this chapter do? In the mission statement, in item 3, we state that our goal is to provide an association "where all can have a sense of belonging to a larger community and find friendships and support." There are few other places in this country where there is such a contrast between fundamentalist religion and humanism that here in Utah. Humanism is clearly the enemy here. This chapter of the AHA wants to do something about that. It is lonely out there; why not get together once a month?

Item 4 of the Mission Statement states, "It is our intention to spread the knowledge of humanism throughout the State of Utah," and yes, that does have an evangelistic flavor. Why not? Can anyone deny that there is a need for more humanism out there?

The last item states that "We will educate and inform our membership about the philosophy of humanism, social issues of current interest and the activities of the chapter." This is the most visible part of what we do.

Since all humanists are self-converted, is it assumed that everyone is completely knowledgeable about humanism? I certainly am not. Ed Wilson, one of the founders of the national humanism movement and the guiding light of this chapter, is the only one I know who is completely knowledgeable, and that only because he is now 94 and has been at it since he was young. I don't mean to insult anyone, but I think that there are a lot of "half-baked" humanists out there who would benefit, enjoy and learn from some more knowledge of humanism.

This chapter wants to help you. It will be difficult to do this, but I am going to begin. Whether or not we will succeed is uncertain, but for some reason or another, I am going to give it a shot!

--Bob Green