November meeting

The next meeting of West Dorset Humanists will be at 7.30 on Thursday November 29th, at the Wessex Royal Hotel, Dorchester.
The subject will be "Positive Psychology - The Science of Happiness".  Positive Psychology is founded on the belief that people want more than just an end to suffering. We want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within ourselves, and to enhance our experiences of love, work, and play.  In this interactive session, David will explore scientifically tested ideas and techniques for increasing our happiness and overall sense of well-being, drawing on the work of Positive Psychology pioneers such as Martin Seligman.
The talk will be given by David Warden, Chair of Dorset Humanists

October Meeting of West Dorset Humanists

The next meeting of West Dorset Humanists will be held on Thursday 25th October, at the Wessex Royale Hotel, 32 High Street West, DORCHESTER  DT1  1UP, starting at 7.30 p.m.  
The topic for the evening is  'Why do humans believe in god? – current scientific thinking'   The talk will be given by Nigel Mykura of West Dorset Humanists
You'll have the chance to ask questions and take part in discussion after Nigel's talk.  Everyone's welcome and the talk is free - there's a suggested donation of £2.00

Next Meeting

The next West Dorset Humanist meeting will be held on Thursday 27th September at the Wessex Royale Hotel, High West Street, Dorchester.

Dr Heather Meacock (Retired Senior Lecturer in Education at the Anglia Ruskin University will discuss '"Is there any justification for teaching Religious Education in a secular society?"
Please join us to explore questions such as:

• What do we mean by a secular society?
• How much input should religious and non-religious groups have in the religious education syllabus?
• Should RE be determined by independent academics without a religious agenda?

You'll have the chance to ask questions and explore different faith and non-faith perspectives on this fascinating subject with an expert educator in the field.

The next meeting of West Dorset Humanists will be held on Thursday 28th June at 7.30pm at the Wessex Royale Hotel, 32 High West Street, Dorchester.
The meeting will start with a review of the group and a session sharing ideas for its future direction and topics for meetings - so we'd really value as many contributions as possible to this process. Then we'll have a hat debate about the relationship between humanism, religion and the monarchy. Should be good!

We really hope to see you there

Our next meeting
Our next meeting will be held on Thursday 31st May at 7.30pm at the Wessex Royale Hotel, 32 High West Street, Dorchester, DT1 1UP.  Maggie Pepin and Dave Hewitt, Humanist Celebrants, will talk about Humanist Funerals and Weddings / Partnerships. For many people attending a Humanist Ceremony will be their first encounter with Humanism - but what makes them so special and different. Everyone welcome. £2 donation welcome.

Our next meeting

The next meeting of West Dorset Humanists will be held on Thursday 26th April at the Old Ship Hotel, 16 High West Street, Dorchester at 7.30pm We'll be meeting for an informal hat debate on ideas about humanism and related issues. Hope to see you there.

Our next meeting

Andrew Copson (Cheif Executive of the British Humanist Association) will be joining us at the next meeting of West Dorset Humanists to talk on 'The Heroes of Humanism' . The meeting will be held on Thursday 29th March at 7.30pm at the Wessex Royale Hotel, 32 High West Street, Dorchester, DT1 1UP. Everyone is welcome - the talk is free but a £2 donation would be appreciated!

February Meeting of West Dorset Humanists

The next meeting of West Dorset Humanists will be held on Thursday 23rd February at 7.30pm when we will be having a 'Humanist Hat Debate'. Hope you can join us for a chance to discuss a whole lot of questions about Humanism with other free thinkers. The meeting will be held as usual at the Wessex Royale Hotel, High West Street, Dorchester.

Science and Religion - Complementary or Contradictory?

The topic for the next meeting of the West Dorset Humanists is SCIENCE & RELIGION - COMPLEMENTARY OR CONTRADICTORY?  David Nunn, a Government Scientist will investigate the age old debate about whether these two bodies of thought work together or against each other. Using some fun methods, looking at the origins of both science and religion, and how both have developed and evolved, a scientific approach to this problem is used. We hope this will produce some interesting results, perhaps even providing an answer! There is some audience participation and an invitation to open your mind to some different ways to consider this prickly subject.
THURSDAY JANUARY 26TH at 7.30pm at the WESSEX ROYALE HOTEL, 32 HIGH ST.WEST,  DORCHESTER  DT1  1UP.  Free (£2 donation suggested).  For more details phone 07921-311518 or e-mail westdorsethumanists@hotmail.com