Humanism Now | Secular Ethics, Curiosity and Compassionate Change

“Surviving isn’t just about leaving — it’s about learning to trust yourself again after someone else’s voice has lived in your head for years.”   — Rachael Reign In this powerful episode of Humanism Now , Rachael Reign , survivor and founder of Surviving Universal UK, shares her deeply personal story of escaping spiritual abuse and coercive control and her ongoing campaign to protect others. As fo...

 "Inclusion isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about creating a space where people feel safe enough to stay." - JC Candanedo Artist, activist, and humanist JC Candanedo shares his journey from a Catholic school in Panama to the art studios of London. His work weaves together identity, displacement, and community action, exploring how creativity can challenge injustice and build inclusive, c...

"Transcendence is the connection with something wider; the world, the cosmos, nature, other fellow human beings, and doing good in this life" — Dr Lindsay De Wal  When Dr Lindsay De Wal became the first non-religious head of chaplaincy in the NHS, she redefined what spiritual support can look like in modern healthcare. From sceptical colleagues to international media headlines, her appoi...

“The highest value, the most precious value we have is not peace—it’s freedom.”  — Michael Bauer  This week on Humanism Now , we’re joined by Michael Bauer , CEO of Germany’s Humanistische Vereinigung —a 175-year-old humanist organisation offering professional community services without religion, grounded in ethics, dignity, and freedom. From ceremony to solidarity, Bauer shows how organised human...

This episode was originally recorded in May 2024. "What we have in common is what is taking us forward." — Lola Tinubu  In May 2024, the High Court ruled that Michaela Community School’s “prayer ban” did not unlawfully interfere with students’ rights to religious freedom. This landmark decision reaffirmed the importance of secular education in promoting social cohesion — and raised quest...

“If we focus so much on the 5% that divides us, we miss the 95% we already share.” — Alan Palmer Alan Palmer is the former Chair of Central London Humanists, a trustee of Humanists UK, and a long-time NHS Trust Director. With over 17 years of experience in grassroots organising, Alan shares how London’s most active humanist group grew from pub chats to public campaigns, and how dialogue, ethics, a...

The pro-life religion we see today is a modern creation. It was created for political purposes." — Katherine Stewart Katherine Stewart is an award-winning journalist and author, who has investigated the rise of religious nationalism and its impact on democracy for over 15 years. Her work appears in The New York Times and The New Republic . She is the author of The Good News Club , The Power W...

"Isn't it true that we are the stories we tell ourselves?" — S.I. Martin This week on Humanism Now , we’re joined by S.I. Martin —historian, author, and patron of Humanists UK—whose work has reshaped how we understand Black British history and the power of storytelling. From his upbringing in a religious family in Bedford to decades spent uncovering erased narratives, Steve shares h...

This special episode of Humanism Now is released as part of Podcastathon 2025 , the world’s largest podcast charity initiative. We’re proud to dedicate this episode to Faith to Faithless , a programme by Humanists UK supporting those leaving high-control religious groups. Three incredible guests— George , Leena , and Sarah —share raw, courageous accounts of their journeys out of fundamentalist rel...

AI technologies pose significant threats to fundamental human rights, reinforcing historical biases and power imbalances. This week, we are joined by Susie Alegre , international human rights lawyer and author, to explore the impact of generative AI on gender and racial equality, labour markets, and information ecosystems. Susie has worked for international NGOs like Amnesty International and orga...

Humanist ceremonies—weddings, namings, and funerals—are growing rapidly worldwide, offering non-religious, deeply personal ways to mark life’s most significant moments. Laimingas Žmogus (Happy Human) is a social enterprise based in Lithuania, dedicated to making these ceremonies accessible and meaningful.  This week we are delighted to be joined by Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė , Founder and CEO, and Ge...

Welcome back to Humanism Now for a special episode coinciding with the critical upcoming UK Parliament vote on assisted dying — a pivotal moment we've long campaigned for and debated. In this episode we hear how what the bill entails, why it matters and how safe assisted dying aligns with values of compassion and autonomy. Joining us is Nathan Stilwell , Humanists UK's Assisted Dying Cam...

"It's difficult to think of an area of work life that isn't connected to humanistic thought. If you start with ideas around the dignity of each human, compassion, kindness, ambitions, ways to behave, being evidence-based and being equitable, fair and not biased wherever possible, you start to understand that those are the foundational concepts of humanism" - Paul Harrison , Hum...

" A key tenet of humanism is empathy. Whether that's empathy for those around us or to all humans, but also we should extend that to all life of exists, and then forward in time, to future generations." - Lori Marriott This week, Katia & Mark join the panel to discuss the merits of identifying with the humanist label. Plus we hear from Lori Marriott, Coordinator of Humanist Clim...

"It's really not as hard as people think to have a peaceful conversation with somebody who disagrees profoundly with you on deep questions." - Ariel Pontes   This week on Humanism Now we share our wide ranging interview with Ariel Pontes , a writer, podcast host and advocate for humanism, effective altruism, animal welfare and productive dialogue to counter polarisation. Ariel share...

"Humanism is about human goodness, appreciating reason & potential"  - Ojas Singh Bhanot This week on Humanism Now, Mark & Nicole join the panel to discuss how illegal faith schools deny children the right to science,  the importance of promoting scientific literacy across society and the impact of scientific fraud.   This week's interview is with Ojas Singh Bhanot, Politics...

“The irony of man's condition is that the deepest need is to be free of the anxiety of death and annihilation; but it is life itself which awakens it, and so we must shrink from being fully alive.”  ― Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death Episode References: BBC News: New extremism definition unveiled by government Humanists UK: Extremists ‘negate the fundamental rights and freedoms of others’ –...

Welcome back to Humanism Now! This week AJ & Mark from the Central London Humanists join the panel to discuss the latest news, plus our interview with  Monica Belițoiu , Chair of The Romanian Secular Humanist Association (ASUR) . Episode References  Humanist UK; Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes awarded Darwin Day Medal Rebecca Wragg Sykes Interview Humanists UK;  Assisted Dying Campaign Assisted Dying I...

Welcome to Humanism Now's International Women's Day Special hosted by Audrey Simmons ( Association of Black Humanists & CLH) and featuring Lola Tinubu (Assoc. Black Humanists & CLH), Katia Urquiza ( Central London Humanists ) & Nicole Shasha ( Leicester Humanists and Young Humanists )  who discuss; The importance of IWD today Does being humanist imply being a feminist? Highli...

"We should acknowledge that humanism is something that beats in the heart of every human being"  Dr Leo Igwe This week James , Lola & AJ are joined by legendary human rights activist, Leo Igwe . We discuss the merits of Darwin Day , Leo's decades of campaigning for freethought and against superstition and Leo's vision for a new future for atheism and humanism in Africa. Epi...

Welcome back to Humanism Now. This we learn practical tips for engaging in good faith dialogues with people of different beliefs with expert insight from Jeremy Rodell , Director of Humanist UK's Dialogue Network and our regular panellists Lola & Nicole . Episode references: Humanists UK: Exploring Common Ground, Dialogue with others Humanists UK: Dialogue Training Application About Jerem...

This week on Humanism Now, Audrey & AJ join the panel to discuss personal and group activism and support for Social Justice campaigns. The panel discuss; How do humanist vales align with these causes? How do we prioritise issues to best influence changes? and what role should Humanist groups play in leading or supporting campaigns? We delve deeper into these topics with this week's guest...

" Peace is more than just the absence of war. Peace requires respect for the worth and dignity of our fellow human beings, tolerance among individuals, and harmony within each person."  Humanist International's Oslo Declaration on Peace This week, AJ and Mark tackle Humanist perspectives on global conflicts  such as the current Israel-Palestine crisis and the role of religion in exa...

Join us as we review the 2023 year in Humanism and preview the events for 2024 with our regular panellists, Mark , Nicole & Katia . Together with host James , they discuss; insights from 2023 meetups and conventions, inspiring personal experiences, a varied events calendar and the important role of humanist voices in 2024's major democratic elections. Finally we pay a special thanks to ou...

"I know so many people whose lives got better when they learned how to use a crock pot and make a decent chili" Welcome back to Humanism Now. This week we are delighted to share an extended interview with Bart Campolo , host of the inspirational podcast, Humanize Me! After decades as a Christian evangelist, Bart embraced humanism and now uses his platform to advocate for a more compassio...