Celebrating 10 Years of The Humanist. com

In February 2014, the American Humanist Association created an innovative newsletter, theHumanist.com, as a digital companion to the Humanist print magazine. In announcing the first edition of the new weekly publication and online hub, then-editor Jennifer Bardi wrote about the origins and ambitions for the newsletter.

Anyone who rides a commuter bus or train in the United States is all too familiar with the sight of fellow travelers with their heads down, focused on their hand-held devices. (If not, look up from yours and you’ll see what I mean.) Recent data suggests that well over half of email (65%) is accessed via a mobile device such as a smart phone or a tablet, and, increasingly, when people read print or online journalism, they’re initially prompted by a digital cue from a mobile device. Moreover, the trend towards online news consumption, especially among younger people, grows and grows.

This being the digital age, the Humanist magazine simply needed to grow up. The Humanist has existed in print since 1941 (and in earlier iterations since 1927) and online for twelve years. But as a bimonthly the online version has always been a bit staid for our taste. The Humanist Network News started around 2004 as a weekly e-zine…and evolved into a lively source of humanist news and opinion with a large readership. It seemed only natural, then, to combine the two publications along with brand new columnists and departments into a larger humanist media hub.

The plan for theHumanist.com was to feature original content and major movement authors on a regular basis, become a go-to source for humanist news and opinion, share news relevant to the secular movement, and information about the AHA for readers and members.

For the past ten years, the newsletter has done just that. In the following pages, we’ve collected a sampling of the articles theHumanist.com has highlighted to showcase the breadth of the news and commentary that we’ve shared.


The Need to Belong

By Janet Jeppson Asimov | October 14, 2014


Nonbelief in Nigeria: Can Critical Thinking Thrive in a Deeply Religious Society?

By Emmanuel Ezeagwu | July 25, 2016


Those Who Oppose a Woman’s Right to Choose Are Pro-Death, Not Pro-Life

By Sean Avolio | January 25, 2017


What Exploiting a Whitewashed MLK Says About You

By Sincere Kirabo | January 15, 2018


Let Us Say: It’s Time to End the National Prayer Breakfast

By Becky Garrison | February 10, 2020


Rights vs. Responsibility

By Tom Krattenmaker | May 15, 2020