Thought I'd link this here in case anyone in the London area is interested. The local Humanist Association (with which I have loose ties since a number of them are UUs) is sponsoring a pair of lectures entitled  "The Evolution of Belief". The first one is next Wednesday and the speaker is Gretta Vosper. The second is in June and features Dr. Rod Martin, a psych prof from UWO and a member of the Humanist Association.

Is there a difference?

Well, obviously there is a difference, but what about the more "radical" Progressive Christians, such as John S. Spong or United Church Canada's own Gretta Vosper? I've read a lot of Spong's works as well as finishing up Vosper's "With or Without God," and one comes away feeling like they both, more or less, pay lip service to Christianity while there is nothing that really distinguishes them from atheists.

Some think that belief in God is needed for cultivating a religious heart which can express deep feelings of wonder and reverence, a grateful heart which can appreciate the wonderful gift of life, and a compassionate heart which can lead an ethical life to benefit all humanity.

May I introduce Religious Naturalism and Religious Humanism?  They can do all these without falling into speculative theism.

In short, there is no need for speculating a God.

What are Religious Naturalism and Religious Humanism?

I subscribe to the Pew Research mailing list and thought this might be a timely and interesting topic. If I've set it up right, there should be a linked graph in this topic as well as a link to the article on the Pew Forum site.