Today I came across these leaflets from the British Humanist Association which were published shortly after the Association was formally created in the 1960s. Looking through the archives, these leaflets demonstrate the continuity of the organisation’s message over the last 50 years – remember the Atheist Bus Campaign from 2009?
With talks from the former MI6 agent and philosopher AJ Ayer, the newspaper editor Edward Francis-Williams and the BBC broadcaster Margaret Knight the event used the recognised tactic of celebrity endorsement to promote awareness of humanism as an alternative to religion. But it wasn’t only the lives of celebrities which were under discussion. One talk given during Humanist Week examined how fatal or funny Mrs Jones’ 12 children really were…!
© British Humanist Association
© British Humanist Association
Leaflets, General Purposes Committee, 1967. Bishopsgate Institute reference: BHA/1/3/4/4