There are more godless groups in the world than ever before. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the world union of Humanist, atheist, rationalist, freethought and ethical culture groups, now has 117 member organizations from 38 countries. At the World Humanist Congress in Olso, five new member organizations joined the IHEU, taking it to the highest membership figure in its six decade history.
Sonja Eggerickx, IHEU president, welcomed the newest additions to the international humanist movement, saying, “Every new member organization strengthens IHEU in its role as the global champion for secular people. This year’s new members also reveal how our global movement continues to grow in diversity as well as numbers. We not only have new groups from four continents, but also new kinds of groups, springing up to serve the unique needs of non-religious people.”
The new member organizations are:
- Military Association of Atheists and Rationalists (MAAF): providing a supportive community for nontheistic members of the US armed forces, MAAF also educates military leaders about nontheism to encourage equal treatment for service members without religion.
- Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA): an alliance of 79 member organizations that unites atheist and Humanist groups from across India.
- Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS): a strong Internet presence has helped this group attract more than a hundred of members from across the Philippine archipelago since its formation in February 2011.
- Alliance of Humanists, Atheists and Agnostics of Luxembourg (AHA): founded in 2010, AHA already has 600 members in this tiny European nation.
- Secular Humanist League of Brazil (LiHS): the first known Humanist group in Brazil, LHS has attracted more than a thousand members since its launch last year.