Enlightenment in the 21st century
Eulogy for Johannes Neumann
He fought for justice without any hint of self-righteousness, gave important impulses without taking himself seriously: On the evening of May 5, 2013, Johannes Neumann, former dean of the faculty of theology in Tübingen and later a critic of religion, died in the circle of his family after a long and serious illness. Michael Schmidt-Salomon commemorates a great enlightener and humanist.
gbs plans to increasingly set artistic accents in the future
Young concert pianist Adel Ferenc Mohsin is a new advisory board member of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung. This was announced today by the directorate of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung in Oberwesel. Mohsin's appointment to the foundation's advisory board is a signal that the gbs wants to increasingly set artistic accents in the future, explained foundation spokesman Michael Schmidt-Salomon, at the same time pointing out one of the artistic highlights of the current year: the world premiere of the "Passion Giordano Bruno" by Gerhard Wimberger (gbs adviser) at the Salzburg Festival.
Presentation of the petition in parliament on Wednesday
Approximately 50,000 homosexual men were convicted in Germany after the war simply because they followed their sexual preference - a violation of human rights, as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled. Nevertheless, the victims of the "Schwulenparagraf" 175 StGB (German Criminal Code) were never rehabilitated or even compensated. In order to change this, the signatures of the petition for the rehabilitation of the victims of §175 will be handed over in the Bundestag next Wednesday, January 30, 2013. The gbs supports the initiative.
Children's rights campaign against compulsory circumcision launched
"Compulsory circumcision is wrong – that includes boys!" With this decisive statement, the Giordano Bruno Stiftung's children's rights campaign started today, one day before the public meeting of the German Ethics Council. "The purpose of the campaign is to prevent the planned legalization of medically unnecessary foreskin circumcisions," explains foundation spokesman Michael Schmidt-Salomon. "Compulsory circumcision is not a trivial matter, as claimed frequently, but an unjustifiable violation of the right to self-determination and the physical integrity of the child."
Anti-discrimination regulations must also apply in church institutions!
The European anti-discrimination regulations must also apply in church institutions! This is the objective of the campaign "Gegen religiöse Diskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz" (GerDiA - Against Religious Discrimination in the Workplace), which was launched today. The campaign's spokeswoman is former SPD top-ranking politician Ingrid Matthäus-Maier. She regards the "offensive marginalisation policy of church enterprises" as a "scandal that must not be tolerated any further".
Politics and media ignored protests and celebrated the Pope
It was the largest church-critical demonstration that has ever taken place in Germany: Approximately 15,000 people took to the streets in Berlin on September 22 to protest against reactionary dogmas, discriminatory sexual policies, and unconstitutional privileges of the Catholic Church. There was also massive resistance at the other two stations of the Pope's visit to Erfurt and Freiburg. In leading German media, however, the loud protests were mentioned only marginally if at all. Instead they celebrated the Pope's speech in the German parliament as an "intellectual major event", even though Benedict XVI dug out long disproven positions before the parliament, which in the end amount to the abolition of secular legal norms.
On the website greatapeproject.de, animal rights activists explain why great apes should be granted basic rights
The Great Ape Project (GAP) is a showcase project of the international animal rights movement. Following the award of the gbs Ethics Prize to the GAP initiators Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer three months ago, gbs adviser Colin Goldner took over the post as GAP coordinator in German-speaking countries. His first "official act": Supported by the Giordano Bruno Stiftung, the Albert Schweitzer Stiftung, the Tierschutz-Stiftung as well as the associations "Menschen für Tierrechte", "Tierrechte aktiv" and "Die Tierfreunde", he launched a website that provides information on the goals and strategies of the Great Ape Project.
Pasta strainer as religious headgear, holiday bonus for Catholics only
Niko Alm, representative of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung in Austria and chairman of the Austrian Zentralrat der Konfessionsfreien (Central Council of the Denomination-Free), has made an absurd case of the Austrian regulation that only religious headdresses may be used on driving licence pictures: As a supporter of "Pastafarianism" and member of the "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster", Alm had his picture taken with a noodle strainer on his head and submitted it to the authorities. After being summoned to an official doctor who confirmed that Alm was able to drive, and three years of hesitation on part of the authorities, the Viennese entrepreneur was now able to pick up his new "Holy Driver's Licence".
Giordano Bruno Stiftung invites disability activists to joint event
After awarding the Giordano Bruno Stiftung's ethics prize on the premises of the German National Library in Frankfurt, the gbs directorate withdrew its demand for resignation to the Federal Government Commissioner for the Disabled. Instead of taking legal action against CDU politician Hubert Hüppe, the gbs proposes a joint discussion event with Hüppe and other disability activists, which should help to clear up misunderstandings.
gbs defends the award to Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer
Markus Kurth, spokesman for disability policy at Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, criticized the award of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung's ethics prize to the initiators of the Great Ape Project, Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer, as a "false signal". The gbs directors object: The awarding of the ethics prize is "exactly the right signal at the right time" - not only to raise awareness about the concerns of the animal rights movement, but also to defend the "principles of an enlightened culture of debate".