Darwin Day - 12th of February

I had this published in the Wendover News. As I got surprisingly very good feedback I repeat it hear. Yes, I expect that some of the peopel I met yeasterday might check my blog to see some Humanist related discussion:

There are two great men’s birthdays I religiously mark. The 25th of December and the 12th of February. On 12 February 1809 two great men were born: Abraham Lincoln, emancipator of American slaves, and Charles Darwin, emancipator of the human mind. Their positive legacies still endure. This date is celebrated around the world under different names of which one is Darwin Day (google it - there is much to learn about it). It is an opportunity to remember and celebrate the achievements of free thinking. It is an occasion to tell our children about the courage it takes to think beyond the dictate of “common agreement”. Like Abraham in the Old Testament, who could not accept the logic of idol worshipping and did not bow to group pressure or Galileo Galilei, who was convicted of grave suspicion of heresy for "following the position of Copernicus, which is contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture,". Another important aspect of Darwin Day is the promotion of learning and scientific thinking. It is a lesson Jews have had reinforced each time they had to leave their abode (the list is long): it is easy to loose your house and wealth, but good education will always help you maintain your humanity and help you get back on your feet. And without scientific rigour there is no proper progress of learning. Thus it is easy to understand why I choose to mark the 25th of December as it is Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday.
Dr. Eli Y. Kling a Humanist