Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville

“The Exvangelicals” will be presented by Sarah McCammon at the Sunday, August 17, 2025, meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Sarah will join us live on Zoom. We will meet at our regular Sunday location at the Friends Meeting House on Edgewood Road near the UNC-Asheville campus. All are welcome to attend.

Sarah will talk about the growing social movement of people leaving the church from her March 2024 NYTimes Bestseller book: “The Exvangelicals”.

The Exvangelicals is the story of a rising generation of the children of evangelicalism, including Sarah herself, who are growing up and fleeing the fold, who are thinking for themselves and deconstructing what feel like the “alternative facts” of their childhood. Part memoir, part investigative journalism, Sarah describes the post-evangelical movement: identifying its origins, telling the stories of its members, and examining its vast cultural, social, and political impact.

Growing up in a deeply evangelical family in the Midwest in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Sarah McCammon was strictly taught to fear God, obey him, and not question the faith. Persistently worried that her gay grandfather would go to hell unless she could reach him, or that her Muslim friend would need to be converted, and that she, too, would go to hell if she did not believe fervently enough, McCammon was a rule-follower and—most of the time—a true believer. But through it all, she was increasingly plagued by fears and deep questions as the belief system she’d been carefully taught clashed with her expanding understanding of the outside world.

After spending her early adult life striving to make sense of an unraveling worldview, by her 30s, she found herself face-to-face with it once again as she covered the Trump campaign for NPR, where she witnessed first-hand the power and influence that evangelical Christian beliefs held on the political right.

The Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville endeavors to nurture the capacity and responsibility of human beings to act in their personal relationships and in the larger community to help create a better world. We are inspired by the ideal of working to create a more humane society, recognizing each person’s worth and dignity, and helping to bring out the best in them. We are a member of the American Ethical Union and an affiliate of the American Humanist Association. We join together to assist each other in developing ethical ideas and ideals, to celebrate life’s joys, support each other through life’s crises, and to cultivate ethical behavior in our community.

“The Architecture of Life: TAOLISM” will be presented by Joe Simonetta at the Sunday, September 21, 2025, meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2:30 – 4:00 pm at 227 Edgewood Rd, Asheville, NC. This will be a hybrid meeting. We will meet in-person. Joe will be with us by Zoom for interactive conversation on the big screen. All are welcome to attend.

Taolism is a modern philosophical movement and ethical framework founded by Harvard Divinity School graduate Joseph R. Simonetta. Rooted in science, reason, and sustainability, Taolism presents a reality-based understanding of sacredness—not through myth, but through action. It serves as a path for both personal well-being and collective sustainability, offering a practical approach to a healthier, more ethical, and environmentally responsible world. Taolism is built upon three foundational principles, expressed in seven words: Be Healthy. Be Kind. Respect the Environment.