Contacts: 
Pat Suhrcke, Director
(617) 495-2727  
email: Public Events@cambridgeforum.org                            
Press Release
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FREE and Open to the Public

Greg Graffin of Bad Religion

8:00 pm, Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Memorial Church Harvard Yard
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tickets are required
Contact Cambridge Forum (617-495-2727) or Harvard Box Office (617-496-2222)

UCLA's Greg Graffin to Be Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Atheism, Punk Rock, and Science

The "Cultural Humanism" Awardee is Seminal Punk Singer, Earned Ivy-League PhD in Evolution

Harvard University's prominent community of atheists and agnostics is poised to weigh in on the national debate on religion and atheism as the Humanist Chaplaincy honors Greg Graffin, a rock star and scientist whom they argue is an ideal role model for the nation's millions of non-religious youth. "So much attention gets heaped onto polemicists like Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens, but Graffin is a truly deserving candidate for the face of atheism,'" said Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University.

Cambridge Forum joins the Humanist Chaplaincy on April 26 when it presents the "Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism," to Dr. Greg Graffin, frontman of the influential punk rock band Bad Religion. Graffin, whose "day job" since 1980 has been recording and extensive worldwide touring with a band boasting such hits as "How Could Hell be Any Worse" and "American Jesus," earned his PhD in Zoology at Cornell University and is a member of the UCLA's Faculty in Biology, teaching Life Sciences courses covering Darwin and natural selection. Graffin will give an acoustic performance after accepting the award.

"I always put education high on my list of priorities because I thought, “Wouldn't it be neat if you can have a singer of your favorite band who also has something more to offer than looking cool - which I don't – or dressing cool - which I don't;" Graffin said. "Those are the things that I try to inspire young people to do, whether it is in the lecture hall or on stage on the Warped Tour." But Bad Religion, considered among the most influential modern punk bands, has been known for inspiring young people towards a particular set of ideas: those of atheism and Humanism. Graffin's lyrics make plain his passionate disbelief in God. Yet the Harvard Humanists cite his faith in the ability of music and science to improve the world as making the singer unique.

The event is being held in conjunction with the presentation of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard’s highest honor, the "Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism." The award, intended to honor a Humanist or atheist having made a lasting impact on US culture, was presented last year to renowned novelist Sir Salman Rushdie before a sold-out audience of 1100 that Rushdie likened to a celebration of "Atheistmas," and will once again be conferred at Harvard's Memorial Church. Graffin was selected for the 2008 award by the Harvard Secular Society, an undergraduate student group affiliated with the Humanist Chaplaincy.

The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard has developed a unique approach to building a culture and community for the non-religious. Their work has gained considerable national attention in the past year.

Contact: Cambridge Forum, 617-495-2727 or Greg Epstein, 617-495-5986 
Cambridge Forums are free and open to the public. Book signing will follow 
program. Open discussion follows speaker presentation. Events are recorded 
for public radio broadcast. CDs and tapes are available.  Call 617-495-2727.  
Forums can also be viewed online: Go to www.cambridgeforum.org and click on the 
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Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone/fax:  617-495-2727
email: director@cambridgeforum.org
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