Sidmennt

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Siðmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association ((Icelandic) Siðmennt, félag siðrænna húmanista á Íslandi) is closely tied with the Norwegian Human-Etisk Forbund (HEF) and is a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU).

After the first civil confirmation in Iceland in 1989, the society was founded in 1990. Since then it directs civil confirmations every year. It also gives information about organizing secular funerals and name-giving ceremonies, and occasionally holds lectures and meetings about life stance issues. From spring 2008 Siðmennt will offer the services of trained celebrants to conduct secular or humanistic ceremonies. Siðmennt is active in the movement for separation of church and state in Iceland. Chairman and a founder of the society is Hope Knutsson.

Its name, Sidmennt is derived from the Icelandic words "sið" meaning "ethical" and "mennt" for "education". This is appropriate since as a life stance organization its primary subject is ethics and education on how to lead an ethical life or develop mature ethical practices and theory further.

Sidmennt has three main areas of concern

Ethics - mostly practical ethics and human rights issues. Promotion of humanistic values.
Epistemology - Its approach is naturalistic and rejects supernaturalism.
Family ceremonies – Secular baby-naming, confirmation, weddings (and vows) and funeral ceremonies conducted by trained celebrants.

As with IHEU the association has the "happy human" as its logo but has adopted its own version of it that was designed in 2008 by one of its board member, Svanur Sigurbjörnsson.

Logo of Sidmennt

From 2005 Sidmennt has awarded annually an individual or organization the "Sidmennt award of Humanism" for outstanding work on improving human rights in Iceland.

In Iceland life stance organizations that are not categorized as religious (like Sidmennt) are not entitled to receive "parish member fees" (sóknargjöld) through the state the way registered religious groups do. Instead, these church taxes are collected from people who are not members of any registered religious group and given to the University of Iceland. Sidmennt is fighting for a legal change that will give secular life stance organizations equal legal status and funding to the religious organizations.