As part of its commitment with education and critical thinking HAFree organized the conference "The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics" by Dr. Hector Avalos. In this presentation Dr. Avalos examined how most of the academic field of New Testament ethics portrays Jesus as a paragon of ethics. He presented detailed case studies of fundamental ethical principles enunciated or practised by Jesus but antithetical to what would be widely deemed ‘acceptable’ or ‘good’ today. Such topics include Jesus’ supposedly innovative teachings on love, along with his views on hate, violence, imperialism, animal rights, environmental ethics, Judaism, women, disabled persons and biblical hermeneutics.
HAFree presented its first Lifetime Achievement Awards Honoring Dr. Hector Avalos' for his work in support of the secular community.
Hector Avalos is a Professor of Religious Studies. An anthropologist and biblical scholar by training, Avalos has published work in areas such as the role of religion in violence, health care in the ancient world, Disability Studies, religion among US Latinas/os, and the relationship between science and religion. His most recent work has concentrated on examining the extent to which religious biases still affect the study of biblical history, translations, archaeology, and ethics. .