The Boogie Man of Secular Humanism

In my last post I discussed a dream about turtles that led me to discover a diversity of belief systems other than christianity. One of those alternate beliefs was that of Secular Humanism.

I had no idea what Secular Humanists actually believed, but I feared them anyway.

Every group has their anti-group. There can be no “Us” without an opposite “Them”. Every religion needs an enemy in order to maintain group cohesiveness (and insure hefty donations). When I was a practicing christian and still highly involved in the church, secular humanists were that enemy; our boogie-man, you might say.

We were told that “we must stand firmly against humanistic error.” What that “error” was exactly, I never really understood, but as a good member of the fold, I went along with what I was taught.

I had never actually met or even talked to a secular humanist, nor had I ever read any secular humanist literature. It was about time I found out (for myself) what secular humanists really believe. What I found truly surprised me. Turns out, we were taught to fear something that is actually quite freeing. If you’re a secular humanist, I hope your nodding your head and chuckling (with me) at my ignorance.

If you’re still involved in a christian community and have been taught, like I was, that humanists are evil, just take a minute and read what they actually believe. It’s okay.

What do Secular Humanists actually believe?

First off, let’s define the words secular and humanism.

• Secular: denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.
• Humanism: an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

In my investigation of Secular Humanism websites, I found one in particular that was very informative from Capital District Humanism Society (CDHS). The following is from an on-line article entitled, “You May Be a Humanist.”

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good. – American Humanist Association

Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. It advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for human rights and social justice. – The Humanist Magazine

Humanism is a joyous alternative to religions that believe in a supernatural god and life in a hereafter. Humanists believe that this is the only life of which we have certain knowledge and that we owe it to ourselves and others to make it the best life possible for ourselves and all with whom we share this fragile planet. A belief that when people are free to think for themselves, using reason and knowledge as their tools, they are best able to solve this world’s problems. Humanism is, in sum, a philosophy of those in love with life. Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options. – The Humanist Society of Western New York

Humanism is a democratic and ethical lifestance which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality. – Humanists International

Wow! That’s what they really believe? What’s so scary about that?

It doesn’t take much thought, however, to understand why Christians would be so threatened by these statements. Look at some of the things Humanists believe and contrast those ideas with christian dogma.

• responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment
• a rational philosophy informed by science
• affirming the dignity of each human being
• standing for human rights and social justice
• a joyous alternative to religions
• this is the only life of which we have certain knowledge
• people are free to think for themselves
• take responsibility for and shape their own lives
• does not accept supernatural views of reality

After reading this article, I realized something quite remarkable… I might be a Secular Humanist. Oh my!!

In Defense of Secularism

I would argue that a strong case could be made that atheists and secular people actually possess a stronger or more ethical sense of social justice than their religious peers.

One of the most prominent secularists is Phil Zuckerman. I first discovered Zuckerman in an article entitled Atheism, Secularity and Well Being.

He writes:

“According to Psalms 14 of the Bible, people who don’t believe in God are filthy, corrupt fools, entirely incapable of doing any good. Although those sentiments were written over 2,000- years ago, nonbelievers are still stigmatized to this day.”

(“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.” Psalms 14:1)

It is often assumed that someone who doesn’t believe in God doesn’t believe in anything, or that a person who has no religion must have no values. These assumptions are simply untrue. People can reject religion and still maintain strong beliefs.¹ Being godless does not mean being without values.² Numerous studies reveal that atheists and secular people most certainly maintain strong values, beliefs, and opinions.

Atheists and secular people have very clear and pronounced values and beliefs concerning moral, political and social issues. I would argue that a strong case could be made that atheists and secular people actually possess a stronger or more ethical sense of social justice than their religious peers. (They) are less likely to harbor ethnocentric, racist, or nationalistic attitudes. Strange then, that so many people assume that atheists and nonreligious people lack strong values or ethical beliefs – a truly groundless and unsupported assumption.

There you have it. I can choose to not believe in christian, or any other religious dogma, and still choose to believe in many other things. Letting go of christianity actually freed me to make my own choices regarding ethical and social justice issues. I suppose I’m rather fortunate to be living in the twenty-first century. A couple of hundred years ago professing such beliefs could have earned me a center seat at a community bonfire.

1. This statement correctly describes my personal experience.
2. The line should read: “Being godless does not (necessarily) mean being without values.” An obvious exception would be our 45^th president, who was both godless and morally bankrupt, yet he was widely heralded by christians as the new messiah. Something, I’ll never understand.

Coming next: While researching Secular Humanism, I discovered an article by a christian public school teacher who believes that Secular Humanists are impeding his right to (and I quote) “publicly appeal to our God or to discuss our faith to our captive audiences of schoolchildren.” We’ll see how much of his argument against Secular Humanism is accurate and how much is fabricated. It is surprising, if not alarming, to realize what he would like to teach his “captive audience”.

 

From Where I Stand

Dale Crum