Peter Chow: Secular Humanism – SaultOnline.com

“TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT, WITHOUT THE THREAT OF DIVINE RETRIBUTION, NOR THE HOPE OF DIVINE REWARD.”

What do Evangelicals and the Taliban have in common?

For both groups, their greatest fear is Secularism.

The ultimate goal of the Christian Taliban is to replace Secular Democracy, both in America and around the world, with a Christian theocracy.

The supposed purpose is to “purify” the world for Christ’s return –   again, strikingly similar to what the Taliban believe, but significantly at odds with more common, long-standing Christian beliefs about the “end times”, as well as the nature and purpose of prayer, and the roles of Human and Divine power.

It is impossible to understand Evangelicals without first understanding just how frightened they are of Western Civilization’s steady liberal march toward Secularism.

They consider the  last 20 years to have been a nearly complete disaster, capped by the legalization of gay marriage, in 2005 in Canada and in 2015 in the USA..

Many prominent Evangelical leaders literally gave up after that, and the ones that didn’t had little hope for the future.

Western civilization’s march towards a Secular post-Christian society has been starkly illustrated by research showing that the majority of young people in Canada and over a dozen European countries do not follow a religion.

The Key Highlight  –  Steep Evangelical Decline.

Since 2006, Evangelical Protestants have experienced the most precipitous drop in affiliation, shrinking from 23% of Americans in 2006 to 14% in 2020.

In the past 15 years, almost 10% of the entire US population, that’s roughly 33 million Evangelicals, have today walked away from that specific religious brand.

Where have all these Evangelicals gone?

The one big ongoing trend is that, as Evangelicals have declined, the number of Nones (those not religiously affiliated) has increased proportionately.

As the older more religious generations pass away, they are being replaced by an upcoming far less religious generation.

This is the generation that has grown up with the Internet and so have not been totally isolated inside religious bubbles.

They have been exposed to other ideas that challenged traditional beliefs and so doubt took hold.

The PRRI poll also reveals that this ongoing decline will continue.

It is inevitable.

It is clearly inevitable that as the older generation passes away, it will be replaced by younger far less religious generations.

Only 7% of the 18–29 age group identify as Evangelical.

For some this might perhaps be horrific.

But for most, this is well worth celebrating.

A world with far fewer bible-thumping, anti-science, fundamentalist zealots will be a far, far better place for all….

Fundamentalist zealots of all stripes, whether Christian, Muslim or Jewish.

Secular Humanism is a philosophy or life stance that embraces Human Reason and Secular Ethics while specifically rejecting religious or political dogma, as the basis of morality and decision making.

Secular Humanism proposes that human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or belief in a deity, a Creator God.

The idea of a Creator God is seen as an artificial hypothesis, totally unnecessary.

In Secular Humanism, ideology  –  be it religious or political  –  must be thoroughly examined by each individual and not simply accepted or rejected on faith.

Along with this, an essential part of Secular Humanism is a continually adapting search for truth, primarily through Science and Philosophy.

Theist religions focus on the worship of gods.

Humanism worships humanity.

Humanism is a belief that Homo sapiens has a unique and sacred nature, which is fundamentally different from the nature of all other animals and of all other phenomena.

Humanists believe that the unique nature of Homo sapiens is the most important thing in the world, and it determines the meaning of everything that happens in the universe.

The supreme good is the good of Homo sapiens.

Confucianism may be the earliest Secular Humanist belief system.

There are no Confucian gods.

Confucianism as a philosophical system regards “the Secular as Sacred.”

Confucianism transcends the dichotomy between religion and Humanism, considering the ordinary activities of human life  – and especially human relationships  –  as a manifestation of the Sacred because they are the expression of Humanity’s moral nature.

Similarly, Buddhism is a non-theistic belief system (no belief in a Creator God), and is usually considered also as a philosophy and a moral discipline.

Buddha discounted belief in a Creator God as irrelevant to the lives of human beings and a contributor to suffering, because one cannot possibly know God’s will, and believing that one can, only leads to frustration, disappointment, and pain.

Humanism is compatible with atheism, and by definition usually entails at least a form of agnosticism or weak, agnostic atheism, but being atheist or agnostic does not automatically make one a Humanist.

Atheism means one thing and one thing only, the non-belief in any deity.

It doesn’t mean anything further than that.

Secular Humanism, on the other hand, makes several claims.

It advances a consequentialist ethics system.

It affirms the values of self-realization, cosmopolitanism, individualism, and critical thinking.

It places a value on social justice.

And it praises a dedication to the use of reason and the search for truth.

In this way, while Secular Humanists are typically atheistic, non-theistic, or agnostic, not all atheists, agnostics, or non-theists are going to be Secular Humanists.

Is Secular Humanism a religion?

No, but this is a matter of some controversy, particularly in the United States.

Religion is a life stance that includes at minimum a belief in the existence and fundamental importance of a realm transcending that of ordinary experience.

Because it lacks any reliance on or acceptance of the transcendent, Secular Humanism is not  –  and cannot be  – a religion.

The meaning of the phrase Secular Humanism has evolved over time.

The phrase has been used since at least the 1930s by Anglican priests, and in 1943, the then Archbishop of Canterbury warned that the “Christian tradition… was in danger of being undermined by a ‘Secular Humanism’ which hoped to retain Christian values without Christian faith.”

During the 1960s and 1970s the term was embraced by some Humanists who considered themselves anti-religious, as well as those who, although not critical of religion in its various guises, preferred a non-religious approach.

Religious fundamentalists and the religious right began using the term “Secular Humanism” in hostile fashion, arguing that rampant Secular Humanism would lead to moral relativism and ethical bankruptcy, portraying Secular Humanism as evil, pernicious and diabolical, and warning that it would undermine the moral and spiritual foundation of Western civilization.

These themes have been widely repeated in fundamentalist preaching in North America, that Secular Humanism is a vast evil conspiracy, deceitful and immoral, responsible for feminism, pornography, abortion, homosexuality, and New Age spirituality.

In many areas of the world, Humanism finds itself in conflict with religious fundamentalism, especially over the issue of the Separation of Church and State.

Many adherents of the belief system reject the use of the word Secular as obfuscating and confusing, and consider that the term Secular Humanism has been “demonized by the religious right..

All too often Secular Humanism is reduced by critics to a sterile outlook consisting of little more than Secularism slightly broadened by academic ethics.

Adherents of this view, including Humanists International and the American Humanist Association, consider that the unmodified but capitalized word “Humanism” should be used.

The endorsement by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) of the capitalization of the word Humanism, and the dropping of any adjective such as Secular, is quite recent.

The American Humanist Association adopted this view in 1973, and the IHEU formally endorsed the position in 1989.

Humanist beliefs include:

–  The belief that morality is independent of theology.

–  The affirmation that new moral problems have arisen in modern society which have not been adequately dealt with by the world’s religions.

–  The need to test beliefs  –  A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted by faith.

–  Reason, evidence, scientific method  –  A commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence and scientific method of inquiry in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.

–  Fulfillment, growth, creativity  –  A primary concern with fulfillment, growth and creativity for both the individual and Humanity in general.

–  Search for truth  –  A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.

–  This life  –  A concern for this life (as opposed to an Afterlife) and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.

–  Ethics  –  A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.

–  Justice and fairness  –  an interest in securing justice and fairness in society and in eliminating discrimination and intolerance.

–  Building a better world  –  A conviction that with reason, an open exchange of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

Notable Secular Humanists:

Alan Alda:  American actor, played Hawkeye in Mash.

Susan B. Anthony:  American social reformer and women’s rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement.  She became the first female citizen to be depicted on U.S. coinage when her portrait appeared on the 1979 dollar coin.

Isaac Asimov:  American science fiction writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University.

Margaret Atwood:  Canadian poet, novelist (The Handmaid’s Tale), literary critic, essayist, inventor, teacher, and environmental activist.

Leonard Bernstein:  American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist.

Niels Bohr:  Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Johannes Brahms: German composer and pianist.

George Carlin:  American comedian and pop philosopher.

Noam Chomsky: American linguist (“the father of modern linguistics”), philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, and activist.

Arthur C. Clarke:  British science fiction writer, science writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Charlie Chaplin: actor, comedian, film-maker and composer.

Samuel T. Coleridge:   English poet, literary critic, philosopher who wrote the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan.

Francis Crick: British molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, who, in 1953, co-authored with James Watson the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule.

Marie Curie:  One of the greatest scientists in history, winning Nobel prizes for both physics and chemistry.

Walt Disney:  Founder of Disneyland, entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer.  As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations.

Paul Dirac:  English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1933, with Erwin Schrödinger.

Roger Ebert:  American journalist, film critic, and screenwriter.

Thomas Edison:  American inventor and businessman who has been described as America’s greatest inventor.  He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.  These inventions include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb.

Albert Einstein:  German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).  He is also known for his  influence on the philosophy of science.

Albert Ellis: American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.

Ralph Waldo Emerson:  American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist and poet.

Friedrich Engels: German-English industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx.

Greg M. Epstein:  Secular Humanist chaplain at Harvard University, and a published author on the subject of Secular Humanism.

Richard Feynman: American physicist known for his work in  quantum mechanics as well as in particle physics. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.

Benjamin Franklin:  American polymath active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher.   Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Sigmund Freud: Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis.

R. Buckminster Fuller: American architect, engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist.

John Kenneth Galbraith: Canadian-American economist.

Stephen Jay Gould:  American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation.

Stephen Hawking:  English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author (A Brief History Of Time) who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.

Ernest Hemingway:  American author.

Katharine Hepburn: American actress who was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years.

Howard Hughes:  American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and financially successful individuals in the world.

Thomas Huxley:  English biologist and anthropologist, coined the term “agnostic.”

Thomas Jefferson:  He famously rewrote the bible to take out all the magic parts.  Jefferson invented the term “Separation between Church and State”, which he believed was a principle expressed by the First Amendment.

Norman Lear:  American television writer and producer who produced many 1970’s sitcoms such as All in the Family.

Abraham Lincoln:  Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, the country’s greatest moral, cultural, constitutional, and political crisis.  He succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy.

John Lennon:  British singer-songwriter, member of the Beatles and peace activist.

James Madison:  American statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817.  He is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the United States Bill of Rights.

Bill Maher:  American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author, and actor.

Henry Morgentaler:  Canadian physician and prominent pro-choice advocate.

Bill Murray:  American actor, starred in Caddyshack.

Jawaharlal Nehru:  India’s first Prime Minister.

Bill Nye:  American science educator, comedian, television host (The Science Guy), actor, mechanical engineer, and scientist.

Joyce Carol Oates:  American author.

J. Robert Oppenheimer:   American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with Enrico Fermi: often called the “father of the atomic bomb.

Ellen Page:  Canadian transgender (Elliott) actor.

Linus Pauling:   American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator.

Neil Peart:   Canadian musician and author, drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush.

Steven Pinker:  Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular science author. He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.

In 2004, Pinker was named in Time magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People in the World Today” and in the years 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2011 in Foreign Policy’s list of “Top 100 Global Thinkers.”

Brad Pitt:  Actor.

Ayn Rand:  The high priestess of Libertarianism.

Anne Rice:  American author of gothic vampire fiction and erotica.

Gene Roddenberry:  American screenwriter, producer, philosopher, and creator of Star Trek.

Carl Rogers:  American psychologist and among the founders of the Humanistic approach to psychology.

Eleanor Roosevelt:  American political figure, diplomat and activist, first lady of the United States from March 4, 1933, to April 12, 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms in office.  Roosevelt served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952.  President Harry S. Truman later called her the “First Lady of the World” in tribute to her human rights achievements.

Salman Rushdie:  British Indian novelist and essayist.

Bertrand Russell:  British philosopher, mathematician and academic.

Carl Edward Sagan:  American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, science popularizer, and science communicator in astronomy and other natural sciences.

Jonas Salk:  American medical researcher and virologist, best known for his discovery and development of the polio vaccine.

Andrei Sakharov:  Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist.

Margaret Sanger:  American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist.

Jean-Paul Sartre:  French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, biographer, activist, and critic; author of Existentialism is a Humanism.

Erwin Schrödinger:  Austrian physicist who helped develop  quantum theory.

William F. Schulz:  Executive Director of Amnesty International.

Charles M. Schulz:  American cartoonist who created the comic strip, Peanuts.

Rod Serling:   Creator and narrator of The Twilight Zone.

William Shakespeare:  One of the truest representations of the Renaissance Humanism movement, with a shift from the medieval movement, which mostly focused on god and faith, to a more individual approach to life, more about the human experience.

Percy Shelley:  Romantic poet, famously declared that he was a “lover of Humanity, a democrat and an atheist.”

B.F. Skinner:  American behaviorist, psychologist, author, inventor, social philosopher and poet.

Benjamin Spock:  American pediatrician, writer of the 1946 book Baby and Child Care. In addition to his pediatric work, Spock was an activist in the New Left and anti Vietnam War movements during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Gloria Steinem:  American feminist and political activist.

Oliver Stone:  American film director, producer, and screenwriter who achieved prominence as writer and director of the war drama Platoon (1986), which won Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

George Takei:  American actor and activist, star on Star Trek.

Ted Turner:  American media proprietor, producer, and philanthropist;  the founder of the Cable News Network (CNN).

Mark Twain:  American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson:  American astrophysicist and science communicator.

Nikola Tesla:  Serbian/American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for inventing the modern alternating current (AC) electrical supply system.

Peter Ustinov:  English actor, writer, dramatist, filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter.

Gore Vidal:  American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist.

Kurt Vonnegut:  American author and satirist.

James D. Watson:  Co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

Walt Whitman:  American poet.

Stephen Wozniak:  American electronics engineer, programmer, philanthropist, and technology entrepreneur;   co-founder of  Apple.

Frank Zappa: American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director;  wrote rock, jazz and orchestral works.

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

In a time when traditional belief systems and communities continue to degrade, and people search for new answers and places to belong, Secular Humanism offers itself as a modern philosophy that combines a comprehensive worldview with Secularism and community, offering the benefits once provided by the religious community for the foreseeable future.

Evangelicals are convinced that their religious liberties are under attack from liberals and Secular Humanists.

 Most Secular Humanists are pretty tolerant of basic religious liberties even if they really, really disagree with Evangelicals.

Conversely, Evangelicals who hate Secularists are pretty intolerant of their religious liberties.

One needs to remain cognizant of the Paradox of Tolerance, that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to remain tolerant is eventually seized and destroyed by the intolerant.

Fundamentalist Christians believe their rights are in peril.

Their fear comes from an inverted golden rule:  Expect from others what you would do unto them.

Evangelical Protestants express low levels of tolerance for Secular Humanists, which leads them to expect intolerance from Secularists in return.

All this is unfolding unfolding against a background in which the biggest real-world fights are over abortion and contraceptives and gay rights and wedding cake decorators.

Conservative Christians believe that their freedom to refuse these services is also a basic religious liberty, and there’s no question that liberals and Humanists are pretty determined to take those particular “liberties” away.

Given that, it’s a short step for Evangelicals to believe that liberals and Secular Humanists might someday decide to remove their rights to “hold rallies, teach, speak freely, and run for public office.”

Evangelicals don’t generally engage in faux outrage.