Secular Humanism

Secular Humanism is the most prominent branch of Humanism and being that it is grounded in secular philosophy by rejecting supernaturalism, it fundamentally conflicts with religious belief. Secularism may or may not be opposed to religion per se, but as a social movement it is especially concerned with religious law, whereby a strict doctrine is imposed upon the citizenry dismissing the concept and practice of freedom of religion. Regarding political matters, Secular Humanism seeks to keep the government separate from the influence of any particular religion in order that rules developed under secularism may be universally applied.

Secular humanists believe they have developed their moral values in the absence of influence of religious tradition. In fact however, they would have a difficult time determining from where their ethical and moral views otherwise developed. For example, some secular humanists deride Christianity, even though it is more likely than not that Christianity is the wellspring of their moral values. Among other things, this is simply a matter of probability, since the people with whom the secular humanist associates from childhood, and the caretakers of their own children, are probably faithful Christians. The problem presented by the secular humanist is somewhat like the "free-rider" principle in economics, where there is no contribution made by the free-riding individual, but that particular individual still benefits from the contributions of the rest of society. The quest for Christian compassion, dignity and human rights, clearly these are not attributes with which people are born. Scientific proof of this fact is indisputable, since feral children demonstrate that humans are not innately good.

Secular Humanism can be (over) simplified thus:

• Humans matter and can solve human problems
• Science, free speech, rational thought, democracy and freedom in the arts go together
• There is no supernatural

There are now nine Humanist Manifestos and Declarations:

• Humanist Manifesto I (1933)
• Humanist Manifesto II (1973)
• A Secular Humanist Declaration (1980)
• A Declaration of Interdependence (1988)
• IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism (1996)
• Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for a New Planetary Humanism (2000) condensed version
• The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles
• Amsterdam Declaration (July 2002)
• Humanist Manifesto III (Humanism And Its Aspirations) (2003)

The two individuals who have done the most to promote Secular Humanism in the 20th Century are Dr. Paul Kurtz and Gene Roddenberry. Secular Humanism often finds itself in conflict with Christian fundamentalism, especially over the issue of state involvement in religion. Secular Humanists tend to see Christian fundamentalists as superstitious and regressive, while Christian fundamentalists tend to see Secular Humanists as the work of Satan as a means to direct society away from God. Secular Humanists counter that religious factionism will never be a solution to human problems, and claim Humanist principles are adequate to address the same issues as religious principles (for example, ethics and morals).

See also

• The Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH)
• The American Humanist Association
• The rationalist movement.
• The Godless Americans PAC (political action committee)
• Religious Humanism

External links

• British Humanist Association
• Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH)
  • Free Inquiry (magazine)
• The American Humanist Association
  • The Humanist (magazine)
• The Humanist Association of Canada
  • Humanist in Canada (magazine)
• International Humanist and Ethical Union
  • International Humanist News is also available at www.iheu.org.
• The Institute for Humanist Studies
• The History and Philosophy of Humanism - Speech given by Steven D. Schafersman in Oxford, Ohio (September 24, 1995)
• Site of the Romanian association Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience - Romanian/ English