Everyday Humanism

A LIST, A FACEBOOK MESSAGE, AN ESSAY, A WEDDING EXCERPT

AND A DECLARATION

Humanists believe in living their lives with:

Reason
Equality
Compassion
Science/facts
Respect & care for others
Respect & care for ourselves
Respect & care for the environment
Artistic freedom
Honesty
Education
Responsibility
Everyday kindness

FACEBOOK MESSAGE

This next ramble began with a facebook message - I received from a christian friend of my daughter back in November 2014, and it being a group of questions that are all important to me, I just let myself get carried away with my answer.

I hope it might interest some of you too.

It is very much my take on the issues, rather than a text book version or guide, but sometimes - like Emily - this is what we want to know, rather than some official doctrinal position.
...Though i’ve added the list of Humanist Principles as laid out in the Amsterdam declaration at the bottom for you to read…thought provoking stuff…it was for me anyway!
 
There is also an 2017 update at the end....

 

Question: 
I was just wondering, in your experience of humanists and humanism, are they tolerant of religion and religious practises? 
In the 'ideal' world would we still keep Christmas because of our heritage, or would it be a new winter festival, or no partying ever because it's illogical? (For example)

Since meeting you I've been following the British Humanist Association on fb, and I enjoy a lot of what they say, but some of it makes me wonder what the long term vision might be. 
I'm guessing like there are Christians that are happy for us all to live together, and some that think all the non believers should burn before they get to hell, there is a spectrum, just curious really.

  

Answer: Good to hear from you Emily and delighted to reply…in fact I’ve been playing with this in my head for days since you wrote…

Before I start…It is hard to detach speaking about humanism from speaking about religion, so I’m not going to try here, however it is something I do when I’m speaking to school groups...if the kids choose to bring religion into it then fine, but I like to see us as an entity that is not compared to anything or defined by what we are NOT but by what we ARE …but it is hard to speak about just about anything without it having some historical religious aspect, so …. let’s just get on with it!

 

I’m going to begin with your last point, as I think it paints the background for the rest of the discussion…aaaand I have to say I have never been asked this before! Or at least not like this.

The HSS has an ambition for a fair and equal society in Scotland, where no one is privileged by or discriminated against because of their religion or lack of it, where their ethnicity or sexual preference have no impact on how they are treated socially, politically, economically, in their place of work or education or in the eyes of the law.

  

Nice idea, but I expect progress will be slow…but that’s ok too, the world tends to change slowly...

 

Christmas? I’m pretty sure it’s here to stay! 
It had survived at least half a dozen incarnations pre Christianity, so I expect the great winter solstice family gatherings are not about to go away, and on the ‘logic’ of a good party? Humanists try to be realistic about ourselves and compassionate too, and not just to others; and a big part of being humanist for many is in recognising our very humanity, the emotional need for each other that we all have…which I suspect will always lead to great parties!

  

The scientific or logical aspect of humanism must always be balanced by our ‘human’ side. There is a huge historical precedent for this separation of the logical/empathic, scientific/mystical, male/female, secular/religious approach…it’s a big part of the age of enlightenment and rise of the sciences and is still the usual “must fit into a separate box” way of looking at things, especially ideas.

 

For me Humanism is trying to get over that automatic separation and re-integrate some of those dualised aspects of life. My favourite example: Why must a business only look at the financial bottom line? Why can’t they add ‘happy staff’ or ‘environmental responsibility’ to their profit & loss accounts and give them equal importance? It worked amazingly well for the Quaker businesses of the Victorian era, why not now?

 

The question of tolerance is what we are left with, and it is one that must go both ways. I think part of why Humanism is expanding so rapidly just now is because of it tolerance. Some very prominent atheists (Mr Dawkins for example) are vehemently anti-religious, and belittle or ridicule those of faith, which makes many ordinary (British) atheist very uncomfortable and unhappy, as for them - their belief or lack of it – is about personal choice, not about being ‘better’ than anyone else…and this is I think where the ‘atheist +’ approach that Humanism offers has found its mark in this country.

  

Rather than being a directly negative group ie Non ‘Believers’, humanists believe in many things, as you’ll see in the list below, and the right to free thought is top of that list, and if free thought leads you to become a Buddhist or an Episcopalian then go for it…but it is your right to free thought that must be protected…a religion that is ‘imposed’ has not been chosen by the individual, and may be purely a means of social control, be that by parents, governments, landowners or the local warlord.

  

Lots of the things humanist groups campaign about are related to historical religious ideology…or to be more precise: pseudo religious cultural practice… so can tread on the toes of some religious groups: prostitution laws, same sex marriage and the right to die all fall neatly into this category in this country, and debate is free and open for the most part here, but in the world wide context this is far more problematic.

I try really hard not to be anti-religious in any situation, but it can be hard when it comes to the areas that overlap the human rights of ordinary people overseas. I really struggle at times - as I suspect most folk here do - with the horror of what is done in the name of religion …Children being burned alive for witchcraft? Women stoned to death for adultery after enduring a rape? FGM (female genital mutilation) is practised in this country, even though it is against the law and has been for years, but no one has even put their head over the parapet of MGM (male circumcision) as it is so common a practise in the US almost regardless of religion, even though the religious based pseudo-science that made it so prevalent in the early 20th century was debunked 50 years ago….and so it goes on.

I have no answers to such huge and painful issues other than a simple one: Educate people to think for themselves, allow them the freedom to do so, to enable them to make their own choices.

This is not just about teaching people to read & count…our colleagues in Africa have said loudly that this is not enough – all that does is produce more productive minimum wage workers; Education is about teaching people to think for themselves rather than to accept what they have read or what they been told is true; teach them to evaluate the information that they are given and to question, question and question again until they have an answer or explanation that they understand themselves, which by extension would give them the power to disagree or agree as they see fit.

Religious wars? Same answer...but never forget that most of the religious divides were economic, cultural or racial before they were religious (this is the bit where the one time academic in me comes out, and I want to jump up and down shouting and ram history lessons down people’s throats!).

On a personal level my big ambition is to get people to take responsibility for the actions.

Think about what you’re doing. About everything.

We’ve had the benefit of an education that enables us to do so. Drop litter or recycle? Walk or drive? Green product or petroleum based? Meat eater or vegetarian? Work full time or stay home and play with the kids? I’m not saying which is right or wrong, I’m suggesting that we think about our actions, and have a reason for everything we do, both personally and on the bigger scale politically too (don’t get me started on colonial responsibility or we’ll be there for weeks!). This isn’t just for logical stuff either; I’m back to the compassion and humanity of being a humanist.

 

The whole ‘pay forward’ movement is very humanist in its nature. I love it.…be nice to folk just because you can (without the whole heaven/hell, carrot/stick thing underlying it): Let folk out first at the junction; take their trolley back at the supermarket, or go the whole way and pay for a stranger’s lunch at the deli ‘cause they look like they’re having a bad day.

To sum up…be good to folk, but be honest with yourself about why you are doing things too. It makes us feel good to be nice to people and that's a great reason  for doing something…but we have a responsibility to the world too, and that should always be in the back of our minds.

 

As a Secular Humanist I know that there is no super-human being coming to clean up all our mess, be that environmentally, socially, economically or spiritually.

We have to do it ourselves.

 

I also know that the mess we already have, we have to ‘fess up to and start work on….so that would be individuals, businesses, governments, maybe even whole societies having to come clean about the errors of the past and then they’d have to put their money where their mouths are … a big ask.

 

…and on that superhuman being that’s not coming? I’m pretty sure we all still want one, so we make up our own these days…Batman, Superman and the Marvel comic movies are universally popular because of that (Mary Poppins? Bill Gates?), and the idea that someone else will save the day is SO appealing, as of course that means we won’t have to ‘tidy our room’…but the other side of superhero coin is not so pretty for me…the arch villain.

This is the point at which I get tangled up in my understanding of ‘old school’ religion, and more modern approaches. Do people still believe in the Devil? The concept of Sin? …but then I can see the appeal in that too:…”It wasn’t me, the devil tempted me, he made me do it….” is a fantastic line if you get caught…and if it was not the devil then might it have been the victim? “She was dressed inappropriately” ? Really?... and then the ‘get out of hell free’ card of confession and repentance has its own bill to pay…in a modern context, this is one aspect of religion that I truly cannot understand.

To sum up…I try to be tolerant, and I hope for the same from others, but there are some thoughts and behaviours attached to some religions that I will never understand, and I suspect that there are ways I think about things that others will struggle with in return…

Maybe it would be good for us all if the HSS instituted ‘Stop and think’ time every day…just a minute or two, here or there… with a topic for the day?

Thank you for stopping and thinking Emily, and for making me do the same…you’re a gem!

A Wedding.

So Emily and I have stayed in touch, and become even better friends since then, and when she and her partner Killian decided to get married they came up here and we chatted about all sorts of things that can happen in a wedding, and had a great time...but really didn't think I'd be doing any sort of ceremony for them as they live south of the border, and I can't conduct legal weddings down there, and of course Em is a christian, so it wouldn't be appropriate.

However, Killian is a pretty ardent rationalist, and after much discussion, they decided that they'd have a registrar ceremony just for themselves, and then have a 'proper' wedding the next day at the Inn on the Lake at Ullswater, and very kindly asked me to write it with them, and conduct it on the day.
I'm not going to post the whole thing, but here is what we decided to say about belief and humanism in their ceremony:

" ....Killian and Emily have chosen to have a Humanist ceremony for their wedding today.

As you might know Emily is a Christian, and feels that her faith is everywhere she goes rather than being restricted to a building or space - and for Killian the option of saying religious vows felt hypocritical, so the compromise was made that they would find a way to celebrate their love and their marriage in their own way, and in a place that was special to them both…

They have written much of this ceremony themselves, and as well as allowing them to write their own vows I’m sure you will find that it reflects their aspirations, their time together, and what is important to them in their daily lives...as well as on such a special day as this...

Humanists like myself aim to be guided by reason, inspired by compassion and informed by our experience of life – and even though it is a secular philosophy it reflects many of the ways that Killian and Emily look at life; their fellow humans; the world around them; and indeed their caring and practical approach to all those things…and knowing them as you do you can expect this day to be fun, full of laughter and life, quirky, loving and just a little bit bonkers…"

I'll get a picture posted in here as soon as I get one!  

 

AMSTERDAM DECLARATION 2002 

 (the formal definition)

Humanism is the outcome of a long tradition of free thought that has inspired many of the world's great thinkers and creative artists and gave rise to science itself.

The fundamentals of modern Humanism are as follows:

 

Humanism is ethical. It affirms the worth, dignity and autonomy of the individual and the right of every human being to the greatest possible freedom compatible with the rights of others. Humanists have a duty of care to all of humanity including future generations. Humanists believe that morality is an intrinsic part of human nature based on understanding and a concern for others, needing no external sanction.

 

Humanism is rational. It seeks to use science creatively, not destructively. Humanists believe that the solutions to the world's problems lie in human thought and action rather than divine intervention. Humanism advocates the application of the methods of science and free inquiry to the problems of human welfare. But Humanists also believe that the application of science and technology must be tempered by human values. Science gives us the means but human values must propose the ends.

  

Humanism supports democracy and human rights. Humanism aims at the fullest possible development of every human being. It holds that democracy and human development are matters of right. The principles of democracy and human rights can be applied to many human relationships and are not restricted to methods of government.

 

Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility. Humanism ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person responsible to society, and recognises our dependence on and responsibility for the natural world. Humanism is undogmatic, imposing no creed upon its adherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.

  

Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion. The world's major religions claim to be based on revelations fixed for all time, and many seek to impose their world-views on all of humanity. Humanism recognises that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arises through a continuing process. of observation, evaluation and revision.

  

Humanism values artistic creativity and imagination and recognises the transforming power of art. Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts for personal development and fulfilment.

Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfilment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of our times. Humanism can be a way of life for everyone everywhere.

Our primary task is to make human beings aware in the simplest terms of what Humanism can mean to them and what it commits them to. By utilising free inquiry, the power of science and creative imagination for the furtherance of peace and in the service of compassion, we have confidence that we have the means to solve the problems that confront us all. We call upon all who share this conviction to associate themselves with us in this endeavour.

IHEU Congress 2002.