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Secular Humanism

Fri, 5 Jul 2008 11:56:00 GMT

posted by vjack
Secular humanism is much broader than atheism and entails many things that atheism does not. This will be easy to understand if you remember that atheism refers to nothing more than the lack of belief in any sort of gods. So what is secular humanism?

We begin with humanism. According to Paul Kurtz, "Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook" which can be traced "back to the philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and Rome, Confucian China, and the Charvaka movement in classical India." Humanism is an optimistic stance, entailing "confidence in the power of human beings to solve their own problems and conquer uncharted frontiers." Humanists believe that reason, science, and technology can benefit humanity and seek to promote their growth.

Adding the "secular" modifier in front of humanism stresses scientific naturalism. That is, secular humanists are those who reject the existence spiritual/supernatural entities because there is no evidence for any such entities. in this way, secular humanists go much farther than atheists, rejecting not just the notion of god(s) but of anything supernatural. Secular humanists maintain that reason and empiricism are the paths to knowledge.

The secular humanist understands that religious faith has nothing to do with knowledge. It is not a different way of knowing because it is not a way of knowing at all - it has no bearing on knowledge whatsoever.

Ethically, secular humanism has something important to offer. Secular humanists believe that ethics are derived from reason rather than superstition. Some of the core ethical precepts (e.g., the "Golden Rule") predate Christianity. This poses no problem for secular humanists.

In the political realm, secular humanists are proponents of democracy, valuing human rights and their application to all humans. Thus, secular humanists are committed to humanity and less likely to be infected with the idiocy of patriotism. The humanist strives to promote human dignity and respect, discarding inherently divisive religious dogma.

This post is an abbreviated version of a previous post on Atheist Revolution titled "Secular Humanist First, Atheist Second."

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Tags: secular humanism, atheism, atheist, secular humanist, humanism, humanist, Paul Kurtz, secular, scientific naturalism, democracy, patriotism

1 in 5 Bald Men Has Full Head of Hair: The Pew Report

Sat, 29 Jun 2008 12:33:00 GMT

posted by vjack
The story sweeping the atheist blogosphere at the moment concerns a recent report by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life claiming that 1 in 5 atheists in the U.S. say they believe in some sort of god. The Secular Coalition for America has released their response, which I have included below. It is worth reading for anyone trying to make sense out of the Pew report.

Pew Study Finds One in Five Atheists Believe in God
The Secular Coalition for America Responds

For Immediate Release: June 25, 2008
Contact: Anne Singer, 202-271-4679

Washington, DC – The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a second report from its U.S. Religious Landscape Survey on Monday concluding that Americans are highly religious and tolerant of other religions and that religion is politically relevant. While none of this is news, the study’s findings about nonreligious Americans are.

Pew reported that 21 percent of atheists in their survey said they believed in God or a universal spirit, that six percent of them considered it a personal god, and that 40 percent of agnostics feel certain that God exists. Conversely, among respondents who say they are affiliated with a religious tradition (Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, etc.), a surprising number said they actually do not believe in a god or universal spirit.

“When atheists are telling you they believe in God and Catholics are admitting they don’t, that’s evidence of the stigma our society puts on nontheists,” said Lori Lipman Brown, Director of the Secular Coalition for America. “Americans repeatedly tell pollsters that an atheist is the last person they’d want their children to marry, the last person they’d vote for as President. This prejudice also appears in the widespread impression that atheists lack ethics and values.”

A 2007 Newsweek study* indicates that surveys putting the number of Americans without a god belief at anywhere between 21 to 63 million are probably low: half of Newsweek’s respondents last year reported personally knowing an atheist. "Unless these small numbers of atheists have unusually vast social networks, those respondents tell us that nontheists make up a lot more than just eight or 12 percent of the U.S. population," said Brown. “It says a lot about the difficulty of coming out of the closet, whether it’s to family, pollsters or fellow parishioners.”

The Pew Center's press release also announced that religion in America is politically relevant; however, says Brown, so is its absence. "When you look at the results, you see the secular vote is much larger and more up for grabs than other groups who receive an awful lot of attention from politicians and pollsters. And yet with both major parties pandering to religion, our constituency is feeling more and more like outcasts in our own democracy.”

According to the Pew survey, there are more than twice as many atheists and agnostics (a combined 4.0 percent of all respondents) as there are Jews (1.7 percent), and about four times as many as there are Muslims (0.6 percent). Atheists and agnostics also have higher ratios of independent voters than most other groups in the study. The overall percentage of voters with no religious affiliation, which includes atheists, agnostics, and secular and religious unaffiliateds, too, is nearly equal (16.1) to the percentage who are mainline Protestant (18.1).

The Secular Coalition for America represents nine national coalition partners who share the view that a secular government offers the best guarantee for freedom of thought and belief for all Americans. In this election year, the Coalition will continue to amplify the voices of atheists, agnostics, humanists and other nontheists, and will advocate for all secular voters and help boost their visibility even as pollsters, politicians and pundits are silent about their place in American public life. The Coalition’s website is www.secular.org.

* Newsweek Magazine, April 9, 2007, “Is God Real?” by Jon Meacham.

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Tags: atheist, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Secular Coalition for America, atheists, poll, survey, U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

Black Atheist Series (2) - Dr. Anthony B. Pinn

Thu, 27 Jun 2008 14:01:00 GMT

posted by zeeharrison

I have promised to feature a black 'non-believer/atheist/freethinker/humanist' or whatever they wish to call themselves.
I have taken the liberty of including in this category freethinkers, skeptics, humanists, scientific naturalists and anyone else who debunks the supernatural or promotes rational thinking.

To be in any of the above categories in many black communities around the world can invite ridicule, censorship, ostracisation or even worse. I invite you to search the net for 'black atheist' and you may discover how few black atheists are 'out'.
To have someone brave enough to challenge irrational thinking at a time when people are and were victims of traditional myths, who stands up and promotes the idea of thinking for oneself, is truly admirable.

I nominate Dr. Anthony B. Pinn in my Black Atheist Series.

Dr. Anthony Pinn -is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University (William Marsh Rice University) in Houston, Texas.
He has inspired me with his intelligence, historical analysis and vision, particularly in relation to black people and religion.
One of my queries concerns why black people have found themselves pigeon-holed into being and being perceived as believers in the supernatural. Dr Pinn outlines his take on why and how this has happened. His focus is on African-Americans, slavery, the Civil Rights movement and other freethinkers/humanists/atheists who acted as either agents of freethinking or supernatural belief.

I particularly enjoyed his article: 'On Becoming Humanist: A Personal Journey' - here's a quote from it:

"I could not accept the idea that the collective suffering of those I saw on a daily basis had any value at all. I needed to explore an alternate response that uncompromisingly affirms—at all costs, including even the rejection of Christian concepts such as God—the demonic nature of collective suffering because human liberation is more important than the maintenance of any religious symbol, sign, cannon, or icon.
Having worked through this problem, I could see nothing in history pointing toward the presence of something in the world beyond visible realities. There was no sneaking suspicion, no "smoking gun," pointing beyond humans. There is no God to hold us accountable, to work with us in moving beyond our current existential dilemmas. In the words of Oscar Wilde: "The true mystery of the world is the visible not the invisible."

After taking a deep breath, I spoke a new word: God does not exist. Even with this confession made, I was still committed to doing theology, but without reliance on notions of God. I would do theology as a humanist. And as such, I was no longer talking about God (at least not in positive terms), but talking about ultimate questions of life that are not dependent on some type of "Supreme Reality," a "Prime Mover." I continued my work with this commitment: religious questions can surely be posed without the assumption of God."

I recommend you read his recent book 'The African American Religious Experience in America'.

Black Atheist Series (2) - Dr. Anthony B. Pinn.

Time For Atheist Churches?

Tue, 7 May 2008 10:33:00 GMT

posted by vjack
With increasing numbers of freethinkers "coming out" and openly identifying themselves as atheists, agnostics, and/or secular humanists, some are suggesting that secular churches may be useful. Of course, atheism is not a religion, and the concept of atheist churches strikes some as a bit silly. Still, I do not think we should hastily dismiss the idea without carefully considering the advantages they might bring. Besides, calling an institution a church does not necessarily mean that it must resemble religious churches.

Imagine having an atheist church in your community. What would be the potential benefits? I suggest that they would include at least the following:

Increased sense of community, belonging, and social support
Increased public presence (i.e., atheists would be more visible to both believers and nonbelievers)
Improved organization, facilitating activism and lobbying
Education and mentoring for members

For more on atheist churches, see this op-ed from Digital Journal.

Tags: atheist, atheism, atheist churches, freethinkers, secular, agnostic, secular humanists, religion, community, organization, activism, education, mentoring

Time For Atheist Churches?

Tue, 7 May 2008 10:33:00 GMT

Increased sense of community, belonging, and social support
Increased public presence (i.e., atheists would be more visible to both believers and nonbelievers)
Improved organization, facilitating activism and lobbying
Education and mentoring for members