Secular humanism

Secular humanism is the main branch of humanism. On its surface, secularism tends to reject supernaturalism, thus conflicting with most religions. Secularism is not opposed to religion, but to religious law, whereby religion proposes to impose its doctrines upon all of its citizenry, dismissing full freedom of religion. Secular simply means keeping separate the common government from individualistic religion so that any rules developed under secularism can be applied universally.

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 humanism as the work of Satan to draw society away from God. Humanists counter that religious factionism will never be a solution to human problems, and claim that humanist principles are rooted in the common aspects of all religions' principles.

See also

• Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH)
• The American Humanist Association

External links

• Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH)
  • Free Inquiry (magazine).
• The American Humanist Association
  • The Humanist (magazine).
• The History and Philosophy of Humanism - Speech given by Steven D. Schafersman in Oxford, Ohio (September 24, 1995)