Humanism -- do you consider it a religion?

Question

Debating with my Christian uncle and father again... they say my humanistic philosophy is a false religion... I say it is a rational way of thinking if you are a human and therefor is the opposite of religion (religions being fundamentally based on faith and illogical interpretations of irrelevant fairytales)... what do you think?

RE: comment that Christianity is the cornerstone of Western Civ... You are quite mistaken. Paganism existed independently in ALL areas of Europe (Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse, Germanic, etc etc) for thousands of years before Jesus was supposedly born, and was responsible for the rise of literature, art, music, history, science, architecture, theater, democracy, infrastructure, medicine, mathematics, etc etc. Western culture suffered greatly when it adopted christianity (which isn't Western in origin BTW, its origins are Semitic aka Eastern) something we call the DARK AGES when civilization was all but completely destroyed by christian book burning and forced ignorance. Civilization wasn't revived again until the Renaissance and later the Enlightenment, when pagan (meant the way most christians use it - meaning any system that is not christian) ideals emerged from the rubble of religious persecution to shine the light of rationality on the poor illiterate peasants created by christianity

Wow, there are some great answers, and also some that make me wish there was an ability for me to choose "worst answer" -- not just the best one. Thanks to all! Some good insights to think about.

Answer 1

Would you believe it could go either way? Religion is a combination of (a) an system of theological beliefs and (b) an organized way for people who accept those beliefs to gather together and form a community.

Humanists generally state that there is no God or that God is less relevant to living than naturalistic human values. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity." (Reference below.) This is kind of a theological belief, but it could be argued that doubt is not faith.

Humanists are organizing (loosely) and have been doing so for several decades. The American Humanist Association was formed in 1941.

Now, as to whether it is a "false religion," every religion tends to identify itself as "true," so there's no winning that argument with your uncle & father. I'd wager that they neither consider themselves illogical nor consider their beliefs fairytales. Do the humanist thing: Aspire to the greater good of humanity in your relationship with each of them.

Answer 2

From wikipedia:
It is commonly understood as a group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object (real or imagined), person (real or imagined), or system of thought considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine or highest truth, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, and rituals associated with such belief or system of thought.

So therefore, Humanism can be regarded as a religion of sorts, being no more true or false than any other religion. Any belief/world view can be a religion, i.e. a religion is just a cult with more members. Instead of focusing on what is and isn't a religion, you and your family members should discuss the substance of your view points. Christians generally believe that killing people is wrong, and so do some Humanists! Look for the common ground and make bridges instead of burning them.

Answer 3

I would say that Humanism is a philosophy, not a religion. And I think it depends on the type of humanism; really the core of humanism is placing humans in the center of their world, but many believe it is anti-God, anti-Christ, etc.

I think the flaw in the arguement is that these are exclusive of one another: if one is religious, one cannot be a humanist. So, might I refer to a very important movement in the sixteenth century known as Christian Humanism.

Desiderius Erasumus, even as a devout Roman Catholic and an ordained priest, harshly criticised what he considered excesses of the Church. He was a prolific author, and amongst his most imporant works are his new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament and "The Praise of Folly", a satirical attack on the traditions of the Church. This book was the second most widely read book in Europe during the sixteenth century, second only two the Bible.

Of course, the Catholic Counter-Reformation movement often condemned Erasmus as having "laid the egg that hatched the Reformation." Their critique of him was based principally on his not being strong enough in his criticism of Luther, not seeing the dangers of a vernacular Bible, and dabbling in dangerous scriptural criticism that weakened the Church. All of his works were placed on the Index of Prohibited Books by Paul IV, and some of his works continued to be banned or viewed with caution in the later Index of Pius IV.

Answer 4

Humanism is not a religion. The people who practiced or pioneered humanism were largely religious, but humanism in and of itself was not a religion. Of course there was Christian Humanism, in which the focus was to create a good Christian through the humanistic learning process, but the humanistic ideas themselves cannot be called a religion. Just because somebody organizes a moral code, that does not mean that it should be called a religion. It is entirely possible to be moral without being religious.

Answer 5

Humanism is often referred to as secular humanism. That obviously implies that it is of a secular nature and therefore not a religion. You see it that way because I suspect you are against religion, but religion is the disciplined exercise of specific tasks designed to foster growth of some specific sort. Under that definition I would say humanism is a religion.

I also posit that all have the need to seek God in their lives. BTW this has been scientifically proven by the discovery of the God gene by Dr. Dean Hamer. And when we deny the true God we end up worshiping idols. Not necessarily idols in the traditional sense, but idolatry that sparks lust - of money, of food, of sex, of anything else and ultimately of ourselves. It is the very reason for New Age religions - that god is self & self is god.

And humanism follows that same pattern. The problem with humanism is that it has one huge flaw, born of human arrogance. It sees the human intellect as the highest form of life that exists. And if that is really true, then humanists believe themsevels to be gods. And if you believe in god it must be a religion.

Answer 6

You are correct. Humanism is simply a rejection of the faith needed to involve supernatural forces in your world view. I wouldn't call it a religion at all. It's logic vs. faith, and no matter what the religious moderates will tell you these days, the two are not compatible by their very nature. Try reading "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris for more ideas of how to articulate your point of view to your pesky relatives....I have some of those myself =) Also might want to check out some Ayn Rand books, but she's a tad extreme =)

Answer 7

This is an excerpt of an article you can find in the link below.

"The European Union headquarters considers humanism a religion, perhaps even their unofficial religion. I've seen in EU documents references to recognizing the religions, "Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Humanism." Here in Brussels this is not strange. Brussels is the home of Erasmus, the Renaissance "Prince of the Humanists," and his influence is still highly praised.

Webster's Dictionary describes humanism as "a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason."

EU leadership elevates human reasoning. They dismiss God and reject their Christian heritage and past revivals."

Answer 8

Religion is typically structured around a set of ideas and ideals with a sense of belonging to a group with the same sense of beleifs and usually dictates certains rules or ways of living. Being unfamiliar with humanism, in its most ambiguous way can seem religious as it's a class or group of people who believe upon the same ideals that dictate action in accordance to said beliefs.

Answer 9

Humanism is The Religion of every
FREEMASON on earth , for the sole reason
that it includes All Sects and SATANISM , and
is not limited to Atheism , or any oher Political
Ideology , which includes COMUNISM , and
all other forms of Anti Christian thoughts.
Thanks.

Answer 10

I think you are a very bright and logical girl but dont think that science is the only answer or Jesus is the only answer. any time someone says its the only answer run screaming because there are no absolutes. I know that sounds like an absolute but thats just a cop out excuse.