Myth:
Humanism is a religion.
Fact:
Religion is commonly defined as "belief in and
worship of a supernatural power as the creator
and governor of the universe." In contrast,
humanism is a philosophy devoted to consideration of
matters affecting the earthly well-being of all
people, regardless of their religious affiliations or
lack thereof. As such, it endorses no system of
belief in or about supernatural beings or mystical planes
of existence. Essentially indifferent to religion,
humanism reaches across religious boundaries, to embrace
all people who believe in fundamental human
accountability and worth.
Some
humanists are religious, while others are not.
Generic humanism itself expresses no opinion one way or
the other on that issue, save in matters in which the
policies and actions of religious institutions affect
human well-being. Though it is possible for almost
any idea to be categorized as a religion if the
definition is stretched enough, humanism simply does not
fit any customary interpretation of the term.
Myth:
Humanism is anti-religious.
Fact:
Humanism originated during the European Renaissance among
religious (primarily Christian) believers. Since
that time, it has had a profound effect upon social,
political, and religious reform, and indeed upon the very
quality of life which our still predominantly religious
society now enjoys. In fact, humanistic influence
has helped to bring Judeo-Christian religion into the
modern era. Without such progress, religion would,
by its rigidly conservative nature, almost certainly have
stagnated in its medieval phase, stifling the development
of western civilization in the process. Today
humanism is an integral part of the daily lives of a
great many devoutly religious people. Though it
gives the lie to primitive superstition and foolish
legend, humanism is not at all incompatible with genuine
religious faith. Indeed, humanism's growing
association with non-believers did not develop until
relatively recently, for although humanism had been
advancing since the Renaissance, religious disbelief was
itself a rarity prior to the late 19th century.
By
definition, humanism's focus is upon the needs and
concerns of humankind. Yet despite repeated
attempts by both religious and secular fanatics to erect
artificial barriers between it and religion, the
philosophy of humanism is no more inherently anti-god
than other religiously neutral concerns, such as modern
medicine and agriculture. Indeed, humanism comes in
both religious and secular varieties. There is
little difference between the two, save the premise of
whether human worth derives from the importance of our
species to a supernatural creator, or from its natural
importance to us by virtue of the fact that we are
human. Both religious and secular humanists
emphatically agree that, whatever its source, human worth
does indeed exist, and it is that worth which forms the
foundation of all humanist philosophy. Beyond that,
the values, methods, and goals of religious and secular
humanists are, for most practical purposes, identical.
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Myth:
Humanism is unpatriotic and
anti-American.
Fact:
Granted, there have been many places and times where
humanism would indeed be considered unpatriotic:
Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, communist China, and
theocratic Iran are some well-known examples from the
twentieth century. In such places human interests
are trampled, and the human masses are considered of
value only insofar as their lives—or deaths—can
serve the power structure. The humanistic advocacy
of human interests, individuality, and liberty in such
places can be dangerous to one's health and even life,
for there the power structure is considered
all-important, and human life is rated the cheapest and
most expendable of commodities.
In
Europe and North America during the 18th century,
however, humanistic reform fostered by the Enlightenment
was a driving force behind the American Revolution and
the drafting of the Constitution of the United
States. Humanism was the unifying ideal which bound
together from diverse religious and political backgrounds
such patriotic idealists as Adams, Franklin, Hamilton,
Jay, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Paine, and
Washington. America's founding principle, of
Government of the People, by the People, and for the
People, is the very embodiment of humanism.
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Myth:
Humanism has no moral values.
Fact:
One of humanism's most important features, indeed one of
the main reasons for its existence, is a system of values
supported by rational thought. Humanist ethics is a
method of discerning "right" and
"wrong," based on any given action's beneficial
or detrimental effects upon humanity.
Indeed, we all
routinely employ such ethics whenever we consider our
actions in terms of their social consequences, whether
instead of or in addition to their compliance with
religious edict. For example, religious scripture
says nothing specifically about how one ought to behave
on the Internet; there are no commandments which say,
"Thou shalt not hack," or, "Thou shalt not
spam." Yet it is evident that some Internet
users are guided by a strong sense of regard for their
fellow men and women, while the behavior of others is
marked by a clear lack of such regard, or even a
malignant contempt for it. Moreover, the strength
or weakness of that regard appears related more to
emotional maturity than to religion.
Far
from abandoning morality, humanism has given it rational
reinforcement and an ability to grow and adapt, enhancing
its relevance in an era of democracy, science, and global
interaction among diverse cultures. While some may regard as an
inconvenience its requirement of a measure of thought and
judgment in its application, rational ethics offers our
modern world a level of universality and fairness
unachievable by ancient sectarian codes, whose primary
secular objective was simply to keep petty tyrants in
power over wandering tribes of goatherds.
Myth: Humanism's
values oppose those of religion.
Fact:
In most important respects, humanism's standards of right
and wrong closely resemble those of contemporary
religions. Humanism and religion alike encourage
such virtues as loyalty and industry, and discourage such
harmful practices as dishonesty and murder. This is
not surprising, since many values of modern religion have
their ancient roots in the secular necessities of
civilization, to which humanism also subscribes.
The main difference between humanist and religious values
is not in their content, but rather in how they are
supported.
Religion
backs behavioral standards by assertion and
interpretation of dogma; its virtues are based on
authority, tradition, and taboo. Support is offered
in the form of proverbs and parables, with little or no
evidential or rational substantiation which can be tested
and verified. To encourage compliance, religion
must rely upon promises of afterlife reward and
punishment (now that torture and witch trials are out of
fashion).
In contrast, humanism
supports moral conduct through the compelling power of
observation and reason, as verified by the evidence of
history. Without relying upon cryptic scriptures
and ambiguous prophecies, rational ethics can readily
show, based on cause-and-effect, how legitimate
behavioral standards derive from their social
consequences. In this way, humanism demonstrates
the practical value of morality to all
people, regardless of their religious inclinations.*
Yet
there is another important difference between religious
and humanist standards. Practical social values
aside, religion finds it necessary to bolster its own
interests and discourage competition. Beyond
addressing practical virtues, therefore, religion also
devotes much attention to promoting and defending its own
institutions and beliefs, by encouraging piety, ritual,
and offerings, and by prohibiting blasphemy, heresy, and
sacrilege—matters arguably greatly affecting the
viability and credibility of religious institutions, but
of no particular consequence to ordinary people.
Because humanism appeals to
reason rather than to faith, its ideas are
self-supporting and adaptive. Humanist values
stand, not on authority, but on merit, with respect to
the basic premise of the value and dignity of mankind
(whether inherent or god-given), and offer themselves to
scrutiny and revision in that light.
Despite
differences in delivery and maintenance, the values of
religion and humanism are quite similar in
substance. To use a vehicular analogy, they are
like an ancient oxcart and a modern automobile:
Either will get us to our destination, but one takes a
lot longer and leaves a trail of misfortune behind.
*For a
more detailed explanation and examples of how the
humanist ethical system works, see "The Purpose of
Humanist Values" and "How Humanist Values
Work" in the article, "My Homespun
Humanism," accessible from the Philosophy &
Religion page.
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Why are such myths
propagated?
Because
humanism and religion share the common goal of promoting
moral behavior, it would at first seem that they ought to
be considered allies toward achieving that laudable
objective. And indeed they are regarded as such in
some quarters, for humanism's rationalistic method lends
strong reinforcement to many religious moral
precepts. However, some religionists are inclined
to regard humanism, not as an ally, but as a competitor.
For humanism removes as a rationale for morality the
necessity of superstition, which is the primary (and
often sole) basis for morality offered by some religious
persuasions. Leaders of many such sects have
therefore adopted a policy of portraying humanism
falsely, as inherently anti-religious, anti-patriotic,
and bereft of values, in a desperate and unscrupulous
attempt to discredit and denigrate it.
Yet
religious primitives are not the only ones guilty of
fabricating an anti-religious image of humanism.
Many militant atheists, whose claims upon humanism as
"their" philosophy are equally false, must
share the blame for casting humanism in a negative light
in the eyes of a largely religious public. Granted,
humanism has a natural attraction to secularists, as it
does to anyone who craves a firm basis for
morality. But secularists certainly did not invent
humanism, and by no stretch of the imagination does it
belong to them exclusively. The erection of
artificial barriers between humanism and religion does a
disservice to both. For while it encourages
individual liberty and cultural diversity, humanism's
inherent embrace of all mankind enables it to transcend
political and religious boundaries, thereby offering a
powerful unifying and directing force for achieving the
common goals of humanity. If we fail to take
advantage of this enormous potential benefit in a
misguided effort to hijack humanism for the benefit of a
select few, then to that extent we are not truly
humanists.
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