… Humanist Manifesto II in 1973. Here’s a snippet from that specifically God-denying document:
“Many kinds of humanism exist in the contemporary world. The varieties and emphases of naturalistic humanism include “scientific,” “ethical,” “democratic,” “religious,” and “Marxist” humanism. Free thought, atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, deism, rationalism, ethical culture, and liberal religion all claim to be heir to the humanist tradition.”
It’s telling that these leading humanists consider liberal religion as an ally in thought and cause. And what exactly are their beliefs? We’ll let the document do the talking:
“As in 1933 (referring to the original Humanist Manifesto), humanists still believe that traditional theism, especially faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for persons, to hear and understand their prayers, and to be able to do something about them, is an unproved and outmoded faith. Salvationism, based on mere affirmation, still appears as harmful, diverting people with false hopes of heaven hereafter. Reasonable minds look to other means for survival.”
“Too often traditional faiths encourage dependence rather than independence, obedience rather than affirmation, fear rather than courage. More recently they have generated concerned social action, with many signs of relevance appearing in the wake of the “God Is Dead” theologies. But we can discover no divine purpose or providence for the human species. While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.”
“We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species. Any account of nature should pass the tests of scientific evidence; in our judgment, the dogmas and myths of traditional religions do not do so.”
“Some humanists believe we should reinterpret traditional religions and reinvest them with meanings appropriate to the current situation.”
“But we reject those features of traditional religious morality that deny humans a full appreciation of their own potentialities and responsibilities.”
“Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices.”
“We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and situational needing no theological or ideological sanction.”
“We reject all religious, ideological, or moral codes that denigrate the individual, suppress freedom, dull intellect, dehumanize person- ality.”
“We urge that parochial loyalties and inflexible moral and religious ideologies be transcended.”
The whole goal of humanism is to solve the world’s problems solely through human effort, not realizing that the world’s problems –all of them– stem from human effort, man’s rebellion against God, and the rejection of His moral authority. Secular humanism is precisely the cause of human suffering. Secular liberalism and religious liberalism are different divisions of the same humanist ideas as put forth in the document. I urge you to read it in its entirety. Much of what you see in the world today is contained in the writing of these God-hating secular visionaries, come to pass. Liberals within the church are in fact humanist change agents.
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