Secular Humanism Is a Religion

Secular humanism is a doctrinal belief that morality is based

solely upon the temporal well-being of mankind to the exclusion of

all belief in God, a supreme being, or a future eternity. It is a

philosophy concerned with the achievements, interests, values, and

quality of human life. It is a religion which places man at the

center of all things.

Secular humanism can be traced back to the earliest record of

mankind. Since it is a philosophical attempt to solve the problems

of mankind and the world independently of God, it can be identified

in the record of the actions of Adam and Eve and their son, Cain.

Secular humanism, often referred to as the wisdom of man, was

first developed as a system of thought by the Greeks as early as the

5th century B.C., when Protagoras(480-411 B.C.) made two basic

propositions:(1)Man is the measure of all things, and (2

)Contradictory assertions are equally true.

Western man's philosophic romance with human wisdom began in the

medieval period when it was taught that man's fall did not affect man

as a whole but only in part. It was taught that man's will was

corrupted but the intellect was not affected. This has given rise to

the notion that when the intelligence is enlightened, the will is

altered for good and man's problems are reduced.

The renaissance gave opportunity for this philosophy to

flourish. Man was glorified in human form, as reflected nude art--in

contrast to the biblical principles of man being given animal skins

to cover his nakedness.

Voltaire, often called the "Father of Enlightenment", advanced

the utopian dream that can be summed up in five

words:reason,nature,happiness, progress, and liberty.

The French and Russian revolutions established institutions of

though that do away with absolutes and entrust humanity to human

wisdom and discipline.

Today universal education in general ignores God and teaches

that there are no absolutes, and that man is self-sufficient and thus

self-indulgent.

TENETS

1.Irrelevance of Deity. Secular humanism denies the relevance of

deity or supernatural agencies. It is expressed in a heightened

sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social

well-being. It does not accept traditional theism's belief in the

Bible as the divinely inspired Word of God.

2.Supremacy of Human Reason. Secular humanism encompasses the

belief that man can begin from himself, and on the basis of the

utilization of his mental faculties alone, think out the answers to

the great questions which confront mankind.

3. Inevitability of Progress. Secular humanism embraces the

belief that nature is moving inevitable to higher and higher forms of

life. It looks more and more to the state to fulfill the role of a

saving institution through its educational system.

4. Science, the Guide to Progress. Secular humanism assumes that

science is the guide and ultimate provider of human progress and

morality. It proceeds on the premise that the universe is

potentially knowable and will eventually reveal the keys to solving

the problems confronting mankind.

5. Autonomy and the Centrality of Man. Secular humanism

encompasses the belief that man is autonomous and independent of

deity of any kind and is released from any obligation to God. It

stresses that man is inherently good and in no need of salvation or

theological redemption. It claims that man, not God, controls the

-More-destiny of the human race.

6. Essentiality of Evolution. Secular humanism regards the

universe as self-existing and not created. It teaches that man has

emerged as a result of a continuous process. Man's culture and

civilization are the product of a gradual development due to his

interaction with his natural environment and with his social

heritage.

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