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The Making of Manifesto I Shows, Six Years Later an Attempt at Improving the Document Failed for Want of Support

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The Making of Manifesto I Shows, Six Years Later an Attempt at Improving the Document Failed for Want of Support fied by a belief in their transcendent real battle of religion is not that of conflict References nature, in their absoluteness independent with other religions, but of a religious fol- Bouquet, A. C. 1948. Hinduism. London: Hutchin- of human initiative. Yet, because they are lower within himself, in order to try to son. not transcendental, not of divine origin, preserve the true values of his faith. Findlay, J. N. 1963. Language, Mind, and Value. they can be easily set aside by the pres- London: Allen & Unwin. This article is excerpted from Raymond Firth's forth- Richardson, Alan and Bowden, John (eds.) 1963. A sure of individual or group human inter- coming book Religion: A Humanist Interpretation New Dictionary of Christian Theology, London: ests. As many wise men have seen, the (Routledge 1996). SCM Press. with its falseness. As Wilson's book The Making of Manifesto I shows, six years later an attempt at improving the document failed for want of support. The last chapter of the book briefly mentions Humanist Manifesto II (1972) Herbert A. Tonne and indicates that Edmund Wilson was recognized as editor emeritus but fails to hen Edmund Wilson was eased out state that Manifesto II was in large mea- Wof his job as Executive Director of "Stripped of embroidery and sure written .by Paul Kurtz. There has the American Humanist Association, he padding, Manifesto l is a state- been some discussion of the development soon thereafter (1967) founded the ment of nonbelief in traditional of a Humanist Manifesto III. Since 1933 Fellowship of Religious Humanism. religion that, nevertheless, does and especially since 1972 there has been During the period in which I was treasurer not wish to offend traditionalists:' so much diversification in opinion among of the Fellowship, Corliss Lamont gave humanists that it would be impossible to the organization $10,000 a year, of which Evolutionary Humanism would become do justice to all versions. It would be quite $5,000 was given to Edmund Wilson to the dominant religion in the not-too-dis- as difficult as attempting a Protestant serve as Historian for Humanism. Wilson tant future. I read the book in 1930 and Manifesto, for example. While a rather filed much of his correspondence and was profoundly impressed by its message. clear distinction could be made between drafts of his writings and evidently spent It is hard to believe that any of the com- religious and secular humanism, the vari- some time trying to organize the material posers of the Manifesto had not read it and ous shadings and overlappings of mean- to meet his obligation as Historian for been much influenced by it. It subse- ings are so numerous that it would be Humanism. The story of the creation of quently went through at least five editions. futile to cope with them in one statement. Humanist Manifesto I, told in The Genesis Stripped of embroidery and padding, And more important it probably would of a Humanist Manifesto (Humanist Manifesto I is a statement of nonbelief in not be generally accepted. Press, 1996), seems to have been culled traditional religion that, nevertheless, does from these various documents. No one not wish to offend traditionalists. It is was in a better position to know how embedded in various beliefs that are either FREE INQUIRY Humanist Manifesto I developed, for he not relevant to the basis statement or are was the major coordinator of its creation. approved by most people anyway, and Functionally and pragmatically, therefore not unique to humanism. The Holders humanism is a genteel, gentrified term for statement was produced in 1933 when the Storing your issues of FREE INQUIRY agnosticism, atheism, freethinking, non- world was at the depth of the Depression. on your bookshelves will be easier belief, or other terms used for a nontheis- It is not surprising therefore that the with the purchase of a vinyl holder. Each holder has a slot for labeling, tic posture. The Unitarian ministers who drafters thought some form of socialism and can accommodate four years of planned the Manifesto evidently did not was part and parcel of humanism. FREE INQUIRY and the Secular have the courage to use the realistic terms Manifesto I has been given inordinate Humanist Bulletin. of any one of them just given. Their con- recognition because the title gives the gregations would probably have balked, impression of it being a monumental con- $11.95 each, and they themselves felt such terms rather sensus; something like a Declaration of postage and handling Included impolite. Moreover, they had an excellent Independence for humanism. In fact the Order from basis for the use of the term humanism to statement is a compromise that gives a FREE INQUIRY, P.O. Box 664, describe their position. In 1927 Julian rather diffuse picture of Humanism as it Amherst, N.Y. 14226-0664 Huxley produced his "Religion with was in 1933, signed in some cases with Or use MC or Visa to order Revelation," in which he predicted that great reluctance by some. Several out- and call toll-free standing humanists for various reasons Herbert Tonne is the author of The refused to sign the statement; some with 1-800-458-1366 Human Dilemma (Prometheus Books). emphasis on its inadequacy and a few Fall 1996 27 .
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