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The Religion of Secular Humanism Is Christian High Schools, Colleges, and Uni- Gerald A needs of our time," and Edwin H. Wilson, the 1979 Humanist of the Year and former The Religion of editor of The Humanist, says that, "Humanism in a naturalistic frame is validly a religion." Secular Humanism While I argue in Understanding The Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day and the Search for Truth that secular humanism is a comprehensive worldview David A. Noebel that consists of a theology (atheism), phi- losophy (metaphysical naturalism), ethics Religion: (1.) A worldview i.e., any set of (moral relativism), biology (spontaneous beliefs or system of thought that contains generation/evolution), psychology (self- a theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, actualization), sociology (feminism/ psychology, sociology, economics, poli- homosexualism), law (positivism), poli- tics, law and history—Noebel (2.) tics (globalism), economics (socialism), "Among religions in this country which and history (French Enlightenment II), do not teach what would generally be con- Kurtz acknowledges the three main pillars sidered a belief in the existence of God are of any worldview viz., theology, philoso- Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, phy, and ethics. Secular Humanism and others."—U.S. One of the early voices of Secular Supreme Court (1961) (3.) "Any system Humanism was Charles Francis Potter. of beliefs, practices, ethical values .. Potter signed the Humanist Manifesto [e.g.], humanism as a religion."— (1933) along with John Dewey and Roy Webster's New World Dictionary (4.) "A Wood Sellars. Potter was a Baptist minis- system of thought shared by a group that "Secular Humanism is a religion. ter for eleven years and a Unitarian minis- gives members an object of devotion It is a religion because it contains, [God, the state, man, nature], a code of ter for eleven more years before founding as all worldviews contain, the first Humanist church in New York ethics and a frame of reference relating a theology." individuals to their group and the uni- City in 1929. In Potter's 1930 book verse."—Columbia Encyclopedia (5.) Humanism: A New Religion he states, "Secularism ... is the name for an ideol- worldviews contain, a theology. When "Humanism is not simply another denom- ogy, a new closed worldview which func- Paul Kurtz says in the 1973 Humanist ination of Protestant Christianity; it is not tions very much like a new religion."— Manifesto that "no deity will save us, we a creed; nor is it a cult. It is a new type of Harvey Cox (6.) "Over the years, men must save ourselves" he speaks the lan- religion altogether." and women who embrace the philosophy guage of religion. Salvation is a religious It is, as Roy Wood Sellars, author of or faith known as Humanism have con- experience and concept. While the the 1933 Humanist Manifesto, says, "A tributed significantly toward improving Christian worldview insists that God (or religion founded on realities in a religion the condition of life for all."—American Jesus Christ) alone can save our souls coming of age." Sellars said this in his Humanist Association (7.) "Pure religion (regeneration) and bodies (resurrection), ground-breaking work Religion Coming ... is this, to visit the fatherless and wid- the secular humanist worldview insists of Age (1928). ows in their affliction, and to keep oneself that reason and science can save humanity Indeed, nearly all the early secular unspotted from the world."—James (1:27) through progressive governmental and humanists admitted that secular human- liberal educational programs. ism was a religion. John Dewey, for ecular Humanism is a religion. It is a It is a religion because it possesses and example, in his A Common Faith con- religion because it contains, as all promotes a religious symbol—a fish with cluded his book by stating, "Here are all feet and the name Darwin enscribed. The the elements for a religious faith that shall David A. Noebel, President of Summit religious symbol of the Christian world- not be confined to sect, class, or race. Ministries, is the author of Clergy in the view is either the cross or the fish with the Such a faith has always been implicitly Classroom: The Religion of Secular name Jesus enscribed. the common faith of mankind. It remains Humanism and Understanding The But even more specific is Kurtz's own to make it explicit and militant." Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our declaration in his preface to the Humanist While the Humanist movement has Day and the Search for Truth. Summit Manifestos I and II that, "Humanism is a made the faith explicit, the American edu- Ministries supplements the education of philosophical, religious and moral point cational establishment has made it mili- Christian students attending non- of view." FREE INQUIRY Senior Editor tant. The religion of Secular Humanism is Christian high schools, colleges, and uni- Gerald A. Larue says that humanism is, the only worldview allowed in the public versities. "a religion to meet the psychological schools. All other competing worldviews Fall 1996 7 have been declared illegal by the U.S. functional definition of religion in order to of Minnesota the "U of M Atheists and Supreme Court and effectively eliminated include non-Christian and non-theistic Humanists" are identified under bit by bit-1962 (prayer), 1963 (the religions. Secular humanism, for better or "Student Organizations—Religious." Bible), 1980 (Ten Commandments), and worse, falls under this nontheistic func- Listed with "U of M Atheists and 1987 (God). tional definition of religion. It is, in reality, Humanists" are such groups as the Curtis W. Reese edited numerous vol- a nontheistic, natural religion, with a natu- Buddhist Association, Baptist Student umes entitled Humanist Sermons and in ralistic deity viz., natural selection. Union, Campus Crusade for Christ, 1931 wrote a work for the MacMillan Secular humanist lawyer Leo Pfeffer Catholic Student Association, Muslim publishing company entitled Humanist wrote in a 1977 issue of the Journal of Student Association, University Unitarian Religion. Reese had no problem with the Church & State that secular humanism Universalists, and Women of Virtue. notion that Secular Humanism was a reli- would triumph over three religions— Writing in the August 1991 issue of gion. That problem came later when the Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism. Commentary magazine, Irving Kristol Paul Kurtzes of the world began to realize His article "The Triumph of Secular identifies secular humanism as the "new that secular humanism was in danger of Humanism" makes it clear that Human- religious impulse" that stands in contrast having to withdraw from the public edu- ism is not merely a philosophical or polit- to "the traditional biblical religions that cation square under the same interpreta- ical movement. Only religions triumph formed the framework of Western civi- tion of the separation doctrine that over other religions. Only faiths triumph lization." Kristol argues that this new reli- Humanists cleverly used to eradicate over other faiths. gious impulse "is more than science" Christianity from the public schools. Paul Kurtz, writing in the Winter since it makes all kinds of inferences But that was yesterday. What about 1986/87 issue of FREE INQUIRY, admits about the human condition and human now? Basically nothing has changed. In that the organized humanist movement is possibilities. He insists that this religion fact, the evidence is stronger today that put in a quandry over the question of reli- of secular humanism is "the orthodox Secular Humanism is a religion than sev- gion. Why? Because the Fellowship of metaphysical-theological basis of the two enty-five years ago. Religious Humanists, the American modern political philosophies, socialism The 1994 Humanists of the Year, Lloyd Ethical Union, the Society for Humanistic and liberalism." and Mary Morain, co-authored a work in Judaism, and the American Humanist But let me conclude with an example 1954 titled Humanism as the Next Step: Association "all consider themselves to be from Harvard. The Harvard University An Introduction for Liberal Protestants, religious." Indeed, Kurtz laments the fact Gazette (July 9, 1993) contained a front- Catholics, and Jews. Chapter One was that the American Humanist Association page article by Debra Bradley Ruder enti- "The Fourth Faith." The Morains sin- has "a religious tax exemption" (p. 5). tled, "Humanist Chaplain Serves Ethical cerely believe, as did Sellars, that secular [This has since changed.—EDs.] `Nonbelievers."' The chaplain, Thomas humanism is the historically logical and In a follow-up article on the same sub- Ferrick, is one of thirty-four full- and rationally based religion to follow in the ject (FREE INQUIRY, Fall 1991) Kurtz part-time chaplains at Harvard and wake of the other three religions. Indeed, states that the American Humanist Radcliffe, and serves as executive direc- there are few differences between liberal Association "still retains its religious tor of the Humanist Association of or liberated Protestantism, Catholicism, exemption ... [and] continues to empha- Massachusetts. Ferrick, a former Roman Judaism, and Humanism! All speak and size that its Counselor program is reli- Catholic priest, left the priesthood over understand the language of theological gious and performs `pastoral' and 'minis- the issues of evolution and homosexual- creativity, ethical situationism, biological terial' duties" (p. 5). ity, to take up the Humanist chaplaincy at evolution, political correctness, sexual Secular humanist groups on our Harvard. experimentation, and the "gospel" of tol- nation's campuses are routinely placed in Ferrick's support comes from the erance and broadmindedness (except for the religious sections of student directo- American Humanist Association, the Eastern Orthodox and Evangelicals). ries. For example, in the Auburn American Ethical Union, the Fellowship The U.S. Supreme Court noted in University student and faculty directory of Religious Humanists, the Humanist Torcasco v. Watkins (1961) that secular for 1985/86 under "Auburn Pastors and Association of Massachusetts and Dr. humanism was indeed a religion in the Campus Ministries" one finds the Corliss Lamont.
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