Secular humanism ecular humanism plays an influential role in politics, Seducation and the media today, and is explicitly anti-Christian. But it EPHESIANShas hijacked 2:8-9 the name and noble legacy of historic humanism. This briefing explores the roots of secular humanism in Unitarianism, showing how recently it emerged and the danger it poses. THE HUMANISTS OF HISTORY ...the vast majority of humanists were It was not until the that almost all these patently sincere th 20 century that Renaissance humanists Christians who ‘humanism’ gained its were Christian.3 modern meaning of Secular humanists wished to apply a non-religious and claim their history goes their enthusiasm rationalistic outlook on back to Ancient Greek to the exploration life. Historic humanism and early Chinese was fundamentally civilisations.4 They say and proclamation Christian in outlook. their tradition is seen of their faith.6 Humanism comes in the Renaissance, from the German word the Enlightenment and DIARMAID MACCULLOCH, HISTORIAN ‘humanismus’ – used in many ideas since. But the mid-19th century to humanists have also describe an attitude that admitted retrospectively arose in the Renaissance.1 applying the label to The ‘humanists’ shared historical figures, who a focus on the arts have included Christians.5 and humanities, with This amounts to a a specific interest in blatant redefinition of the returning to classical Western world’s Christian Greek and Roman heritage. texts.2 The term Secular humanists described a shift in today are trying to intellectual culture claim this history for and approach, not themselves and ride on See key figures in the detailed beliefs. the coattails of men like development of secular Historians say Erasmus (pictured left). humanism, which seized the legacy of historic humanism. Who were the historic humanists? TRUE SCHOLARSHIP ERASMUS OF The original humanist movement gave rise ROTTERDAM to the principle of “ad fontes”. The Latin The humanist ideas of the phrase literally means “to the sources”, and Renaissance were exemplified by was an exhortation to go back to studying Erasmus, who is often referred to original Greek and Latin texts. Diarmaid as the ‘prince of humanists’. The MacCulloch calls it “the battle cry of the humanist principle of ad fontes led 7 humanists”. Erasmus to produce the first printed Lorenzo Valla (pictured) was an Italian Greek New Testament in 1516. It humanist scholar and priest. In 1440, allowed scholars to compare the Latin his analysis exposed the Donation of Vulgate with the original Greek for Constantine – alleged to the first time. support papal claims to One result was that several political authority – translation issues in the Vulgate were as a forgery. Through highlighted. Major ones were the examining the text mistranslation of “repent” (Matthew itself, he showed 4:17) as “do penance” and the Vulgate that it could not saying “full of grace” when Mary is have been written described as a “favoured one” (Luke in the 4th century as 1:28). These errors had significantly was claimed but was influenced Church teaching and 8 from much later. practice, and refuting them helped For Christians ad fontes included a fuel the Reformation. return to the earliest sources of Christian thought – to the Bible studied in its original languages, and also to the Church Fathers. Alongside other humanist methods, ad fontes motivated figures like Luther and Calvin to re-examine the texts of the Bible and Church teaching, giving us the Reformation as we know it. Erasmus of Rotterdam 1440 1516 1517 1536 Lorenzo Valla Erasmus Martin John Calvin’s exposes the publishes Luther Institutes of Donation of the New posts his the Christian Constantine Testament 95 theses Religion first KEY DATES as a forgery in Greek published 2 Unitarians break from orthodoxy fter the Reformation, some who were UK and USA. In 1825 associations were Apushing to rethink Church teaching created on both sides of the Atlantic, attacked the doctrine of the Trinity. This formalising the Unitarian denomination.11 gave rise to Unitarianism, which denies From its early days, Unitarian teaching the divinity of Christ. Fausto Sozzini was heretical and strongly focused on (pictured) taught that Jesus did not human reason. Despite this, it still exist before being born as a placed an emphasis on man’s human child.9 best interest being served by In England, John Biddle’s an adherence to scripture.12 ‘Twofold Catechism’ However, its theological (1654) set out Unitarian liberalism drew in many beliefs, teaching that whose views were Jesus was not divine excluded elsewhere. but became ‘Lord’ only By the end of the 19th after his death and century, the group had resurrection.10 By the extensively liberalised, end of the 18th century, often abandoning the congregations had formed biblical texts and traditional around this teaching in the Christianity wholesale. LOSING THE TRINITY MEANS LOSING EVERYTHING Although the word ‘trinity’ is not in the The Trinity is foundational to orthodox Bible, the doctrine clearly is. For example, Christian belief. The early church Jesus says in Matthew 28:19 to baptise defended it against false teaching, like the “in the name of the Father and of the Son Arian heresy that said Christ was not equal and of the Holy Spirit”. Paul reflects on the to the Father in ‘substance’. Any group that Trinity in his benediction in 2 Corinthians does not believe in the Godhead of three 13:14: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus equally divine persons has already parted Christ, and the love of God, and the ways with Christianity and so will soon fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” drop other key doctrines. 1562 1654 1774 1825 Fausto John Biddle The first Unitarian Formation Sozzini publishes congregation of Unitarian denies the Twofold established in denominations Trinity Catechism England 3 US Unitarians throw out the Bible alph Waldo Emerson The association included Rpushed Unitarianism progressive Quakers, in the USA in an even liberal Jews, Universalists, more liberal direction. agnostics and spiritualists. He adopted ideas from Among them was the European Romantic Felix Adler, who had Movement of the early begun an ‘Ethical Society’ 19th century, prioritising movement. The Ethical nature and man’s intuition Movement sought to over texts or doctrine. be: “open to all those Emerson was a founder who believed in moral of the group known as betterment, because that Ralph Waldo Emerson the ‘Transcendentalists’, is the point on which whose liberal beliefs we all agree. Our ethical assumed that the Bible religion has its basis in was corrupt and that the effort to improve doctrine was damaging to the world and ourselves man’s freedom. This group morally.”14 was relatively small, but Meanwhile, the it had a disproportionate Unitarians continued influence and many to liberalise, though Unitarian ministers they still held services. followed its ideas. The Free Religious These ministers felt Association came back unable to sign up to a into fellowship with the Unitarian confession that Unitarian denomination emphasised the Bible, in 1894. From this point, so the Free Religious Unitarianism was the Association was formed main home to those who in 1865 to encompass were to become known as their ‘liberal religion’.13 ‘humanists’ in the USA. Felix Adler 1834 1860s 1865 1876 South Place Chapel South Place Free Religious Beginning of the breaks away congregation Association formed Ethical Movement from Unitarian renamed South denomination Place Religious Society 4 Ethical societies in the UK STANTON COIT Conway returned to the USA and fellow American Stanton Coit replaced him at South Place in 1888. Coit persuaded the congregation to become part of Felix Adler’s ‘Ethical Movement’, prompting another name SOUTH PLACE CHAPEL change to the ‘South Place Ethical Society’.16 Despite removing the term The history of secular humanism in ‘religious’ from the name, the society the UK can be traced back to one did not really change, and Coit soon Unitarian congregation in London moved on. He was on a mission to turn all – South Place Chapel. More liberal traditional religious thinking ‘Ethical’, and in its outlook than other Unitarian began other Ethical Societies in London. churches of the time, in 1834 it In 1890, Coit was involved in setting broke away from the denomination. up the East London Ethical Society and Moncure D. Conway, from the in 1894 he established the West London US, became minister of South Ethical Society. In 1896 he formed the Place Chapel in 1864. A Harvard Union of Ethical Societies – the umbrella graduate and a notable figure, body for all England’s Ethical Societies. he inhabited the same literary Despite the rapidly growing Ethical circles as Emerson and knew the Society movement, Coit was not content. likes of Mark Twain, Alfred Lord In 1909 he made a new move and Tennyson and Charles Dickens.15 purchased a former Methodist Chapel, He followed the Transcendentalist renaming it ‘the Ethical Church’. inclination towards liberal religion. His hope was that the entire Conway renamed the congregation Church of England would ‘South Place Religious Society’ – eventually join his Ethical Church an attempt to detach it from its movement – a new religion that Christian heritage and look towards encompassed all mankind to a new human-centric religion. the exclusion of God.17 1888 1894 1896 Stanton Coit becomes Free Religious Union of Ethical minister at South Place Association comes Societies formed Religious Society; back into fellowship renamed South Place with Unitarians Ethical Society 5 Humanist Manifestos I & II he first Humanist Manifesto (1933) Christian thinkers argued that the war Twas explicitly religious. Many involved had shown the dangers of dependence in the ‘liberal religion’ of ‘humanism’ were on human reason and science. Humanist ministers and members of US Unitarian Manifesto II (1973) was a response to this congregations: its authors and at least half challenge.