| 3rd Annual Konkan Fruit Fest, Goa - May 6-8, 2005 |
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| Today's Events include Mango Eating Competition, Fruit carving and |
| Cultural Programs. Check out http://konkanfruit.swiki.net | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been doing a bit of Net research on Humanism and related stuff and thought to share my findings here. Quite relevant, I think, in the context of the current debate on Catholicism. Please note that I am not promoting Humanism as a religion or lifestyle. I abhor all forms of organised religion. Humanism, when practised individually, seems a impressive alternative to normal 'religion'. I do believe in the presence of God so I cannot subscribe to Humanism, but it comes closest to a religion that I might find acceptable.
Cecil ------
http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentViewArticle.asp?article=1825
Non-Religious Beliefs
Non-religious people describe and define themselves in various ways. These variations do reflect some differences in meaning and emphasis, though in practice there is considerable overlap and on many issues their views may not vary greatly.
"Non-believers" do, of course, have many beliefs, though not religious ones. For example, they typically hold that morality is social in origin, based on treating others as they would wish to be treated (the 'golden rule' which antedates all the major world religions). They may describe themselves in various ways, the most common today being those listed below. These non-religious beliefs have a long history, though denial of religion began to be publicly acceptable only during the 19 th and 20 th centuries. During this period a range of organisations began to serve and represent the interests of the non-religious.
Beliefs and Definitions
Agnostic in normal usage means "don't know" or open-minded about religious belief, but it can mean something much firmer: that nothing is known, or can possibly be known, about God or supernatural phenomena, and that it is wrong to claim otherwise.
Atheist includes those who reject a belief in the existence of God or gods and those who simply choose to live without God or gods. Along with this will usually go disbelief in the soul, an afterlife, and all other religious beliefs.
Freethinkers reject authority and tradition in matters of religious belief, preferring to think for themselves.
Humanist is used today to mean those who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs. Humanists believe that moral values are founded on human nature and experience, and base their moral principles on reason (which leads them to reject the idea of any supernatural agency or afterlife), shared human values and respect for others. They believe that people should work together to improve the quality of life for all and make it more equitable. Alone of the terms listed, Humanism offers a fully fledged 'life-stance' or world-view rather than an attitude towards or about religion.
Non-religious - as well as those who are uninterested in religion or who reject it, this category may include the vague or unaffiliated, those who are only nominally or culturally affiliated to a religious tradition, and the superstitious.
Rationalist , in this context, means someone who rejects religion on the grounds that it is unreasonable and lacks good evidence .
Sceptic , in this context, means someone who doubts the truth of religious beliefs, probably on rationalist grounds.
Secularists believe that laws and public institutions (for example, the education system) should be neutral as between alternative religions and beliefs. Most atheists, agnostics and humanists are secularists too, but some religious believers also take a secularist position which calls for freedom of belief, including the right to change belief and not to believe. Secularists seek to ensure that persons and organisations are neither privileged nor disadvantaged by virtue of their religion or lack of it. They believe secular laws - those that apply to all citizens - should be the product of a democratic process, and should not be determined, or unduly influenced, by religious leaders or religious texts.
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http://www.religioustolerance.org/curr_war.htm Information about wars due to religious intolerance worldwide.
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http://www.americanhumanist.org/humanism/definitions.htm
Definitions of Humanism
Humanism is a progressive lifestance that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity.
- American Humanist Association
Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. It advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for human rights and social justice. Free of supernaturalism, it recognizes human beings as a part of nature and holds that values-be they religious, ethical, social, or political-have their source in human experience and culture. Humanism thus derives the goals of life from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions, and asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny.
-The Humanist Magazine
Humanism is a democratic and ethical lifestance which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.
- The International Humanist and Ethical Union
Humanism is an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, recognizing that moral values are properly founded on human nature and experience alone.
- The Bristol Humanist Group
Humanism is: A joyous alternative to religions that believe in a supernatural god and life in a hereafter. Humanists believe that this is the only life of which we have certain knowledge and that we owe it to ourselves and others to make it the best life possible for ourselves and all with whom we share this fragile planet. A belief that when people are free to think for themselves, using reason and knowledge as their tools, they are best able to solve this world's problems. An appreciation of the art, literature, music and crafts that are our heritage from the past and of the creativity that, if nourished, can continuously enrich our lives. Humanism is, in sum, a philosophy of those in love with life. Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options. Instead of finding solace in prefabricated answers to the great questions of life, humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery that this entails.
- The Humanist Society of Western New York
Humanism is the light of my life and the fire in my soul. It is the deep felt conviction, in every fiber of my being that human love is a power far transcending the relentless, onward rush of our largely deterministic cosmos. All human life must seek a reason for existence within the bounds of an uncaring physical world, and it is love coupled with empathy, democracy, and a commitment to selfless service which undergirds the faith of a humanist.
- Bette Chambers, former president of the AHA
Humanism is a philosophy, world view, or lifestance based on naturalism-the conviction that the universe or nature is all that exists or is real. Humanism serves, for many humanists, some of the psychological and social functions of a religion, but without belief in deities, transcendental entities, miracles, life after death, and the supernatural. Humanists seek to understand the universe by using science and its methods of critical inquiry-logical reasoning, empirical evidence, and skeptical evaluation of conjectures and conclusions-to obtain reliable knowledge. Humanists affirm that humans have the freedom to give meaning, value, and purpose to their lives by their own independent thought, free inquiry, and responsible, creative activity. Humanists stand for the building of a more humane, just, compassionate, and democratic society using a pragmatic ethics based on human reason, experience, and reliable knowledge-an ethics that judges the consequences of human actions by the well-being of all life on Earth.
- Steven Schafersman
Humanism is a philosophy of life that considers the welfare of humankind - rather than the welfare of a supposed God or gods - to be of paramount importance. Humanism maintains there is no evidence a supernatural power ever needed or wanted anything from people, ever communicated to them, or ever interfered with the laws of nature to assist or harm anyone.
Humanism's focus, then, is on using human efforts to meet human needs and wants in this world. History shows that those efforts are most effective when they involve both compassion and the scientific method - which includes reliance on reason, evidence, and free inquiry.
Humanism says people can find purpose in life and maximize their long-term happiness by developing their talents and using those talents for the service of humanity. Humanists believe that this approach to life is more productive and leads to a deeper and longer-lasting satisfaction than a hedonistic pursuit of material or sensual pleasures that soon fade.
While service to others is a major focus of Humanism, recreation and relaxation are not ignored, for these too are necessary for long-term health and happiness. The key is moderation in all things.
Humanism considers the universe to be the result of an extremely long and complex evolution under immutable laws of nature. Humanists view this natural world as wondrous and precious, and as offering limitless opportunities for exploration, fascination, creativity, companionship, and joy.
Because science cannot now and probably never will be able to explain the ultimate origin or destiny of the universe, I think Humanism can include more than atheists and agnostics. The lack of definite answers to these ultimate questions leaves room for reasonable people to hypothesize about the origin of the natural universe, and even to hope for some form of life beyond this one.
In fact, two of Humanism's greatest luminaries, Thomas Paine and Robert Ingersoll, maintained a hope for an afterlife. On the issue of whether God exists, Ingersoll was agnostic, and Paine believed in a deistic God who established the laws of nature but then stepped away and never intervenes in the world. Those beliefs did not interfere with their ability to lead outstanding humanistic lives.
Thus, in my opinion, people holding such views can be Humanists if they believe that humanity is on its own in this world, and the lack of any evidence for an afterlife means this life should be lived as though it's the only one we have - Joseph C. Sommer
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