God: Secular Humanism is atheistic in nature, holding that there is no God or gods or other supernatural entities. However, there are some Secular Humanists who hold agonistic beliefs (belief that there may or may not be a God or gods). Even still, a small sect of Secular Humanists are deists, taking that stance that a God may exist but He is irrelevant to the practical affairs of life. Overall, Secular Humanists tend to “deify” human reason and potential espousing that a God, or gods or supernatural beings are not needed for mankind to achieve its full potential.[1]
Humanity: To Secular Humanists, humans are not created beings but are evolved beings – “a complex conglomeration of molecules, the end result of an evolutionary process.” Humanity has evolved itself over billions of years and has developed its own ideas, customs and values without the need of a God or gods. The Human is the central focus in Secular Humanism. Mankind can achieve anything.[2]
Salvation: In 1980 the Secular Humanist Declaration declared: “We deplore efforts…to look outside of nature for salvation.” In short, mankind will make its own path to “salvation” by looking within itself or in the natural world. “Harnessing human potential, the proper application of reason, science and technology, tolerance, cooperation, and compassion are means to attaining human happiness, economic prosperity, and political freedom.”[3]
Authority: The only real authority for Secular Humanists is the human mind and “Reason.” All creeds, doctrines, or sacred books/writings are not authorities but rather filled with half truths at best and at worst are just ignorant superstitious misguided rants. The closest thing to any specific writings being “authoritative” would be the ideological works found in the Humanist Manifesto I, the Humanist Manifesto II, and the Humanist Manifesto III. [4]
Time: Secular Humanists, on the whole, see time as finite and linear. Time is part of the universes continuum of space, time and matter. The end goal of time is different among Secular Humanists. Some believe the end goal is eternity – essentially time will not end. Others see the end goal being the heat death of the universe – in short, the end of the universe as we know it will eventually run out of energy, the stars will fade and planets will die and everything living will cease to exist.[5]
Jesus Christ: For Secular Humanists, Jesus is either a myth, fabricated by ignorant superstitious primitive people long ago, or, if He was a real historical person, He was just a good moral teacher and person, nothing more. Seeing as there is no such thing as the supernatural, Jesus Christ can not be the Messiah nor can He be God’s Son – because there is no God to begin with in Secular Humanist thinking!
[1] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54 [2] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54 [3] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54 [4] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54 [5] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54
Secular Humanism
God: Secular Humanism is atheistic in nature, holding that there is no God or gods or other supernatural entities. However, there are some Secular Humanists who hold agonistic beliefs (belief that there may or may not be a God or gods). Even still, a small sect of Secular Humanists are deists, taking that stance that a God may exist but He is irrelevant to the practical affairs of life. Overall, Secular Humanists tend to “deify” human reason and potential espousing that a God, or gods or supernatural beings are not needed for mankind to achieve its full potential.[1]
Humanity: To Secular Humanists, humans are not created beings but are evolved beings – “a complex conglomeration of molecules, the end result of an evolutionary process.” Humanity has evolved itself over billions of years and has developed its own ideas, customs and values without the need of a God or gods. The Human is the central focus in Secular Humanism. Mankind can achieve anything.[2]
Salvation: In 1980 the Secular Humanist Declaration declared: “We deplore efforts…to look outside of nature for salvation.” In short, mankind will make its own path to “salvation” by looking within itself or in the natural world. “Harnessing human potential, the proper application of reason, science and technology, tolerance, cooperation, and compassion are means to attaining human happiness, economic prosperity, and political freedom.”[3]
Authority: The only real authority for Secular Humanists is the human mind and “Reason.” All creeds, doctrines, or sacred books/writings are not authorities but rather filled with half truths at best and at worst are just ignorant superstitious misguided rants. The closest thing to any specific writings being “authoritative” would be the ideological works found in the Humanist Manifesto I, the Humanist Manifesto II, and the Humanist Manifesto III. [4]
Time: Secular Humanists, on the whole, see time as finite and linear. Time is part of the universes continuum of space, time and matter. The end goal of time is different among Secular Humanists. Some believe the end goal is eternity – essentially time will not end. Others see the end goal being the heat death of the universe – in short, the end of the universe as we know it will eventually run out of energy, the stars will fade and planets will die and everything living will cease to exist.[5]
Jesus Christ: For Secular Humanists, Jesus is either a myth, fabricated by ignorant superstitious primitive people long ago, or, if He was a real historical person, He was just a good moral teacher and person, nothing more. Seeing as there is no such thing as the supernatural, Jesus Christ can not be the Messiah nor can He be God’s Son – because there is no God to begin with in Secular Humanist thinking!
[1] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54
[2] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54
[3] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54
[4] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54
[5] Information in this paragraph comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Chart 9 and Chart 54