Quote:
Originally Posted by xeberus
Not true. Sometimes they are humanists, other times not. Do you know what that word means? Im not being condenceing im a little drunk, and that word means a very specific thing. Good people come in all forms, religions, cultures and ways of life. Just because someone is a christian does not mean they are a bad person. But I agree relgion absolutely does not determine morality, in fact i read a study in years gone by documenting that atheists/agnostics are moderately better people than those who are religious? And thats in america where the religious people only kill a few people every year. We tend to be: less violent, less likely to **** or commit sexual crimes, less likely yo divorce and far less likely to commit a felony. Why don't I believe in god? No reason or benefit to.
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You missed my point. Maybe due to your inebriation, but my point was that when you act morally, ethically, and according to the "golden rule"--which was around many thousands of years ago--you are acting as a humanist. My point is that unless you claim your morals come directly from the teachings of Jesus, you're a humanist. And even if you do claim that, it's bunk because many many religious leaders and other people throughout history have taught the same things Jesus supposedly taught, so not a single good moral anyone can derive from the teachings of Christ are inherently unique to Christianity. Therefore the argument that Christianity produces moral actors is moot because you cannot argue that Christianity alone is the source of good action.
Trust me, being a humanist, I'm keenly aware of what the world means:
The Affirmations of Humanism:
A Statement of Principles
* We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems.
* We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation.
* We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life.
* We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities.
* We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state.
* We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual understanding.
* We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance.
* We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves.
* We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity.
* We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless suffering on other species.
* We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest.
* We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence.
* We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have access to comprehensive and informed health-care, and to die with dignity.
* We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their consequences.
* We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish reason and compassion.
* We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences.
* We are citizens of the universe and are excited by discoveries still to be made in the cosmos.
* We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and seek new departures in our thinking.
* We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service to others.
* We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality.
* We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings.
http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php
http://blog.thehumanist.com/
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