Home > Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other)
Is Humanism a religion?
Results so far:
| Yes | 39% | 493 votes | Total: 1269 votes | |
| No | 61% | 776 votes |
Yes
by Maureen Totterer
Created on: April 03, 2010 Last Updated: September 28, 2010
Humanism is a religion. Humanism celebrates the human race by raising man into the spiritual realm of deity. In reality Humanism is the exact opposite of mainstream religion although today humanistic influence is found everywhere including mainstream religion. Just as "a little leaven leaveneth the whole loaf" a little sprinkling of Humanism here and there tends to eliminate our awareness of the God of the Bible, and in doing so, replaces the only true God with man.
Humanism elevates homo sapiens to the level of God's playing field. Many Humanists consider themselves as gods. Humanism dates all the way back to the Book of Genesis. Indeed, the animal serpent created by God predicted to Eve, "ye shall be as gods." The war has been raging ever since the serpent uttered these words in the Garden of Eden.
Humanism - a philosophy or attitude that is concerned with human beings, their achievements and interests, rather than with the abstract beings and problems of theology.
Religion - the spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of a super human power or powers.
Atheism, mainstream religions, earth-based religions, progressivism and socialism all have elements of Humanism.
Genesis holds the key to understanding Humanism as a religion. Yes, man is evil. Otherwise homo sapiens wouldn't sin. Man will never achieve the sinless perfection of God but that won't prevent Humanism from progressing from the Garden of Eden in Genesis all the way to one world religion in the Book of Revelation. God vs Man, Deity vs Humanity, Good vs Evil are the predominant themes of Genesis.
Humanism downplays sin thereby eliminating our consciousness of it. For example, abortion has been the law of the land since 1973. The legalization of 25 million abortions to date continues to be opposed by the majority of Americans while embraced by a minority of Americans. Why are so many Humanists pro-abortion? One would think that a religion which celebrates the human race would embrace and highly regard the human embryo in all it's glory and wonder. The contradiction between elevating the human race and abortion is in their minds. They just don't recognize the contradiction. They are blinded to it.
What can be more god-like than being the one who decides which human being will live and which human being will die? It is the ultimate power decision that places a human being on the same level as God or frankly, in place of God. Indeed, Humanist homo sapiens morph themselves into gods through the sacrifice of their own known as human abortion.
Humanists see abortion as a choice not a sin. Eve was presented with a choice by the serpent in the Garden of Eden though told by God if she ate of the fruit of that particular tree, she would "surely die." We are all born with a sin nature although Humanism seeks to replace sin with choice. Humanists believe people today aren't sinful. People today have "issues" and make bad choices instead of healthy choices.
Genesis reveals the stark contrast between God and man attempting to be God. Cain and Abel each made a sacrifice to God. God required an animal sacrifice. Cain offered the fruit of the ground as his sacrifice to God. Abel offered the correct and pleasing animal sacrifice to God. God accepted Abel's sacrifice but rejected Cain's sacrifice. Cain chose his own way. Abel chose God's way.
Substituting humans for God by worshipping humans instead of God is the essence of Humanism. Where there is worship, there is religion. Where there is religion, there is Humanism. Humanism is a religion.
Learn more about this author, Maureen Totterer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
No
by Sam C.
Created on: January 03, 2010
Secular humanism is not a religion, but an ethical code used in place of religion. It is a code that states that you should do good unto others no matter how that will affect you in the hereafter. Secular humanists are generally either atheist or agnostic individuals, which simply means that they don't have religion. They believe that humanity's continued survival is something that we should all work towards, not a good outcome in the hereafter. Human dignity is an important concept to them, as they believe that human beings should be treated with respect unless a reason for them not to be treated with respect is given.
Secular humanism holds the view that moral codes generally come from the fact that humanity evolved socially. As social creatures, we have developed ways of rewarding those who do things for the good of our societies and punishing those who do things to the detriment of our societies, which transition from suggestion to norm to law as they become more accepted. This view on morality is reinforced by the fact that cultures with vastly different religious views almost always have very similar codes of morality, there have been no long-lasting societies that condoned unprovoked infringements on the society's members' rights to life, liberty, and property. Any loss of life, liberty, or property for the members of society would be a loss for the society as a whole, so it would be in the society's best interest to avoid it.
Humanist philosophies are not a part of religion, and can exist with or without it. One example is the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which its most well-known proponent, Archbishop Desmond Tutu describes as "the essence of being human." Ubuntu is the philosophy that doing good for others is doing good for yourself. As another proponent of it, Nelson Mandela said about it, "A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?" Both of these men are Christians and also humanists. This shows that the humanist philosophy is just a moral code to use with or without religion. Secular humanism is simply humanism without using religion to justify having humanist views.
Learn more about this author, Sam C..
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Write and get published
Share with other writers
Polish your freelancing skills
Quality articles from proven freelancers
Exclusive rights, fast turnaround
Brand engagement, business blogging -- our writers do it all
INFORMATION
Copyright © 2002-2012 Helium, Inc. All rights reserved.
Helium.com: A Service of RR Donnelley