Ardent defenders of the First Amendment and the Separation of Church and State

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Sunday, December 23, 2012

I Am a Humanist



I am a Humanist.

Humanists reject the claim that there cannot be moral value without God.
Humanists deny that our moral sense was placed in us by God.
Humanists favor a naturalistic, evolutionary account of how morals and ethics have developed.
Humanists reject moral justifications rooted in religious authority and dogma.

We believe our ethics should be strongly informed by study of Sociology and human development, and of what will help them perpetuate our status in this world, rather than the next.

Humanists deny that that if our lives are to have meaning, it must be bestowed from above by God.

Humanists favor developing forms of moral education that emphasize personal responsibility based on the reason and logic that we have evolved.

Humanism is a view that reason and logic are far more rational for developing ethics than vague ancient myths.

For example, as a humanist I tried to show my five kids that it is important not to lie or steal because the community will identify you as dishonest and that will curtail your ability to become a valuable member of the society that we strive to perpetuate, rather than to teach them if they lie or steal some supernatural being will condemn them to hell.

Many humanists consider it cruel to instill a child with fear of eternal punishment

Humanists trust science and reason as invaluable tools to understand our nature and for each of us to determine our purpose in life.

As a humanist, I am a secularist but have no problem with my friends and family that hold spiritual positions and faiths. I do bristle when certain fringe elements work to have spiritual beliefs taught as science in public schools and/ or try to impose their belief systems upon me.



That is all.

5 comments:

Dadosaurus said...

And, as quickly as he had arrived, he stole away, into the blackness of the internet. They wondered if they would ever see him again.

"What do we do now?" They asked, worried.

"We wait."

Froggie said...

Don't worry, Scott. I didn't get swallowed up by the internet.

Take care, friend,

Froggie

zilch said...

Nice pics, froggy. I gotta get me one of these blog thingies. Actually, I even have one, I just don't use it. Maybe someday....

cheers, zilch

Bit said...

Nice family pics, Froggie.

I hold a Christian worldview, but if you will permit me: [...the society we strive to perpetuate...]
Why? Can we not let it return to the quiet oblivion from whence it came and to which it is destined to return?

[..fear of eternal punishment..]
Fear is a good starting point, but with maturity, it must give way to love, in which there is no fear.

[..science and reason..]
Agreed - they are quite valuable, but are not both founded on faith?

Bit said...

Nice family pics, Froggie.

I hold a Christian worldview, but if you will permit me: [...the society we strive to perpetuate...]
Why? Can we not let it return to the quiet oblivion from whence it came and to which it is destined to return?

[..fear of eternal punishment..]
Fear is a good starting point, but with maturity, it must give way to love, in which there is no fear.

[..science and reason..]
Agreed - they are quite valuable, but are not both founded on faith?