Secular Humanism

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Secular humanism is a branch of humanism grounded in secularism, which attempts to avoid the dogmatic aspects of traditional religious cultures. Secular humanists may be atheists who reject all supernaturalism, or simply anti-dogmatists who see existing localized religions as based on division rather than inclusion, and hence antithetical to the core principles embodied in humanism.

Secularists may or may not be opposed to religion per se, but secular humanism as a social movement is especially concerned with religious law, whereby a strict doctrine conflicts with the more general concept of religious freedom. Regarding political matters, secular humanism seeks to keep the government separate from the influence of any particular religion in order that rules developed under secularism may be universally applied.

Secular humanism can be (over) simplified thus:

• Humans matter and can solve human problems.
• Science, free speech, rational thought, democracy and freedom in the arts go together.
• There is nothing supernatural.

There are now ten Humanist Manifestos and Declarations:

• Humanist Manifesto I (http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto1.html) (1933)
• Humanist Manifesto II (http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto2.html) (1973)
• A Secular Humanist Declaration (http://www.secularhumanism.org/intro/declaration.html) (1980)
• A Declaration of Interdependence (http://www.iheu.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?page=1&articleid=281#globalethics) (1988)
• IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism (http://www.iheu.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?page=1&articleid=6) (1996)
• HUMANISM: Why, What, and What For, In 882 Words (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/MHEC/humnism.htm) (1996)
• Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for a New Planetary Humanism (http://www.secularhumanism.org/manifesto/index.htm) (2000) condensed version
• The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles (http://www.secularhumanism.org/intro/affirmations.html)
• Amsterdam Declaration (http://humaniststudies.org/humphil.html) (July 2002)
• Humanist Manifesto III (Humanism And Its Aspirations) (http://www.americanhumanist.org/3/HumandItsAspirations.htm) (2003)

The two individuals who have done the most to promote secular humanism in the 20th century are Dr. Paul Kurtz and Gene Roddenberry. Secular humanism often finds itself in conflict with Christian fundamentalism, especially over the issue of state involvement in religion. Secular humanists tend to see Christian fundamentalists as superstitious and regressive, while Christian fundamentalists tend to see secular humanism as the work of Satan as a means to direct society away from God. Secular humanists counter that religious factionism will never be a solution to human problems, and claim humanist principles are adequate to address the same issues as religious principles (for example, ethics and morals).

See also

• The Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH)
• The American Humanist Association
• The rationalist movement.
• The Godless Americans PAC (political action committee)
• Religious Humanism

External links

• British Humanist Association (http://www.humanism.org.uk/)
• Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH) (http://www.secularhumanism.org/)
  • Free Inquiry (http://secularhumanism.org/fi/index.htm) (magazine)
• The American Humanist Association (http://www.americanhumanist.org/)
  • The Humanist (http://www.thehumanist.org/) (magazine)
• The Humanist Association of Canada (http://canada.humanists.net/)
  • Humanist in Canada (http://www.humanists.net/hic/) (magazine)
• International Humanist and Ethical Union (http://www.iheu.org/)
  • International Humanist News is also available at www.iheu.org.
• The Institute for Humanist Studies (http://www.humaniststudies.org/)
• The History and Philosophy of Humanism (http://www.freeinquiry.com/humanism-uu.html) - Speech given by Steven D. Schafersman in Oxford, Ohio (September 24, 1995)
• Site of the Romanian association Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience - Romanian/ English (http://www.humanism.ro)
• Nanovirus (http://www.TheSystemHasYou.com): a humanist perspective on technology, politics and culture

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