Religious humanism
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Religious humanism is an integration of religious rituals with humanistic philosophy that centers on human needs, interests, and abilities. The two basic approaches to religious humanism are from a humanist viewpoint that incorporates religious ritual, and from a revealed religious tradition with a humanist influence.
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[edit] Origins
Humanism as it was conceived in the early 20th century rejected revealed knowledge, theism-based morality and the supernatural. Yet most of the founders of the humanist philosophical movement envisioned it as a religion, with the functions, ceremonies, and moral guidance that revealed religions traditionally provided. In the late 20th century the humanist movement came into conflict with conservative Christian groups in the United States and "Secular Humanism" became the most visible element of organized humanism.
[edit] French Revolution
The Cult of Reason (French: Culte de la Raison) was a religion based on atheism devised during the French Revolution by Jacques Hébert, Pierre Gaspard Chaumette and their supporters.<ref>War, Terror, and Resistance. Retrieved on Oct 31, 2006.</ref>
In 1793 during the French Revolution, the cathedral Notre Dame de Paris was turned into a "Temple to Reason" and many of its treasures were destroyed or stolen. Several sculptures were smashed and destroyed, and for a time Lady Liberty replaced the Virgin Mary on several altars.
[edit] Positivism
In the 1850's, Auguste Comte, the Father of Sociology, founded Positivism, a "religion of humanity".<ref>Humanism as the Next Step. Retrieved on Jun 25, 2006.</ref> August Come was a student and secretary for Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon, the Father of French Socialism. Auguste Comte coined the term "altruism".
[edit] Humanistic Religious Association
One of the earliest forerunners of contemporary chartered humanist organizations was the Humanistic Religious Association formed in 1853 in London.<ref>Humanism as the Next Step. Retrieved on Jun 25, 2006.</ref> This early group was democratically organized, with male and female members participating in the election of the leadership and promoted knowledge of the sciences, philosophy, and the arts.
[edit] Ethical Culture
The Ethical Culture movement was founded in 1876. The movement's founder, Felix Adler, a former member of the Free Religious Association, conceived of Ethical Culture as a new religion that would strip away the accumulated unscientific dogmas of traditional religions while retaining and elevating the ethical message at the heart of all religions. Adler believed that traditional religions would ultimately prove to be incompatible with a scientific worldview. He felt that the vital aspects of religion should not be allowed to fall by the wayside. Religions provided vital functions in encouraging good works. And religions taught important truths about the world, albeit these truths were expressed through metaphors that were not always suited to modern understandings of the world. For example, monotheistic religions were based on a metaphor of an authoritarian monarchy, whereas democratic relationships were now understood to be the ideal.
Initially, Ethical Culture involved little in the way of ceremony and ritual. Rather, Ethical Culture was religious in the sense of playing a defining role in people's lives and addressing issues of ultimate concern. Some Ethical Societies have subsequently added a degree of ritual as a means of marking special times or providing a tangible reminder of humanistic ideals.
[edit] American Religious Humanism
In 1915, a Positivist defines the term "humanism" in a magazine for the British Ethical Societies. Unitarian minister John H. Dietrich reads the magazine and adopts the term to describe his own religion.<ref>Humanism as the Next Step. Retrieved on Jun 25, 2006.</ref> Dietrich is considered by some to be the "Father of Religious Humanism" (Olds 1996).
In 1929 Charles Francis Potter founded the First Humanist Society of New York whose advisory board included Julian Huxley, John Dewey, Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann. Potter was a minister from the Unitarian tradition and in 1930 he and his wife, Clara Cook Potter, published Humanism: A New Religion. Throughout the 1930s Potter was well known advocate of women’s rights, access to birth control, "civil divorce laws", and an end to capital punishment.
A Humanist Manifesto, also known as Humanist Manifesto I to distinguish it from later Humanist Manifestos was written in 1933 primarily by Raymond Bragg and was published with thirty-four signatories. Unlike the later ones, the first manifesto talked of a new "religion", and referred to humanism as a religious movement meant to transcend and replace previous, deity-based religions. However it is careful not to outline a creed or dogma. The document outlines a fifteen-point belief system, which, in addition to a secular outlook, opposes "acquisitive and profit-motivated society" and outlines a worldwide egalitarian society based on voluntary mutual cooperation.
The Fellowship of Humanity was founded in 1935 by Reverend A. D. Faupel as one of a handful of "humanist churches" seeded in the early 20th century as part of the American Religious Humanism movement. It was the only such organization to survive into the 21st century and is the first and oldest affiliate of the American Humanist Association.<ref>Genesis of a Humanist Manifesto. Retrieved on May 14, 2006.</ref>
Other American Religious Humanist organizations that have survived into the 21st century include the HUUmanists, formerly the Friends of Religious Humanism, and the Humanist Society, formerly the Humanist Society of Friends.
[edit] Humanistic Buddhism
Humanistic Buddhism encompasses all of the Buddhist teachings from the time of Gautama Buddha to the present. The goal of Humanistic Buddhism is the bodhisattva way, which means to be an energetic, enlightened, and endearing person who strives to help all sentient beings liberate themselves. Humanistic Buddhism focuses more on issues of the world rather than on how to leave the world behind; on caring for the living, rather than the dead; on benefiting others, rather than benefiting oneself and on universal salvation, rather than cultivation for only oneself.
[edit] Spiritual Humanism
Spiritual Humanism is an attempt to return to the original concept of humanism as fulfilling all of the functions of revealed religion. The Spiritual Humanism movement is a response to the perceived failure of the original humanist organizations to recruit new membership and address human spiritual needs. Many people feel the need for a religion to help guide them through life's challenges and difficult moral decisions. Recognizing how religious rituals, methods, and communication can impact human behavior, Spiritual Humanism is an attempt to fuse traditional religious behaviors onto the foundation of scientific humanist inquiry.
[edit] Revealed religious traditions
In the past, humanist versions of major religions, such as Christian humanism and Humanistic Judaism have arisen. In addition, many Dharmic religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and other Asian religions and belief systems like Confucianism, that focus of human nature and action more than theology, were always primarily humanistic. Currently, however, humanism is dominated almost exclusively by secular humanism. This has given rise to a newer version of humanist religions which are similar in philosophy to secular humanism. Secular humanists and revealed religious humanists primarily differ in their definition of religion and their positions on supernatural beliefs. They can also diverge in practice since religious humanists endorse religious ceremonies, rituals, and rites.
Another approach, Christian Existential Humanism, related to the work of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, features a humanist perspective grounded in Christian religious belief; where humanity is something to be celebrated, but not as a replacement for the divine.
[edit] Iconography
Humanism is sometimes represented with the Emblem of Spirit, also known as the 'happy human.'
[edit] See also
- Humanist Manifesto I
- Unitarian Universalism
- Ethical Culture
- Religious Naturalism
- Alevi
- Corliss Lamont
- Fellowship of Reason
- Sea of Faith
- Spiritual Humanism
- Evolutionary Humanism
- Cult of Reason
[edit] External links
- Humanist Society
- HUUmanists
- American Ethical Union
- Church of Spiritual Humanism
- Fellowship of Humanity
- Humanist Fellowship
- HumanLight
- Why Christian Existential Humanism?
- The Temple of Earth
- Religious Humanism: The Journal of the HUUmanists
- Religious Humanism: The Past We Inherit; The Future We Create
- What on Earth is religious humanism?
- Theism and Religious Humanism: The Chasm Narrows
- The Founding of the Humanist Church and the History of Religious Humanism
- What Is Humanism?
- The Spiritual Humanist Forum
- Religious Humanist Reading List
[edit] References
Olds, Mason (1996). “Chapter 4: John H. Dietrich: The Father of Religious Humanism”, American Religious Humanism, Revised Edition, Fellowship of Religious Humanists, p53.
[edit] Notes
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