third place
…meet people. I envy churchgoers for this, but as a [[secular humanism|secular humanist]] I can't spare the price of admission…
Contents
No deity will save us; we must save ourselves. (Humanist Manifesto II)
I suppose when it comes to religion I consider myself a secular humanist. I’m not a deist—I do not believe in any being pulling the strings behind our existence—but I also routinely study Buddhist, Christian, and Taoist texts for the value to questions of how to live well and ethically in the world.
According to the 2003 Humanist Manifesto III drafted by the American Humanist Association, humanism comprises six core principles:
- Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis.
- Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change.
- Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience.
- Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.
- Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships.
- Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.
I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without any expectation of rewards or punishments after I’m dead. (Kurt Vonnegut)
Interestingly, Harvard University recently hired its first atheist chaplain who has an interfaith, humanist bent.