HUMANISM

1. HUMANISM

2. Introduction • American youth’s view on religion and Christianity: • Compared with their elders today, young people are much less likely to affiliate with any religious tradition or to identify themselves as part of a Christian denomination. • 25% of those under age 30 are unaffiliated, describing their religion as "atheist," "agnostic" or "nothing in particular." This compares with 19% of those in their 30s, 15% of those in their 40s, 14% of those in their 50s and 10% or less among those 60 and older.

3. Introduction • In a survey of 1,200 18- to 29-year-olds, 72% say they're "really more spiritual than religious." • 65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either. • 65% rarely or never attend worship services. • 67% don't read the Bible or sacred texts. • Many are unsure Jesus is the only path to heaven: Half say yes, half no. • If the trends continue, "the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships," says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. • The "Nones" — people who said "None" when asked their religious identity now make up 15% of Americans, up from 8% in 1990. • Many New Age philosophies are now gaining momentum and attracting those who claim not to have any religious affiliations.

4. Introduction • http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-03-09-ARIS-faith-survey_N.htm • http://www.usatoday.com/video/index.htm?bctid=46031555001#/Saying%20no%20to%20religion/34339656001

5. Humanism • This view had its origins during the Renaissance when people started to view humans as the center of all knowledge, power and morality. • Started in the US in the 1920’s • “Bordered on one side by the transcendental views of traditional religions and mythologies and on the other by atheism and secularism, the values we hold are grounded in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, informed by scientific knowledge, and driven by a desire to meet the needs of people in the here and now….We strive to bring about a progressive society where being “good without god” is an accepted way to live life.” •  Kurt Vonnegut: "...being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead."

6. Humanism • Humanists believe that “reason and science are the best ways to understand the world around us, and that dignity and compassion should be the basis for how you act toward someone else.” • “Humanism is nontheistic. By this, we don't mean to say that there is no God. Instead, we say that there is no proof for the existence of God, any gods, the supernatural or an afterlife.” • “Therefore, we take very seriously the idea that "No deity will save us; we must save ourselves."  We are living the only life we'll have, in the only world we know about. The responsibility for the choices we make are ours and ours alone.” • Excerpts from Humanist Manifesto III • 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.

7. Humanism and the Bible • Humanists also claim that the Bible is full of contradictions, stories of cruelty, unproven supernatural phenomenon, and unfulfilled prophecies: • “At Matthew 16:28, Jesus tells his disciples: "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." The people who were standing there all died eventually, and they never saw Jesus return to establish a kingdom.” • “Similarly, Jesus is depicted at Mark 13:24-30 as listing signs that shall accompany the end of the world. These include the sun becoming darkened, the moon not giving any light, the stars of heaven falling, the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and angels gathering the elect. Then Jesus announces: "Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done." His generation passed away long ago without the predicted events occurring.”

8. Humanism and the Bible • “Jesus also erred in predicting the amount of time he would be in the tomb. At Matthew 12:40 he teaches: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Mark 15:42-45 shows that Jesus died on a Friday afternoon. But Mark 16:9 and Matthew 28:1 tell us he left the tomb sometime on Saturday night or Sunday morning. Either way, the amount of time was less than three nights.”

9. Humanism and Sex • “I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning; consequently, assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption.… The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do.… For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom (1966, 3:19).”

10. Humanism and Sex • “In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual exploration should not in themselves be considered “evil.” Without countenancing mindless permissiveness or unbridled promiscuity, a civilized society should be a tolerant one. Short of harming others or compelling them to do likewise, individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities and pursue their lifestyles as they desire. We wish to cultivate the development of a responsible attitude toward sexuality, in which humans are not exploited as sexual objects and in which intimacy, sensitivity, respect and honesty in interpersonal relations are encouraged. Moral education for children and adults is an important way of developing awareness and sexual maturity.” (1973, pp. 18-19; emp. in orig.). • So basically they promote fornication, adultery, homosexuality, as well as incest.

11. Christianity • Humanism has actually existed from Genesis. The serpent told Eve that she would be like God, knowing good and evil. So we see ever since the beginning the enemy has been tempting us with the belief that we on our own can determine what is good or bad and that we don’t really need God. Its selling us a lie that says we are autonomous creatures, able to determine our fate. • “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). • Another reason is what some one put so eloquently “I fear that there will be such a thing as an after life because that means I will be held accountable for my actions.” A deep rooted reason for us to believe that we determine on our own what is right or wrong is so that we don’t have to be held accountable for our actions.

12. Christianity • 1. “the fear of the Lord” is both “the beginning of knowledge” and “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). • 2. Christ is the Savior of the world and in Him is true wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30) and (John 14:6). • 3. Man’s place in the universe - a specially created being (Genesis 1:26-27) made a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:4-5). • 4. Ethics is not situational, but instead always must be based on God’s Word since in that Word we find “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).