- is not a religion. It has no belief in the supernatural, no holy books, no holy men, no churches or holy places and no acts of worship or reverence.
- is not dependent on science though humanists are sceptical freethinkers. If an idea is unnecessary we reject it. If an idea has no evidence for it, we reject it.
- supports freedom of thought and expression while promoting strong moral values and personal responsibility in the society we share.
Humanism puts people first in the one life we share together
What is a humanist?
A humanist:
- is an atheist or agnostic with no need of gods or religions to answer the big questions of life or to enjoy a happy, responsible and moral life.
- makes no claim to be perfect: we are all human, we are all fallible, we all have human weaknesses - but we do our best.
- marks the great events of life (naming, partnership, death) with non-religious ceremonies or a good party.
- feels that religious belief should be a matter of personal intellectual choice and not forced onto others.
- has secular aims: to separate church and state, end privileges granted to religions and educate children of all beliefs together in the best interests of social cohesion.
- supports the Race and Religious Hatred Act of 2006 which makes it clear that the right to "dislike, ridicule, insult or abuse ... particular religions or the beliefs or practices of their adherents" (section 29J) is central to freedom of speech.
- opposes the exemptions granted under the Equality Act 2006 to religious organisations that continue to discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexuality and belief.
Creating a set of moral values
Moral values are far older than any of today's religions and are necessary for any society to work in harmony. We base our moral values on three things:
- Empathy: "how would you feel if someone did that to you?"
- Consequences: "what will be the result of what you choose to do?"
- Responsibility: "you are responsible for your own actions - what would happen if everyone did it?"
An example of a set of moral values:
- Do no harm, physical or psychological, and do not discriminate on the basis of those things that the individual has no control over.
- Treat other people in the same way you would like them to treat you.
- Be responsible for your actions and the consequences of those actions.
- Accept a duty of care towards others and the world we share - leave a positive legacy to future generations.
- Affirm the individual's right to self-determination.
- Be truthful, honest, trustworthy, fair, just and honourable.
- Respect those who earn respect by what they do, not by what they believe.
Please click here for our stab at replacing the ten commandments.
Answering the big questions
Is there a god (or gods)?
"God is an unnecessary proposition" sums up why humanists do not believe in gods. Humanists can answer the big questions of life without creating a god.
If you propose something, you must provide evidence for it. If you propose that the Earth is balanced in space on the tip of the nose of an invisible dancing pink hippopotamus, you must provide evidence. It is not up to anyone else to prove that The Pink Hippo (www.ThePinkHippo.org) does not exist - that would be absurd. It is sufficient for humanists that there is no need to propose the existence of a god and no evidence for one.
Where did everything come from?
We have no evidence that anything can be created out of nothing so humanists think that the Universe is a vast recycling plant which changes form forever.
We see no need to propose a "beginning" or an "end". The particles and energy that make up the Universe have always existed, in one form or another, and will always exist, in one form or another.
What happens after death?
Humanists understand that we are our conscious selves and that consciousness derives from the chemical and electrical activities of our brains as well as from our genes and past experiences. When consciousness ceases we die and our atoms are recycled in the Universe. Humanists would prefer not to die - and do everything possible to avoid it - but being dead holds no fear.
One local humanist has decided that cremation wastes so much energy, and creates so much pollution, that he wants a non-religious burial in the countryside with a tree planted on his grave. He loves the idea that the atoms that make up his body will be recycled into the atoms of the tree and that one day the tree may be cut down to make paper that may be used to print books. Of course the books will themselves eventually be recycled in the Universe and maybe in millions of years his atoms will be used to create new stars and new planets. He says: "I am made of the Universe and the Universe is made of me!"
What is the meaning and purpose of life?
Life is to be enjoyed, to be happy and to help others to be happy. Humans are social animals: without other humans, life would not be worth living. As social animals we need rules to order our lives, and we need to understand the feelings of others when creating those rules. "Empathy" is the most important of all emotions to humanists.
Those who claim that it is impossible to have morals without god and religion need only to ask themselves "would I become an immoral person: murdering, raping and stealing if I ceased to believe in my god?" to recognise the flaw in their argument.
Questions people ask about humanists
Do you fear death?
Many people fear the process of dying - prolonged pain or loss of mental faculties - but being dead holds no fear.
We support the right of everyone to a dignified death, which is why we support the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia.
Are you trying to end religious belief?
Humanists support the right of everyone to believe what they wish and to practise their beliefs - providing they cause no harm to anyone else and do not discriminate against anyone else.
We would prefer that people internalised their own personal set of moral values rather than relying on those written down in ancient holy books and interpreted in different ways by different religions. The process of becoming an adult involves taking personal responsibility for what you do.
We don't need gods or religions but we accept that some people will always need them and we have no desire to remove the comfort that such beliefs provide.
What about sex, contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancies, single mums etc?
Humanists support non-judgmental sex education. Such education covers the facts relating to sexual activity, the importance of human relationships, the need for respect in sexual activity and the possible consequences of unprotected sex.
We feel that contraceptives should be made available to all who need them.
We hope that good non-judgmental sex education, along with easily available contraceptives, will mean that all pregnancies are planned and all babies are wanted. We hope that no woman will be placed in the position of having to consider an abortion, but the world is an imperfect place and human desires are not easy to control. We therefore fully support the right of a woman to choose for herself whether or not she has an abortion.
Things that make humanists cross
"There can be no moral values without god and holy books."
Moral values are not dependent on religion or holy books. As social animals we agree on moral rules which pre-date all religions in the world today.
Those with even a passing knowledge of what has been done in the past, and continues to be done now, in the name of religion will quickly recognise that those with religion can make no claim to be moral beings simply because of their religious beliefs.
Moral values are far too important to be left to religion.
"Allowing people to develop their own moral code would lead to chaos. You must obey god-given rules."
Part of growing up involves internalising a personal sense of moral responsibility. Of course values are discussed with others and develop over time - the average class of nine-year-olds can develop a pretty comprehensive set of moral values without recourse to holy books or holy men.
It is intellectual cowardice to avoid personal responsibility by saying " I can't create a set of moral rules for myself so I have to rely on those in holy books as interpreted by holy men."
"I put my god and my religion above everything else."
Humanists make judgements in the best interests of their fellow human beings.
Anyone who puts their god or their religion above the welfare of their fellow human beings is on the way to personal extremism or is guilty of promoting ideas which lead directly to others becoming extremists.
"You must not criticise my sincerely held beliefs."
Would we say the same about Hitler and his sincerely held anti-Gypsy, anti-homosexual and anti-Semitic views? Was it therefore acceptable to murder Gypsies, homosexuals and Jews because he sincerely believed they were the cause of the world's problems? Could Hitler have got away with the murder of six million Jews had there not been 2,000 years of sincerely held Christian anti-Semitism?
You may "sincerely believe" something which is abhorrent to everyone else and which calls for harm to, or discrimination against, others. Just because it is your "sincerely held" belief does not make it right or acceptable.
Criticising ideas is not the same as criticising individuals and ideas cannot take offence. However, many religious people cannot discuss ideas in the abstract and take offence as soon as anyone dares to criticise their beliefs.
Individuals earn respect by what they do - not by what they claim to believe in.
"You must change the way you work because of my religion."
When you make the intellectual choice to follow a religion, you must accept the consequences. The rest of us will not change our lives or our businesses because you want to run your life in a different way.
We will not install rooms just for you to pray to your god. We will not stop selling things just because some ancient book says that you should not eat or drink them. We will not employ you if you are unwilling to shake hands with our customers or you insist on wearing some form of religious uniform.
We are happy for you to lead your life in your own way - so long as you cause no harm to anyone else and you do not discriminate against anyone else. However, we do not grant you any right to interfere with the way we run our lives, our businesses or our organisations.
"Secularism is the cause of all the world's problems."
England is not a secular country: it has an established religion, bishops make our laws and we still have the apartheid of religiously segregated "faith" schools.
"There is no such thing as society" was said by the Methodist/Anglican Margaret Thatcher. Iraq was invaded by two very religious Christians - Evangelical Fundamentalist George Bush and Catholic Tony Blair. Saudi Arabia and Iran are Islamic theocracies where homosexuals are hung from street lamps and freedom of thought and expression are totally repressed.
Many religious people look back to some "pre-secular" golden age when religious belief and practice were common - for example, the 19th century. They forget that poverty was rampant, average life expectancy was under 35, opium dens and alcoholism were common as people tried to drown their despair, many women were forced into prostitution to feed their families and religion was used as a weapon of social control. Nothing exemplifies this better than a verse in the Christian hymn "All things bright and beautiful":
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
He made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
"Children should follow the religion of their parents."
Is there a gene for religion? Are children born as Christians, Muslims, etc?
Babies are born as non-believers in anything - they have no concept of god.
Religion is a matter of personal intellectual choice - but are children provided with the information to make that choice?
The reality is that children have religion imposed on them by their parents and their community. They do not make a free choice and they cannot say why they have rejected other beliefs - religious or non-religious.
When someone says "I am a Muslim/Christian/Hindu " do they really mean " I follow the only religion I know about"?
"Religious law is more important than the law of society."
Things we are told:
- "Genital mutilation of boys and girls is not wrong - it is part of our tradition as defined by our religious laws."
- "We value our women - that's why our tradition says that they must be hidden away from the uncontrollable lusts of men, why they must worship separately, why they must be subservient to men, why they must not drive cars, why they cannot have passports in their own names, why they must be stoned to death if they commit adultery or don't marry the boy selected for them by their parents."
- "Homosexuality is a sin. We condemn the sin not the sinner - that's why we hang them in the street, forbid them to become priests or deny them the right to work as teachers."
- "We are not replacing the state law with our law. Women who go to Sharia courts do so voluntarily. There is no pressure on them to do so. They would not lose their children and their livelihood, and they would not be ostracised by our community, if they refused to go to Sharia arbitration."
We don't accept any of the above because we think that there are absolute moral values. Causing harm to anyone else or discriminating against anyone else is unacceptable - no matter what your religion or belief.
A democracy draws up socially acceptable laws which prevent those with extremist views, religious or otherwise, imposing those views on others.
We support religious freedom within the rule of law - as long as there is no harm to anyone else and no discrimination against anyone else.
"We must be able to discriminate on the basis of gender and sexuality because that's what our religion demands."
In England today it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender or sexuality - except for religious reasons.
Allowing religions to discriminate based on their age-old prejudices is a disgrace. It is worth remembering that Hitler discriminated against Jews because of his "sincerely held beliefs" based on age-old Christian prejudices.
"You must run your life according to our rules."
We are happy for you to run your life according to your rules as long as you do not try to impose your rules on others.
You may not want to use contraceptives - but you have no right to tell us not to do so.
You may not want to have an abortion - but you have no right to deny women the right to choose for themselves. We would prefer that through good sex education, and freely available contraception, no woman is ever placed in the position of having to consider one. However, we stand 100% behind the right of every woman to make that decision for herself.
Please keep your religious prejudices out of other people's lives
"Women in our religion are happy to be subservient to men."
Some slaves were happy in slavery and did well out of it. Would that be an argument for not opposing slavery? If people are oppressed, but fail to recognise that they are oppressed, is that an argument for not campaigning to lift that oppression?
It is men who have the responsibility to change their attitudes and to start treating women as fellow human beings entitled to equal freedoms.
It is amazing that in the 21st century we are still having this discussion.
Any religion that treats women as subservient beings, or treats them separately under religious law, is to be condemned.
Are you a humanist without knowing it?
If you agree with the contents of this document you are a humanist - even though you may not call yourself one!
Don't panic! You don't have to join anything to be a humanist - the vast majority of non-religious people never join an organisation; they just get on with their lives. However, if you would like to find out more, to be a little more active and to oppose some of the unacceptable things done or said in the name of religion, we would welcome you to one of our meetings.
Find out more:
- The local organisation that promotes humanist ideas and secular aims is Derbyshire Secularists and Humanists: www.SecularDerby.org.
- The national organisation that promotes humanism is The British Humanist Association: www.Humanism.org.uk.
- The national organisation that promotes secular aims is The National Secular Society: www.Secularism.org.uk.
Please contact us if you would like a speaker to present the humanist view on any topic.
Some of our speakers are qualified teachers (and CRB checked) so we welcome the opportunity to present the humanist view in schools.
We are also happy to help with INSET training for RE/PSHE teachers and others.
We do not charge for our services.
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