Religious Humanism

When we asked the group at the October Humanist meeting to define Religious Humanism we got some varied opinions.  Some ideas we generated are:
     1.  From Ethical Culture - Doris and Mike pointed out that Felix Adler started the Ethical Cultural movement in 1846.  Here is a quote from Wickipedia. 

"Ethical Culture is 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. "

     2.  Simply pointing out the fallacies of the supernatural dogmas of other religions is not a basis for a happy and satisfying life.  Something else is needed.

 Here is a quote from UU World that will probably resonate with most of us.

"A new religious humanism is emerging that offers depth, meaning, and purpose without sacrificing intellectual honesty or the spiritual dimension.


By William R. Murry
Winter 2006 11.1.06

Religious humanism is a life stance that exults in being alive in this unimaginably vast and breathtakingly beautiful universe and that finds joy and satisfaction in contributing to human betterment. Without a creed but with an emphasis on reason, compassion, community, nature, and social responsibility, it is a way of living that answers the religious and spiritual needs of people today. A new humanism is emerging among Unitarian Universalists, a religious humanism informed by cultural developments and recent discoveries in the natural and human sciences and grounded in the larger context of religious naturalism, a religious humanism that offers depth, meaning, and purpose without sacrificing intellectual honesty or the spiritual dimension."

 For those who want to read further, The entire article can be found by Googling "Religious Humanism."