RE: I don't understand what exactly Secular Humanism is
February 22, 2013 at 8:49 pm
(This post was last modified: February 22, 2013 at 8:52 pm by NomenMihiNon.)
(February 13, 2013 at 10:23 pm)apophenia Wrote:I suggested just that to my liberal Catholic sister when I was trying to explain the meaning of the term. I asked her, if she were shown irrefutable proof that there is no god and no afterlife, would that change anything? Would she stop giving to food banks, or stop resisting the urge to throttle her son when he throws a tantrum? Her reply: of course not.
Which is not to say that religious people can't be secular humanists, some are.
Humanism just means that your morals are based on empathy for your fellow humans (and other sentient species as well), on doing what's right for its own sake rather than to avoid punishment and receive a reward, regardless of whether or not you have supernatural beliefs. As Abraham Lincoln (who was not an atheist) said, "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion."
