Religious Humanism

Humanism is best described as an attitude or perspective on life and humanity which in turn serves to influence actual philosophies and systems of beliefs. A philosophy, world view, or system of beliefs is "Humanistic" whenever it shows a primary or overriding concern with the needs and abilities of human beings. Its morality is based on human nature and human experience. It values human life and our ability to enjoy our lives so long as we don't harm others in the process. In other words: Humanism considers Humans first and foremost.

Because Modern Humanism is so often associated with Secularism, it is sometimes easy to forget that humanism also has a very strong and very influential religious tradition associated with it. Secular and Religious Humanists both share the same worldview and the same basic principles, however. From the standpoint of philosophy alone, there is no difference between the two.

It is only in the definition of religion, and in the practice of the philosophy, that Religious and Secular Humanists effectively disagree. However, the definition of religion used by Religious Humanists is often a functional one: Religion is that which serves the personal and social needs of a group of people sharing the same philosophical worldview.

Religious humanism shares with other types of humanism the basic principles of an overriding concern with humanity— the needs of human beings, the desires of human beings, and the importance of human experiences. For religious humanists, it is the human and the humane which must be the focus of our ethical attention. Therefore the functions of religion often cited include things like fulfilling the social needs of a group of people (moral education, shared holiday and commemorative celebrations, and the creation of a community, and so on), and satisfying the personal needs of individuals (the quest to discover meaning and purpose in life, means for dealing with tragedy and loss, and ideals to sustain us, and more).

For religious humanists, meeting these needs is what religion is all about; when doctrine interferes with meeting those needs, then the religion fails. Thus, to serve personal needs, Religious Humanism offers a basis for moral values, an inspiring set of ideals, methods for dealing with life’s harsher realities, a rationale for living life joyously, and an overall sense of purpose.

To serve social needs humanist religious communities offer a sense of belonging, an institutional setting for the moral education of children, special holidays shared with like-minded people, a unique ceremonial life, the performance of ideologically consistent rites of passage (weddings, child welcomings, coming-of-age celebrations, memorials, and so forth), an opportunity for affirmation of one’s philosophy of life, and a historical context for one’s ideas.

Religious Humanists often maintain that most human beings have personal and social needs that can only be met by religion (taken in the functional sense just detailed). They do not feel that one should have to make a choice between meeting these needs in a traditional faith context versus not meeting them at all. Individuals who cannot feel at home in traditional religion should be able to find a home in non-traditional religion.

Religious Humanists, in realizing this, make sure that doctrine is never allowed to subvert the higher purpose of meeting human needs in the here and now. This is why humanist child welcoming ceremonies are geared to the community and humanist wedding services are tailored to the specialized needs of the wedding couple and their families. This is why humanist memorial services focus, not on saving the soul of the departed but on serving the survivors by giving them a memorable experience related to how the deceased was in life. This is why humanists don’t proselytize people on their deathbeds. They find it better to allow them to die as they have lived, undisturbed by the agendas of others.

Finally, Religious Humanism is “faith in action”; in his essay “The Faith of a Humanist”, UU Minister Kenneth Phifer declares:

Because Religious Humanism is treated as both the social and personal context in which one might seek to reach such goals, their Humanism is practiced in a religious setting with fellowship and ritual.