That man should show respect to man, irrespective of class, race or creed is fundamental to the humanist attitude to life. Among the fundamental moral principles, he would count those of freedom, justice, tolerance and happiness…the attitude that people can live an honest, meaningful life without following a formal religious creed. – Pears Cyclopaedia, 87th edition, 1978
For centuries, the world has been governed primarily by the theological beliefs and mechanisms of different religions ranging from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism. Wars have been fought on the principle of ‘religious war’ and millions died during the Crusades, thousands tortured during the Spanish Inquisition and hundreds have been assaulted and murdered as extreme interpretations of an otherwise peaceful religion have taken hold of communities and individuals.
In the 2011 Census for the Office of National Statistics, around 25% of people in the United Kingdom identified as having ‘no religion'(source: Office of National Statistics). There can be no doubt that the number of people identifying as non-religious has increased as the role that Christianity plays in the traditional parts of British life has slowly been eroded and undermined. One of the questions often posted to those who identify as agnostic or atheist is as follows: how do you conduct yourself in a moral fashion without a belief system to support it?
This is where Humanism provides an answer. Humanism is the belief that we do not need a religious text, the fear of ‘God’ or the duality of a ‘paradise/hell’ system in order to conduct ourselves morally. There seems to be a paradoxical belief within religion that, without God to watch over their sins, religious people would have no moral values. It seems to suggest the principle of free will only apply in so far that we conduct ourselves in a way that might please an observant God.
Humanism explains that we should conduct ourselves in a manner that benefits humanity, through the spirit of generosity and kindness, perform good deeds without the quest for recognition or praise. It is a philosophical system that posits society works best when all individuals concerned work in the interest of humanity – by doing good deeds, caring for the world, treating people as you would like to be treated. It seems a basic concept and one that most would identify with and yet there is only a small population that would identify as a humanist.
The problem with many groups of humanists is that their ‘hatred’ for religion means that they treat those who do have a belief system with disdain, rather than with acceptance. People who believe in God are accused of being ‘stupid’ and ‘ignorant of the facts’. If we are to truly apply the principles of Humanism to our lives, we should accept their belief system in the way that we would want them to accept our belief system. Religion has many elements which we ought to extract and apply to our own lives: the tithe system; charitable giving; treating people with kindness and; loving one another. We do not need a ‘God’ to introduce these ideas into our lives.
Britain is increasingly becoming a non-religious society and, as a result of that, we must become more tolerant of the minority belief systems that co-exist within our society. We should not judge or mock people for their beliefs, even if they seem paradoxical or counterintuitive. Whilst healthy debate is encouraged, too often the battle between religious and non-religious people devolves into mudslinging and name-calling, rather than uniting to promote common values.
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