Stephanie Kirmer*

Can Humanism be like religion?

I think that it's clear that spreading Humanism is the goal of both Mr. Gogineni's and Mr. Fragell's comments. Their chosen ways of achieving this goal are not nearly so similar. Mr. Fragell encourages us to make Humanism more palatable to a world community that is familiar with religion and its practices, while Mr. Gogineni believes that increasing the visibility and the effects of organized Humanism beyond the sphere of religion is a preferable course to take. Both Mr. Gogineni and Mr. Fragell comment on the difficulty in organizing Humanists. To adapt a Unitarian adage I was told once, it's like herding cats. Humanists are fiercely individualistic people.

What divides Humanism from religion is not how we behave or how we present our message; it's the content of our message. People call themselves Humanists because they believe in the power of human beings exercising their natural abilities of logic and reason. But saying it, without acting to advance those principles, makes the words hollow. And there are very good reasons why it is imperative that Humanists be organized. The most convincing one, to me, is that there's no way to achieve the great things that Humanism has the potential for, unless we work together. We avow principles of reason and logic over fanaticism and dogma, and that is truly admirable. But keeping these principles to ourselves will achieve nothing. What we cannot do alone, we can do together. When it comes to the sorts of organizations that exist, it is important that we don't try and lay all the issues on one group, however. There is an international Humanist movement, and we can afford to distribute some of the responsibilities to member organizations. The organization I represent, the Secular Student Alliance, is an example of this. Our purpose is to help students, particularly in the United States, find their bearings first and foremost as secular people. We do not focus on the issues of economics and world politics because, though they are important, we want to increase the depth of emphasis we can put forth for students, as opposed to expanding the breadth of everything we do. So we incorporate certain Humanist principles into our work full-force, and strongly encourage others. We are preparing the upcoming generations for leadership of the Humanist movement of the future.

But I do have some critical comments about the means that are being suggested to fulfil the goal of expanding Humanism. To begin, I feel that Mr. Fragell is on the wrong track with some of his statements. He tells us that the existence of the IHEU, and in fact all of organized Humanism, is 'sustained by human needs, not by the correct opinions'. However, I find it unacceptable to neglect the opinions we are advocating even slightly in order to make Humanism more commercially viable. Mr. Fragell cannot persuade me, in any case, that using our 'correct opinion' won't have a beneficial effect on the progress of organized Humanism. Granted, it may not be the only reason we survive, but I really do think it will help. Religions need to work on their public image because often they are trying to convince people of illogical dogma. All that Humanists are saying is that we should put people first, discard dogma, and work towards quality of life. Isn't it obvious that the content of our message should require less coaxing than that of religion? As long as we remember the content of our message, and the principles we stand for, we will find an advantage in them. In response to another comment of Mr. Fragell's, I do not think that the fact that religion supplies tradition and ritual to the public is the only reason that religious people still exist. My experience with the religious, and, of course, my experience as once having been religious, has told me that people who stay with religion into adulthood often do so because they believe what they're saying. They may believe only in the existence of a god or they may agree with all the dogma of their denomination. But if they don't believe, the majority won't be religious or claim to be so. There are young adults who, while they are lapsed believers in their college-aged days, will return to a church to raise children. However, I see this issue as best addressed in a different way than what Mr. Fragell proposes. If we provide support and community for secular people in high school and college, then I don't think that the need to return to practicing a religion in which they do not believe will be so prevalent. It seems to me that they return to organized religion because they don't know of any sort of community outside of a religion that will provide morality for their children. But if they have the opportunity to realize as young adults that they don't need a religion to give them morality, then that pull will be much lessened.

Organizing Humanism locally

Now, I don't want any of my strong words here to make it seem as though I discount the importance of the local adult Humanist group. This is not the case at all. However, I see the local adult group as differing from Mr. Fragell's recommendations. Global and national Humanism should have an obvious interest in supporting strong local Humanist groups, there's no question. The local groups are one of the most important ways that the goals of Humanism will be carried out. Often, real action and organization take place at the local level that national or global leaders would be unable to achieve alone. But the purpose of the local group is just that, organization and action. While a sense of community may form, and should form, from a group of people who assemble with the same principles in mind, what comes first are the common principles; we cannot exclude the part about having the same principles and focus solely on building community. Groups should come into existence because people want to work towards the fulfillment of the same goals. These groups may provide other features, including social belonging, and this is certainly to be supported. But it cannot be our only priority. Humanism on a personal, individual level is definitely capable of being a 'life stance', as Mr. Fragell likes to phrase it. However, I do not believe that Humanism on a global scale can be responsible for creating an institution for guiding people's daily lives. Humanism springs up out of the principles that people have already chosen to guide their lives. Mr. Fragell also mentions that his colleagues, many of them young, think the goals may be the method of Humanism. I have an alternative idea. I believe Humanism ought to make as its foundations the principles we're all here for. We must differentiate our actions and our specific goals from the larger principles that really make us Humanists. Our goals should stem from these principles and work towards their effective implementation wherever necessary. Furthermore, these principles can create the methods. The Principles of Humanism expressed in our goals can give us a visible identity, and the principles themselves should be what attract future members. No one should become a Humanist because they want a 'group that cares' if they don't feel strongly about our principles. I agree with a very substantial portion of what Mr. Gogineni has to say. The problems that he articulates, such as poverty and irresponsible globalization, are problems where I really do see Humanism as potentially having a positive effect. We are secular, that is true, and that is part of what our principles are. But we are more than that; we are concerned with our fellow human beings and their welfare. We can retain our secularism while building upon it.

To close, I think that there is a clear direction for the future of Humanism. It is characterized by using our most essential, strong, basic principles to create goals for Humanist organizations, whether great or small. These goals should relate to all the principles we hold, from stamping out inhumane practices to eliminating religious fanaticism. We should not limit ourselves to only one or two of our principles, and our principles must be our one unchanging guiding force. And if we can carry this out, I believe there will be no end to the good that Humanism can do.

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* Stephanie Kirmer (1984, USA) is a founding member of the Secular Student Alliance and currently serves as its High School Director. She is from Topeka, Kansas, and completed her last year of high school in 2001.

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International Humanist and Ethical Union 1952-2002
Past, present and future
Bert Gasenbeek and Babu Gogineni (eds.)
Copyright © 2002 by De Tijdstroom uitgeverij.
Republished 2006 at http://www.iheu.org with permission
ISBN 90 5898 041 3 nur 730, 740
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