Missing my point - chose the wrong sentence - much higher up. Consider
trees and furniture
Atheism and secular humanism, like trees and furniture, can be related but are different things, and not necessarily (in the logical meaning) related. You could in principle be somewhat religious AND a secular humanist but to align a person would have to be willing to supersede any personal religious beliefs in favor of the more general group policy toward belief. Unitarians accomplish just fine, and in some regard you could consider them some of the first true humanists
In logic, this correlates to what is called a "vacuous truth" because the existence of personal religion is not a relevant factor.
Alice is an Anglican Secular Humanist
Bob is an Unitarian Secular Humanist
Charlie is an Atheist Secular Humanist
Daria is an Agnostic Secular Humanist
Do you want to argue that Alice and Bob are not REAL Secular Humanists? Hopefully not. Both Alice and Bob are part of sects where atheism is not unheard of. Don't listen to me but listen to the Unitarian Humanists and the Courts.
americanhumanist.org
Humanist Common Ground: Unitarian Universalism
Download this information as a PDF or view our brochure.
A Brief Overview of the History of Unitarian Universalism
“The Universalist Church of America was founded in 1793 and the American Unitarian Association in 1825. After merging in 1961, the two formed the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Both denominations have long histories and have contributed important theological concepts. Most notably, Unitarian Universalism has evolved to be a non-creedal religion that welcomes people of all beliefs. Humanism itself became an influential part of the religion in the early 20th century and remains strong to this day. The Unitarian Universalist Association currently represents approximately 1,000 member congregations in the United States with more than 170,000 members and several hundred thousand more who identify as Unitarian Universalists but are not members of a congregation.
“Since the merger of the two denominations, Unitarian Universalism has built upon its dual heritages to provide a strong voice for social justice and liberal religion. Unitarian Universalists work in local, state, national and international interfaith coalitions and partnerships to affirm its principles and values. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the UU College of Social Justice, and the Standing on the Side of Love Program are examples of this work.”
Although there have been many chronicles of the history of Unitarian Universalism, perhaps the most notable one is the widely-read pamphlet Unitarian Universalist Origins: Our Historic Faith by Mark W. Harris. The following are several excerpts from this valuable document:
“Two thousand years ago liberals were persecuted for seeking the freedom to make religious choices, but such freedom has become central to both Unitarianism and Universalism. As early as the 1830s, both groups were studying and promulgating texts from world religions other than Christianity. By the beginning of the twentieth century, humanists within both traditions advocated that people could be religious without believing in God. No one person, no one religion, can embrace all religious truths.
“By the middle of the twentieth century it became clear that Unitarians and Universalists could have a stronger liberal religious voice if they merged their efforts, and they did so in 1961, forming the Unitarian Universalist Association. Many Unitarian Universalists (UUs) became active in the civil rights movement. James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister, was murdered in Selma, Alabama after he and twenty percent of the denomination’s ministers responded to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to march for justice.
“….Our history has carried us from liberal Christian views about Jesus and human nature to a rich pluralism that includes theist and atheist, agnostic and humanist, pagan, Christian, Jew, and Buddhist.”
The Seven Central Principles As Reverend Barbara Wells ten Hove indicated, “The Principles are not dogma or doctrine, but rather a guide for those of us who choose to join and participate in Unitarian Universalist religious communities.”
1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person
2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations
4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large
6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part
washingtonpost.com
A recent federal district court decision holding that Secular Humanist prisoners are entitled to organize a discussion groups focused on their beliefs on the same terms as theistic prisoners is easily misunderstood as relying on the conclusion that Secular Humanism is a religion. The judge did indeed note in his ruling that “[t]he court finds that Secular Humanism is a religion for Establishment Clause purposes.” However, at another point in the decision, he also wrote that “the touchstone of the Establishment Clause was ‘the principle that the First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion.' |
