This is the fourth week in a nine-week class entitled “The Killer-Isms: A Christian Look at Lethal Philosophies.” This session looks at humanism.
From Pastor Phil:
Humanism: A Working Definition
Humanism is, in the simplest of terms, a belief in humanity. Now, this is not a belief in humanity’s existence but its preeminence. Humanists see humanity as centerpiece of reality, the highest form of life on earth. In a sense, they are extremely positive about humanity’s potential, about our ability to solve our own problems and eventually bring society to a future place of peace and perfection. To them, humanity has all the potential needed to fix everything; there is nothing that remains beyond our collective grasp. And since humanity is so capable, so amazing, humanists make “man” the measure of all things. Thus, humanity is not only properly equipped to save itself from any problems that might come its way, but we’re also sitting pretty morally because we are the standard, the judge, and the jury.
Humanism, in many ways, is the most popular form of atheism because its a “happy” atheism—”There is no God, but we don’t need one anyway!” It’s a very encouraging philosophy, on the surface. It presents a very feel-good front. Most of the self-help, esteem-boosting pseudo-psychological stuff on the market contains a seed or two of humanistic philosophy. Whenever you hear someone say something like, “Only I can judge me,” or “I have the power to solve my own problems,” you’re hearing someone speak from a humanistic point of view.
Humanism is the “feel-good” atheism, but it is also the “do-good” atheism. It’s the atheism that’s hard to refute, in one sense, because its adherents advocate many things that Christians agree with: justice, morality, selflessness, etc. This deflates many of the more basic approaches ones might take to refute an atheistic outlook, arguing that the outlook offered by a purely materialistic/naturalistic has no room for such things.