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Florida Humanist
"What is Humanism?"
Let everyone know your a Humanist and what you
think.
While developing this web site, as the webmaster for the Humanists
of Florida Association, I seemed to realize that there was no clear
cut, simple definition of what Humanism is. It seems everyone has a
different idea of what humanism is. I don’t think any of these ideas
are wrong—I have just come to terms with the fact the Humanism is a
very dynamic subject. Humanism means different things to different
people and there are many different forms of Humanism. In the end,
when you get right to the root of the question, each definition
seems to be on the right track.
I decided to create this page because of a very personal issue. Not
long ago I had to make an emergency visit to a local hospital with
my 8-month old daughter who, at the time, was having trouble
breathing. During the check in process, I was asked for my religious
preference. I told the nurse/clerk that I was a Humanist (proudly)
only to be shot down and told that this might effect my daughter’s
care because this was a Christian hospital where many of the nurses
are very religious. I found myself recanting my decision for fear of
the effect it might have on my daughter.
That experience opened my eyes to the fact that my feelings are
really a minority in this state. I don’t think that anyone should be
made to live in fear for the way they believe. So I made this web
page so everyone can proudly let the rest of the world know how they
feel. If you want to be a part of my project just email
whatis@wellmangroup.net include your
picture, name, city, and your quote about what you think Humanism
is.
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"Anybody
depending on somebody else's gods is depending on a fox not
to eat chickens." - Zora Neale Hurston Florida Humanist and
Writer |
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I
don’t need the fear of a higher power to live life with
reason, compassion and honesty. Life has a sort of Karma
that goes around and does its own balancing of things. If
you live life doing bad things, more than likely bad things
will come back to you. More simply said, "For every action
there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Robert Wellman - Jacksonville, FL |
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It seems to me that the idea
of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I
cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or
goal outside the human sphere.... Science has been charged
with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's
ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy,
education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is
necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be
restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after
death. • ALBERT EINSTEIN - scientist, Nobel Prizewinner in
physics, originator of the theory of relativity. |
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One consequence of being a secular humanist that
theists may find surprising is a deep respect for and
valuing of the human life that has begun to develop.
While I am prochoice during the first two trimesters, I
believe that once a fetus has begun the processes of
habituation and preference-making, the elements of what
makes a human life valuable and worthy of preservation
and respect have already begun. As a humanist, I value
what humans do in creating their life plans and enacting
them.
The destruction of a human life, then, is the
destruction of a well-spring of value, of valuing, of
the basis on which we each expect one another’s respect
and aid. Human freedom is necessary to the exercise of
our capacities to value, and so depriving someone of his
or her freedom needs to be justified as necessary to
preserve others’ freedom. From these convictions follow
my opposition to criminalization of acts that do not
harm others, my opposition to capital punishment, my
opposition to most armed conflicts; and my opposition to
the keeping and bearing of arms except by individuals
formally designated as protectors of freedom. Suicide is
sometimes irrational, sometimes rational; where
irrational, it should be prevented if possible, but
where rational, it should be facilitated by the medical
community.
Because I do not believe in an afterlife, the deliberate
taking of a life needs the most careful scrutiny and
justification, for there is no realm in which a wrongful
killing is righted and no realm in which evildoers get
their punishment. Executing an individual risks the
destruction of an innocent life, but even in the case of
the guilty, execution precludes the opportunity to learn
from one’s mistakes and to make whatever retribution one
can for them.
I was deeply moved in the film version of Gandhi’s life
by Gandhi’s advice to a Hindu man who had killed a
Muslim in the heat of passions over the partition of
India. “You can avoid Hell by taking this man’s son and
raising him yourself, and raising him as a Muslim!”
Gandhi thus maintained that there is always a peaceful
way of dealing with an individual’s criminal acts, and I
strive to maintain that attitude toward even those who
commit terrorist acts.
Richard T. Hull - Tallahassee
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We often get wrapped up in
conversations about what is Humanism. Is it a religion,
a philosophy, a life-stance? To me, it doesn’t really
matter. Humanism at its root is the applied study of
what it means to be a good human being. It is about
doing what is right because it is right regardless of if
there is a god or not. As Humanists we employ reason
and compassion in action. I truly believe that each and
every decision we make should be both reasonable and
compassionate. What could be better than being a
compassionate person and doing good
because it is good and not because you are afraid of the
consequences.
Heather Wellman - Jacksonville, FL
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