04250
 
 

HUMANISM:
 
 

I recently heard of a man that had held up a store. In the commission of the crime, he shot a man that died shortly after the incident. The robber was convicted of whatever the charges were in the death of the man, and was imprisoned. When the man was interviewed, he said he was innocent. He had done nothing wrong except rob the store. (The court had eye witnesses which lead to his conviction.)
 
 

Guess why the man felt he was innocent. He admitted he had shot the man - "But, I didn't make him die. That wasn't my fault. He stepped in front of my gun and died." (Ruff quote)
 
 

This man was able to reach his conclusion based on the claims of humanism. There is no wrong, if I don't think that it's wrong. I can do no wrong. I have no responsibility for what I do. I am my own ethics - whatever is right for me is right.
 
 

I would like to share some quotes from "Focus On Missions" a paper put out by the Fellowship of Missions, May 1984.
 
 

"Top Offenses in the public schools in 1940.

1. talking

2. Chewing gum

3. Making noise

4. Running in the halls

5. Getting out of turn in line

6. Wearing improper clothing

7. Not putting paper in wastebaskets
 
 

Offenses in the public schools in 1982
 
 

1. Rape

2. Robbery

3. Assault

4. Burglary

5. Arson

6. Bombings

7. Murder

8. Suicide

9. Absenteeism"
 
 

In recent news reports we know that students are carrying hand guns to their classes. Some schools have installed metal detectors to screen out the weapons before the students are allowed into school.
 
 

Some comments from humanists:
 
 

"Fundamental Bible-believing people do not have the right to indoctrinate their children in their faith. We are preparing them for the year 2000, when America will be a part of a one-world global society."
 
 

"I am convinced that the battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public-school classroom by teachers that correctly perceive their role as proselyters of a new faith [speaking of humanism]."
 
 

"Dr. Paul Brandwon, who is a child psychologist, says, 'Any child who believes in God is mentally ill.' Dr. Pierce of Harvard University says, 'Every child in America who enters school at the age of five is mentally ill, because he comes to school with an allegiance to our elected officials, toward our founding fathers, toward our institutions, toward the preservation of this form of government that we have - patriotism, nationalism, and sovereignty. All that proves that children are sick because a truly well individual is one who has rejected all of those things, and is truly the international child of the future."
 
 

Might we now wonder just what George Bush's new world order was? I think that we may well know. A world society may come to pass, but the last time the world came together, they turned against God - TOWER OF BABEL.
 
 

"It's OK to lie. It's OK to steal. It's OK to have premarital sex. It's OK to cheat, or to kill if these things are part of your value system, and you have clarified these values for yourself. The important thing is not what values you choose, but that you have chosen them yourself freely and without coercion of parents, spouse, priest, friends, ministers or social pressure of any kind."
 
 

Need we wonder why the gangs in our cities feel that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing? No.
 
 

Let us consider humanism in this section. I would like to go through their manifestoes point by point and make comments. The quotes are all from their manifestoes.
 
 

HUMANIST MANIFESTO I: (1933)
 
 

As you read this document it is clear that they are replacing old outdated religion with the new "HUMANIST RELIGION".
 
 

As we go through these points keep our country and society in mind and see if you see signs of Humanism around us.
 
 

1. Humanism is Atheistic:
 
 

The universe is "self-existing and not created". I recently read that all of Wheaton's scientific faculty were theistic evolutionists.
 
 

2. Humanism is Evolutionary: Man "has emerged as the result of a continuous process" - a part of nature.
 
 

3. Humanism is Mortalistic: The "dualism of mind and body must be rejected." Only one unit exists. The mind and body is one item that is going to die. Serve it well.
 
 

4. Man's religious culture and civilization emerge from man's "interaction with his natural environment and with his social heritage." This is true for the unsaved, but we have the Bible to shape our culture and civilization. Their system is all downward according to Romans one for the unsaved.
 
 

5. Realities may be found only by "means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relation to human needs." Religion must be based on findings of the "scientific spirit and method." No. True religion must be based on the Bible. Natural laws can be found by the scientific method, but moral laws come form God.
 
 

6. "Theism, Deism, Modernism," and other thoughts are in the past. They are outdated. This is false advertising. Christianity would be included in their "other thoughts," and my Bible tells me it is eternal as is our God. Already we can see they reject God, the Bible, and thing's spiritual.
 
 

How can we deal with a humanist? Ask that the Holy Spirit to work in their heart. Philosophically - show them that there is the possibility of a supreme creator. Explain that the Word is God's message to man. Explain the Gospel, including hell.
 
 

7. Religion should grow from "actions, purpose, and experience which are humanly significant." No. Religion is set within the Scriptures.
 
 

They say that "Nothing human is alien to the religious."
 
 

Religion ". . .includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation - all that is in its degree expressive of intelligently satisfying human living." Is there a sense in which we've blown this? The Denver Art Museum, years ago, had a lot of religious art, but it was all depicting Roman Catholic theology. We probably should appreciate what is being done in some of our Christian schools in the area of the arts, rather than condemning them for their efforts.
 
 

"The distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained." There may be a hint of truth in what they say, if I understand what they say. Christianity has substituted separation from the world for the separation from worldly practices. We have no art, we have no science, we have little philosophy. We have eliminated those things from our existence. Art is not bad, nor immoral as such. Indeed, we use art in our literature and books, so why have we separated ourselves from the idea of religious art.
 
 

The problem for the humanist is that they relegate all of these things as an end to bring man to the highest point that he can climb. God says that man can reach much higher plains than just this life.
 
 

8. The "development and fulfillment" of man's personality in this life is of prime importance. In a sense this is true for Christians if God is doing the developing and fulfilling. Many of these points are good points, with God left out.
 
 

9. Where religious people gain fulfillment in worship and prayer the Humanist finds fulfillment in a "heightened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well being." In a sense this is what Christians gain from worship, prayer, and seeing to one another's well being.
 
 

It is of interest that the liberals and the Mormons are fully into this aspect of humanism. They concentrate on the physical needs of people. It might be added that one of the darts of criticism thrown toward Christians, is that they are not meeting the physical needs of people, and those throwing the darts are correct. We have for too long blinded ourselves to the physical in deference to the spiritual.
 
 

10. There will be no more "religious emotions and attitudes" associated with the supernatural. (because there is no supernatural.) They think as the Russians thought about religion. Declare it nonexistent and it won't exist.
 
 

11. "We assume that Humanism will take the path of social and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes and wishful thinking." Man will face any crises of life in "terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and probability." This is why people can feel so indifferent to death. It is part of the natural order, so must be taken in stride. No big deal.
 
 

This is why abortion is so popular, and it is why the killing of the elderly is coming to our society.
 
 

12. To increase joy in living the Humanist will "aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life." The Christian does the same except that he does it for the satisfaction of God.
 
 

13. All religious institutions must be reorganized as soon as possible to help in the fulfillment of life and the enhancement of "human life." Indeed, this is being done; the world council of churches is going down the humanistic trail.
 
 

We see in this point that the humanist is gearing all of life toward life, and not God. God is non-existent, thus must be programed out of our thinking.
 
 

14. "A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of Humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world." Sounds like the world economic system. "SWIFT" is an international banking organization of one thousand banks that make their transactions electronically. The control of the individual by electronic numbers is quickly coming to us.
 
 

Socialism and communism do not work, yet the American people want more and more social programs. We are speeding toward socialism, while the communist countries are fleeing from it. They have rejected humanism, because it does not work, while we desire it because we are in the middle of its promises, and have not yet reached its inadequacies.
 
 

15. Humanism will
 
 

"affirm life rather than DENY IT;" (SOMEWHAT STRANGE IN that they hold to abortion!)
 
 

"seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from it;"
 
 

"endeavor to establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for the few."
 
 

From these goals the flow of Humanism will progress. Have you heard this in religious circles lately? Reverend Ike, and several others are preaching a get rich theology, where all you have to do is ask and you will be rich. God is a great big Santa Claus.
 
 

"The quest for the good life is still the central task for mankind." This probably in one sentence, sums up all that God is combating in the world system today. The good life. The good life as Madison Avenue portrays it. God tells us that we can have the good life by walking with Him through trials and troubles, while the humanist tells us the good life requires no trials and troubles.
 
 

This manifesto was signed by John Dewey [father of the modern public school system philosophy], R. Lester Mondale [father of Walter Mondale the politician], and others.
 
 

In short: A communistic society that can eat drink and be merry for they only die.
 
 

Humanist Manifesto II:
 
 

They shoot themselves in the foot, so to speak, in the opening statements of this document.
 
 

"The future is however, filled with dangers. In learning to apply the scientific method to nature and human life, we have opened the door to ecological damage, overpopulation, dehumanizing institutions, totalitarian repression, and nuclear and biochemical disaster. Faced with apocalyptic prophesies and doomsday scenarios, many flee in despair from reason and embrace irrational cults and theologies of withdrawal and retreat." Everything isn't peaches and cream - somebody left some of the pits in!
 
 

Yet, they stated in their 1933 document, "Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method." Much of what they describe comes from some of the people that they have been educating for so many years with the thought of modern education produced by one of their proponents, John Dewey.
 
 

In the next paragraph they state, "We need to extend the uses of scientific method,"
 
 

Following along with point number fourteen of the Humanist Manifesto I they state, "The ultimate goal should be the fulfillment of the potential for growth in each human personality - not for the favored few, but for all of humankind. Only a shared world and global measures will suffice."
 
 

It is stated that many religions etc. claim heritage in the Humanist camp yet they are not truly Humanist. However the H.M.II states that "Humanism is an ethical process through which we all can move, above and beyond the divisive particulars, heroic personalities, dogmatic creeds, and ritual customs of past religions or their mere negation." They say that other isms cannot be humanist, yet all of us, no matter what ism we belong to can be humanist. (listed were: types of Humanism - "scientific, ethical, democratic, religious, and Marxist". Those claiming to be heirs of Humanism - "Free thought, Theism, Agnosticism, Skepticism, Deism, Rationalism, Ethical culture, and Liberal Religion...") I might add the "God is dead" issue comes from humanist thought.
 
 

In short we all can work toward the goals of Humanism in our own way, but that we will all get there one day through cooperation in areas of commonality. How can you work separately, commonly?
 
 

RELIGION:
 
 

1. NO GOD - MAN SAVES MANKIND
 
 

This point seems to restate much that was stated in H.M.I. "No deity will save us; we must save ourselves." This is also the thought of communism - only communism will save man. Again, I might make mention of the fact that communism did not save man. The Russian people would declare this openly.
 
 

2. "Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices." "There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body. We continue to exist in our progeny and in the way that our lives have influenced others in our culture."
 
 

This contradicts the history of all civilizations that believed in some sort of afterlife.
 
 

They view religions as obstacles to human progress. Other ideologies including governmental systems such as capitalism and communism also hinder human progress. Throw out religion, government, and economics so we can spread the money around. Everything will be great. Once all is given equally there will be no more problems. Again, I mention communism and the total collapse of the system that did not work. I am sure that the humanist would say that communism is not humanism, yet the points of each system are very similar.
 
 

ETHICS:
 
 

3. Moral values come from experience. "Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction. Ethics stems from human need and interest. To deny this distorts the whole basis of life. Human life has meaning because we create and develop our futures. Happiness and the creative realization of human needs and desires, individually and in shared enjoyment, are continuous themes of Humanism. We strive for the good life here and now."
 
 

No moral standard, they say. No ethical standard, they say. And now we can know where our present world came from. No morals and no ethics have been the result in the United States in the 90's.
 
 

4. "The controlled use of scientific methods, which have transformed the natural and social sciences since the renaissance, must be extended further in the solution of human problems."
 
 

(Didn't we see somewhere that the scientific method caused trouble? "In learning to apply the scientific method to nature and human life, we have opened the door to ecological damage, overpopulation, dehumanizing institutions, totalitarian repression, and nuclear and biochemical disaster.")
 
 

"As science pushes back the boundary of the known, one's sense of wonder is continually renewed, and art, poetry, and music find their places, along with religion and ethics." They have stated that religion was passing away - are art and poetry and music to pass away also? What do art, poetry, and music have to do with science? Can we say that what is going on in current popular music is an improvement on the past?
 
 

THE INDIVIDUAL:
 
 

5. "We reject all religious ideological, or moral codes that denigrate the individual, suppress freedom, dull intellect, dehumanize personality. We believe in maximum individual autonomy consonant with social responsibility."
 
 

"The possibilities of individual freedom of choice exist in human life and should be increased." Indeed, there is free choice and they practice it when they reject God.
 
 

Every single individual is free to do as they please. This can only be if we eliminate not only morals, and ethics, but all laws, governments, committees, schools and anything else that might limit the individual. Can you envision such a social structure. Indeed, is not the legislation of no limits or controls a limit or control?
 
 

6. "In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized."
 
 

"Moral education for children and adults is an important way of developing awareness and sexual maturity."
 
 

SOUND LIKE SEX EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS? By the way it is called "community action" in California. The use of anatomically correct models of sexual organs in the public schools is putting sexuality on the completely human - physical level, and is eliminating any possible meaning to sex in the emotional/love realm.
 
 

No wonder the teenage pregnancy rates are up. No wonder the age of sexual activity is down. It's just a biological function to be engaged in when we want to. THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE HORRIFIED AT WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS!
 
 

DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY:
 
 

How can you have a democracy if you are redistributing wealth - causing all to live on the same income - and how is it governed? Surely they wouldn't want to tax people and cramp their personality.
 
 

7. "To enhance freedom and dignity the individual must experience a full range of civil liberties in all societies. This includes freedom of speech and the press, political democracy, the legal right of opposition to governmental policies fair judicial process, religious liberty, freedom of association, and artistic, scientific, and cultural freedom. It also includes a recognition of an individual's right to die with dignity, euthanasia, and the right to suicide."
 
 

The American humanist cries for much of what he already has in this country. Most of these items are guaranteed in our Constitution, yet we can't have the restraints of government. They seem illogical at times. You cannot guarantee the things they desire without governmental control.
 
 

The cry for democracy is also seen in that statement - a democracy is a governmental system. They do not want government, so how can they want democracy?
 
 

8. "We are committed to an open and democratic society. We must extend participatory democracy in its true sense to the economy, the school, the family, the workplace, and the voluntary associations." To have this completed they must eliminate all Christians, Muslims, Buddhists etc. Open, requires only humanists in society. Sounds like Hitler's Arian world! I have to wonder what will happen when they mix humanism with Arianism.
 
 

Have we not seen this today? Demanding democracy in the home, in the school, in the work place, etc. Unions have tried in the work place and seem to be failing. People feel the company has no right to run it the way they want to. If a strike is called the company is not allowed to hire replacements. "MY RIGHTS" The unions fail to understand that in a democracy, the company extends rights to the worker as the company sees fit, not as the employee sees fit. If they want democracy, they will have to find a way to function without the free enterprise aspect of it. They will need to have a democracy that controls all aspects of life, which sounds like communism, which is what humanism is.
 
 

9. "The separation of church and state and the separation of ideology and state are imperatives." Yet, the humanism ideology will become the state and that is okay. Again, their logic escapes me.
 
 

How can you have separation of church and state if they don't believe in the church, nor any religious institution?
 
 

How do you separate ideology from the state. The state is made up of people that certainly have some sort of ideology!
 
 

LOGIC PLEASE!
 
 

Some today demand separation of Church and state? They say that the constitution demands it. No, it doesn't. Indeed, the founders of our country instituted prayer in the governmental sessions, had Bibles printed with government funds, and founded the country on spiritual principles. We in later years have had a judicial system that has given us separation of church and state.
 
 

10. Economic systems should be evaluated by "whether or not they increase economic well-being for all individuals and groups, minimize poverty and hardship, increase the sum of human satisfaction, and enhance the quality of life." "We need to democratize the economy and judge it by its responsiveness to human needs testing results in terms of the common good."
 
 

Have you heard this on the news in recent years? We need to decrease military spending so that we can help the poor. We need to cut the space program and worry about the problems on earth. Yes, the media has attempted to move this into American thinking.
 
 

By the way if the riches of the world are distributed evenly as they desire, how can poverty and hardship exist?
 
 

11. They view a national minimum guaranteed annual income as necessary to help the poor, sick, etc.
 
 

"We believe in the right to universal education."
 
 

This study is continued in topic number d04300. There you find how humanism has filtered into the church and Christian family.