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Secular Humanists and Christians

            Secular humanists deny the existence of God. To what extent is this a problem for Christian belief?.
             Secular humanism is not a religion, but a way of thinking and living and its aim is for you personally to bring out the best in yourself and other people so that you can live a happy life. Secular humanists also believe that we personally are in charge of and are responsible for what happens in our own lives and we must not rely on a God to help us or tell us what to do. They also believe in individual freedom and believe that their first responsibility is not to god, nor to our neighbour, but to ourselves. For these reasons they do not believe in god or in the supernatural.
             Until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Christianity had provided the people of Europe with the basis of their beliefs and values. It told them everything that they needed to know about the purpose and meaning of life. Charles Darwin was one of the first scientists to openly oppose Christianity with his book "The origin of man" which describes how humans have descended from the apes and so opposes genesis where the creation of the world is described as being conducted by god in seven days. Humanism has been formed through the knowledge that much of what is described of in the bible is scientifically impossible but through the need, people have to follow a set of beliefs, which include caring for other people. Then came along humanism and the scientific method which both say that there is no such thing as god.
             The scientific evidence by Darwin and other scientists of that era proving that many of the stories in the bible are untrue do contradict the Christian notion of god as "the creator". Some strict Christians still believe in the chapters of the old testamant and it is particularly these groups that humanism poses a problem too. However in modern times there is an increasing number of Christians who accept some of the scientific theories laid down by Darwin yet still believe in the existence of god, heaven and Christ.


Essays Related to Secular Humanists and Christians

1. Non-Religion- humanism

Modern Humanism will be the main focus and can be divided into two main categories, Secular and Religious. Secular and Religious Humanists both share the same philosophy and same basic principles; yet differ in their view of whether or not Humanism is a religion . ... On the other hand, secular Humanists can be summarised as a tradition of defiance and are represented by the Greek legend Prometheus. ... These values are not uniquely Christian; they are supremely human" . ... In regards to religious rules and the lack of rules within the humanist philosophy a Humanist stated, "As a Hum...

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2. Humanism

The Northern Christian Renaissance was a mix between the old and the new way of doing things and it focused more on Christianity. The Italian Classical Period was more focused on learning about humans rather than secular things. ... The book had a lot of Christian themes in it. However, it was very different from the average Christian ways. ... Pico Della Mirandola was another humanist. ...

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3. Niccolo Machiavelli

In The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli presents a view of governing a state that is drastically different from that of humanists of his time. ... He laid aside the Medieval conception "of the state as a necessary creation for humankinds spiritual, material, and social well-being."14 In such a state,"[a] ruler was justified in his exercise of political power only if it contributed to the common good of the people he served, [and] the ethical side of a princes activity...ought to [be] based on Christian moral principles...."15 Machiavelli believed a secular form of government to be a more realistic t...

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4. The Social Influences Of The Renaissance

What the humanist believed B. What the humanist studied C. What influenced humanist beliefs III. ... Two popes competed for the allegiance of the troubled Christian world. ... Music of the Renaissance was experimental and wanted to meet the needs of the secular world. ...

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5. Relationship between Machiavelli's and Humanism

This way to see the world not only differed form the renaissance, but also differed from the Greco-Roman, modern, scientific and secular views of the world. ... His work can be thought of as separating the two eras, outlining many of his controversial ideas in his most famous work, The Prince, which was very influential to humanist philosophy. In The Prince, Machiavelli presented a view of governing a state that was different from the medieval ages, describing early humanist ideals. ... All this is related to the Renaissance humanism as Machiavelli started to think of human beings as owner...

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6. "What Were the Principal Causes of the German Reformation

Rather than meekly accepting established teachings and explanations, the humanists demanded to be shown the evidence. ... In the early sixteenth century, the leading humanist scholar was Desideridus Erasmus. ... He felt particularly strongly that the Church should be encouraging people to live Christian lives rather than teaching them to seek salvation through the practice of empty formalities. ... These were the humanists that encouraged the people to worship very simply - which the Church did not like at all. ... His theses caused a conflict with the Church and he would have been silence...

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7. An Era of New Discoveries

Even though there was a split, both Renaissance shared and believed in the same religious Christian stories (Hunt 12). ... The Northern humanist had a goal to convince people that the study of the classics could help Christianity and they succeeded. ... The North was more concerned with Christian texts and manuscripts. ... Humanist would use classical work as models to write about literature and philosophy that discussed their own time (A Divided Italy: Home of The Renaissance). Much of the literature was controversial because humanist concentrated on secular subjects, but people were ready fo...

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8. Europe's Religious Revolution

Paul's Letter to the Romans, was enlightened and came to believe that Christians are saved not through their own efforts but by the gift of God's grace, which they accept in faith. ... The peasant class senses the potential for secular, though not necessarily spiritual, freedoms. ... The humanist view that human beings might be brought to higher spirituality through education and innate ability, is a source of contention for the Reformers. ...

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9. Separation of Church and State

It is in this diversity that conservative Christians have taken a step back from religious toleration. ... Religious neutrality in government is deemed secular and worse yet, an attack on Christianity. ... It is evident from his own words, that Washington did not necessarily revere the Christian God of the Bible. As any good Enlightenment humanist would, Washington recognized a supreme being but in his heart, respected the will and potential of man above all. ... Unlike President Washington's quasi-Christian faith, James Madison appears to have been a man of scripture, fully devoted t...

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