From Humanist Manifesto II (1973)

-- From the Preface: “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.”
-- From the Closing: “We will survive and prosper only in a world of shared humane
values....
At the present juncture of history, commitment to all humankind is the highest
commitment
of which we are capable.”
(http://americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_II)
From Humanist Manifesto III: Humanism and Its Aspirations (2003)
“....Thus engaged in the flow of life, we aspire to this vision with the informed conviction
that
humanity has the ability to progress toward its highest ideals. The responsibility for our
lives
and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.”
(http://americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III)
From the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 (International Humanist and Ethical Union)
-- Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfillment through the
cultivation of ethical and
creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of
our times. Humanism
can be a way of life for everyone everywhere. ( http://iheu.org/humanism/the-
amsterdam-declaration/)
From “What Is Humanism?” by Fred Edwords
Former AHA Executive Director and currently the director of the United Coalition of
Reason,
Fred Edwords has written prolifically about the principles of humanism. In an essay on
What Is Humanism? he
concluded: “So, with modern humanism one finds a lifestance or worldview that is in
tune with modern
knowledge; is inspiring, socially conscious, and personally meaningful. It is not only the
thinking person's
outlook but that of the feeling person as well, for it has inspired the arts as much as it
has the sciences;
philanthropy as much as critique. And even in critique it is tolerant, defending the rights
of all people to choose
other ways, to speak and to write freely, to live their lives according to their own lights.
So the choice is yours.
Are you a humanist? You needn't answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ For it isn’t an either-or
proposition. Humanism is yours
-- to adopt or to simply draw from. You may take a little or a lot, sip from the cup or drink
it to the dregs. It’s up
to you.” (http://americanhumanist.org/humanism/What_is_Humanism)
Helen Bennett’s poem “What Humanism Means to Me” in her book,
Humanism, What’s That? A Book for Curious Kids (Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY,
2005).
Humanism means to me
I’ve got the opportunity
To realize that I am free
To take responsibility.
To me, it doesn’t seem so odd
That many people pray to God
Whenever they are feeling low --
It’s just the way they have to go.
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But when I do not know the way
I do not feel the need to pray.
I use my brain to figure out
What the problem’s all about.
I’m grateful that I have my eyes
To see the beauty of the skies,
I’m glad I have my ears to hear
The voices of my friends so dear.
But best of all, my brain’s the one
That figures out what must be done
To help me run a better race,
To make the world a better place.
For additional essays on Living the Humanist Life, Humanism and Traditional Religion
and related issues, see:
http://americanhumanist.org/Who_We_Are/About_Humanism
Comparisons and Contrasts: On Common Ground
In several ways, Hinduism and humanism are on common ground. As M. J. Akbar,
former editor of the Indian
newspaper Asian Age, has written, “Hinduism is synonymous with humanism. That is its
essence and its great
liberating quality.” Others have indicated that “Hinduism is marked by a very high level
of flexibility and
openness to reason and skepticism.” -- Humanist's Guide to Religion: Hinduism
(http://secularist10.hubpages.com/hub/Humanists-Guide-to-Religion-Hinduism)
In his book, Essays for Our Time, Essays in Gandhian Perspective, M. V. Nadkarni
asserts that Hinduism, far
from being inconsistent with humanism, shows concern both for human responsibility
and human welfare, not
merely in the scriptures and other literature, but also in practice. The website simply
called “Humanism”
indicated that in the 2500 BCE era, and likely before, alternatives to religious thought
emerged that rejected the
supernatural but accepted humanistic ideas and that (as we well know) a person can be
a humanist within any
religious or non-religious system. It noted that humanism is ecumenical in the sense of
being able to exist
within many different world views. (http://www.humanistictexts.org/humanism.htm)
A primary commonality, as noted above, is that Hinduism prioritizes values and
personal growth over the image
of God in one’s mind. The evolution of the individual mind and personality is more
important in the Hindu
value system than the faith or religion one to which one adheres.
A disparity which should be noted relates to the traditional Hindu belief that “Hinduism
has a supernatural
aspect, which involves faith in an afterlife.” Humanism, however, is defined as “a
progressive philosophy of life
that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of
personal fulfillment
that aspire to the greater good of humanity.” Humanist Manifesto III: Humanism and Its
Aspirations)
Humanists believe that when a person dies there can be no further existence. For
some, it is comforting to
believe in a reunion with family and friends in some future life or rebirth, but we believe
that that the idea that
something about oneself can transcend our body’s physical end is wishful thinking.
What matters is “the here
and now” for ourselves and future generations.
The concept of Karma also is relevant in that it can be reinterpreted in a rational way as
increasing the
likelihood of positive and negative feedback for positive and negative actions as
opposed to a mystical force
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keeping everything in balance. For example, being kind to someone surely tends to
increase the likelihood that
they would counter by being kind in turn. Acts of kindness are infectious and reciprocal.
Hinduism traditionally supports the belief in reincarnation -- that the soul is eternal and
lives many lifetimes in
one body after another. The soul is thought to sometimes be born in a human body,
sometimes in an animal
body and sometimes in a plant body. The traditional Hindu belief is that all forms of life
contain a soul and that
souls have the chance to experience life in different forms. Centuries ago the Roman
poet Lucretius summed up
the humanist perspective when he wrote “You have nothing to fear in death. Someone
who no longer exists
cannot suffer, or differ in any way from one who is not born.”
Humanists strive to embrace the moral principle in the Golden Rule, the ethic of
reciprocity, and to treat each
other as one would like to be treated themselves -- with tolerance, consideration and
compassion. The Golden
Rule, a unifying humanistic principle, cannot be claimed for any one philosophy or
religion. Throughout the
ages, many traditions have promoted one or another version of it. In Hinduism the
Golden Rule is: This is the
sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you.”
-- Mahabharata 5,1517
In many ways, we are on the same page as you will see in the following quotes, first
from the Hindu perspective
and then the humanist.