Posts
It happens, as predictable as clockwork, whenever some grave natural catastrophe bears its ugly head and gives us all a vivid reminder of the shocking frailty of our own existence. Of the terribly indefinite nature of our lives on this tiny rock hurtling around a sun that will eventually burn out. But in the year 2010, it is long overdue that this shameful practice begin to come to an end.
In the earliest days of humanity, when things such as the scientific method and the study of plate tectonics (or the germ theory, or meteorology, or any other field of scientific endeavor) were still locked far beyond our comprehension, perhaps this innate instinct was understandable and, indeed, justifiable. When a young mother watched cholera ravage and destroy her infant; when the bubonic plague nearly succeeded at exterminating the population of Western Europe; when volcanic eruptions caused fire to rain from the sky over Mount Vesuvius in Italy; when earthquakes rattled and annihilated the flimsy shacks of Pacific atolls thousands of years ago – when our atavistic ancestors beheld these spectacles of nature, we can only understand why they would have searched for a justification and explanation in religion and the supernatural, not just because they lacked a sound scientific foundation to understand the wonders of this planet, but also because a promise of heavenly redemption surely made the hell on earth of what was an ancient existence at least somewhat more tolerable.
In the year 2010, humans are no longer limited in our understanding of the natural world. When volcanoes erupt, when hurricanes roar, when tsunamis sweep, when earthquakes shatter and destroy lives, we as a species are no longer ignorant enough to write these events off as nothing more than the petty contrivances of a god or gods. Unfortunately, in the realms of philosophy and ethics – particularly in our vain attempt to ascribe a global “meaning to life” – we continue to cling to these pathetic atavistic traditions, and to viciously castigate anybody who dares to offer an alternative view – a view that affirms our common humanity and celebrates life as the most precious resource of all, as opposed to the religionist view that marks man as an inherently stained creature who must consistently submit himself before a bitter god and pray for what little morsels of redemption he may attain. The horrible, unspeakably grotesque tragedy in Haiti has seen the conventional emergence of this line of thought in all its remarkable ignorance and ugliness.
Observe a common sentiment. Shortly after news of the disaster in Haiti became widespread, many “prayer vigils” were organized throughout this country. Presumably, these people are praying to the same god who would have, at least, had the power to forestall the tragedy in Haiti had he or she so wished (and perhaps could have done something about the hundreds of years of suffering and disaster in that poor nation before this latest tragedy, but I digress.) The blinding illogic here should be apparent to any 10-year old of even the most modest intelligence; this is surely no different than praying for forgiveness to the man who has just burglarized your house. On the other hand, if this god figure was powerless to prevent the earthquake in the first place, what good could possibly come from praying to him now, after he sat back and casually watched as tens of thousands of perfectly innocent humans suffered deaths of unimaginable agony?
When presented with thoughts such as these, many of the religionists will resort to a predictable and burnt out line of argumentation: they’ll state that “God works in mysterious ways” or that “We tiny little humans cannot possibly hope to understand the Creator’s magnificent plan.” Again, the glaring illogic here is almost blinding. On the one hand, these people are stating that humans cannot understand the grand machinations of god with our puny mental faculties. And yet, aren’t they using their own human mental faculties to arrive at that very conclusion? In other words, the religionists assert, at the same time, that we humans can indeed be aware that god has a “plan”, but for some (never explained) reason, that we can never hope to understand this plan.
The summation of these ludicrous assertions are what they refer to as “faith” – in other words, a blind and unyielding belief, despite and in objection to any scientific evidence and any grounding in logic, that their particular god-figure knew exactly what he was doing when he collapsed all of those hospitals and schools in Haiti, that he was justified in doing so, and that we pathetic little humans can only pray to this same god in the hope that one day he might forgive, love, and accept us into his Kingdom. This is at the core of an unspeakably destructive, ignorant, and man-hating system of belief, and it is directly descended from the atavistic period in which our distant, scientifically ignorant ancestors ascribed thunderstorms and floods to some angry god.
This is certainly not man’s best attempt at explaining our world, as many secular systems of belief – particularly humanism – offer a far more valid, ethical, logical, and humanity-affirming alternative to the caustic notions of “Original Sin” and “faith.”
Secular humanism is a system of belief that offers many viewpoints for how humankind can constructively and happily engage in the only life that there is, life on this planet, at this small amount of time that we are given. Rejecting all notions of a supernatural realm or a god-figure, humanism asserts that the prosperity and happiness of humanity should be the central aims of our life here on this earth. It recognizes that all men and women are equal in rights and dignity, and that any behavior that is contrary to man’s prosperity – i.e., things such as murder, dishonesty, theft, fraud, unjust subjugation – must be banned. Humanism breeds an incredible appreciation of life, as humanists understand that there is no “heaven” after this existence; we have at maximum one hundred years to enjoy on this planet, and that is it. While the religionist is only motivated by fear of being sent to Hell, the humanist is motivated by a sincere appreciation and love of human life, and a clear recognition of the common bonds that we all share.
How does a secular humanist respond to a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude, such as what is currently unfolding in Haiti? First, we as humanists understand that there is no “reason” for such events, other than natural phenomenon – in this case, pressure built up over many years due to the friction of tectonic plates. That’s it; there was and is no “master plan” involved here. We are innately motivated to help those who suffer because we can see ourselves in their shoes quite easily, and because we understand and cannot tolerate the nature and injustice of human suffering. When we opened up our checkbooks to provide relief, we were not attempting to propitiate some vain god-figure and avoid spending time in Hell; we understand our common bond as humans to the people of Haiti and would have considered it selfish, ignorant, and cruel to have not done all that we could to help (quite frankly, as a humanist I would have provided assistance to Haiti even if I knew for a fact that such assistance would cause a “god” to send me to “Hell”, because my ethics is not driven by a desire to stay out of “Hell”, any more than it is driven by fear of the tooth fairy.) Secular humanists understand that sometimes bad things happen to very innocent or very good people, and while this saddens us deeply, we do not go around attempting to ascribe some silly anthropomorphized “meaning” to such events – i.e., “at least they’re in Heaven now!” These tragedies simply reinforce the value – and frailty - of life to us.
My heart is with the people of Haiti. No matter how much aid money and assistance pours in, no person can undo the suffering there. No person can repair the families that have been ripped asunder; no person can reverse the catastrophic damage to political and economic institutions in what was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. But no matter the amount of or nature of the suffering there, I have an unyielding hope. This hope is most certainly not rooted in “faith in god.” My hope comes from what I have seen over the last week, watching television, listening to radio, and reading the newspaper. I have hope because I saw little kids in Weston donating money from their lemonade stands to relief efforts. I have hope because I saw income-limited seniors on Social Security write out five hundred dollar checks to the Red Cross. I have hope because I saw young American doctors walk away from their comfortable six-figure jobs to work 20-hour days under the grueling 90-degree sun in unspeakable squalor providing medical aid. I have hope because I saw a people, ravaged by a history of slavery and Western exploitation and unspeakable tragedies, wipe the dirt and blood off of their faces and move on with dignified poise in the most human of pursuits, the effort to attain their full potential and enjoy their time on this planet.
My hope – and perhaps you could say, my “faith” - is rooted in humanity; and if the nature of humanity cannot give you the hope or faith that you need, it is vain to attempt to search for it elsewhere.
In the earliest days of humanity, when things such as the scientific method and the study of plate tectonics (or the germ theory, or meteorology, or any other field of scientific endeavor) were still locked far beyond our comprehension, perhaps this innate instinct was understandable and, indeed, justifiable. When a young mother watched cholera ravage and destroy her infant; when the bubonic plague nearly succeeded at exterminating the population of Western Europe; when volcanic eruptions caused fire to rain from the sky over Mount Vesuvius in Italy; when earthquakes rattled and annihilated the flimsy shacks of Pacific atolls thousands of years ago – when our atavistic ancestors beheld these spectacles of nature, we can only understand why they would have searched for a justification and explanation in religion and the supernatural, not just because they lacked a sound scientific foundation to understand the wonders of this planet, but also because a promise of heavenly redemption surely made the hell on earth of what was an ancient existence at least somewhat more tolerable.
In the year 2010, humans are no longer limited in our understanding of the natural world. When volcanoes erupt, when hurricanes roar, when tsunamis sweep, when earthquakes shatter and destroy lives, we as a species are no longer ignorant enough to write these events off as nothing more than the petty contrivances of a god or gods. Unfortunately, in the realms of philosophy and ethics – particularly in our vain attempt to ascribe a global “meaning to life” – we continue to cling to these pathetic atavistic traditions, and to viciously castigate anybody who dares to offer an alternative view – a view that affirms our common humanity and celebrates life as the most precious resource of all, as opposed to the religionist view that marks man as an inherently stained creature who must consistently submit himself before a bitter god and pray for what little morsels of redemption he may attain. The horrible, unspeakably grotesque tragedy in Haiti has seen the conventional emergence of this line of thought in all its remarkable ignorance and ugliness.
Observe a common sentiment. Shortly after news of the disaster in Haiti became widespread, many “prayer vigils” were organized throughout this country. Presumably, these people are praying to the same god who would have, at least, had the power to forestall the tragedy in Haiti had he or she so wished (and perhaps could have done something about the hundreds of years of suffering and disaster in that poor nation before this latest tragedy, but I digress.) The blinding illogic here should be apparent to any 10-year old of even the most modest intelligence; this is surely no different than praying for forgiveness to the man who has just burglarized your house. On the other hand, if this god figure was powerless to prevent the earthquake in the first place, what good could possibly come from praying to him now, after he sat back and casually watched as tens of thousands of perfectly innocent humans suffered deaths of unimaginable agony?
When presented with thoughts such as these, many of the religionists will resort to a predictable and burnt out line of argumentation: they’ll state that “God works in mysterious ways” or that “We tiny little humans cannot possibly hope to understand the Creator’s magnificent plan.” Again, the glaring illogic here is almost blinding. On the one hand, these people are stating that humans cannot understand the grand machinations of god with our puny mental faculties. And yet, aren’t they using their own human mental faculties to arrive at that very conclusion? In other words, the religionists assert, at the same time, that we humans can indeed be aware that god has a “plan”, but for some (never explained) reason, that we can never hope to understand this plan.
The summation of these ludicrous assertions are what they refer to as “faith” – in other words, a blind and unyielding belief, despite and in objection to any scientific evidence and any grounding in logic, that their particular god-figure knew exactly what he was doing when he collapsed all of those hospitals and schools in Haiti, that he was justified in doing so, and that we pathetic little humans can only pray to this same god in the hope that one day he might forgive, love, and accept us into his Kingdom. This is at the core of an unspeakably destructive, ignorant, and man-hating system of belief, and it is directly descended from the atavistic period in which our distant, scientifically ignorant ancestors ascribed thunderstorms and floods to some angry god.
This is certainly not man’s best attempt at explaining our world, as many secular systems of belief – particularly humanism – offer a far more valid, ethical, logical, and humanity-affirming alternative to the caustic notions of “Original Sin” and “faith.”
Secular humanism is a system of belief that offers many viewpoints for how humankind can constructively and happily engage in the only life that there is, life on this planet, at this small amount of time that we are given. Rejecting all notions of a supernatural realm or a god-figure, humanism asserts that the prosperity and happiness of humanity should be the central aims of our life here on this earth. It recognizes that all men and women are equal in rights and dignity, and that any behavior that is contrary to man’s prosperity – i.e., things such as murder, dishonesty, theft, fraud, unjust subjugation – must be banned. Humanism breeds an incredible appreciation of life, as humanists understand that there is no “heaven” after this existence; we have at maximum one hundred years to enjoy on this planet, and that is it. While the religionist is only motivated by fear of being sent to Hell, the humanist is motivated by a sincere appreciation and love of human life, and a clear recognition of the common bonds that we all share.
How does a secular humanist respond to a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude, such as what is currently unfolding in Haiti? First, we as humanists understand that there is no “reason” for such events, other than natural phenomenon – in this case, pressure built up over many years due to the friction of tectonic plates. That’s it; there was and is no “master plan” involved here. We are innately motivated to help those who suffer because we can see ourselves in their shoes quite easily, and because we understand and cannot tolerate the nature and injustice of human suffering. When we opened up our checkbooks to provide relief, we were not attempting to propitiate some vain god-figure and avoid spending time in Hell; we understand our common bond as humans to the people of Haiti and would have considered it selfish, ignorant, and cruel to have not done all that we could to help (quite frankly, as a humanist I would have provided assistance to Haiti even if I knew for a fact that such assistance would cause a “god” to send me to “Hell”, because my ethics is not driven by a desire to stay out of “Hell”, any more than it is driven by fear of the tooth fairy.) Secular humanists understand that sometimes bad things happen to very innocent or very good people, and while this saddens us deeply, we do not go around attempting to ascribe some silly anthropomorphized “meaning” to such events – i.e., “at least they’re in Heaven now!” These tragedies simply reinforce the value – and frailty - of life to us.
My heart is with the people of Haiti. No matter how much aid money and assistance pours in, no person can undo the suffering there. No person can repair the families that have been ripped asunder; no person can reverse the catastrophic damage to political and economic institutions in what was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. But no matter the amount of or nature of the suffering there, I have an unyielding hope. This hope is most certainly not rooted in “faith in god.” My hope comes from what I have seen over the last week, watching television, listening to radio, and reading the newspaper. I have hope because I saw little kids in Weston donating money from their lemonade stands to relief efforts. I have hope because I saw income-limited seniors on Social Security write out five hundred dollar checks to the Red Cross. I have hope because I saw young American doctors walk away from their comfortable six-figure jobs to work 20-hour days under the grueling 90-degree sun in unspeakable squalor providing medical aid. I have hope because I saw a people, ravaged by a history of slavery and Western exploitation and unspeakable tragedies, wipe the dirt and blood off of their faces and move on with dignified poise in the most human of pursuits, the effort to attain their full potential and enjoy their time on this planet.
My hope – and perhaps you could say, my “faith” - is rooted in humanity; and if the nature of humanity cannot give you the hope or faith that you need, it is vain to attempt to search for it elsewhere.
No comments:
Post a Comment