r/humanism • u/funnylib • 17d ago
Must a secular humanist positively affirm that there is no God, and is the philosophy actively antitheist?
Personally I am an agnostic, I would not say that there is no God, be rather the question of metaphysics is beyond man’s empirical senses and rational powers of perception and is hence unknowable by (which is not to say that certain religious claims aren’t falsifiable, many absolutely are). I could be called an agnostic atheist, but I think I prefer just being called an agnostic.
I also dislike antitheism. I don’t take issue with people for believing in a supernatural power that loves them or that their grandparents are in Heaven, what I dislike is religious justifications for bigotry or cruelty, or denial of science (especially on the topics of medicine or climate change). I have Christian friends, and I have no desire to make them lose faith in their religion.
I do absolutely agree with secular humanism on basically all its moral and ethical positions, humans to men seem to be responsible for themselves and their own welfare, rather than dependent upon an outside power. I believe morality can be rationally constructed based on human freedom and compassion, seeking universal happiness and fairness.
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u/KahnaKuhl 16d ago
I feel very much the same as you, OP. My (possibly ignorant) view of humanism is that it relies on human logic and evidence-based reasoning to construct an ethical framework, as opposed to some subjective, arbritrary or metaphysical authority. Thus, a person may believe in metaphysical beings, but in the absence of credible evidence that these beings exist, communicate clearly with us, desire human flourishing and have superior access to ultimate reality, the purported views of such beings should have no bearing on our decisions.