Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxd.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxd!rlr
From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion
Subject: Re: "Secular Humanism" banned in the US Schools.
Message-ID: <1585@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 24-Aug-85 15:09:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1585
Posted: Sat Aug 24 15:09:37 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 12:51:18 EDT
References: <1574@pyuxd.UUCP> <1653@akgua.UUCP>
Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week
Lines: 33
Xref: watmath net.politics:10644 net.religion:7472

> Let's get back to what Secular Humanism is...
> This philosophy or religion elevates the individual's
> immediate desires or reasoning to the SUMMUM BONUM
> in life.  The whole panoply of garbage of Situational
> Ethics and moral relativity is probably the most repugnant
> aspect of the Secular Humanist morality.  Basically,
> 	Man and/or Man's Desire is the deity
> 	All morality is relative
> 
> Most Jews, Christians, and Muslims although sharply divided
> on issues between them are diametrically opposed to what
> amounts to crass idolatry espoused by Secular Humanism.

Please note that this does not describe secular humanism, it describes
what a fundamentalist Christian thinks of secular humanism.  If anything,
"all morality is relative" is not an axiom of the philosophy, it is a
consequence of a realization that if you have no god, absolute good and
evil is an oxymoron.  (in fact, this is a reason for discounting the existence
of god as many religionists depict it)  Thus the best morality that results
in the most gain for the most people is most desireable.  The complaint
Christians are making is not that they say "all morality is relative" but
that they say "Judaeo-Christian morality is not absolute".  Let's be
clear on that.

Also, this sanctification of desire crap has been making the rounds among
such people so as to make it seem that humanists are "amoral" and have no
respect for other human beings.  I would say that, on the contrary, humanists
have far more respect for individual human lives than religionists.

By far.
-- 
"There!  I've run rings 'round you logically!"
"Oh, intercourse the penguin!"			Rich Rosen    ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr