Humanism

One of the most potent things about losing one’s religion is that we often feel a big gap left in our lives because our religion informed much of our life’s direction and purpose.  It’s very common for religious people to question how someone can live without religion, because they were raised in an environment which put religious belief at the center of existence.  The thought is that, if one loses their religion, then certainly they must also be losing their very purpose in life.  It’s a common reasoning behind why religious people often dismiss Atheists as misguided, confused, or just going through a phase.

We’re often born into circumstances where our entire community is of a particular religious affiliation, and through extreme peer pressure and social immersion, the community instills the idea in its people, and especially youth, that this is the only way of thinking.  Obviously, that is very far from truth, but isolation within a social structure that advocates only a single cultural viewpoint doesn’t leave much room for people to explore their own path.

But if someone takes the path of being Atheist, there’s usually a certain set of conditions that informed that choice.  Skepticism is often at the core of it.  If someone is highly skeptical, it’s because they care about proof or evidence before believing something.  If no religious claim can stand up to scrutiny, then the focus on how we should live our lives naturally shifts from caring mostly about what some deity might think, to caring about the lives of our fellow humans as the single-most important driver in our thought process.  This is called Humanism.

But there are many different kinds of Humanism, so it’s important to note which kind.  Most Atheists will say they are Secular Humanists.  According to americanhumanist.org (2015), “Secular Humanism is an outgrowth of eighteenth century enlightenment rationalism and nineteeth century freethought” (para. 8).  The primary focus is on people, and a rejection of all religious claims of supernatural belief.  Secular Humanism offers an ethical system to follow.  Atheism is nothing more than the rejection of the claim of a god or gods, and so it’s not a system of ethics in itself. 

There are many resources on the web to learn about Humanism.  It’s important to note that Humanism is NOT a religion.  It’s a system of ethical guidance that puts humans first.  As a Humanist, one would take the position that we should make the world into a place where people come first.

For a closer look into Humanism, you can search Google and find many different resources.  I recommend taking a look at:

https://www.secularhumanism.org