Humanism
Review the textbook readings, Secular Worldview – Roots of Secular Humanism Media Clip, Humanism Media Clip, 4.1a PDF: Christ and the Media, 4.1b PDF: Christian Ethics on Abortion, and 4.1d PDF: Eidsmoe – Chapter 12 – Humanism as an Establishment of Religion.
In your initial post, address the following: What is Humanism and what affect and effect does it have on Christian Worldview?
Sample Solution
The word humanism is derived from the Latin humanitas that originally meant the study of human nature. The idea was to elevate humanity with a focus on human dignity and potential through education (Ritchie and Spencer 2014:15, 16). The meaning attributed to the word humanism, in its broadest sense, allowed Christians and non-believers initially to occupy common territory. At the heart of Humanism is a reason-based stance which maintains that as human beings we alone are in charge of ourselves. Humanism is a worldview which by definition encourages the person to take responsibility for their own life, for creating their own meaningful lives, and for taking ethical decisions based on reason and compassion. Of course, it’s not as simple as that in practice; you’re rarely free to take moral decisions without considerable constraints, competing priorities, consideration for the rights and freedoms of others, and uncertainty about the results of your decisions. Humanism is a work in progress, embracing disagreement and potential for improvement. Not all humanists agree on every issue; people who share the same basic ethical principles and non-ethical values will probably always disagree about exactly how to apply them.
