Charles Darwin was right

Not just about evolution, but about anti-theism as well.

I am a Humanist and as a Humanist, I value Freethought on all subjects: including religion. We Freethinkers know no taboo.

However, you will also notice that I rarely write or speak about religion, focusing instead on how we all can use the tools of Freethought and critical thinking and compassion based ethics to lead better more ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.  

I take this approach because I know the benefits of this approach aren’t just for the non-religious. Everyone can benefit even if they don’t make full use of the tools. 

I am on occasion asked why I don’t take a more anti-theist approach. The quick reason is because I’m not an anti-theist. I’m a Humanist. I honestly don’t care what other people believe or don’t. I care whether they are a good person.  The other reason is because I don’t see that debates about belief or not belief do any good. I see them cause conflict, but not much learning.

On this subject, I am going to defer to Charles Darwin who said, 

“I am a strong advocate for free thought on all subjects, yet it appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity & theism produce hardly any effect on the public; freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds, which follow[s] from the advance of science. It has, therefore, been always my object to avoid writing on religion, I have confined myself to science. I may, however, have been unduly biased by the pain which it would give some members of my family, if I aided in any way direct attacks on religion.”

— Charles Darwin

On these matters I agree with Charles Darwin. 

We need to do better

I got an email from someone over the weekend who had heard me on Skepticality.  Which is great. They were very excited to find out that they weren’t the only people who hold the Humanist philosophy and were even more excited to learn that there are Humanist groups all over the country, including where they live.

I bring this up because we Humanists need to do better.  If active members of the skeptic movement who consider themselves to be Humanists aren’t aware of the existence of the Humanist movement then we Humanists simply aren’t doing a good enough job of spreading the word.  We shouldn’t be assuming that our fellow Humanists, skeptics, freethinkers, Brights and Atheists know we exist or that we have, you know, groups and stuff. Because they don’t and won’t unless we tell them.

We also shouldn’t assume that people in these movements know whether or not they are Humanists. Again, if no one bothers to talk about the philosophy, we can’t expect people to know about it.  We need to do better. 

Rant over.