Secular Humanism And Its Impact On Human Existence

Christianity is one of the dominant religions on the planet, and Christian Theism has played a major role in shaping the development of Western culture. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Christian missionaries, Christian doctrine has even influenced the views of non-Christians. Nevertheless, the contemporary world is a pluralistic and diverse one, and postmodern perspectives have arisen to challenge the wide-ranging influence of Christian Theism. The purpose of this paper is to show how a belief in Christian Theism can help one understand the nature and meaning of life, and this paper will show evidence that this belief brings both uniformity and order to everything.

According to the Third Humanist Manifesto, meaning and purpose in life is found in forming relationships, bettering society, and bettering oneself (“Humanism…,” 2003). Noebel (2008), however, revealed another goal of secular humanists: to wage war against Christianity in the education system and political area and replace it their own man-centered philosophies.Compare and contrast this with how the biblical worldview would answer this question.

The question as to what it means to be human is often thought of as being the foundational question for almost all religions. Indeed, it can be argued that the religious impulse itself is first and foremost an impulse to understand the nature the meaning of life, and therefore of what it means to be human. Despite the importance of this question, the Bible provides relatively few answers, other than the idea that to be human is to be in some way close to God and to have been created by Him. This closeness and the nature of having been created has a variety of consequences which this paper will explore. These consequences that can be seen to be intensely positive but which also come with a heavy price and with a strict legality. Finally, they may also be shown to be entirely arbitrary and to position their unfathomable nature on the fact of having the 'created ' nature of a person.

Our worldview allows us to see into the world at such an angle that it coincides with our beliefs, therefore affecting how we think and live. Whether one falls under an atheistic, pantheistic, or theistic worldview, they are guided in their life choices depending on the beliefs of their worldview. Throughout this paper, I will summarize the elements of a Christian Worldview such as God, Humanity, Jesus, and Restoration; I will then analyze questions one might have about the Christian Worldview, and finally I will reflect on my worldview.

Creation is seen in Christianity as a sacred story that explains not how, but why people exist in this universe. Depending on the sect of Christianity, it is taken literally, or it is seen as a story that teaches the lesson of their god’s great love for mankind. Christians

In Judeo-Christian tradition God created the cosmos and he said it was good. God created everything. “Yahweh” is a form of God’s name in Hebrew which is best translated to “I am who I am”. God is this mysterious divine spirit that was created before time and lives forever. God is the “tremendom”, the holy, fearful and overwhelming mystery that people can only wonder about and try to wrap their heads around. Jews and Christians believe that human beings are created in the image of God. Everyone is created perfect and equal despite physical appearances. Humans have free will like God. In a way we are god over ourselves in the way that we govern and make decisions for ourselves. God also dwells in us and around us. God created human beings good.

For this second paper we will be looking at two of my favorite articles/books we’ve had to read for this semester so far. The David Wallace Commencement address, which focuses primarily the concept of how we perceive and worship things throughout our daily lives. The Augustine book, looks at the human soul and our drives to complete tasks that benefit us and our way of rational and non-rational though the use of our free will. Both of theses readings in a sensible aim at administering the same message, that we are capable of choosing how we look at the world and what we do with what we have. In order to justify that statement, we will look into these readings and our lectures to find evidence that these points exist; particularly the aspects

Do all things pass with time? Can man’s purpose change? The rise of secular society made these questions central in public life. Man up to this point in time had always been oriented by faith towards something beyond the material world. Now men asked if faith is dispensable, can something in the world take the place of God? While secularism claims that man does not need faith, that belief only blinds him to real, scientific, truth in the world, this does not seem to be the case in practice. Whittaker Chambers saw the reality of a secular culture that made such claims firsthand. He rejected it himself, and saw how it would always be rejected in the end by mankind. Russell Kirk saw what would become of man should he reject the purpose handed down from his ancestors, the evil that would result from throwing away tradition.

In Consider, the authors list Naturalism, Pantheism, and Theism as the three main primary classifications of worldview. From a Christian worldview perspective, the universe was created from a supernatural design and ruled by a monotheistic God. Other classifications of worldview discredits this design phases, and many feel as though the universe was conceived by an “impersonal force” (pantheists) or a scientific creation through evolution (naturalists). Secular humanists supports naturalism however believes God is a figment of human’s imagination and “that man is created good and thus can will himself to being better” (Hindson, 2008, p.47).

All systems of thought and each worldview have a notion of God. Secular humanism is defined as a belief system where humanity is the sovereign of all beings, and where reality and information rests in science and reason. The secular humanistic worldview started as a substitute among religions. Humanism is not a religious belief system in itself, while secular means “not religious.” A religion is any system of belief that informs an individual’s worldview. The secular humanistic worldview has a distinctive belief on many disciplines such as theology, ethics, and evolution among others. Thus, the thesis of this paper is; the secular humanism worldview is religious, as secular humanists uphold beliefs and values that hold them with dedication. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss whether the secular humanistic worldview is indeed religious and how it has influenced the American Culture. Secular humanism is nontheistic and religious because it directs itself towards beliefs and practices that are in active opposition to customary theism. According to the Humanistic Manifestos I and II, secular humanism is a religious and philosophical moral point of view (House 381).

The Existential questions which are important to ask are, Why do we suffer? What happens after we die? and does god exist? Many religions will have answers for these questions, however the comparison between the Catholic viewpoint and the Secular Humanist viewpoint will be argued in this report.

A key distinction between naturalistic "secular humanism" and Christianity would be the view of life after death. "Secular humanism," being limited to this world, would not acknowledge

Christians also believe in the fight between God and Satan, the fight between good and evil which exists in the world. Evidence of God is recorded in the Holy Bible, which is made of up of 66 books and letters that testify to Him, describe His character, commandments, and stories of His interaction with humans over history. Because God is the source of all purpose and meaning; the whole point of the Christian faith is to have a relationship with God. Christians affirm their faith in Him by praying to Him, reading the Bible (His Word), going to church to worship Him, living according to His commandments and spreading the gospel. God is the source of morality for Christians and is at the centre of their lives and decisions. “It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say

A similarity is that both Catholicism and Secular Humanism believe that there is a moral code which must be followed to live a peaceful life, however they differ as to the origin, with Catholicism being that God created the moral compass whereas Secular Humanists believe that human character and behaviour created moral beliefs. Both believe in the ethical principles and the dignity and worth of all people and creation. Both also believe in the truth setting individuals free and that there is a purpose in life. Another similarity is that both believe that something happened in the universe a long time ago which created human life and the earth which we live on.

A key belief of a secularist worldview regarding life after death is secular humanism which is a different form of secularism. Humanism is a worldview about the dignity of a human person and when others views try to take that dignity away from the human person. Secular humanism is the belief that God takes away the dignity