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June 14, 2006 Here are some questions for devoted Secular Humanists to answer: I've been perusing the Secular Humanist Manifesto I composed in 1933, and the Secular Humanist Manifesto II composed in 1973. The writing in these documents is clear, sometimes eloquent, but mere words are not enough. I'm not convinced that the secular humanists are really all that serious. They seem to lack profundity. Without addressing each and every point the secular humanists are trying to make in print, let me address just one main idea. I've copied this idea from Secular Humanist Manifesto I, published in 1933: "FOURTEENTH: The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world." This idea, ideal, plan, and intention was published sixty three years ago! To me, and probably to most educated people the plan suggests socialism or communism. There are subtle differences amongst the various socialist schemes, but it seems to me that socialism is what the 1933 Secular Humanist Manifesto is promoting. So my question is, WHERE are there experimental Secular Humanist Communities where people are TESTING this idea of sharing? With all the emphasis the Secular Humanists give to science and testing of ideas, I wonder where these communities of Secular Humanist innovators ARE ACTUALLY located, and what RESULTS are coming in. Sixty years is enough time for the Secular Humanist movement to be proving itself, especially if Secular Humanism goes all the way back to Epicurus! That's long before Christianity and Islam started! So why did Christianity and Islam capture billions of human hearts, minds, and souls, whereas Secular Humanism remains in the dark sidelines like a wallflower who can't ever come out and join the dance? Today there are tens of thousands of Christian communities and Moslem communities. In these towns churches and temples are prominent architectural eye candy. So where are the Secular Humanist temples, and where are the Secular Humanist communities? Are the communist communities Secular Humanist communities? If so, how does the failure of communism in the USSR relate to Secular Humanism? How do the Secular Humanists plan to replace capitalism with their own particular social plan as described in the above quote? These are questions for Fred Smith, t411Sh, David Gleeson, and other vocal advocates of Secular Humanism to answer. Words alone are not convincing. There's been plenty of time already for the Secular Humanists to make their point stick and start up the New Society. They do have money. But they keep failing. It’s almost like a scam…decades of eloquent promises but never any delivery. One reason I think the modern Secular Humanist Movement fails is because the Secular Humanists keep attacking too many ideas! Just read the Secular Humanist Manifest II and you will see Paul Kurtz and Edwin H. Wilson pull out all the stops and let fly with over-claims such as "We have virtually conquered the planet..." eh? Hello? Kurtz and Wilson follow that faux pas with further rhetorical flim-flam. Their document has been promoted for thirty-three years now. So what? I say the document is rhetorical flim-flam because Kurtz and Wilson give no information on HOW the Secular Humanists are going to implement their grandiose plan to revolutionize the human race. If this isn't a borderline psychotic document, then you need to explain why not. As sure as Saint Paul was, Paul Kurtz and Edwin Wilson are evangelists determined to CONVERT humanity to the new religion! They want to bring in a new religion, BUT they never clearly define exactly WHAT their new religion IS. What or Who IS their means of salvation? They don’t give us any FOCUS. Each one of the modern religions teaches children to pay special attention to the life and works of the FOUNDER of the religion. Children are trained to attend devotional services. The only thing vaguely resembling a Secular Humanist religion is public school attendance. But a temple or a church presents a sanctuary where the true believer can meditate, pray, and otherwise be at peace even for hours at a time. Contrarily, modern public schools have become so unsafe for children that many children bring deadly weapons to school simply out of necessity, because they have to defend themselves! Something's gone haywire with the Secular Humanist agenda. After reading over the Secular Humanist Manifesto II and meditating a bit, a cartoon arises in my television camera mind. Inside my head on my mental TV I see an arena where numerous lions are roaring and growling and pawing at one another, and on the sidelines a mouse is standing on its hind legs and holding up this grandiose Secular Humanist Manifesto II with the expectation that the lions are going to pay any attention to their miniscule visitor. All around in the Coliseum huge numbers of ancient Romans are roaring with laughter at the whole scenario. Lots of modern Romans would be laughing as well, if they got the picture. The issue is leverage. If the NEW IDEA of the Secular Humanists is so darned good, well, they have to figure out how to PROVE it is so valuable, not just to a few bearded and pipe-smoking Ivory Tower professors and their often glib disciples, but to damm near every influential teacher or political leader on the planet. And the Secular Humanists had better do this prêt-ty FAST, because these days everything keeps happening faster and faster. Faster and faster the planet is filling up with people and their stuff. Ideas, too, are everywhere. But only a few are any good. Folks, we need to FOCUS on the ISSUE. ------------ About the author: John L. Waters is an amateur psychologist and independent researcher on self-healing, integration, and problem-solving. John has created art, music and songs, prose and poetry, and helped people solve a difficult problem. For more information, read: John's letters of recommendation: http://members.tripod.com/johnlwaters/recommendations about John's self-healing and integration: http://members.tripod.com/johnlwaters/index.html about John's independent research: http://www.humboldt.edu/~jlw47/index.html about John's seeking an agent or a publisher: http://www.writers.net/writers/39295 Email: blueguntwo@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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