Should Humanism replace Religion?

[TalentSpotterPk]

Everybody is welcome in this thread but the Humanists, Athiests, Agnostics, borderline Atheists and Agnostics are more than welcome in this thread.


So, there is a debate that one can be moral even without any religion or any God. So there is no need of God or any Religion.


Without debating what is moral or immoral throw in theories of all the humanists here.


Will the world become more moral with Humanism replacing Religion ?

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Obviously.

Religion by its very nature divides and generally they hold the opinion that its followers are better people than non believers.

If people stopped this and looked at each other equally and didnt care about others religions there would be far less wars,death and so on.

 

[Third_Umpire]

If you are a compassionate human being, the good news is that humanism (can call it many other things too) is already replacing religion decisively across the world.

The debate has flipped, from "Can one be moral without religion?" to "Can one be moral with religion?". With all that's going on in the world, it's hard to see how the answer to the latter question can be yes.

I don't mean to say this in a way to offend religious people. However, this is a reality that even they must acknowledge.

 

[JaDed]

Yes please FGS alreadyy,if there is a GOD he/she defn wants us to show compassion irrespective of religion,show compassion to world he created for us,why are we so mean and destructive and conditioned by society!!!

 

[cricketfanfirst]

Yes, directly or indirectly, in the name of religion, there is much grief in the world.

I think we can make a world a better place, if we can get rid of religion...

 

[MenInG]

Why do we need any "ism"? You can call it what you like

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yes, directly or indirectly, in the name of religion, there is much grief in the world.

I think we can make a world a better place, if we can get rid of religion...

Religion doesn't play a major role for the first world countries where secular rule has been established for some time. As I said in the atheism thread, we don't need God to come out of the sky and feed the starving children, we are more than capable of doing it ourselves in this day and age.

 

[Robert]

Secular humanist morality is based on the Golden Rule - treat others the way you want to be treated. Give love without any thought of personal reward.

Works for me.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Ok let us start the discussion in true spirit now.

Humanism

Rule 1 (termed golden rule)


Do Unto Others as you would have them to do unto you.



Question : Humanism advocates please give examples how this golden rule will construct more moral society and better world ?

 

[Black Zero]

Yes

However unfortunately, unless we conquer poverty, sickness (i.e. death), injustice we will have religion in one way or the other.

Plus, humanism cannot satisfy mother of a dead child, only religion can by providing hope that one day she will be with her son.

At the current evolutionary level, humans do need something similar to religion.

During last year, number of Atheist decreased by 2%.

I might add, that we need to transform religion to humanism. (just like the religion of TalentSpotterPk believes in).

 

[cricketfanfirst]

Religion doesn't play a major role for the first world countries where secular rule has been established for some time. As I said in the atheism thread, we don't need God to come out of the sky and feed the starving children, we are more than capable of doing it ourselves in this day and age.

Yes, agree with your statement. I was responding to the OP, that may be without having religion, it may help to reduce our biases against one another in all parts of the world. Also, conflicts may also reduce because of that.

 

[proud_pakistani]

Most religions I know are built upon being fair and good to the other common man - do not tell lies, do not cheat the other person etc. In Islam we call this Haqooq Ul Ibad. As humans we have been given a great honour and there are certain duties towards mankind which involves us all being humanists. Unfortunately a lot of what is discussed in religion is distorted and fact is people are not being Humanists.

Whether u will call it religion or humanism things will not change. People will still continue to lie, people will still continue to cheat others if it can help them get ahead in life, people will still continue to be corrupt if they have the opportunity. What people want is the easy way. Unfortunately being a humanist or following religion is just a matter of show. Deep down people only do what is best for themselves in the short term.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Secular humanist morality is based on the Golden Rule - treat others the way you want to be treated. Give love without any thought of personal reward.

Works for me.

Come on Robert, this is all hippy fairy high as a cloud stuff. If someone is threatening your life or the lives of your family, you won't treat him other than as an enemy and do what it takes to protect yourself.


This modern day humanism is not in touch with the reality of ones existence on this planet.

 

[shaz619]

The Ottoman Empire functioned on the foundations of a Religion, it's a example not that am suggesting it is the be and end all but it's important to convey how Religion has formed the basis for law and order throughout history; it is something which people relied on heavily including the Vikings and their great leader Ragnor Lothbrok; he had his doubts but he understood the importance of faith when it came to the law and order of Scandinavia even for these alleged heathens.

Take away the belief system and you'd see that folk will indulge in sin because they are no longer limited on any level as there are no consequences, so no a lack of faith will not necessarily make one a better human being.

However, as we have evolved with time the belief systems which governed us has been used to orchestrate turmoil, cause division and incite hatred. It has also been exploited to justify evil which is committed in the name of God which further derails the reputation of Religion in this day and age despite the deep rooted problems while its influence on a governance scale has been minimised.

I'd not indulge in making a comparison between Humanism and Religion because it sought of implies that people of faith lack humanity due to their belief system which is not the case but there is no reason why people of god and pagans can not co exist at present, neither of us are perfect but what will separate us is the understanding we have of each other.

 

[Third_Umpire]

Most religions I know are built upon being fair and good to the other common man - do not tell lies, do not cheat the other person etc. In Islam we call this Haqooq Ul Ibad. As humans we have been given a great honour and there are certain duties towards mankind which involves us all being humanists. Unfortunately a lot of what is discussed in religion is distorted and fact is people are not being Humanists.

Whether u will call it religion or humanism things will not change. People will still continue to lie, people will still continue to cheat others if it can help them get ahead in life, people will still continue to be corrupt if they have the opportunity. What people want is the easy way. Unfortunately being a humanist or following religion is just a matter of show. Deep down people only do what is best for themselves in the short term.

I largely agree with you, and it may be true that is in human nature to some extent to lie, cheat, deceive, harm each other, etc. However, I hope you will agree that in the absence of other reasons to do so, religion provides a great reason and platform to exercise these negative traits. It forms the basis for differentiation and discrimination, and all the unwanted consequences that result.

 

[Ayesha7]

Everybody is welcome in this thread but the Humanists, Athiests, Agnostics, borderline Atheists and Agnostics are more than welcome in this thread.


So, there is a debate that one can be moral even without any religion or any God. So there is no need of God or any Religion.


Without debating what is moral or immoral throw in theories of all the humanists here.


Will the world become more moral with Humanism replacing Religion ?

hu·man·ism
ˈ(h)yo͞oməˌnizəm

noun
an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasise common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

Salamalaykom/peace.

Morality when associated with religion is objective whilst humanism based morality would inevitably be subjective.

Although religion provides a divine moral code most members disregard it and live by subjective morality. Therefore, it would be safe to conclude that the divine moral code has always been largely disregarded by mortals. We are already living in a pseudo religious state so where does the question of any ism replacing religion arise?

Moreover, religion or rather divine moral code can never be replaced because it exists in and of itself. Abandoning it altogether will have no impact on religion whatsoever imho. Once man abandons God's moral code altogether it will be no different than it is today. Just as most people wear the label of being Muslim, Jew or Christian they will follow suit with humanism and every ism they profess to belong to.

Such is human nature. Today we blame religion for all the woes of this world if we professed to adopt humanism we would most certainly do the same as those with darkened hearts would continue to wreak havoc on the world. Oppression, wars, corruption, lies, slander, deceit, greed, envy, enmity, murder, plunder, poverty, illiteracy, immorality would still be rampant.

There would still be mass shootings, road rage incidents, rape, murder, theft, wars, drones, warped foreign policies so on and so forth. As mortals we are each led by our conscience. Most of us will always remain peace-loving, remember that. Religion and morality is a personal choice we make. It is what keeps an equilibrium God willing because to err is only human but we keep falling and rising.

The divine moral code is irreplaceable but like all isms few take heed of it.

 

[PakLFC]

Humanism will also find a way to divide as well. We'd be arguing over what race and people are superior.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

hu·man·ism
ˈ(h)yo͞oməˌnizəm

noun
an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasise common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

Salamalaykom/peace.

Morality when associated with religion is objective whilst humanism based morality would inevitably be subjective.

Although religion provides a divine moral code most members disregard it and live by subjective morality. Therefore, it would be safe to conclude that the divine moral code has always been largely disregarded by mortals. We are already living in a pseudo religious state so where does the question of any ism replacing religion arise?

Moreover, religion or rather divine moral code can never be replaced because it exists in and of itself. Abandoning it altogether will have no impact on religion whatsoever imho. Once man abandons God's moral code altogether it will be no different than it is today. Just as most people wear the label of being Muslim, Jew or Christian they will follow suit with humanism and every ism they profess to belong to.

Such is human nature. Today we blame religion for all the woes of this world if we professed to adopt humanism we would most certainly do the same as those with darkened hearts would continue to wreak havoc on the world. Oppression, wars, corruption, lies, slander, deceit, greed, envy, enmity, murder, plunder, poverty, illiteracy, immorality would still be rampant.

There would still be mass shootings, road rage incidents, rape, murder, theft, wars, drones, warped foreign policies so on and so forth. As mortals we are each led by our conscience. Most of us will always remain peace-loving, remember that. Religion and morality is a personal choice we make. It is what keeps an equilibrium God willing because to err is only human but we keep falling and rising.

The divine moral code is irreplaceable but like all isms few take heed of it.

Good post. Thanks for your insight. Personally I prefer Divine Moral Code. I have felt existence of God so for me God is neither heresy nor he is just a text phenomena or something I am fed by religious leaders or family. So for me HE is Superior and His Code is the best if its implemented.


I am waiting for humanism advocates to quote my post number 9 so that than I can go ahead with next levels of discussion. Every Rule of Humanism needs to be considered from the perspective of Practical Life.


I am against religious extremism and I think It destroys face of a religion and makes life tough for all human beings. But I believe with hundreds of years past the original pure rational message the Doctrines got corrupted and alot of adulterations took place hence it resulted in religion being misused. Today alot of things are sadly happening and from Islamic point of view I can prove from Quran and from those Ahadees which are in line with Quranic principles that all those things done have nothing to do with Islam or the code of life practiced by Prophet Mohammad Pbuh.

 

[Robert]

Come on Robert, this is all hippy fairy high as a cloud stuff. If someone is threatening your life or the lives of your family, you won't treat him other than as an enemy and do what it takes to protect yourself.
.

Of course everyone has the legal and moral right to self-defence. Yes, some people think kindness is weakness to be exploited. But you can apply tough love even to those who would try to hurt you. Remember that they have been hurt in their turn and were not shown how to give love. British justice is based on this principle. Show people that kind deeds done result in kind deeds returned, in the vast majority of cases.

Since I adopted this code of giving love selflessly without thought of personal gain, my life has changed for the better in more ways than I can easily describe. All the bitterness and anger I felt falls away, and kind generous people come into my life.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Humanism will also find a way to divide as well. We'd be arguing over what race and people are superior.

Do you even think before you come up with gems like that? Can you explain how?

 

[James]

Different cultures are different.
Different people are different.

There are good points and bad points to religion, good points and bad points to humanism.

Don't see why we can't have / tolerate both.

 

[wicketpace]

Humanity is religion

 

[super hitter]

Do you even think before you come up with gems like that? Can you explain how?

that's damn true

more then 85% of a religion is humanity.

religion tells you to unite and live

but unfortunately, due to more then one religion, people of different religions are fighting.

If you want to replace humanity over religion, then every one will come up with there own code of conduct derived from there own school of thought, whilst, the infighting will increase at a massive rate and everything's finished...

there will only be small sects, in a huge number and that's where religion WINS

 

[super hitter]

Yes

However unfortunately, unless we conquer poverty, sickness (i.e. death), injustice we will have religion in one way or the other.

Plus, humanism cannot satisfy mother of a dead child, only religion can by providing hope that one day she will be with her son.

At the current evolutionary level, humans do need something similar to religion.

During last year, number of Atheist decreased by 2%.

I might add, that we need to transform religion to humanism. (just like the religion of TalentSpotterPk believes in).

Unfortunately, the Ulemas of Islam and priests of Christianity are the main reason for the bad repute of both the religions

 

[Black Zero]

Unfortunately, the Ulemas of Islam and priests of Christianity are the main reason for the bad repute of both the religions

Unfortunately, opposite is the fact, at least for islam. Anyone who has little interest, time and sincerity towards finding the truth will echo this.

Actually scholars have given us the softer picture of religion and that's the reason, most of us in to denial mode when faced with the facts.

 

[PakLFC]

Do you even think before you come up with gems like that? Can you explain how?

Of course I think that's why people like you reply. People will argue as to what human beings are superior in terms of knowledge, race and so forth. Think yourself before you blindly reply.

 

[Thivagar]

Religion was preserved to keep people sane and protected during barbaric times. Obviously we don't need it anymore.

 

[Thivagar]

Humanism will also find a way to divide as well. We'd be arguing over what race and people are superior.

How the heck do you think Humanism will find a way to divide people ? You are mistaking Humanism with people having no religion.

 

[Justcrazy]

What is Humanism ? Who defines that ?

 

[Pollack]

What is Humanism ? Who defines that ?

Exactly my question. Even if someone actually define it in detail its eventually creation of new religion called humanism.Since guidelines for what constitute a religion were also defined by human beings only in the name of God.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Of course everyone has the legal and moral right to self-defence. Yes, some people think kindness is weakness to be exploited. But you can apply tough love even to those who would try to hurt you. Remember that they have been hurt in their turn and were not shown how to give love. British justice is based on this principle. Show people that kind deeds done result in kind deeds returned, in the vast majority of cases.

Since I adopted this code of giving love selflessly without thought of personal gain, my life has changed for the better in more ways than I can easily describe. All the bitterness and anger I felt falls away, and kind generous people come into my life.

If it has given you peace then it's a good thing. My point was humanism or merely thinking in those terms doesn't have the answers to all the questions a person faces. How is morality or good/evil defined in humanism? It's what you feel is correct but this could vary depending on the person.

 

[PakLFC]

How the heck do you think Humanism will find a way to divide people ? You are mistaking Humanism with people having no religion.

I have friends who are atheists and they argue about what an atheist is! Scientology, some regard is as a religion where as others do not. They also have disagreements amongst themselves. Ultimately religions or such cults are views and what the faithful would call "way of life". There has always been disagreements between people following cults as well.

 

[Robert]

If it has given you peace then it's a good thing. My point was humanism or merely thinking in those terms doesn't have the answers to all the questions a person faces. How is morality or good/evil defined in humanism? It's what you feel is correct but this could vary depending on the person.

I don't believe in good vs. evil. I believe in love vs. fear. Love means letting go of the fear one holds of other people taking away one's things / happiness / way of life.

Morality to me means never knowingly hurting another human. Sometimes that is not possible so I try to apply the liberal concept of utilitarianism - do whatever is best for the most people.

 

[Thivagar]

I have friends who are atheists and they argue about what an atheist is! Scientology, some regard is as a religion where as others do not. They also have disagreements amongst themselves. Ultimately religions or such cults are views and what the faithful would call "way of life". There has always been disagreements between people following cults as well.

Always avoid those that try to prove whether religion exist or not. Why would you waste your time with someone that that think they can change the views and beliefs of others ?