The Baptist Pillar © Brandon Bible Baptist Church 1992-Present www.baptistpillar.com
"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
What is Humanism?
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
Humanism is spreading today like an infectious disease, invading every area of America. It has rooted itself into our educational system and is attacking our nation’s most precious resource - our children.
The concepts of secular humanism are subtly dulling our national consciousness and
are seen in radical feminism, the homosexual rights movement and the clamor for the
individual right to abortion and suicide, the total exclusion of the right to prayer
in public life and public schools.
Many intellectuals in some of our most prestigious institutions champion its philosophy.
Humanism has infiltrated our nation news media and is assaulting our homes and families.
Even in our religious ranks, some pastors denounce its concepts from the pulpit,
while others embrace it.
Humanism contradicts and undermines our most sacred Christian beliefs. It is a well-planned false “religion” which denies the very existence of God. It’s roots may be traced back as far as the middle ages.
The following humanistic beliefs are taken from The Humanist Manifesto I, written
in 1933 by a group of 34 humanist liberals, and The Humanist Manifesto II, written
in 1973. These two published papers clearly define and set forth the basic concepts
of humanism.
What do humanists believe about creation?
“Religious humanists regard
the universe as self-existing and not created.” Manifesto I.
How do humanists account
for creation and man?
“Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he
emerged as the result of a continuous
process.” Manifesto I.
“Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes
unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values...Religion must
formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.”
Manifesto I.
What does Humanism say about Christianity?
“We believe...that traditional
dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed
above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species...We find insufficient
evidence of a supernatural; it is either meaningless or irrelevant to the question
of the survival and fulfillment of the human...While there is much we do not know,
humans are responsible for what we are and what we become. “No deity will save us;
we must save ourselves.” Manifesto II.
Where do humanists look for their moral values?
“We affirm that moral values derive their source human experience. Ethics is autonomous
and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction...We strive for the
good life, here and now.” Manifesto II.
What does the humanist consider to be “the
good life?”
“In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes often
cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual
conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized...the
many varieties of sexual explorations should not in themselves be considered ‘evil.’”
Manifesto II.
What other individual rights does humanism support that contradict
Christianity?
“...It also includes a recognition of an individual’s right to die
with dignity, euthanasia, and the right to suicide.” Manifesto II.
To what does humanism give its first allegiance?
“At the present juncture of history,
commitment to all mankind is the highest commitment to which we are capable; it transcends
the narrow allegiances of church, state, party, class, or race in moving toward a
wider vision of human potential...” Manifesto II.
Conclusion
Humanism believes that man is the saviour of the world. Christianity believes
that Jesus Christ is our only salvation. Paul, in Romans 1:25, could well have been
speaking about religious humanism, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
Amen.”
Humanism has become the enemy’s stronghold. The Bible teaches that we are
to FIGHT the enemy; to CAPTURE his strongholds; to OCCUPY his strongholds. Because
humanism has entrenched its concepts in so many areas of our lives, we must fight
on all fronts. The most strategic area of humanistic influence is in our educational
system. It is the front line - the bottom line.
HUMANISM is spreading like a cancer
across our nation. It is ruining our most precious resource, our children. Public
schools are turning out millions who can’t read or figure above elementary school
level. Armed forces had to change instruction manuals so a 6th grade child could
understand them.
Most high school graduates can’t hold well paying jobs. Well, if they don’t teach
what we always expected them to, what DO they teach? Children are made very much
aware that modern educational concepts permit the pupil to feel that there are no
rules, no right or wrong about anything. The individual makes his own rules.
No old fashioned restraints. Just do what comes naturally.