“Hanging with the Humanists #1”

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I went to the pub last Wednesday night with 32 people I’d never met before. All humanists and secularists. (Gotta love Meetup) And me? Well, I’m a believer. So what in heaven’s name was I doing there? It actually wasn’t the first time I’d attended an event organised by Central London Humanists. In February, my atheist friend Simon took me to one of their public lectures at Conway Hall, on the theme of child sexual abuse within the catholic church. (Simon says they don’t deserve a capital ‘C’.)

The cheery tone of the topic was boosted considerably by the unholy communion of cheap red wine supped from plastic cups at half-time. I left that event with a slightly fuzzy head and a booklet entitled: ‘Rethinking religion and belief in public life: a manifesto for change’, published by the National Secular Society.

Having rejected religion in my 20s I was already well aware of its dark side and the damage done in its name. I was still surprised, though, at how much I agreed with the NSS manifesto.

Humanists and Secularists

I had a basic understanding that to be secular was to be non-religious, so I had half-assumed that secularism would be anti-religion. But not necessarily so, it seems. While I’ve been told that the vast majority of humanists and secularists are either atheist or agnostic, I’ve also learned that secularism has evolved to become less ‘anti’ and more inclusive of people of faith.

National Secular Society

According to the National Secular Society website:

‘It campaigns for an open, diverse society where all are free to practise their faith, change it, or to have no faith at all.’

 ‘Secularism protects individual religious freedom but denies organised religion privileged access to the public sphere. In a secular society the religious affiliation of citizens should give them no advantage or disadvantage.’

 ‘Secularism ensures religious dogma never undermines universal human rights. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their religion or belief, is treated equally.’

 ‘Religious people have the right to express their beliefs publicly, but so do those who oppose or question those beliefs.’

Their literature clearly states that they are pro freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion – that is the bit that surprised me. And that is what led me to spend last Wednesday night in a central London pub with 32 ‘non-believers’.

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”

(My friend Simon’s favourite quote, often referenced by Christopher Hitchens but originally from Steven Weinberg.)

QUESTION: Do you agree or disagree with Steven Weinberg’s quote? 

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Click here for “Hanging with the Humanists #2”