Non-Religion- humanism

While religious beliefs remain an important part of our society, western society is becoming more and more reluctant to place their faith in God . Parents have become more prone to letting their children choose their own faith and as a result children are less likely to have grown up as part of a certain religion. In fact, in the 1921 census only 0.5% of the Australian population stated they had “no religion” while the 2001 census placed 15.3% of all Australians in the “no religion” category, this is a 14.8% increase in just eighty years . There has therefore been a significant increase in the number of people who subscribe to non-religious beliefs.

Non-religious beliefs are those not involving supernatural beings . This means that non-religious people do not believe in the existence of God, the soul or the afterlife. There are many different forms of non-religious belief, including Atheism, Agnosticism, Hedonism, Materialism, Rationalism, Naturalism and Humanism . Each has a very different philosophy on life.

"Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance which affirms that human beings have the

Secular and Religious Humanists both share the same philosophy and same basic principles; yet differ in their view of whether or not Humanism is a religion . The definition of religion as given by religious humanists is functional; religion serves the “personal and social needs of a group with the same philosophical world view” . As such, religious Humanism offers a basis for moral values and an overall sense of purpose to its adherents. The division between reason and faith is often emphasised in Humanism, with Humanists standing on the side of reason. Because of this, “Religious Humanism should not be seen as an alternative faith, but rather as an alternative way of being religious” . On the other hand, secular Humanists can be summarised as a tradition of defiance and are represented by the Greek legend Prometheus. Prometheus was the one who stole the fire from the Gods and brought it down to Earth and throughout his punishment remained defiant . The Greeks took the view that for all of Zeus’ wisdom he was not infallible. It has been said, “only a humanist can suggest that, even if there is a God, it is okay to disagree with him”

“Humanists reject arbitrary faith, authority, revelation, and altered states of consciousness” . They therefore, place a great importance on rational thinking. For this reason, Humanists do not believe in guilt or remorse or self-pity, instead they will try to learn from their mistakes and make amends for their actions . Humanism however, is not simply about intellectual issues; it “is a philosophy of compassion. Humanist ethics is solely concerned with meeting human needs and answering human problems… and devotes no attention to the satisfaction of the desires of supposed theological entities” . Humanists believe in

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