Worldview of Secular Humanism

Worldview of Secular Humanism

Diana Greene

Liberty University

World View of Secular Humanism

This paper of critical thinking will go beyond the facts of the worldview of Secular Humanism. It will demonstrate Secular Humanism believes a man’s life and the reality of life is centered upon mankind or humans.  Unlike the biblical worldview which believes that God is and His Word is for our truths and our moral values, Secular Humanisms believe that humans are the norm by their truth and moral values. In fact, there is not a place in Secular Humanism worldview for God or immortality.  They argue that rather than a god creating the world, the world, in an individualized arrangement of human’s imagination, they created gods.  This and others beliefs of Secular Humanism will be compared and contrasted with the beliefs and morals of the biblical worldview.

The Question of Origin – (How did life begin? How did mankind come into existence?)

1. Secular Humanists answer to this question would be that the world and human life is an astounding coincidence. The world was created by itself and that humans were formed by chemicals being combined together to form life (Halverson, D. 1992), there is not a place in Secular Humanism worldview for God or immortality, and if God does not have dominion over His creations by virtue of being their creator, who else has it? (Van Duffel, 2007)
2. To contrast this question with the biblical worldview, Secular Humanist believes everything was an incredible accident. Christians believe humans and everything on this earth come from God.  The bible directs us to this truth as God is speaking the earth and everything in it into existence, exhibiting there was nothing until He spoke, “And God said let there be light”. God then created man from the dust of the earth, and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being”.  (Genesis 1:1-2) (Genesis 2:8)  (Weider & Gutierrez, 2014, p. 65).  

The Question of Identity – (What does it mean to be human? Are humans more important than animals?)

1. To the Secular Humanist, we are animals, just more advanced than the common cat or dog.   Every being human and animals are just cells combined with some atoms, made from some form of matter (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011, p. 66). 
2. Though Secular Humanist tells us we are no better than an animal, the bible tells us humans, male and female, are distinct from any other creation that exists, including the animals which make us more important than the animals.  This distinctiveness, though not being as the image of angels, but is a uniqueness we get from God, our physical bodies.  We are to rule and have dominions over everything He has created in the earth, (Psalms 8:5) (Genesis 2:15) (Weider & Gutierrez, 2014 p. 67) including these animals that Humanist believe we are not better than.

The Question of Meaning/Purpose – (Why does mankind exist? Why do I exist?)

1. For Secular Humanist, mankind has evolved and is insignificant, a part of matter without purpose or meaning, we were an accident.  To the Secular Humanist we  pursue whatever impacts us positively and the world we live in (Weider & Gutierrez, 2014 p. 69). 
2. In contrast to this question from a biblical worldview, humans exist that we might know who God and Jesus Christ are, what His will is, to glorify Him, to enjoy Him and His creations, to fellowship with Him, to know what His instructions are for our lives. (John 17:3) (Amos 4:13)  (Weider & Guiterrez, 2014, p. 70)

The Question of Morality – (What is meant by right and wrong? How should I live?)

1. The common view for this question for a Secular Humanist is the view of Relativism.

There is no admission of the existence of God in their lives, therefore, there is no absolute truth except their own, and there is a possibility that that truth can change due to the morals and values they may live by.  Secular Humanist believe that “all morality is relative” (Halverson, D. 1992), How can trust be established when there is an uncertainty of the truth? Many Secular Humanist believe “sexual liberation was expected to secure social peace and mutual goodwill” (Delkeskamp-Hayes & Imrényi, 2013).  This is a truth for pre-marital intercourse, to be a fulfillment or to make sure this is who they wanted to be married to.