I Must Take Action for I'm a Humanist!

“Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. It advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for human rights and social justice” -The Humanist  

The preceding definition of Humanism, if taken seriously, should be a call to social justice activism for those who claim its philosophy as their own.  I will use this definition to briefly relate it to my decision to stop sitting on the sidelines and start actively working for a just and fair society, especially due to the current racial injustices occurring in our nation.

“...informed by science..”

Multiple rigorous studies have found racial bias to be a significant factor in sentencing disparities between whites and people of color (blacks and latinos). People of color receive harsher sentences than their white counterparts who have committed similar crimes. There is a great report, "Racial Disparity in Sentencing: A Review of the Literature" created by The Sentencing Project, which is a national non-profit organization engaged in research and advocacy on criminal justice policy issues. Some of the findings of this report are the following:

1- “Contemporary, methodologically rigorous evidence indicates that racial bias continues to pervade the U.S. criminal justice sentencing system.”

2-”Decades of research have demonstrated that race has always played a role in sentencing outcomes, even as the dynamics of that relationship have evolved over time.”

This report doesn’t speak about police brutality, but there is significant research regarding that issue and how it overwhelmingly negatively affects blacks and latinos. As a humanist, I must be moved by the findings of social justice research to the conclusion that there is a systemic injustice which needs to be addressed and corrected.

“..motivated by compassion..”

Black and Latino individuals, families, and communities are constantly being decimated and broken down due to this systemic injustice. The suffering which results from this systematic racism should stir the compassion of any one who believes that ALL humans should be treated equally and deserve dignity. My humanist values stresses compassion for the suffering of others and taking action to alleviate that suffering. I look very skeptically on those who claim to be humanists but constantly dismiss the suffering and discrimination of others or turn to victim-blaming. There is an intellectual dishonesty and lack of compassion on their part and I find their self-proclaimed humanism severely lacking or non-existent.

“..standing for human rights and social justice..”

The call for action is here. Standing up for justice and everyone’s human rights is a necessary component to being a humanist not only in word, but deed. Though I am focusing on my own humanist perspective, I am fully aware of my progressive brothers and sisters of faith who are on the front lines of this battle against racism and injustice. I stand in solidarity with ANYONE who is standing up and taking steps to reform these systematic atrocities. The recent killings of unarmed black men like Mike Brown and Eric Garner, and children like Tamir Rice are vivid reminders of the suffering and injustices being experienced by blacks and latinos in our nation on a DAILY basis. I must take action! I will take action! I’m a Humanist!

Naturally Terrifying

Recently, I continued my reading of the “Demon-Haunted World”.  Carl Sagan, author of the book, describes the phenomenon of sleep paralysis as he explains the alternative and more reasonable natural explanations to supernatural reports of demons, angels, and visions of extra-terrestrials during human history.  In simple terms, sleep paralysis is when a person becomes conscious after waking from deep sleep, but is not able to move since their body is still in a paralyzed state. Many individuals throughout the ages have seen and experienced glimpses into the so-called mystical world during these incidents and it gave them "evidence" of demons, angels, and other worldly beings.  

I experienced this phenomenon starting in my early 20’s, which at the time I attributed to Satan or a demon messing with me.  My personal experience with this phenomenon included an assortment of audio, visual and tactile sensations.  I would hear a loud static noise like a television left on a channel which was not airing anything (before cable TV).  At times, I felt like I was floating above my bed, but at the same time being held down by some invisible force.  I could see the room around me in a very distorted way, but never saw any other beings. During my first couple of experiences, I attempted to scream for help but was unable to open my mouth. I would call out to Jesus to rescue me from the grips of the demon world. There were times I felt that I could not breathe.  It was beyond frightening.  These experiences were utterly terrifying and I had a hard time going back to sleep after them.  It was not until my late 20’s that I discovered the naturalistic explanation of those experiences as sleep paralysis.  I don’t recall how I came across the description of sleep paralysis, but I knew right away that it explained my mysterious and chilling nighttime occurrences.  Here was the real reason I had those scary experiences!  It made sense to me and more importantly there was evidence obtained by medical professionals to back it up.  After discovering this natural explanation, I still had multiple sleep paralysis episodes but it was a different experience.  The first couple episodes after acquiring this new knowledge were still scary, and I still panicked when they started, but eventually I learned to just relax and tell myself that I just had to wait until my body catches up to mind.  The episodes became shorter and now they rarely return.  Now when it happens I say a silent “Come on, not again” and wait until it passes.

The following video captures the eerie and horrifying experience of sleep paralysis very well.  I would have really freaked out if I saw a bear decked out in a BDSM outfit or any other apparition shown in this video! 

 

I was still a believer in the supernatural when I first encountered this terrifying phenomenon, but this was definitely one of the first cracks in my supernatural belief system and the beginning of a different approach to evaluating my own and other’s personal experiences.  If this type of experience which felt so alien and unnatural could be explained by the use of scientific thinking, then why not other mysteries.  Also, I learned that if I could not conceive of a natural explanation to something, then it was best to be honest and put it in the category of an unknown instead of jumping to a supernatural or hasty conclusion.  

It is crucial that we carefully scrutinize our experiences and the beliefs that spring from them with a rational, logical and evidence based method.  This is the Humanist approach to the world. There have been so many mystifying and unexplained phenomenon in human history which we have quickly and quite understandably labeled as other worldly, magical or beyond the natural world.  Yet, after careful examination, many have been found to be just another part of this fabulous and always interesting natural universe. 

“Men think epilepsy divine, merely because they do not understand it.  But if they called everything divine which they do not understand, why, there would be no end of divine things.”- Hippocrates

My Hope is Us

My father is the one family member who has, in a very respectful manner, attempted to challenge my non belief with creationist arguments and biblical evidence for God. Those are arguments which I expected and don’t really spend time thinking about them, since I find them to be unconvincing.  I would never have abandoned my theism if those claims had appealed to me in the first place.  The only thing he has stated which has caught my attention is the notion that I have no hope without a belief in God and how am I ever to give hope to my children. I would like to speak briefly about this concept of hope my father and other believers hold and my lack of it, and contrast it with what I believe to be a nonbeliever’s sense of hope.

Hope is defined by the dictionary as, “a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust”.  The religious version of hope is the belief that God will provide for a believer's needs or deliver on specific promises such as an afterlife or answered prayers if one is obedient to a certain set of rules or instruction provided by this same deity. I am not able to cling to this type of hope offered by a deity because the same all-loving and all-powerful God which, if exists, has allowed billions of living things to suffer (animals included) horrible lives and deaths in the past and present time. I can hear those believers I know exclaim to me, “But, George, remember that time when you stupidly put yourself in a very dangerous situation and were only saved by the grace of God. Don’t you see God has a plan for you?”  Of course there is no mention of the countless others who have put their trust and hope in this “benevolent” being yet suffer miserably or see their prayers go unanswered during times of great distress. How can I cling to any type of hope that this deity extends to me?

As a nonbeliever, what kind of hope can I cling to in this life? As a humanist, I will try to explain the reality of hope for those who reject the hope offered by a deity.

 

I hope to be a loving father, husband, son, and friend. I hope to find a career which I am truly happy and find fulfilling. I hope that my children will be successful in all that they do and find happiness and joy in their limited time here on this earth. I hope that murder, rape, and other atrocities will decrease in our society. This hope is not based on wishful thinking but based on my belief that I and my fellow humans have the capability to fulfill them with hard work, critical thinking, and collective effort.  All of humanity’s progress can be attributed to the pursuit of the hopes of individuals/communities fulfilled through great effort and creativity combined with critical thinking and reason.  One shining example of this progress and achievement of a hope is how science and those who practiced it were able to eradicate or significantly reduce many diseases which plagued humanity for centuries through the development of vaccines. There were many who hoped and prayed to God for centuries to rid themselves, their loved ones, or society of these diseases to no avail. This hope for the decrease or eradication of specific illnesses became a reality only when individuals through hard work, cooperation, human intelligence, and the application of science were able to create a solution.

Human effort, both individual and collectively, rationality, and creativity is the only way to fulfill our hopes, not wishful thinking and belief in deliverance by a god.  

That is why I chose Humanism as my life’s central belief system because only with confidence in us as individuals and a collective can we actualize the most critical, exciting, and revolutionary ideas that we hope to see fulfilled for the benefit of me, my children, their children, the human species, and life on this planet. Humanism provides hope because only humanity can bring our hopes to life.

Setting Up False Idols

I have heard nonbelievers express disappointment or shock when a person in our community, especially those held in high regard, is found to have some very human flaws.  Why do we get so disappointed when they turn out to be flawed human beings?       

I was speaking with my freethinking friend, True, after we had attended the Blackout Secular Rally in NYC.  We were discussing the humanist/atheist community and she shared something she experienced in an online discussion about the Trayvon trial.  She shared that someone online professing to be a humanist stated that “thug deserved it” in reference to Trayvon.  She expressed disgust and disbelief that a statement like that could be uttered by a humanist.  My friend is pretty new to the freethought/humanist/atheist community and expressed her belief that she had entered a community which was completely superior to the religious faith-based community of her past. Unfortunately, I did not find it shocking as her.  I told her that I had the same expectations as her when I entered the atheist community, but I learned pretty fast that an individual coming to the conclusion that there is likely no god does not automatically make that individual a rational person in all areas of their life.  I have had enough interaction with nonbelievers to realize that they are plagued by the same issues of all other human communities/individuals and definitely don’t, in my opinion, come to conclusions that are evidence based or rational all the time.  The same way that there are believers who are extremely rational and logical in other areas of knowledge but don’t apply that same rational and logical mindset to their religious or divine belief. This should be a powerful reminder that NONE of us is completely rational and we must always examine our cherished beliefs and be ready to discard them if proven wrong.  After all we are all still human, just a very smart primate, and did not magically become Vulcans after our deconversions.  We still have to deal with emotions, shortage of information, and our limited life perspective.

As humanists, we should especially be aware of our human limitations.  There should be no reason to erect false idols, either in human form or in the form of dogmatic beliefs, as we have no need for gods.  

Is this a real problem in the atheist/humanist community?  If so, why do you think we set up these false idols?

Now I'm Angry

This is a repost from an older blog of mine. I decided to repost it as I have not had the time recently to write any original material and a recent encounter with a family member made this post relevant again. I hope you enjoy.

I am finding something to be very annoying when I make it known to a believer that I am an atheist.  The person will typically assume that I became an atheist due to me being angry with god or life.  The most recent episode occurred at my job when a co-worker asked me if I was catholic.  I stated no and told this person that I was an atheist.  This person looked at me and stated, "Oh something bad must have happened in your life."  In other words, I must have had an experience which caused me to become ANGRY with god and this in turn caused me to reject him.  This is not the first time a person has reacted to learning that I am a non believer with "oh you must be angry with god".  I find this to be such a condescending reply!  In my opinion, they are basically saying that my beliefs could only come from an irrational and emotional response and there was no way I could come to my belief through reason and clear thought.  In this latest case, I told the person that I am fortunate to have lived a pretty good life overall and my current life is great as well, so I had no reason to be angry (other than with his condescending remark).  I told him I came to my conclusion that there is no personal god through reason and critical thinking.  He just smiled at me when I stated this as if amused by my answer.  Why do so many believers find it so hard to accept that someone can reject the belief in god due to evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking?  I know I am not the only deity denier that experiences this silly reaction from believers, as it is a well-known among atheists that we are stereotyped as an angry and miserable group of people.  I guess I am just starting to experience what other atheists have been experiencing for a long time.  

So let me set the record straight.  

I am an atheist due to the overwhelming scientific evidence in geology, paleontology, and biology that we are the products of a natural process that does not require a god.  

I am an atheist because the bible and other holy books are full of stories which show their god to be anything but all-loving, all-powerful, or just, and who condones genocide, rape, murder, slavery, and many more immoral acts.  It is pretty obvious to any honest person that these holy books and gods were created by humans, not the other way around.  

I am an atheist because I do my best to base my beliefs on evidence-based reasoning, critical thinking, and science.  I reject the notion of faith as it is useless.  How can anything that encourages belief without evidence, belief without proof, or belief in the unknown be of any use to anyone?  Faith is not a virtue, it is something that should be shunned and banned from our lives.

I am an atheist because I would rather say, “I don’t know” than depend on wishful thinking (faith)  or make the general statement “God did it”, when I encounter a mystery or the unknown.  

I am an atheist because all the unnecessary suffering in this world leaves no logical room for a just, loving and all-powerful god.  

My rant is over, but I want to mention that my anger is not with all believers.  It would be hypocritical and dishonest of me to get angry with the stereotyping of nonbelievers if I did the same toward those who worship a god.  I know believers who respectfully disagree with my beliefs without labeling me as angry or immoral.  I can only hope that their ability to disagree respectfully with those who hold a different belief system will rub off on their condescending and annoying brethren.  

I'm Having a Moment

Sometimes I just reside in those existential moments where I feel that great life paradox of the immensity of my insignificance.  It must be one of the most primitive and ancient of all human perceptions.  Consciousness crushed by the insurmountable expanse of incomprehensible and seemingly eternal reality. It is not a depressing or fearful thought, only an honest thought. A very human thought.  

Obstacle To Growth

In my pursuit to live my life according to the core humanist values of reason, compassion, and individual and social ethical responsibility, I have discovered where my greatest challenge lies. It is compassion.  I am not a mean-spirited person, and I am able to act compassionately toward others, yet I still know that I have some serious work and change in this area to achieve the ideal of this humanist value.  Those who know me understand that I am an introvert and REALLY LOVE my alone time.  Yet, if I am to obtain genuine compassion for others then I must be honest and admit that this inclination of mine is detrimental to my growth as a truly compassionate human being.  Genuine compassion requires a sincere attempt to understand others for who they are and why they are who they are.  This type of understanding is achieved ONLY through consistent and meaningful  connection/interaction with those whom are to be objects of our compassion.  This type of connection requires quality time being spent with those in my life.  I know this commitment to improve and increase my compassion will not be easy for me, but I believe the best things we obtain in life are products of hard work.  The first step in any type of change is always the hardest and in my case this will involve sacrificing some of my cherished "me" time to schedule more quality time with family and friends.  I must be honest and admit that I am slightly fearing this change.  I'm not sure why I fear this change, but part of this journey will definitely lead to some self-discovery and growth.    

I'm open to listening to others who have had a similar struggle and what has assisted them in implementing this type of change.