Florien Wineriter

I believe my first conscious awareness of my need to find an acceptable philosophy was triggered by the events of the second world war. During a furlough home I was asked to speak at the sacrament meeting of my ward. The focus of my talk was my concern about the ethics and the morality of a Mormon from Salt Lake City being required to kill a Mormon from Berlin, Rome or Tokyo. I was deeply bothered by the conflict of loyalty to God and loyalty to country. To this day I continue to believe that members of all religions must wrestle with that conflict.

Another ingredient of my journey was my awareness of the powerful influence religions have on political affairs. One example occurred when I was a member of the House of Representatives in 1957. A bill that required an appropriation of for a project supported by the LDS church failed to pass. The Speaker of the House said he wasn't posing as a prophet but predicted that the bill would eventually pass. The next day several legislators announced that they had received calls during the night "explaining the bill in more detail" and they moved for reconsideration of the defeated measure. As you might have guessed, those "explanatory phone calls" came from LDS church lobbyists and, just as the Speaker had prophesied, the bill passed with votes to spare!

The political power of the LDS religion is clearly evident in this state's history, from 1847 to the latest session of the state legislature. State liquor laws, the Equal Rights Amendment, gay and lesbian legislation, and abortion laws are just a few of the issues that illustrate how effectively the church influences politics in Utah.

Religion is rooted in authoritarianism. All religions accept the concept of an infallible God, the word of God being final authority. Anything attributed to God is absolute truth. To question anyone recognized as a spokesperson for God is considered blasphemous. This "authoritarian mindset," encouraged by religions, makes religious involvement in politics a dangerous problem. Religious leaders speaking on political matters pose the danger of theocracy usurping democracy.

I am also upset with the tendency in our political system to equate being religious with being patriotic. This nation is politically and economically secular. In 1833, US Representative Rufus Choate of Massachusetts said, "We have built no temple but the capitol, we consult no common oracle but the constitution." That quotation is engraved over a doorway in the US House of Representatives. Maintaining the independence of religion and politics and the separation of church and state is a major principle of humanism.

It has been many years since I spoke in that LDS meeting and posed my deep concerns about Utah Mormons being forced to kill our Mormon brothers and sisters in Berlin, Rome and Tokyo. Everything I've read, studied and contemplated about the human condition during these many years has convinced me that humanism's concern for every person, desire to find peaceful resolution of conflicts, and dedication to the complete separation of religion and government holds the most promise for a desirable future. That's why I am a humanist and have dedicated my retirement years to promoting public awareness of the philosophy of humanism.