Evils of Humanism?May 1996I feel it is important to respond to comments regarding atheists and secular humanists made by Jay Liechty, congressional candidate in the third congressional district of Utah, in the Deseret News April 1, 1996. The story quoted Liechty as blaming all the ills of this nation and the world on atheists and secular humanists. As president of the Humanists of Utah I would like to point out that it was not the humanist philosophy that imposed the censorship on the public distribution of knowledge resulting in the one-thousand years of intellectual ignorance known as The Dark Ages. It was not humanism that conducted 300 years of crusades resulting in the torture and death of millions of people for their religious beliefs. It was not atheists who imprisoned Galileo and refused to recognize the truth of his theories of the universe for 350 years. It was not secular humanism that ridiculed and condemned the scientific experiments of Isaac Newton. Atheists and humanists did not burn witches at Salem, shoot Joseph Smith at Carthage nor slaughter travelers passing through Mountain Meadows. The return to "Traditional Family Values" promoted by Mr. Liechty is really a code phrase for a return to Authoritarian Imposed Religious Values. Humanism supports critical thinking about values that will hopefully result in rational values that will help all humans to accept diversity and ethically live in peace and tolerance. Secular Humanism is committed to rational thinking and responsible behavior; it believes humans have the intellectual ability to solve problems without the imposed authority of either secular or religious institutions. Humanism encourages moral excellence, ethical relationships and human dignity; compassion, cooperation and community. Humanism believes in the innate goodness of every human being. Humanism also believes individuals must take responsibility for their actions and will suffer the natural consequences of immoral, unethical and criminal behavior. --Flo Wineriter
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