Discussion Group Report

This month the Discussion Group discussed Paul Kurtz' Humanist Manifesto 2000. This document is 15 pages long, and all of it is important. It is impossible to summarize it in the short space of this article and still do it justice. However, a one-page summary can be found at the Council for Secular Humanism (CSH) web site at www.secularhumanism.org. In this present article, I am going to deviate from the usual format and present a summary of the discussion group comments made in the meeting:

There are many desirable ideas in Manifesto 2000, but it may be too large, detailed and abstract. A shorter document expressing the humanist viewpoint more succinctly might attract the interest of more people. Perhaps a Manifesto should address the question of how first and third world countries could get together to work on environmental problems.

The publication of Manifesto 2000 came as a surprise to the leaders of the American Humanist Association (AHA). Four major Humanist Manifestos and Declarations had already been published in the twentieth century: Humanist Manifesto I, Humanist Manifesto II, A Secular Humanist Declaration, and a Declaration of Interdependence. The AHA had announced it was planning to organize leading thinkers representing all the humanist organizations to write a new updated Manifesto. Kurtz' document appeared possibly to be an attempted preemption of the AHA effort, which had intended to involve the CSH. Concern was expressed over what appears to be attempts by Kurtz in recent decades to set himself up as the spokesman for humanism. While it is recognized that he has been a most eminent humanist, it is being asked: Is there a power play going on here? The CSH has an authoritarian power structure and has been secretive about releasing membership data, while the AHA has been more open and democratic. The AHA has a committee developing a Humanist Manifesto III with instructions to make it short and declarative.

It is unfortunate that there is so much divisiveness among humanists. The various humanist organizations agree on the most substantive issues and ought to be working together more than they are to promote humanism, although there have been some attempts at cooperative efforts. The differences among the groups have perhaps been given too much emphasis. There is a need for an umbrella organization that could embrace the various orientations within humanism, such as religious humanism, secular humanism, etc. Yet humanists are very individualistic and may sometimes over-emphasize the importance of differences. Perhaps too much ego is involved. "Personality" or even power-seeking seem to be important factors in the divisiveness.

A similar schism has also existed among American Atheists in recent decades. There have been strong differences between the followers of Madeline Murray O'Hare and others, with O'Hare taking a quite authoritarian posture. Unfortunately, however, now she and two other family members have been murdered by criminal extortionists. That tragedy had nothing to do with any in-fighting within the organization.

Membership in humanist organizations has been declining in recent years. Currently there are about 65 chapters in the AHA. Humanists of Utah is one of the most active and has one of the largest memberships. The AHA headquarters will soon be moved to Washington, D.C.

On a more positive note, under the stimulus of AHA Board member Herb Silverman of South Carolina, a cooperative project involving the American Humanist Association, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Atheist Alliance International was recently launched to explore new avenues of cooperation. Other organizations representing free thinkers will be invited to join and to support a joint publicity program to "Promote, Attract, and defend the Community of Reason."

Humanism has a great deal of difficulty getting its views publicized. Although Manifesto 2000 received some media attention, it was not much. Perhaps a point of attack for humanists could be to get more attention called to Thomas Paine-a great champion of the American revolution. He deserves a monument, or perhaps his face could be put on a stamp. Some effort is already being made by the AHA Board to create more public awareness of his accomplishments.

Historically, some revolutions, such as the American and French Revolutions, have served to bring attention to humanist ideas. The Declaration of Independence is humanistic and the U.S. Constitution is totally secular. However, after a revolution, once a government takes over, it tends to forget the original values that sparked it. We need to articulate more clearly the ideas of the Enlightenment.