Tom Goldsmith, pastor of the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City presented a sermon entitled The Limits of Humanism on October 27, 2002. Hugh Gillilan, a former pastor in the same pulpit, and also a chapter member of Humanists of Utah gave a rebuttal he called Still Thankful for Humanism in Our Tradition on December 1, 2002. Click the links below to see the full text of both sermons.

• "Humanism is limited from my experience in that it refuses to honor the mystery in which the real fullness of our lives must be explored" --Tom Goldsmith
  
  
• "In Tom's sermon I was also surprised to hear him extol 'mystery,' a concept he said was 'frightening to humanists' but essential to our well being. And he offered an esoteric redefinition of the word. I find myself not frightened but decidedly mystified."--Hugh Gillilan

"And I believe that Tom and I, whatever our philosophical differences might be in some particulars, are united on much common ground. I feel confident neither of us expects supernatural assistance in helping us with multitudinous and ever present human dilemmas. Both of us would agree that it is vitally important for each of us to develop a belief system that is satisfying, promotes ones well being, and is congruent with the best information available from whatever source. Both of us would agree that it is essential to keep both head and heart involved in our religious quest. Both of us would be in agreement that our religious beliefs, ethics and practices need to be borne out with diligence in the daily round and in unstinting efforts to create a better world for all of its inhabitants. As Ed Abbey once said, "passion without action is the ruin of the soul." There are so many challenges facing all of us, personally and collectively, locally and throughout the world, that we must continually renew our vision, tap into our courage, join with others in our efforts, and do what needs to be done as long as we are able. So let us take heart and proceed with high resolve as we pursue those challenges together. "