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David Pedersen
Mr. Pichette
Philosophy
12/18/13
Humanist Manifestos Semester Project
Section 1: Comparing the Humanist Manifestos with Christianity
1. Genesis 1:1 states, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This is the first
and most basic tenant of Christianity, in contrast: the humanists have stated, religious
humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created (HM1, affirm. 1). Humanists
repudiate creation and deny the existence of God and therefore affirm that the earth came in
to being by itself. In Christianity, the creation story is one of the most important fundamental
doctrines of the Christian belief system, providing an answer for the existence of the
universe.
2. In Genesis 2:7 it says, Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Christians
believe God created man from the dust on the sixth day of creation, in the image of God he
created them (Gen 1:27). In contrast, Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and
that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process (HM1, affirm.2). This is why the
evolutionary process is so important to the humanists. Its teaching is one of their key
foundational pillars, but is very controversial because they have no concrete proof of this
evolutionary process.
3. In Matthew 10:28 it says, And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. In the Bible it teaches
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that there is a physical body and a soul that resides within our physical body. In Ezekiel
36:26, the Lord says, I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my ways. It
once again speaks about a Spirit living within us that guides us according to Gods ways. To
humanists, they find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected (HM1,
affirm. 3). This shows that they dont have a spiritual guidance that distinguishes between
right and wrong so therefore certain things that Christians find to be sins are not so for the
humanists, for example abortion or acceptance of a homosexual lifestyle.
4. For humanists, In place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist
finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal life and in a
cooperative effort to promote social well-being (HM1, affirm. 9). Humanists tend to be self-
centered. They put a lot into their lives whether it is material things or social things that make
them feel good since they dont have God as their center of life. Christians tend to focus their
life around a relationship with God which makes them giving to the world around them. The
Bible clearly says in Romans 12:10, Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another
above yourselves. Christians are commanded to help each other, but to do it for God and not
to make themselves look good as in Philippians 2:3 says, Dont be selfish; dont try to
impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Christians are
promised a reward for all the good deeds we do on earth. In Matthew 6:19-21 it says, Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and
vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also.
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5. Humanists say, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation,
God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human
species (HM2, affirm. 1). On the contrary, people who have these traditions in their life
especially Christians find order and boundaries that help guide their lives. It gives Christians
hope that ultimately God is in control and has his hand in our everyday life. In Job 42:2 it
says, I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
6. Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful.
They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying
social injustices (HM2, affirm. 2). Since humanists believe there is no heaven or hell they
dont understand salvation and therefore feel that it distracts people, giving them false hope.
Christians know that there is an afterlife and the only way to heaven is through salvation. In
Ephesians 2:8 it says, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Christians also believe that if you arent saved by
accepting Jesus into your heart there is eternally damnation. In Mark 6:6 it says, Anyone
who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be
condemned.
7. We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is
autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction (HM2, affirm.
3). Humanists believe that ethics does not come from any higher being such as God, but from
your surroundings and what you experience. Christians derive their ethics and morals directly
from the Bible and its Commandments. In Deuteronomy 4:13 it says, He declared to you his
covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them
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on two stone tablets. As Christians we are called to follow these commandments so that we
can become more like Christ.
8. In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox
religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control,
abortion, and divorce should be recognized (HM2, affirm. 6). Humanists believe that you
are free to express your sexual preferences as you desire just so you are not hurting anyone.
They view sexual conduct by religion as too restrictive and prohibitive. This message goes
against the traditional view of marriage between a man and a wife and therefore breaks down
the family. In Hebrews 13:4 it says, Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the
marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. The
humanist principle also goes against what we believe in preserving the unborn child. In
Jeremiah1:5 it says, Before I formed you in the womb I knew

you, before you were born I
set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. In this verse, it tells us that God
knows us even before we are born.
9. In humanism it states, To enhance freedom and dignity the individual must experience a full
range of civil liberties in all societies. This includesthe right to suicide (HM2, affirm. 7).
These people justify that suicide is a right that a human has and they have a choice to do this
if they want. No one should try to stop them if this is their choice because it is their right to
die. Christians believe that we are made in the image of God so it is wrong to kill oneself. In
Genesis 1:27 it says, So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he
created them; male and female he created them.
10. To humanists the life stance of Humanism guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and
informed by experience encourages us to live life well and fully (HM3, para. 2).
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Humanists believe they are helping humanity by using science, rational analysis, and
observation to determine knowledge for solving problems. In Proverbs 16:25 it says, There
is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Christians are guided by
the Bible and the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13 it says,

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes,
he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he
hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. In Deuteronomy 6:24 it says, And the Lord
our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless
us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. Humanists believe that we must save
ourselves (HM2, affirm. 1). On the contrary Christians believe we are saved through Christ.
In John 3:16 it says, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.












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Section 2: Logical Flaws
1. Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created (HM1, affirm. 1).
This assertion about the universe is a generalization, a statement unsupported by evidence.
They fail to prove or even submit evidence anywhere in any of the manifestos that can prove
or even suggest that the universe can exist without having been created.
2. Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as the result of a
continuous process (HM1, affirm. 2). Evolutionists speak of humans coming from a single
cell and with the progression of time, it has involved into man. They have little scientific
evidence that man has come from this or an ape.
3. Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and
body must be rejected (HM1, affirm. 3). We can discover no divine purpose or providence
for the human species (HM2, affirm. 1). The soul and the divine providence cannot be
proven or discovered so humanists deny it. Thus both of these are arguing from silence.
4. Any account of nature should pass the tests of scientific evidence; in our judgment, the
dogmas and myths of traditional religions do not do so (HM2, affirm. 1). The humanists
relate God to an account of nature and that as such should be tested according to scientific
evidence. Nature may indeed be broader and deeper than we know; any new discoveries,
however, will but enlarge our knowledge of the natural (HM2, affirm. 1). But then the
humanists admit that they dont yet know everything about nature. Obviously humanism
does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to
determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry
and by the assessment of their relation to human needs (HM1, affirm. 5). The humanists fall
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to inconsistency when they say God cant be tested by science, but make allowances for
unknown parts of nature.
5. We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place
revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the
human species. Any account of nature should pass the tests of scientific evidence; in our
judgment, the dogmas and myths of traditional religions do not do so.... We find insufficient
evidence for belief in the existence of a supernatural; it is either meaningless or irrelevant to
the question of survival and fulfillment of the human race (HM2, affirm. 1). The humanists
commit an ad lapidem by dismissing the existence of the supernatural or God with
insufficient evidence, and calling the belief in them a disservice to the human species.
6. We would resist any moves to censor basic scientific research on moral, political, or social
grounds. Technology must, however, be carefully judged by the consequences of its use;
harmful and destructive changes should be avoided (HM2, affirm. 16). This statement
clearly shows the logical fallacy of inconsistency. One part of this statement says they would
resist censoring but at the same time they would be the judge if other things needed to be
censored. Censor is what they judge it to be.
7. There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body. We continue to exist
in our progeny and in the way that our lives have influenced others in our culture (HM2,
affirm. 2). This generalization is unsupported by evidence, and gives no examples of the non-
credible evidence it is referring to.
8. Salvationism, based on mere affirmation, still appears as harmful, diverting people with
false hopes of heaven hereafter. Reasonable minds look to other means for survival (HM2,
para. 3). These ad hominem attacks the Christians making them look as if they have
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unreasonable minds. This argument also shows the fallacy of no true Scotsman. If people
had a reasonable mind they would look to salvation as their survival method.
9. Traditional moral codes and newer irrational cults both fail to meet the pressing needs of
today and tomorrow. False theologies of hope and messianic ideologies, substituting new
dogmas for old, cannot cope with existing world realities. They separate rather than unite
peoples (HM2, para. 5). In this hasty generalization it does not take into account that
Christians are united together through one God and that this has existed since the beginning
of the world. What separates people is focusing on themselves rather than others.
10. The next century can be and should be the humanistic century. Dramatic scientific,
technological, and ever-accelerating social and political changes crowd our awareness. We
have virtually conquered the planet, explored the moon, overcome the natural limits of travel
and communication; we stand at the dawn of a new age, ready to move farther into space and
perhaps inhabit other planets (HM2, para. 4). This non-sequitur fallacy offers a conclusion
that the facts dont follow logically. In the next statement humanists contradict themselves
because they discourage unreal hopes and wishful thinking. We assume that humanism
will take the path of social and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes
and wishful thinking (HM1, affirm. 11).






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Section 3: Hard Questions
1. This world community must renounce the resort to violence and force as a method of
solving international disputes. We believe in the peaceful adjudication of differences by
international courts and by the development of the arts and negotiation and compromise. War
is obsolete (HM2, affirm. 13). This all sounds wonderful but the UN is constantly trying and
has repeatedly failed to implement this. How can people get along if they dont have the
same moral values? With all the different types of ethnic and religious groups how can an
international court be unbiased? Is war obsolete when an evil enemy rises up and threatens
you and those in your country for example Hitler? What if in the negotiations and
compromise you get the short end? These are questions that bring out the fallacies of a
wishful thinking humanist slant.
2. Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful.
They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying
social injustices. Modern science discredits such historic concepts as the ghost in the
machine and the inseparable soul. Rather, science affirms that the human species is an
emergence from natural evolutionary forces (HM2, affirm. 2). How can salvation and the
fear of damnation be harmful? One would think this would make a society behave better and
try to live according to the structure of God. How does this distract us when we as Christians
are trying to better the present concerns and rectify the social injustices? Where does science
affirm that we have emerged from evolutionary forces? By asking these questions one would
hope that they would see that is no harm in having a higher being guiding your path. Also, in
your questions you could bring out that we as Christians are commanded to rectify social
injustice and to be concerned about the world.
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3. The decades ahead call for dedicated, clear-minded men and women able to marshal the
will, intelligence, and cooperative skills for shaping a desirable future. Humanism can
provide the purpose and inspiration that so many seek; it can give personal meaning and
significance to human life (HM2, para. 6). How does humanism fulfill purpose and
inspiration to human life? Do people really seek this? Can only the dedicated and clear
minded people with intelligence obtain this? How is this fulfillment different from religious
fulfillments that the humanists discount? These questions can point out contradictions and
show how superficial they are by mimicking a lot of what the Christians believe.
4. In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox
religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control,
abortion, and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitive,
denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social
sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual
exploration should not in themselves be considered evil (HM2, affirm. 6). Does
promiscuity promote a healthier society? Are people not hurt by unwanted pregnancies,
diseases, and emotional distress when they are allowed freedom in sexual exploration?
Are we to say exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression are wrong, but abortions
that dismiss basic human rights, are correct? Does birth control assist the continuous
process (HM1, affirm.2), when we eliminate our potential offspring? These questions show
that humanists beliefs of sexuality cause harm in unforeseen ways to both individuals and to
society.
5. The preciousness and dignity of the individual person is a central humanist value.
Individuals should be encouraged to realize their own creative talents and desires. We reject
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all religious, ideological, or moral codes that denigrate the individual, suppressing freedom,
dull intellect, dehumanize personality (HM2, affirm. 5). Why is the humanist individual
person so self-centered always seeking their own desires? Why would religious or moral
codes suppress freedom? Is all religious, ideological, or moral codes bad to ones person?
These questions demonstrate how the humanists are not clearly explaining their attack on
religion and they leave individuals confused on their reasons.

















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Counter-Arguments
1. Humanists reject God or any creator, claiming that the universe is self-existing. Religious
humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created (HM1, affirm. 1). This
assertion about the universe is unsupported by evidence. Humanists believe the universe has
always existed, but it is evident that the universe must have had a beginning. According to
the Laws of Thermodynamics, we know that both the total amount of mass-energy in the
universe is constant and that the energy available for work is depleting or that entropy is
increasing to a maximum; thus we must affirm that at some point there must have been a
time without entropy, a state before change, a beginning. And affording to the law of
causality, everything with a beginning has a cause. Thus the universe must have a cause. And
if the universe has a cause that must mean something must have started it or have created it.
So according to the basic laws of science that humanists hold dearly, the universe must have
been created and is thus not self-existing. The humanists are rejecting God in the form of
denying His hand in the creation of the universe. They refuse to acknowledge Him or the
possibility of creation, but have no truly plausible answer to how the universe can be self-
existing and not created. Christianity sets its foundation at the beginning of creation, the
strongest root of our beliefs. Humanists do not have this strong foundation that every world
view needs in order to understand how things are. They possess no concrete solution to the
beginning of the universe or a way it can be self-existing. This lack of foundation makes
humanists worldview weak within its first affirmation.
2. We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place
revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the
human species. Any account of nature should pass the tests of scientific evidence; in our
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judgment, the dogmas and myths of traditional religions do not do so. Even at this late date in
human history, certain elementary facts based upon the critical use of scientific reason have
to be restated. We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence of a supernatural; it is
either meaningless or irrelevant to the question of survival and fulfillment of the human race.
As nontheists, we begin with humans not God, nature not deity. Nature may indeed be
broader and deeper than we now know; any new discoveries, however, will but enlarge our
knowledge of the natural (HM2, affirm. 1). The humanists admit they do not completely
understand nature and all its laws, but have no issue pressing high standards against the
supernatural. The supernatural could be seen as merely another unknown element of science,
one without a current explanation or one that which we cannot comprehend due to the
restrictions of our senses and limits of our logic. The humanists are not so bold as to say they
know everything and allowances are made for that which cannot be explained in nature, but
no allowance is made for that which is considered supernatural. They cannot explain the
nature of God or figure him out with their logic, but neither can they truly explain the nature
of light. Is light a wave or a particle? Is it neither or is it both? These questions elude
scientists since continual experiments keep altering the way they think its works. Humanists
will admit that science cannot yet explain every element in our natural world, then how can
they expect it to explain that which exists beyond nature?
3. The final weakness I have found in the humanist manifestos is that they discourage
sentimental and unreal hopes and wishful thinking (HM1, affirm. 11), but most of their
manifestos are unreal hopes and wishful thinking. They desire a world in which peace,
prosperity, freedom, and happiness are widely shared (HM2, affirm. 17). They believe that
they can forge this world through foster[ing] the creative in man and to encourage
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achievements that add to the satisfactions of life (HM1, affirm. 12). Religious Humanism
considers the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man's life and seeks
its development and fulfillment in the here and now. This is the explanation of the humanist's
social passion (HM1, affirm. 8). They have think that replacing the goals that religions have,
with the fulfillment of man, they can reject traditional moral codes (HM2, para. 5) and
Salvationism (HM2, para. 3). They navely assert that through education and goodwill the
human race will one day share the world equally. They do not account for human nature, its
selfishness, greediness, laziness, etc They believe that they can change the world for the
better, but is that not in itself unreal hopes and wishful thinking?











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Conclusion
In conclusion, I think that the information contained in these manifestos is often that of
wishful thinking. It indulges in the good will of mankind but fails to be realistic in its hopes for
the future. It focuses on an idealistic world peace and the rejection of the supernatural. It
attempts to forge a worldview focused on good intentions but ignores the overwhelming flaws of
humanity. It is also full of inconsistencies and generalities. Its premises often conflict with the
conclusions and it fails to offer anything more than vague solutions to achieving any of its goals.
These manifestos really do nothing more than create confusion to their reader with conflicting
assertions and bad premises.