Humanism, Relativism, and Pluralism

 Humanism is a religion  Main tenets of humanism Atheism Evolution Relativism Autonomy of man  These ideas are laid out in “The Humanist Manifestos”, I, II, and III

 From II “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.” “The many varieties of sexual exploration should not in themselves be considered ‘evil.’” “…a civilized society should be a tolerant one.” “Moral education for children and adults is an important way of developing awareness and sexual maturity.” [Civil liberty] also includes a recognition of an individual's right to die with dignity, euthanasia, and the right to suicide.

 How did humans come to be? Charles Darwin gave a humanist answer to this question – Evolution  How have nations risen and fallen without God? Karl Marx gave a humanist answer to this question – Marxism and class struggles  How do we explain the obvious conflict in humans between the physical and spiritual? Sigmund Freud gave a humanist answer to this question with the conscious and unconscious

 From The Humanist Manifesto I “Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfillment of human life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control, and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows, in order to function effectively in the modern world.” (emphasis mine, edp)

 In other words, humanism wants to infiltrate and change all religious institutions to be more humanist  Do not be deceived, YOU and I have been affected by humanism  Humanism’s tentacles have reached to practically every facet of American society Entertainment Government Education (higher and lower!!!) Religion

 From II “Free thought, atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, deism, rationalism, ethical culture, and liberal religion all claim to be heir to the humanist tradition. Humanism traces its roots from ancient China, classical Greece and Rome, through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, to the scientific revolution of the modern world.”

 Many humanists will fall into the category described in Romans 1:18-32; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; and 2 Thes. 2:9-12  Do not judge, sow the seed!  Here are some approaches to the plausibility of God (From Piloting the Strait by Dave Miller) Cosmological proof Teleological proof (design demands designer) Moral proof Evidence for the inspiration of the Bible

 More practical for us is to work to convert the deceived humanist  How do we deal with one who does not know how much humanism has influenced him? Educate them on the origins of the tolerant, permissive attitude of our society Then, help them to see the fact that absolute truth does exist

 The only certainty is that there is no certainty  “Keep an open mind”  “Don’t be judgmental”  Avoid labeling anyone as “wrong”  “I’m okay, you’re okay”  “That is your truth, not mine”  “Let’s agree to disagree”  All of these attitudes foster blind tolerance for beliefs and practices that are not Biblical

 The humanists have worked their way into the faculty of most every college and university in America  This has trickled into the “religious seminaries”  Examples of their influence on religion Explaining away Bible miracles Attacking the idea of specific verbal inspiration of the Bible (the “new” hermeneutic) Lengthening the “days” of Genesis 1 Separating fellowship from doctrinal correctness

 Relativism is a self defeating philosophy! It is inherently contradictory!  Does relativism apply to natural law? Are there absolute truths in nature?  Relativism completely undermines all morality  If everyone is right, then no one is!  Where does relativism lead? (Gen. 19:9)

 Certain things are relative  Is it right to drive on the left side of the road?  Certain sounds irritate me but not others  I love running long distances, others hate even the thought  Just because some things are relative does NOT mean that all things are  These things mentioned are NOT of a moral nature  The question is, “Is morality, or more importantly, is truth relative?”

 Jesus expected His disciples to be able to know the truth (John 8:32)  Jesus understood the principle that God’s words can be understood and obeyed (Matt. 4:4, “…by every word…”)  Jesus expected the Pharisees to be able to read and learn the meaning of Hos. 6:6 (Matt. 9:13 -> Hos. 6:6)  Jesus expects us to be able to hear and understand the teaching of God (John 7:17; John 6:45)

 We are expected to “rightly divide” (2 Tim. 2:15)  We are expected to “prove what is good” ( Thes. 5:21)  The word of God can be misunderstood and misused (2 Cor. 4:2; Acts 20:30; 2 Pet. 3:16)