In order to perform marriages in my state, I am a minister of the "Church of Spiritual Humanism." Here are the Principles and Tenets of Spiritual Humanism quoted from the website, since it's basically an online church.
What do you think of these tenets? Do you feel they are good codes to live by? I believe they were composed by Richard Zorger, the founder of the church.
I'm a bit weak on #6 and #7 but I have no objection to them and I actually do practice them on my own. The rest, I pretty much do naturally as part of my everyday life.
Principles and Tenets of Spiritual Humanism
- Behold Nature with reverence.
By instinct we are inspired by the beauty of nature – a fiery sunset, the starry night sky, springtime flowers, or autumn leaves.
- Base religion upon Reason.
Religious truth can only be found through science, the basis of all the knowledge that makes our civilization possible.
- Treat all people as equals.
Everyone deserves the same level of respect, opportunities, and right to be happy. No one is born as a superior to anyone else.
- Act to reduce suffering and misery, and advance contentment, and happiness.
Everyone must obey the same standards of good and bad behavior. Doing good deeds makes the world a better place.
- Protect things that belong to everyone.
Fresh air, clean rivers, and healthy oceans are all things that every one has a right to enjoy, and no one has a right to spoil. It’s our duty to protect these public treasures.
- Celebrate seasons and cycles with ritual.
We are part of nature. Recognizing it brings us closer to our natural roots.
- Cultivate spiritual abilities by application.
By practicing we can get better at being inspired and knowing our own abilities.
- Exalt the correlation of past, present, and future.
What we do today affects the world of the future. Things done in the past like preserving the environment, finding cures for diseases, or writing an inspiring song, still help us today.
- Champion these principles.
When you believe in something you must be ready to stand up for yourself and defend it. Otherwise some one else will step in and make things worse.
- Improve these codes as we learn more.
Only through learning and changing our actions based on the new information can we grow and make the world better. Even our dearest beliefs must always be open to improvement.
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8 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Be nice and do good things.. what's to disagree with? But I think anything labeled "religion" or "church" is going in the wrong direction right off the mark. Why associate yourself with such loaded baggage?
Davekp
Level 8
May 27, 2022
0
My ONLY reason is that with the CURRENT LAWS in my state and many others require anyone solemnizing marriages is either a minister of a church OR a judge.
I am too lazy and poor to go to law school to become a judge, so I clicked "ordain me" on an online "church" as a work around to be able to perform marriage ceremonies legally and respectfully in my state.
In case anyone was wondering about the origins of this "church" and why it was formed. Here is the first newsletter, from 2002.
In part:
Origins of Spiritual Humanism
"Newsletter #1 – The Church of Spiritual Humanism
August 7, 2002 – Philadelphia, www.SpiritualHumanism.org
It is finally time to start sending out the newsletter (this is the first one). As you may have realized, The Church of Spiritual Humanism is a new organization with a new idea – Religion based on Reason. I am happy to report that our membership is growing rapidly. There is a huge number of people out there who want to have a religious connection to the universe, but who are dissatisfied with what the traditional “faiths” have to offer. Spiritual Humanism can fulfill these people’s religious needs, and
eventually I hope it can do much more.
But to change the world into a better place takes time and effort, and your help. If you realize that the only path to religious truth is through reason then share your convictions with a friend who might agree with the philosophy of Spiritual Humanism. Mention our web site, SpiritualHumanism.org, and let them check it out for themselves. Only by continuing to grow can we hope impact the wider
population.
READERS WRITE IN
A Reader Writes:
I would like to know more about your organization. Thank you. Ana
REPLY There are a lot of reasons why I started Spiritual Humanism. I have always been interested in religion, philosophy, and ethics but I thought that every person should develop their own ideas on these subjects. Like the majority of freethinkers, rationalists, or whatever they prefer to call themselves, I kept my religious views private.
The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 were the catalyst that caused me to reevaluate my position. It wasn’t just the fundamentalist origins of the terrorists but also the jingoistic responses of our leaders. It made me realize that not everyone has the time or inclination to formulate their ideas into a cohesive philosophy. And if I didn’t make the effort to publicly present simple, rational, religious system perhaps many people would never realize such a think could even exist.
There is an amplified power when many people stand behind a conviction that is greater then the sum of its members. Unless each us take action it is possible for civilization to fall into a dark age of superstition and irrational religious violence. So I started Spiritual Humanism. It’s a long term project that I hope will continue to be refined and improved upon. You have to take action to make the world the better place you want it to be.
There are other religious groups based on humanist and rational philosophies and while we respect their positions we take a different approach: All people have the right to perform religious ceremonies.
Religious experience can and should be available to every one, not restricted to an academic, theological elite. Furthermore: For any movement, religious or otherwise, to be a success you have to convince a lot of people to join together.
This is why Spiritual Humanism easy to join, and easy to be a minister in. Every person has the right to perform religious activities; there is no separation between the clergy and the laity.
I also think it is important that a religion has ritual ties to the past. This is where I think where many atheists, agnostics, and humanists fail. People need rituals and the emotional religious experience that they promote. As long as we base our understanding of the universe on reason and science, we can adopt and redefine the meanings of the religious rituals of the past just as every successful religion has. You can’t wipe out religion, its part of being human. But you certainly can make it better then its current condition. This is the goal of Spiritual Humanism. [spiritualhumanism.org] "
Julie808
Level 8
May 27, 2022
1
I think those guidelines are good, as far as they go, and probably serve their intended purpose adequately, but there are reasons why that system won’t fare well in the competitive environment of cultural evolution.
skado
Level 9
May 27, 2022
1
Yes, it serves its purpose and could be thought of as a kind of bridge between the gap of the traditional religion and whatever is to come. It could be thought of as a foundation, or springboard, upon which a new mythos could co-exist, for those who wish it.
Then again, it's fine on its own for people who simply don't want or need more.
Many of us have written out or own list of values we cherish and strive to enshrine, which might be more personal - as they should be - not imposed on us necessarily, but discovered for ourselves. I have my own personal "spiritual" values, in addition to just basic ones imposed on us by society norms.
Something like these basic tenets could be part of the first rung on a ladder to something yet to come, a resting place while new ideas could creep into society that could catch on, more all encompassing if that's even a good idea.
That something more, in my mind, would be a new mythos, based on scientific truth as far as we know, to inspire artists to create symbols, music, traditions, celebrations, and so on, but that takes time.
Is that what you mean by the "competitive environment of cultural evolution?"
Songs, rituals, gatherings, celebrations, and so on?
While Spiritual Humanism serves its purpose, it isn't currently an all-encompassing "religion" that could "compete" with other religions, it could be part of the first step in creating a bit of a revolution of spirituality. Just one tool.
The bible, for example, isn't much on its own, but by usurping celebrations and symbols, holidays like Christmas, Easter, etc., with music, rituals, and so on, it has been created into something so unlikely as worshipping a dead guy on a stick to seem normal. Anything is possible.
Yes, exactly. All of those things and maybe a few more. I'm reading a great book right now about the structure of successful religions, called "Religion Is Not About God" by Loyal Rue. He lists their common components and strategies.
Emotional Appeals, including: Sympathy,Guilt, Grattitude, Hope, Fear, Love.
Ancillary Strategies, including: Intellectual, Experiential, Institutional, Aesthetic, Ritual.
Then a system of Personal Wholeness and Social Cohesion.
Fascinating stuff.
I totally agree with your idea of individuals making lists of their own, which I have done as well. My personal approach seems to gravitate more to the intellectual and aesthetic approaches rather than say, ritual or institutional, etc., but whatever works for the individual.
@Diogenes Yes, I'm pretty much a "Don't Carist" as far as religion goes... I only posted this because I used it in response on another thread and thought it might be of interest to others. In order to perform weddings legally, I need to the be the "minister" of some "religion" so this fits the bill nicely for me.
I have read several of these over the years, and that is by far the best one so far. I think that the only thing that I would change, and it is just a personal thing. Is that I would change the vague and woo, "spiritual abilities" in number seven, for the more secular sounding. "Cultivate appreciation of life by application." And two. Base beliefs on reason.
Fernapple
Level 9
May 27, 2022
3
Yes, I like your edit of that line. I think when the founder of this "religion" created these tenets, it was to satisfy the requirements of various states in the U.S. which require marriages to be performed by "clergy" of a "religion" and so the wording was put in to satisfy those laws. In this way "Spiritual Humanism" becomes a religious denomination for the purposes of being able to legally perform marriages under the current laws.
I'm still squeamish about the words "spiritual" and "religious" but I have to go along with those terms, using my own connotations to mean something more personal than the common definition, so my services can be in its own religious denomination, since my state only allows "civil" marriages to be performed by judges, and crazy as it sounds those judges often use super religious terminology in their marriage ceremonies. Yet theirs are called "civil" ceremonies and mine are classified as "religious" for filing and recording purposes.
As an ordained Dudeist priest, I can get behind this.
DharmaBum50
Level 8
May 27, 2022
2
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