Secular Humanist Society Gibraltar

Take the Humanist Challenge

sec·u·lar (sek-yoo-ler)  adj.

 

 1. Worldly rather than spiritual

 2. Not specifically relating to religion or to a religious body: secular music

 3. Relating to or advocating secularism

 4. Not bound by monastic restrictions, especially not belonging to a religious order

 

hu·man·ist (hyoo'me-nist) n.

 

1. A believer in the principles of humanism

2. One who is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans

3. One who trusts to the scientific method when it comes to understanding how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural

4. An individual who makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals

 

 

What Secular Humanism (SH) is:

Secularism protects representation of religions because it stops any specific denomination being 'crowded out' by either the dominant or established church.

Humanism is not a religion, a cult, a political group or a belief system. It is not atheism and it is not theism. It is a way of thinking.

 

We do not challenge any person’s right to personal freedom. We challenge people’s way of thinking, to help them make better informed personal choices. We are strong proponents for the need for critical thinking, evidence, rationality and scientific method in all human enterprise.

 

We are proponents for the testing of all beliefs, ideologies and traditions. We call for the need for strong evidence for all of these, and not simply base them on faith alone, especially in the remits of science, education, healthcare and politics.

 

We are here to promote personal, social and political ethics based on evidence, compassion and the promotion of humanist ideals.

 

We are not here to eradicate religion, but to allow religion to remain in its appropriate place, as part of personal and private lifestyle choice.

 

We place emphasis on this life we now live, and do not make conjecture on what may come after (without valid evidence).

 

We are here to work together for the betterment and equality of humankind everywhere, and for the building and maintaining of a better planet Earth for all life here.

 

We do not pretend to know the all the answers, or the absolute truth. But we aim to find it.

 

Why not try to answer the following questions:

 

1. Is there a god?

a. Yes - I am sure there is a super-human being watching our every move, judging us & deciding our fate

b. No - there is no evidence to support such a claim & reject the notion until such time as substantive proof is offered

 

2. Do you believe in god?

a. Yes

c. No

 

3. Does praying actually achieve anything?

a. Yes - I pray and things happen, because god hears me

b. No - one hand working to help is more use than a thousand clenched in prayer

 

3. After your death..what happens?

a. My soul will go to heaven if I have led a good life or to hell if I have not

b. My earthly life will be exterminated and my body will return to the earth and the elements

 

4. How do you view the theory of evolution?

a. As a fallacy that goes against the teachings that god created the universe

b. The evident truth as proved by Charles Darwin, the fossil record & all we have learned from science

 

5. How did the universe come into being?

a. It was created by god

b. Although science has not yet answered all of the questions, it seems reasonable to accept current scientific explanation as the only credible possibility

 

6. Morality is derived from where?

a. The ten commandments and the teachings of god

b. Morality comes from within and is based upon how we would hope to be treated, empathy with other people & compassion for the suffering of others

 

7. In order to lead a good life one should.......

a. Live within the framework of god's laws, pray nightly & go to church every week.

b. Maximise the effort we expend in helping others & making the lives of others happy, enjoying what life has to offer and minimising the detrimental effect our own actions may have on other creatures inhabiting the world with us.

 

So....how did you get on?

 

It is very simple to interpret the answers you gave here:

 

All 'a' - this shows that you have a belief in god and therefore would be considered a 'Theist' or believer, there are probably other websites available online that would better suit you needs than the SHSG page.

 

All 'b' - You would certainly appear to be an atheist and may find that the SHSG is the society that would be best suited to your secular needs.

 

A mixture of 'a' & 'b' - You may be feeling rather confused & have difficulty with certain aspects of both faith and secularism, it may help to speak to a member of the society to better determine your need for support.

 

 

"It is essential to nail one's colours to the mast as a Humanist"

 

Stephen Fry

Author, Comedian, Broadcaster, Genius - Humanist!