Many people think that Humanists have no beliefs, or are in fact against the idea of belief. That is not the case, Humanists may have strong beliefs and values. We generally do not believe in any religion or god or gods, so are generally atheists. Not all atheists are Humanists, they may have a range of beliefs and values that they live by. Humanists share similar values but may not share all values. Humanists do not believe in an afterlife and so seek to make the best of the one life that they have.
On religion
A Humanist tenet is “freedom of religion, freedom from religion”. We respect the right of anyone to have whatever faith or religion they believe in, but also expect our lack of faith or religion to be respected too, so there is no evangelism about Humanism.
Humanist Society of Scotland and Humanists UK do campaign on matters that many Humanists believe in. We would like religion to be a private and personal matter, and not a part of public life or politics or education. For example, we disagree with bishops and other religious leaders in the House of Lords, and compulsory religious education in schools with no easy way for children to opt out.
I went to a religious primary school, even though my family were not religious. I was shamed and embarrassed by the treatment I received from staff. It stayed with me for many years, and perhaps shaped my views on religion.
On abortion
We believe that women undergoing a termination of pregnancy should be respected, not harassed and shamed for making a choice that is not only legal, but in their best interests given their situation. Having worked as a counsellor for over 30 years, I have supported many women who have chosen to have an abortion, and not one of them found it an easy option. They all felt confused, sad and tormented by their choice. So why would it be acceptable to make a distressing situation worse for them because of your individual and personal beliefs, which they perhaps do not share?
On death and on life
We support assisted dying, and were involved in helping this to eventually become law, with suitable strong safeguards in place.
Humanists believe in humanity, in the basic goodness and rights of humankind. We believe in treating everyone with kindness and compassion and respect, regardless of age, sex, background, faith or nationality. Another tenet we have is “think for yourself, act for everyone”. We also value nature and the world around us. Our values are based on reason, evidence and critical thinking. Less than 50% of the population in Scotland have any sort of religious belief, so atheism and other forms of non religious thinking and beliefs are now the majority. This strongly suggests that Humanism and its values are today of increasing importance and relevance.
The Humanist Society Scotland Glasgow and West of Scotland can be found as a group on Facebook: Glasgow Humanists.
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