Brother Jeff Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I posted this to Facebook last night, but thought I would share it here too: New for 2015, I am dropping the Atheist label in favor of Humanist. It may be basically the same thing, but too many people when they hear the word "atheist" think negative things. And movies such as "God's Not Dead" don't help any with the false negative stereotype of atheists being a bunch of heartless assholes. I don't believe in God and I am not a Christian, both for very good reasons. But I am a good person. I am moral and I am ethical, and I am a genuinely nice guy. I care about people and I care about the world. I want what religion promises but it cannot achieve - peace on earth and goodwill toward all of mankind. That is why I am a humanist. Working together for the good of all, there is nothing that we cannot achieve. There is no God and there is no Divine Plan. There is only the natural world, and we are the only ones who can save ourselves from our own destructiveness. We let too many things divide us -- politics, religion, nationality, race, ethnicity, etc. If we all work together for the good of all, we can build a beautiful and peaceful world. I don't promise to stop being critical of religion in the coming year, but I may change the way I say what I have to say. I'll start promoting what I believe in rather than bashing what I don't believe in. I am no longer angry about the 15 years I invested in the demonstrably false Christian religion or the mythical Jesus of the Bible or anything else. I'm not angry that I once considered a deeply and seriously flawed collection of ancient religious mythology to be the "word" of a god. I am okay with it all now. I wish things could have been different, but I am done with anger. It serves no useful purpose anyway. My Christian experience was not all bad, and I can remember the good times I had with good friends. I want to spend the rest of my life working to promote the positive philosophy of Humanism and work to make this world a better and more peaceful place. Signed, your Humanist friend... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pratt Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 peace to you bro jeff,,,,, a humanist that does the earth no wrong,,,,, cheers have a great year ahead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
★ Citsonga ★ Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Great post! Here's wishing you a merry Saturnalia and a very happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Speaking as a heartless asshole, I like the label atheist. But I'm happy that you are finding something that is working for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsy Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Well said, bro. You are making a positive out of a very big negative and I applaud you. Humanism makes sense to me, too. Wishing you a happy and healthy new year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jds22 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Well said and best wishes to one and all in the coming year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castiel233 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Good OP, and all the best for 2015 Brother Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Brother Jeff, that's a wonderful resolution. Just a warning about consequences if you care about keeping your FB friends. I will share my experience below. I have concluded that if our goal is to live harmoniously with these fanatical Christ-believers, if our goal is to be understood by them, then there is NO WINNING. I noticed that the Christians were always posting their beliefs on Facebook so I started doing the same. Here are a few of the things I posted, and the results. On Nov. 29 I posted the following Humanist principle on Respect. I think respect for all people is also a Christian principle. If everyone felt this way about others we would truly have peace on earth. That quote comes from http://familyofheart.com/DOC/StoryFOTH.html. My cousin always put a like on everything I posted unless she disagreed with it. She did not put a like on this. That told me she does not believe in basic respect. On Dec. 7 I posted my Testimony. She didn't like it. On Dec. 12 I posted this quote from another member of these exC forums (with permission): I've been observing discussions on FB posts by a few brave ex-Christian friends who invite them from their Christian friends. Ultimately the Christians always slink off without responding to the calm, reasoned posts by ex-Christians. Their tactics melt in the face of logic, they have no answers and will never admit they are wrong. My cousin used to tell me that one does not excommunicate or cut off family but that's exactly what she did. I have not seen or heard of her since that day. She blocked me on Facebook and never called or emailed to say Merry Christmas. That's just the way these people operate. Let's hope your friends are better than this but I wouldn't count on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Furball Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 According to apologist and ray comfort follower todd friel, humanism is of the devil. He did a whole show on it and called it the devil's cesspool that leads to the lake of fire. He included humanism with atheism and evolution. The christians (non-humans) teach that god created humans, yet....he hates us for being human and has to punish us for doing what humans do....<sigh>....the insanity continues.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 CeilingCat, I agree. When I told a school counselor that I joined the Humanist group, she said, "I guess the Humanists do some good" or "I guess some Humanists are good"--I forget the exact quote, but something like that. I was stumped. She said it as though the common consensus was that Humanists are by default a very bad lot and that I might want to think twice about getting myself entangled. I had a lot of respect for this woman and she for me. I still don't know where she came up with this idea that Humanists are by default bad people. I think perhaps some Christians confuse egotism with Humanism. Remember how they preach that no good thing comes except from God? They say they would be horrible except for Jesus? Some more "gems of [Christian] wisdom": Deny yourself and follow me. Crucify the self. Pride goeth before a fall. In their eyes, humans are fallen and depraved creatures in dire need of saving. I think perhaps it bothers them that we are not content with merely denying God. They think we deny god, and on top of that they see that we capitalize on our humanity and proudly hold high the banner: Secular Humanist. We are proud of being human; so it appears to them. That is so not being but a worm in the sight of god. It is, in their eyes, a worm making itself God! I suppose people who truly believe humanity is rotten to the core have reason to fear Secular Humanists, i.e. human beings who do not subscribe to a higher authority for their moral values. (Not that Christians do, either, but they think they do.) That is the only way I can make sense of this extreme hostility. Most nonbelievers say the term humanist goes over better than atheist. Maybe it's only a minority of people who give humanist any thought but that thought is negative. I dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 That's nice, Brother Jeff, congratulations on making things work for yourself. I like Humanism, though I hide it behind atheism. I do enjoy making people jump. To be frank, my full designation would be ultra-secularist humanist atheist lol. But I like simplifying it to atheist anyway. Have fun, ya fellow humanists, may we move towards the appreciation of humanity for itself and of our fellow animals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I love your positive take on the damage Xianity done and the bad feeling it leaves. Support your values instead of attacking others'; appreciate the good friends you gained through the cult....nicely written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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