HUMANISM VS. CHRISTIANITY

Bible quotations are taken from the
New International Version of the Bible
Copyright © 2002 by Zondervan
except as indicated
the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1987 by Zondervan

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

I Corinthians 1:20-25

Prologue

Hot buttons. Press one and prepare yourself for a heated argument. It used to be that politics and religion were the hot buttons but, in the last few decades, we define the hot buttons with greater precision. Abortion, socialism, euthanasia, liberal sex education in the schools, pornography, homosexuality, recreational drugs … the list goes on. The passion, pro or con, in these arguments is intense and growing. The buttons are more numerous and getting hotter. Typically, participants in the arguments were often labeled "Conservatives" on one side and "Liberals" on the other side. These labels were appropriate if discussing economics, taxes, and the power of government; however, the new hot buttons have merged with the old hot buttons creating a new dynamic in every aspect of society. The old labels do not define the fundamental cause of today’s polarization, "Christianity" and "Humanism." I use these words in quotes because they are labels that require further definition. These issues are not debated like intellectuals sitting at their gentleman’s club with brandy and cigars quietly deliberating the pros and cons of the issues. Rather is it like adolescents in a verbal street fight hurling names at each other. I have also observed that, over the past few decades, the debates have become institutionalized.

It is interesting to note that 150 years ago these terms were not hot buttons. In fact, most of American society was in agreement on these issues. Then, about 150 years ago, a fundamental change began in the American (and Western society) and with it a new hot button – evolution. Evolution is tightly linked to most of the hot buttons mentioned above. Humanism, although already a well-developed philosophy, surged into popularity at the same time. By the early 20^th Century, Humanism was established throughout much of the Western world as Socialism, Communism, and Progressivism, all of which are joined at the hip with the glue of Humanist philosophy.

In discussing the polarization caused by the Humanism - Christianity debate, it is necessary to be clear about the terms "Humanist" and "Christian" as used in this book. A complete understanding of Humanism is best gained by reviewing Appendix 3, The Humanist Manifesto and we will explore the depths of it later in the book. However, for labeling purposes, we can describe a Humanist as person who believes:

The description above is painted in broad strokes. Actually, there are many flavors of Humanism just as there are many flavors of Christianity. Humanism will be discussed in greater detail in Parts 2 and 3 where we will reveal the relationship between Humanism, Liberalism, Socialism, and Progressivism. Christianity is more difficult to define. The basic definition of a Christian is stated as follows: A person who believes that:

But, as discussed in Chapter 4, this definition does not cover the various "human artifacts" introduced into the practice of Christianity as we observe the "Political Church", "Philosophical Church", "Social Church", and more recently, the "Scientific Church".

One can see that, by the definitions alone, the potential for conflict between Humanists and Christians is great. The conflict becomes even more intense when the basic philosophies of each are implemented. The intensity of the conflict began with Darwin and his theory of evolution by natural selection (atheistic evolution). A quick glance at the contents page of this book reveals that nearly one-fifth of the book is devoted to the Creationism - Evolutionism" debate. One might legitimately ask, "Why devote so much of this book to evolution when hundreds of books have already been written on the subject?" I must admit I deliberated on this for quite some time; however, there are three important reasons to revisit this subject in the context of Humanism, Christianity, and the polarization of America.

The first reason is that evolution in itself is an important element in the Humanist - Christian conflict. As such, it is important to see both sides of the argument. The issue is far more complicated than the efforts to prove one side or the other wrong. In order to understand how Humanists promote and use evolution as a tool in advancing their agenda in other areas, we must understand how Humanists established evolution as fact without meeting the rigor of the scientific method necessary for other legitimate scientific pursuits. The methods used in promoting evolution are used today in advancing the anti-Christian agenda described in the Humanist Manifesto. As Sun Tzu says in his book, The Art of War, we must know the foe and a good way to gain insight to how Humanists promote their agenda is to study how they promote evolution.

The second reason is that evolution is a thread that runs throughout the fabric of Humanism. Humanists use it to support Atheism, abortion, and anti-Christian policies in our society and government. It is the justification for eugenics and euthanasia. It is the door that opened our public schools to the Humanist philosophy.

The third reason is that evolution is one of the cornerstones without which Humanism would collapse. Humanism is based on the presumption that there is no God and, therefore, Man is the highest expression of existence in the universe. This argument can only survive if there is no divine Creator and evolution by natural selection offers a "proof" that there is no God. For the Humanist, the philosophy of Evolutionism is far more important than the science of evolution.

Although an important element in the Humanism - Christianity conflict, evolution is just the beginning. In Part 2, we explore how the concept of Secular Humanism developed among the Enlightenment philosophers and is now expressed in modern Socialism and Progressivism. Although Humanism, as the organized movement we see today, is a relatively new philosophy, it has been with humanity for millennia, at least in spirit, and we will investigate how the values expressed by Humanists today were and integral part of the Roman Empire as it began its decline. In fact, the conflict between Humanism and Christianity has been an integral part of the Christian struggle from the beginning.

The major polarization of America began in the 1960’s. As courts with activist judges and liberal agendas supported abortion, pornography, teaching evolution in public schools, and banned prayer or religious references in schools and other public venues, it became apparent that Christian values were under attack; not just by people who held a different view as in the past but by courts and government institutions. Humanism was becoming institutionalized. A Christian could not pray in school, but the teacher could explain how we got here without any divine intervention. Students who raised objections to natural selection, prayed or wore a crucifix might find themselves suspended for a few weeks. The principles of Humanism were gradually replacing the principles of Christianity as the basis of social morality and ethics.

The implementing arm of Humanism is progressive politics and it has been a factor in America for over 100 years. In Part 3, we will explore the development of Progressivism and specific impacts it has on religion, education, morality, economics and, particularly, the Christian community. Also discussed are solutions and actions the Christian community can take to survive and thrive in an increasingly hostile climate. How can we raise our children in a society that promotes sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and abortion? What should the response be to a society that increasingly considers "Christian" as a derogatory word? How should a parent react when they find out the school has arranged for their daughter’s abortion without their knowledge and the courts support the school? What should a parent do when a child is suspended from school for wearing a crucifix? How can the Christian community engage and witness to the secular community? Part 4 investigates solutions to these issues. The early Church was faced with similar challenges. However, those Christians did not merely survive they thrived. Perhaps the solutions for the challenges facing the modern Church can be found in the early Church.

Talk about "hot button" issues! However, as bleak as this picture appears, there is a solution. And every Christian already knows what it is – it just has to be implemented.