Humanism and ethical culture are not generally known. As many have experienced, anything not mainstream religious is sometimes termed in the atheist camps by vocal minorities of the religious, by default: “atheists,” “non-believers,” “infidels,” and so on. The lack of knowledge and the sometime negative emotional evaluation is a symptom of religious hegemony over many cultures, especially the religion of love, Christianity, and the religion of peace, Islam.
The need for the voices of the neglected, the humanist and ethical culture types, is for a couple of reasons. One is the void needing filling. We live in pluralist centres of the world. It is instructive to reflect on this fact and juxtapose with the hegemony by, for examples, Christianity and Islam. The television channels and radio waves continue to reflect the dominant mythologies, as with Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, and the Islamic Caliphate. All means of communication available at the time reflect the myths, especially among the educated classes with the religious texts.
Another reason is the alternative. Another way to derive meaning in life. Meaning from community in an ethical culture context through, for instance, an ethical society. No reference to the transcendent; nothing more than the ordinary community, to mobilize, to organize, to protest, to engage one another in the important transitions or events in life: birth, birthdays, graduation, adulthood, partnership, and death.
Humanist Voices is a way to give a channel for the neglected irreligious population. It is small, will grow, and seems like another way to bring some small (secular) meaning to our community.
Original Publication in Humanist Voices.