Convicting Those Who Contradict

1
Convicting Those Who Contradict

• Humanism, Relativism, and Pluralism

2
Definitions

• Humanism
• Webster defines humanism as a philosophy that
  rejects supernaturalism, regards man as a natural
  object, and asserts the essential dignity of man
  and his capacity to achieve self-realization
  through rationalism and scientific method
• Relativism
• The belief that truth is relative and varies with
  the situation and who is interpreting the
  situation
• Pluralism
• The acceptance of all religious paths as equally
  valid

3
Misconceptions and Deceptions

• Humanism is a clever name for this religion /
  philosophy
• Humanism sounds like and references many good
  words
• Human
• Humane
• Humanity
• These are NOT what humanism is about!
• Humanism is about unbelief, atheism, evolution,
  Marxism, and advancing these ideas to the entire
  world as soon as possible

4
Humanism

• The best description that I have heard of
  humanism is atheism with a new name
• The core of humanism is unbelief
• Humanistic ideas can be traced back to some 6th
  century BC Greek philosophers
• Most of the ideas of modern humanism began in
  Europe (notably Italy) during the Renaissance in
  the 15th century

5
Humanism

• The essential tenants of modern humanism are
  laid out in the Humanist Manifestos
• The Humanist Manifesto I (1933)
• The Humanist Manifesto II (1973)
• The Humanist Manifesto III (2003)
• My calling humanism atheism is not slander or
  misrepresentation
• Make no mistake, humanism is a religion

6
Tenants of Humanism

• Humanism is a religion (from the preamble of the
  Humanist Manifesto I)
• Today man's larger understanding of the
  universe, his scientific achievements, and deeper
  appreciation of brotherhood, have created a
  situation which requires a new statement of the
  means and purposes of religionany religion that
  can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force
  for today must be shaped for the needs of this
  age. To establish such a religion is a major
  necessity of the present. It is a responsibility
  which rests upon this generation. We therefore
  affirm the following

7
Humanism Is Atheism

• From The Humanist Manifesto I
• Religious humanists regard the universe as
  self-existing and not created
• Humanism believes that man is a part of nature
  and that he has emerged as a result of a
  continuous process.
• Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe
  depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any
  supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human
  values.
• We are convinced that the time has passed for
  theism, deism, modernism, and the several
  varieties of new thought.

8
Humanism Is Atheism

• From The Humanist Manifesto II
• As in 1933, humanists still believe that
  traditional theism, especially faith in the
  prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for
  persons, to hear and understand their prayers,
  and to be able to do something about them, is an
  unproved and outmoded faith.
• False "theologies of hope" and messianic
  ideologies, substituting new dogmas for old,
  cannot cope with existing world realities.
• We find insufficient evidence for belief in the
  existence of a supernatural
• As nontheists, we begin with humans not God,
  nature not deity.
• While there is much that we do not know, humans
  are responsible for what we are or will become.
  No deity will save us we must save ourselves.
• Consider Ezekiel 221-19

9
Humanism Accepts Evolution

• From The Humanist Manifesto II
• Modern science discredits such historic concepts
  as the "ghost in the machine" and the "separable
  soul." Rather, science affirms that the human
  species is an emergence from natural evolutionary
  forces. As far as we know, the total personality
  is a function of the biological organism
  transacting in a social and cultural context.
• From the Humanist Manifesto III
• Humans are an integral part of nature, the
  result of unguided evolutionary change.

10
Evolution

• Atheism was extremely rare, almost unheard of
  until the late 1700s
• The first scientific writings that set forth
  evolution were written in the mid to late 1700s
• The theory of evolution was quickly embraced by
  those who were unbelievers but who needed to
  explain life without God

11
Truth Is Relative

• Tolerant of everything but theism!
• From The Humanist Manifesto I
• Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe
  depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any
  supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human
  values.
• From The Humanist Manifesto II
• We affirm that moral values derive their source
  from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and
  situational needing no theological or ideological
  sanction.
• From the Humanist Manifesto III
• Ethical values are derived from human need and
  interest as tested by experience

12
Humanist Ethics (Morality)

• From II
• In the area of sexuality, we believe that
  intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by
  orthodox religions and puritanical cultures,
  unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth
  control, abortion, and divorce should be
  recognized.
• The many varieties of sexual exploration should
  not in themselves be considered evil.
• a civilized society should be a tolerant one.
• Moral education for children and adults is an
  important way of developing awareness and sexual
  maturity.
• Civil liberty also includes a recognition of an
  individual's right to die with dignity,
  euthanasia, and the right to suicide.

13
Man Is Autonomous

• From The Humanist Manifesto I
• Religious Humanism considers the complete
  realization of human personality to be the end of
  man's life and seeks its development and
  fulfillment in the here and now.
• From The Humanist Manifesto II
• We believe in maximum individual autonomy
  consonant with social responsibility.
• There is no credible evidence that life survives
  the death of the body
• From The Humanist Manifesto III
• Life's fulfillment emerges from individual
  participation in the service of humane ideals.

14
Humanisms Goals

• From The Humanist Manifesto I
• Religious humanism maintains that all
  associations and institutions exist for the
  fulfillment of human life. The intelligent
  evaluation, transformation, control, and
  direction of such associations and institutions
  with a view to the enhancement of human life is
  the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly
  religious institutions, their ritualistic forms,
  ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities
  must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience
  allows, in order to function effectively in the
  modern world. (emphasis mine, edp)

15
Humanisms Goals

• In other words, humanism wants to infiltrate and
  change all religious institutions to be more
  humanist
• Do not be deceived, YOU and I have been affected
  by humanism
• Humanisms tentacles have reached to practically
  every facet of American society
• Entertainment
• Government
• Education (higher and lower!!!)
• Religion

16
Humanisms Cause and Effects

• From II
• Free thought, atheism, agnosticism, skepticism,
  deism, rationalism, ethical culture, and liberal
  religion all claim to be heir to the humanist
  tradition. Humanism traces its roots from ancient
  China, classical Greece and Rome, through the
  Renaissance and the Enlightenment, to the
  scientific revolution of the modern world.

17
Converting the Humanist

• Many humanists will fall into the category
  described in Romans 118-32 2 Tim. 31-9 and 2
  Thes. 29-12
• Do not judge, sow the seed!
• Here are some approaches to the plausibility of
  God
• Cosmological proof
• Teleological proof (design demands designer)
• Moral proof
• Evidence for the inspiration of the Bible

18
Converting the Humanist

• More important to us is to work to convert the
  deceived humanist
• How do we deal with one who does not know how
  much humanism has influenced him?
• Educate them on the origins of the tolerant,
  permissive attitude of our society
• More on this after the discussion of relativism