SERMON: Atheism, Agnosticism and Theism: A Humanistic Perspective

Ram Dass, spirituality author and human consciousness researcher wrote: “ ‘I’m only human’ is a response I recall using many times in my youth to explain why I couldn’t fulfill all the expectations of the people around me. Probably the idea of being human derived from the mythology I grew up with [both religious and secular] that portrayed humans in comparison to beings in the God realms and found humans to be weak, greedy, and rather stupid . . . In my thirties, through personal experiences in consciousness and spirituality, and as a result of the grace of meeting great souls such as my teacher in India, I came to realize that a human is a far grander being than I thought. These wise ones that I had the good fortune to meet, while rare, showed me the vast potential of human consciousness as something far more mysteriously fascinating than simply neocortical functioning. They showed me what it was to become fully human. Though their wisdom and compassion were great, these beings did not seem like gods to me. They were still ‘only human’, though I now saw that term in a new light, no longer an explanation for failure, but rather as reassurance that what they had realized was available to me, as a fellow human being. In the course of the past thirty years, spiritual practices have helped me to expand awareness and in doing so to break out of the prison of separateness.”

We are all ‘only human,’ yet maybe by accepting our humanity we can fulfill our potential, regardless of our belief system. People’s belief systems generally fall into three categories: atheism, agnosticism, or theism. We need to take a little time to explore the meanings of these terms, as well as what a humanistic perspective on them might be, before deciding if looking at our beliefs though our ‘only human’ eyes will help us expand our faith walks and help us “break out of the prison of separateness” that exists between us and other people.

First some definitions:
Atheist: one who does not believe in the existence of any gods.
Agnostic: one who is unsure whether there is a god, gods, goddess; and that the existence of a divine being is unknown to them, and possibly unknowable.
Theist: one who believes in the existence of a god or gods; in many cases one who believes in the existence of a personal God (Gods, Goddess, Divine Being) viewed generally as the Creator of humans and the world.

It may not be easy to place yourself in one of these three categories. Most Unitarian Universalists tend to place themselves in a number of categories simultaneously—when UU churches are in search of a minister, each member fills out a questionnaire about themselves and the church. One of the questions asks how do you describe yourself spiritually: atheist, agnostic, theist, Buddhist, humanist, Hindu, Christian, Jew, pagan, earth-centered, polytheist, pantheist, panintheist, Muslim, Sikh, Jainist, Sufi, Zoroastrianist, Odinist, Deist, other. There are not enough categories to describe all the varying beliefs within Unitarian Universalism. And what complicates things even more is that many Unitarian Universalists self describe with multiple belief systems. The first time I filled the questionnaire out, I described myself as a humanist, agnostic, Buddhist with some Christian beliefs and possible theistic leanings.

While each of us may describe ourselves using multiple religious descriptors, I want you today to consider breaking down your various belief systems to one of these categories: atheist, agnostic, or theist. I realize this is very simplistic, but for today’s sermon it may help to focus on seeing our faith through humanistic eyes.

Now, what do we mean by humanism? First, let’s use the definition given by the American Humanistic Association in their Humanist Manifesto III: Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. In addition, this Manifesto maintains that humanists are: guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience. As well, they believe that: Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships and working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.

So if we begin looking at our individual beliefs through the lens of humanistic ideals, what would change about our faith? Erasmus of Rotterdam’s faith was significantly changed by considering humanistic ideals. A sixteenth century priest, he was exposed to his friend Sir Thomas More’s humanistic ideas, and through theological discussions that seemed trivial, silly, and at times arrogant, Erasmus came to believe that faith needed to be an inner faith based on self reflection and actually reading the Bible. He felt everyone should read the Bible and derive their own understanding of it. He even felt that the priests, who were viewed as necessary interveners for laypeople to have access to God, were not necessary. He felt that all any person had to do was talk to God in their own way; thus, we all have access to God without need of any assistance. His faith was based on compassion and love for one’s fellow humans—he felt the theological discussions, rituals and traditions of the church did nothing to help those in need. And his faith was based on rational, even scientific knowledge—too often he saw the clergy make decisions about how nature functions without even considering personal observation, experience, or scientific knowledge of the time. He did not give up his Christian religion, but has been described as a Christian Humanist.

Erasmus is an example of how a theist might incorporate humanistic ideals into his/her theistic beliefs. You might even notice similarities between the Humanist Manifesto III and Erasmus’ beliefs: compassion for fellow humans, rational thinking, and learning from experience and observation. The goal of one’s faith--to benefit humanity--is also common to both humanism and Erasmus’ beliefs.

Another example of Humanist ideals at work, regardless of one’s beliefs, is in the life of Mother Teresa. In many of her writings, she holds her faith as personal, between her and God, and holds that helping those in need regardless of faith is part of her faith walk. She tried to be model for caring for anyone who was impoverished nutritionally, medically, or spiritually. And her spiritual aid was given without trying to convert or even describe her beliefs to those she helped. She gave love purely and openly regardless of lifestyle, culture, or religion.

Regardless of whether you would describe yourself as an atheist, an agnostic, or a theist, this open-hearted giving that Mother Teresa certainly modeled is humanistic: aiding our fellow human beings regardless of our or their beliefs. Her work expressed clearly that life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. As I reflect on Mother Teresa’s life, I have come to believe that living a life in the service of others maximizes our individual happiness.

Elie Wiesel, author, professor, and Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote: “For Jews and Christians alike, as well as for Muslims and all persons of religious faith, being human means—must mean—to see each other’s humanity. In other words I am human not only because I have been given the ability to listen, to speak, to feel pain and joy, but also—and perhaps mainly—because others have been endowed with the same ability. It is the others’ humanity that shapes my own.” We are humans, no matter the faith, culture, sexuality, or any other difference between us and anyone else, we are all human, and we need to care for one another. We all feel the same pain, joy, fear, fragileness, which every other human does. And if we don’t incorporate these ideals into our beliefs—whether atheist, agnostic, or theist—our faith is incomplete, and might even become destructive.

As Raimon Panikkar, professor and author of many books focused on the encounter of religions, writes: “It is the cross-cultural challenge of our times that unless the barbarian, the mleccha, the goy, the infidel … the kaffir, the foreigner, and the stranger are invited to be thou, beyond those of my clan, tribe, race, church, or ideology, there is not much hope left for the planet.”

When I recently went to the Beaumont chapter meeting of the Anti-Defamation League, I heard a Rice University professor talk about how we must be willing to be in dialog and relationship with those whose faiths are different from our own. If we cannot sit down at the table with Muslim extremists, Christian fundamentalists, or anyone else whose beliefs are very different from our own, we will not have peace in our world. We build community by inviting everyone to the table, not by saying they have beliefs I cannot tolerate, so let’s exclude them. This is a fundamental humanistic belief that we must adhere to regardless whether we are atheist, agnostic, or theist, or our world will continue to struggle to maintain a peaceful human community.

As you consider your belief system—atheist, agnostic, or theist—whether you believe in a god, gods, goddess, or don’t, or don’t know, we still have to consider what it means to be human. Atheists might engage in fights over prayer in public schools or God in the Pledge of Allegiance—which are worthy causes--but they must also find ways to help those experiencing nutritional, medical, and spiritual poverty. Agnostics may focus on the spiritual journey of their lives, seeking enlightenment, direction, or meaning, but they must also intentionally live compassionate lives, reaching out to those whose beliefs are different from their own. Theists may focus on direction from the Divine, or rituals, traditions, or creeds, but they must also bring rationality, observation, and scientific discovery into their lives in order to find new ways to help other people. No belief system is without strengths and weaknesses; no belief system is without tunnel vision at times. And no belief system by itself is all that humanity needs. We need a broader view of humanity, of creation, of compassion, and of experience; one that incorporates change, process, and creativity; one that incorporates all humanity.

Raimon Panikkar writes: “No culture, no religion, no tradition can solve the world’s problems in isolation. The key word is pluralism. There is no authentic spirituality that ignores the real world … In the past religions all too often have brought inner peace to their followers while fighting external wars against others. This incongruity is today so manifest that the self-understanding of [most] religions is beginning to change to a concern with bringing peace to humankind and to the planet, to understand ‘peace’ as a symbol universal, ‘pluralistic’ enough to incorporate it in their teachings … Forgiveness, reconciliation, ongoing dialog, lead to peace, a peace that is a way forward, not backward, for any return to a [religious] status quo or past utopia is a pipe dream. In order to forgive, to dialog, to establish reconciliation one needs a strength beyond [just] the mechanical order of action and reaction. One needs [all the positive aspects of all faiths, of atheists, agnostics, of theists, one needs meaning,] the Holy Spirit, the karuna, the charis, and love realized as being the pillars of the universe. To save humanity, we have to become [more fully] human [together].”

May we work to be more fully human; this will deepen our faith, preserve our planet, and save humanity. So may it be.