Humanism

I haven't posted a thing on my blog in some time now. I don't know whether out of sheer laziness, writer's block, lack of interest ... whatever.
But I'm back - with a brand new edition. C Eagle's back, so you might as well listen!
Topic today - Humanism. So what is humanism? Those who consider themselves humanists, (like myself) often have different definitions. But to give it its most basic meaning, humanism is the philosophy that finds meaning through reason in our lives and universe. Humanism does not rely on religion, mysticism, or any other "faith-based" system to guide us through life.
However like most of the world's religions it does employ the "golden rule" in its most basic form - do unto others as you would have done to you. This basic mantra is found throughout the world's cultures and though to many, it is the rule that "God" or "gods" have bestowed upon humanity, it is really more a common sense approach to a bountiful life.
Humanists use reason and scientific analysis to formulate their outlook on life and where we may be going as a species. Humanists do not subscribe to belief systems that offer up no valid or verifiable evidence to substantiate themesleves.
Humanists by definition, cannot be members of any organized religion. For to be part of a religion, there is a requirement that the member is of the belief that there is, without question a specific god or gods that determine human destiny and usually that all human processes first take into consideration, the will of that particular deity.
Humanism doesn't work that way. Humanism places the responsibility for our collective destiny in the hands of what is known or knowable about the universe and ultimately at the mercy of human action or inaction.
Humanists are either agnostic (a belief that the notion of "God" is not impossible, but is not within the realm of discovery and therefore should not be the focus of the common, human discourse) or atheist (simply no belief in god, gods, or a higher power, and should not be the focus of the common, human discourse.)
So ultimately humanists must take full responsiblilty for how we treat our fellow man, our planet, the species that live here as well. We must be responsible for our social injustice our man-made destruction, our own sense of hatred, ignorance, and intolerance.
On the other hand, we must also take pride in our accomplishments, our ingenuity, our capacity for understanding and comradery and love. The latter traits unfortunately too seldom find their way into the daily realm of mankind. But humanists have far fewer constraints placed upon us to enable the world to become a better, more positive place. The reason for this is that we simply don't have the restrictive "rules" of an alleged omnipotent "god" or "gods." The world's major religions and tribal religions all seek to control mankind for the power of the few instead of the inalienable rights to freedom of the whole.
When we examine the founding of the United States, we find that most of our founding fathers believed in humanism more than they did religion. The democracy that we bestowed upon the world, though rooted in the words of persecuted individuals from their past, came to fruition under their tenure. And to this day, that democracy is threatened by organizations, mostly of religious nature, that seek to destroy that foundation.
In closing, after years of self-examination, my understanding of religion and the world around us has led me to humanism. I am not part of a cult or "new age" philosophy. There is no temple in which I aspire to worship mankind. There is only reason and scientific knowledge. The knowledge of how we got here, what we are doing with regard to our species, and the hope of where we might aspire to go with it.
We are all we truly have. If another world exists beyond this dimension, and we can somehow transcend our earthly bond, then that will be revealed upon our individual deaths. However until that time comes for each of us, we have only what's in front of us. And that time should not be wasted.