Humanism and the Humanist Community

Humanists believe that the most important matters in our lives are not of a divine focus, but human. With the acknowledgement of our mortality, and without a divine reach, Humanism places a secular emphasis on the potential for genuine value and goodness — for ourselves and our communities. The solution to our common human problems (such as social justice, environmental sustainability, community wellness and equity, etc.) comes from our shared human capacity for reason, and our potential for cooperation.

While there is a strong focus on the problems of our time, at its heart Humanism attends to the preeminent question that philosophy and theology have grappled with since their inception — what does it mean to live a good life? The secular character of Humanism inclines many people of traditional faiths to question the seriousness of our commitment to answering that question, and acting in line with our answer(s). Kendyl L. R. Gibbons, a Unitarian Minister, responds well to this: “To live well is to live with intelligence and integrity, with justice and compassion, with wholeness and beauty, and finally, inevitably, with thanks and praise, for all that is our fragile, tragic, precious life.”

Why bring Humanism to the University? Nationally, and even internationally, younger generations are tending not to affiliate with any major religion or belief system. The American demographics are no longer monolithically Christian, with substantial percentages of young adults identifying as Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and “none” or “non-affiliated.” The University’s demographics are representative of this, and this is where the University of Lynchburg Humanist Community finds its footing — offering those students who are spiritual, unaffiliated, or not religious, a community of like-minded and compassionate people. The Humanist Community is committed to the open discussion questions both urgent and timeless, to improving our shared local world through interfaith work and service, and to (secularly) living better lives.

In that line of work and service, the University Humanist Community has begun a cooperative initiative to address food insecurity, with hopes of helping a wide array of people in the greater area. In this way, the Humanist Community wishes to extend a helping hand to those in our wider community who may not be helped otherwise, unless through a church or similarly affiliated group.

All in all, we in the Humanist Community strive each day to live as we are committed. As Gibbons says, again, Humanists are committed “to live as fully as we can, in all the authentic wonder and curiosity that the human spirit can generate… [and] to recognize… the world that might be, if we, by our courage, intelligence, and dedication, will make it so.”

By Hiatt O’Connor ’20, Student leader, Humanist Community