Growing Beyond Belief

The boys spent a week at CampQuest South Carolina. It was quite possibly the best week of their young lives. It was your typical summer camp experience... swimming, kayaking, arts, science, campfires and philosophy. The only difference is that this camp is intended for the kids of Freethinkers, Humanists, Skeptics, Atheists and Agnostics.

The experience got me thinking about my own tenets, which in the last year have grown beyond just a lack of belief in a god. I'm drawn to the Secular Humanist label, defined by Wikipedia thusly:

The philosophy or life stance secular humanism (alternatively known by adherents as Humanism, specifically with a capital H to distinguish it from other forms of humanism) embraces human reason, ethics, social justice, metaphysical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, pseudoscience or superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making.

It posits that human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or God. It does not, however, assume that humans are either inherently evil or innately good, nor does it present humans as being superior to nature. Rather, the humanist life stance emphasizes the unique responsibility facing humanity and the ethical consequences of human decisions. Fundamental to the concept of secular humanism is the strongly held viewpoint that ideology—be it religious or political—must be thoroughly examined by each individual and not simply accepted or rejected on faith. Along with this, an essential part of secular humanism is a continually adapting search for truth, primarily through science and philosophy.

Atheist is a difficult label to own, but I am really glad I got there first. Now, though, I've matured beyond simply rejecting gods into embracing a philosophy that values qualities I've always held in high regard. There is a comfort in that and I am grateful to the people at CampQuest for giving me something to think about (and a week with a quiet house to do so!).