UUs, Humanism, and Darwin

Charles Darwin’s family were Unitarians in England. As a child, Charles was taught to look closely at things, and to use reason to figure out what he saw.

Darwin Day is held every year on February 12, the day of Charles Darwin’s birth in 1809. On Darwin Day, many Unitarian Universalist celebrate Darwin, reason, science, and the search for truth. While Unitarian Universalists originated in liberal Christianity, the 19th and 20th centuries saw a significant growth of humanism within the denomination.

There has always been a close association between Humanism and Unitarianism, as well as Universalism. Today, Darwin Day is a chance for UUs to celebrate rational thought, that the truth is always unfolding, and the synergy between science, awe, and faith.

“Religious humanism is a life stance that exults in being alive in this unimaginably vast and breathtakingly beautiful universe and that finds joy and satisfaction in contributing to human betterment. Without a creed but with an emphasis on reason, compassion, community, nature, and social responsibility, it is a way of living that answers the religious and spiritual needs of people today. [Today, much of UU Humanism is ...] grounded in the larger context of religious naturalism, a religious humanism that offers depth, meaning, and purpose without sacrificing intellectual honesty or the spiritual dimension.” - excerpt, Reason and Reverence, by Rev. William R. Murry, UU World, Winter 2006.

Responses from the UUA 1997 Congregational Survey question: "Please check the one of the following which best describes your theological perspective."

Information from the UU Humanist Association

http://huumanists.org/about/history-and-mission

"UUs were instrumental in the writing of all three of the Humanist Manifestos and in the founding of the American Humanist Association, the principal organization representing Humanists in the U.S.

You can read more about the UU/Humanist connection in the article, Our Humanist Legacy, by UUA past president William F. Schultz, published in UU World, the UUA's official magazine.

The UU Humanist Association was founded in 1962 by Edwin H. Wilson, Lester Mondale, and others. The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (formerly HUUmanists) is committed to Humanist principles of reason, compassion, and human fulfillment enumerated in the Humanist Manifestos and in the seven Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

UU Humanist Association, CORE VALUES and ASPIRATIONS

• We are Naturalists: Although we do not consider Humanism to be a “religion” within the wide-spread use of the term to denote beliefs and practices resting on some hypothetical supernatural entity, we are “religious” in that we share with most Unitarian Universalists the natural human desires for a beloved and accepting community; a purpose greater than ourselves; rituals and practices that resonate with our common humanity and shared mortality; and opportunities to work with other tough-minded, warm- hearted people to do good in the world and to help one another attain the greatest possible fulfillment in life. For these reasons most of us are members or friends of Unitarian Universalist congregations.

• Facts not Faith: We approach the natural world with profound humility and a deep sense of wonder, recognizing that the Human branch has only recently emerged on the ancient evolutionary tree. We turn to established facts, not unsubstantiated faith, in our approach to reality. We have a confirmed confidence in the collaborative methods of scientific inquiry, and in the accelerating accumulation of interconnected knowledge about our natural world and ourselves, which those methods continuously make possible. We are committed to pursuing fact-based initiatives that will help sustain the planet, our environment, and humanity itself for the greatest number of future generations.

• Free and Responsible Thought: We serve as the principal stewards of the Humanist heritage at the core of Unitarian Universalism, affirming our commitment to the values flowing from its rich history of free and responsible thought. We are “secular” in the sense of being this-worldly, acknowledging only this life in this universe. We actively foster, support, and publicize local secular and Humanist communities. and enthusiastically encourage Unitarian Universalists everywhere to support their efforts; and we promise to work with both the secular and religious communities to end discrimination against non-theists. In turn, we encourage non-theists of all stripes, within Unitarian Universalism and beyond, to “come out” regarding their non-theism. We further believe that preserving the secular character of our democracy— maintaining the wall of separation between church and state—is a moral imperative. Working closely with other secular and religious organizations, we will endeavor to mobilize the entire Unitarian Universalist community in defense of this cause.

• Living with Joy and Love: We espouse an “embodied” Humanism that celebrates the joy of lived experience and the importance of love in human relationships. We value experience tempered with reason, knowing that we are hard-wired for empathy and compassion. Learning to lead an ethical, Humanist life is both a moral and a biological imperative. We also know that our lived experience as humans is deeply enriched by beauty, and that encouraging, experiencing, and participating in the arts and humanities helps us all to celebrate our conviction that being alive is miracle enough.

American Humanist Association's Ten Commitments