THE HUMANIST OUTLOOK, PEOPLE COUNT AND GODS DON'T

The humanist does not need God so the humanist is not substituting humanity for God. In fact, God belief is only another belief and it is people that matter. They matter for they just do and a God's opinion does not count. Being your own person means you need nobody and nothing's permission to be who you are. That includes God.

The Humanitarian Principle

What comes first? Persons or their happiness?

Some "moral" systems put persons, that is human life, first. But that implies we must keep persons alive forever even if they are in a state of everlasting unbearable torture. Some imply happiness first. Both systems have value. Sometimes we put life first. Other times it is happiness. It has to be our own choice. In other words, we have to be our own God.

Moral principle says if you have no idea of what is objectively moral or what it means then it is objectively moral to make an attempt. You need objective morality and the concept is forced on you even if you say morality is relative – such a saying is unnatural and forced and warped. It is better to guess and live the morality you have for errors will show up in time if it is wrong or needs fixing. Guessing and testing is more important than grounding it or caring or knowing why it is morally correct. Practicing what you understand to be objective morality is a principle and the most foundational and important and basic moral principle of all. If you have to guess the best guess is that morality is about maintaining the well-being of others and yourself.  These things show you do not need a God to ground morality.  People who say you do don't want you guessing but what is wrong with that?

If there is a good God looking after things, nothing happens unless he lets it happen. Thus it can't be that bad if we refuse to put human life first. It is minor enough then to kill somebody. True humanitarianism must deny that there is a God who is better than us. True humanitarianism puts us in the place of God.

To ever put the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people first is to deny the place of God. We would have to put the greatest happiness of the greatest number first in our hearts even when we can't do it in practice. If you think you need a God you are wrong so you have to let this be your God. It is like a God metaphorically. In that sense it has to take the place of God in your heart.

Religion and faith must be formulated within the boundaries of what is best for people. No religious authority, that is, no God, pope, prophet, Church or Bible must ever be put before human needs. Supposing authority should exist, it should exist for people not people for authority.

The Simplicity Principle: how simplicity is a source of blessing

There has to be a true faith that is best for all people. It has to be a faith that anybody can defend and understand and see to be true. There are forms of religion that have a long scripture like the Bible. The Bibles runneth over with ideas that are hard to make sense of and hard to interpret. The religions have a complicated hierarchical structure running them. All this complexity disproves the claim of these religions to be the true religions. Complicated religion is not inspired by God. It is a human product and has no right to its claim to authority.

Blessed are those who cherish simplicity and spurn lofty doctrines for they offer the same glory to rich and poor alike.

Blessed are those who love the faith of simplicity for they don’t have to waste time studying and arguing when they could be doing kind deeds.

Blessed are those who build their happiness on a faith that is full of simplicity for they understand it and they cannot be deceived.

Blessed are those who build their happiness on a faith that is full of simplicity for they are free from the religious deceptions created by humankind and nobody can make fools of them.

Blessed are those who build their happiness on a faith that is full of simplicity for there is no arrogance in them and they cannot be puffed up by their great religious knowledge for the child in rags is equal in faith and knowledge to the professor.

Blessed are those who take the simple approach to faith for it is when things are made complicated that it becomes easier to deceive and they are blessed with integrity.

Blessed are those who keep things simple for in the midst of conflict and division they are the ones who will create unity at the end and pave the way of peace.

Blessed are those who worship in the Temple of Simplicity for they serve what most people need. Is not life worth more than complicated dogmas just as the body is worth more than clothes?

Those who build their temple on the house of simplicity build it on a rock and because it is firm they are happy and sure and no storm can dent it.

Those who have gone live on in our hearts and memories - literally!

We are never alone. We are always blessed with good yet invisible company.

Atheists and humanists console the bereaved that those who have died live on in our hearts and memories. It is common for the bereaved to feel that those who are gone are still alive and as real as ever. They feel that the relationship has not changed. What has changed is that those people are no longer visible and we can't audibly hear their voices any more or touch them.

But the trouble is, atheists and humanists deny a real life after death. For them, the dead living on in our hearts and memories is a metaphor. So they should say we only imagine they live on for they don't. There is not much comfort in that idea.

We hold then that it is literally true that those who depart live on in our hearts and our memories. If we enjoy our lives, we are doing something for them literally. They literally benefit. You are looking after yourself and that indirectly honours them because you are doing what they want you to do.

Nobody must be pressured to enjoy themselves after a loved one dies. The loved one's grace will assist them in getting to that place and it may take a lot of time. Never speak of something having loved you. If they are dead their love is still present. It is now not then.
 
Being Positive but Realistic

Nobody is irrational. They are reasoning but reasoning badly. To do that is to ask for help. They need your help even if they do not want it. Reason is based on faith in yourself.

Positive thinking means being realistic but pointing out that the best can happen not that it necessarily will happen. It is not fair to encourage false hope. The wise person does not tell the person fighting cancer that they will get well but that if they work hard they have a chance. People need encouragement to overcome the terrible things that may befall them. The wise person is not encouraging faith but practicality.

Life can be fraught with danger. All you can do is recognise the dangers and prepare to face them. Then you will be able to minimise the suffering and pain they will bring you. You can often prevent yourself from suffering unnecessarily. This book offers you the tools to feel as well as you can no matter what happens. The book does not promise to solve your problems but to give you a new way of looking at them.

Expecting that the best will probably happen is fine but you need to base the expectation on evidence and on your willingness to walk away from situations that put you in danger of harm or unhappiness. You are prepared for bad things to happen but you are not trapped in dread. If the evidence says the worst will happen then admit it will and you will find that this can make it less fearful. If it does not reduce the fear know at least you have not made it any worse. Knowing what is to come empowers your to arm yourself.

Reality Bites

Truth is whatever is real and correct. Thus it is not about you. Truth cannot be changed just because you try to change it or don’t want it to be true. Turning away from the truth is intrinsically degrading for the mature person faces the truth and deals with it. Everybody needs to take the chance. Fear of reality only leads to more fear if not today then tomorrow. The fear is not going to help at all.

If you compromise the truth you always end up with falsehood and lies and open the door for people to create even more lies.

There are key beliefs that everybody needs to know in order to liberate the inner powers that bring them salvation. All the damage people do on earth ultimately comes from incorrect ideas concerning the things that truly matter.

No matter what I do or believe, great suffering can and might overcome me. The so-called gods among humankind also suffer and die. I must be realistic. If suffering will come, I will only make it worse by having the attitude that it can’t happen to me.

People have tried magic and still suffered horrifically and died young.

People have tried prayer and still suffered horrifically and died young.

And people have done neither and still suffer horrifically and died young.

Random troubles will come.

You cannot stop them.

Sometimes all you can hope for is the ability to get through it or at least not to make things worse for yourself.

Communion

Try to feel that those who love you are with you in spirit. This needs to be a frequent daily exercise. Do it often and as a result, you will continue to feel this link with them if their lives end. You create a link across time with them.

Remember countless good people made you. They do not want to be alive for you so much as for you to take care of yourself in their honour remembering and delighting that you are part of them. Look after yourself as a favour for them. Celebrate for them.

Yes but none of us is really individual and we are part of a human community, a society. A community is based on confirming and altering beliefs. If we alter people's beliefs, why should we stop if it is religious beliefs? Why should they get special protection from criticism? To give any belief special treatment is bigotry unless the belief is so clearly true that no honest person would challenge it.

The best way to remain motivated and willing to help others even to the extent of greatly risking your health and life is to try and see the big picture. Try and see how many can benefit from and be inspired by your actions. If you see yourself as helping only a few, your motivation will not be very strong. Do not see just how many will be directly helped but think of the indirect benefits too. Perhaps the leper you treat will be able to find a wife and raise a nice family. Think also of the opportunities you are making - you give those opportunities to others even if they do not available of them. What matters is that you gave.

Your Bosom will burn with joy within you

The Witness of the heart bestows the knowledge of the consoling truth upon you and your bosom shall burn with

Our message of peace, confidence, comfort, undefiled wisdom and love calls on you to perform an experiment. Do not believe a word of it until you test it and put it into practice. Then you will learn that it is true. Force your belief on no one. Resent no one for rejecting it. There was a time you rejected it too. Whoever does not have the message is not for the message.

Study it in your mind. Do good works to show its light to the world.

Understand how it could make you feel and how it can fulfil the highest human needs like nothing else can. To do this you must associate and be friendly with those who live it.

All the love and kindness make up a Fountain of Love that is in your heart waiting to be poured out. Ask the Fountain of Love to give you an emotional testimony that these things are true. Your heart will burn within you telling you that it is true. You will have the burning in your bosom. You will have a great sense of peace. This is your testimony. Your spirit bears witness to you that the message is true and that the Fountain of Love reposes in your heart. The Fountain of Love is telling you that the message is true and filling your heart with peace to prove it.

You will feel a burning the bosom by which you will know the message is true. But you will say that not every such burning in the bosom can be true. People of different faiths all feel their faiths are true. The answer is that when the Fountain of Love gives light and sets the bosom on fire and passion for doing acts of love there is no mistaking. We cannot explain how we know that we sense the colour green. We know that even if it is an illusion we still see green. All knowledge is mystical. It is just that the mystical origin of much knowledge is often overlooked.
The meaning of life is that whatever happens can be fixed and nothing is really a disaster in the end. When you realise that you see that the journey is more important than the goal.

Final aspirations

When people read these truths they will see that they already agree with them

Atheists regard people as the highest beings because they have faith in the human spirit.

Atheism is for those who see that what people need to hear is not always what they want to hear.