1. How belief impacts on people's lives – GodWord used to describe a personal transcendent Being, the world and others.

2. The changes (if any provided).

3. The benefits on individuals, communities, the world.

4. Examples of worth.

Humanist beliefs (see also page on "Beliefs & Concepts") impact on humanists' lives in the following ways:

- Humanists try to live good lives by the light of reason and experience, rather than by relying on tradition or authority;

- Humanists try to avoid hypocrisy and tend to be disinclined to compromise over matters such as participating in worshipThe offering of praise and reverence to God via a religious service or calling themselves "Christians" for convenience;

- For this reason, humanists have developed their own ceremonies to mark the significant stages of life. (See pages on "Celebrations" and on "Life and death".) However, there are no obligatory rituals, practices or texts for humanists;

- Humanists may feel rather isolated if they have arrived at their beliefs independently, as many do, and if they never learn about HumanismIn the 20th century Humanism came to mean a naturalistic worldview that includes a rejection of religious beliefs and the conviction that moral values are founded on human nature and experience alone; a humanist is someone who holds these beliefs. or discover other humanists or humanist organisations;

- Humanists may be discriminated against in various ways, though this depends very much on the society they live in. Even in our relatively secularWithout reference to the sacred and tolerant society, they are often told that religious believers are morally superior to them, or that Humanism has no place in education.

The benefits to individuals of learning about Humanism and defining themselves as humanists include:

- Finding philosophical and practical support for their deeply held beliefs and values;

- Finding a positive way to describe themselves and their worldview, instead of a negative like "atheistAtheism is a disbelief in the existence of deities, the opposite of theism. Atheism may include or lead to other beliefs or disbeliefs (e g disbelief in the supernatural), but not necessarily. Atheists are people who do not believe in gods. Humanism today is usually atheistic, but not just atheistic, and some humanists like to call themselves “positive atheists”. " which simply describes what they do not believe, or "agnosticAgnostic can mean ‘Don‘t know’ or something firmer: ‘It is impossible to know about some things’. Many humanists are agnostic, particularly in this latter sense, as first defined by T H Huxley in 'Agnosticism and Christianity' (1889): ‘It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.’", which implies that they don't know what they believe. "Humanist" includes a moral perspective and a respect for human life and human capacities;

- Increased confidence in their values from the realisation that they are not alone, that many great thinkers over the ages have expressed humanist beliefs.

The benefits to communities and to the world from atheists and agnostics learning that their beliefs need not be purely negative ones, that moral values are not unique to the religions, and that there are rational reasons for trying to live a good life, must be considerable. Humanists have always worried that an over-close identification between religion and morality would encourage some non-believers to think that morality has nothing to do with them.

"Humanism is about the world, not about Humanism," wrote one of the founders of modern Humanism, Harold Blackham, in 1968, emphasising its capacity to look outwards. In many countries, Humanism supports secular, non-traditional values and developments that help to improve lives, for example human rightsFormal attempts to guarantee, for all human beings, decent treatment and protection from discrimination and abuses of power. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is based on belief in the 'dignity and worth of the human person'. The universality of human rights appeals very much to humanists., the education of girls and family planning.

Some of the things that humanists value include reason, education, personal autonomyPersonal freedom, the freedom to make decisions about, and take responsibility for, one's own life, an important element of Humanism. and equality of opportunity. Like most other people, they value honesty, kindness, love, friendship and families, but unlike some, they are often very accepting of non-traditional families. A humanist would think it worthwhile to debunk harmful beliefs or superstitions, as humanists do in India, for example, or to fight discrimination against minorities or gay people, as they have done in many places. These general models of "worth" are exemplified in the lives of individual humanists, some of whom have been very distinguished in their fields and can be read about on various humanist websites. Humanists are just as likely to work in the "caring professions" or to do voluntary work or give to charity as religious believers.

Websites

http://www.humanismforschools.org.uk/humanist-perspective.php - for links to Education Resources, for example, "Humanists working for a better world"

http://www.humanism.org.uk - for Humanist Philosophers ' Group's answers to some common questions and challenges, "So you think you can live without God?"

http://www.humanism.org.uk - especially: "Humanism, a brief introduction for students of all ages"; "Urban myths" about Humanism, secularism and atheism, some responses; and "The Humanist Tradition"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/types/humanism.shtml - BBC's Religion and Ethics section summary of Humanism

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/athval0.htm - Robinson, R., 1964. An Atheist's Values, Oxford: OUP. - long out of print, this excellent defence of humanist morality and critique of "Christian values" can be now be read in its entirety or selectively on the internet.

http://www.humanismforschools.org.uk/teachingtoolkits/index.php - for BHA's Teaching Toolkits on a range of humanist topics and themes

http://www.humanismforschools.org.uk/library-videos.php - for video clips on a range of humanist topics and themes.

Bibliography

Aesop's Fables, ancient secular stories with strong moral (and practical) messages

Baggini, J., 2003. Atheism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Very Short Introductions). Oxford: OUP.

Blackburn, S., 2002. Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics. Oxford: Oxford Paperback.

Blackburn, S., 2006. Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Penguin.

Cicero, (tr. Grant, M.), 1979. On the Good Life. London: Penguin Classics.

Condon, R.J., 1974. Our Pagan Christmas. London: National Secular Society.

Dawkins, R., 1998. Unweaving the Rainbow. London: Allen Lane, Penguin Press.

Dawkins, R., 2006. The God Delusion. London: Bantam Press. (Dawkins believes that science and religion are incompatible, as does Dick Taverne (see below). Other humanists do not (see Richard Norman at http://newhumanist.org.uk/1623)

Fisher, R. 1996. Stories for Thinking. London: Nash Pollock Publishing. (useful classroom resources for KS1 and KS2)

Fisher, R. 1999. First Stories for Thinking. London, Nash Pollock Publishing.

Gould, S.J., 2002. Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life. London: Ballantine Books.

Grayling, A.C., 2003. What is Good?. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson.

Herrick, J., 2005. Introduction to Humanism. London: Rationalist Association. (chapters "The Humanist Tradition" and "Organised Humanism")

Hinde, R., 1997. Religion and Darwinism. London: British Humanist Association.

Hobson, A. & Jenkins, N., 2000. Modern Humanism - Living Without Religion. London: Rationalist Press Association.

Holloway, R., 2004. Godless Morality. London: Canongate.

Humanist Philosophers' Group, 2002. What is Humanism?. London: British Humanist Association.

Humanist Philosophers' Group, 2004. Thinking about Death. London: British Humanist Association

Humanist Philosophers' Group, 2005. Humanist Perspectives 1. London: British Humanist Association. (primary teachers, including sections on humanist beliefs, ethics, history and Humanism today.)

Humanist Philosophers' Group, 2005. Humanist Perspectives 2. London: British Humanist Association. (Information and guidance on teaching about Humanism for secondary teachers, with concise versions of BHA's most popular ethical and philosophical briefings for students)

Humanist Philosophers' Group, 2007. The Case for Secularism. London: British Humanist Association. (pamphlet arguing that the liberal secular state, "a neutral state in an open society", is the best guarantee of religious equality and freedom for all. )

Inwood, B., & Gerson, L.P., (trans.), 1994. The Epicurus Reader. London: Hackett.

Knight, M. & Herrick, J. (eds.), 1961. Humanist Anthology. London: Rationalist Press Association.

Knight, M. & Herrick, J. (eds.), 2000. Humanist Anthology. London: Rationalist Press Association.

Law, S., 2007. The War for Children's Minds. London: Routledge. (a defence of the humane, liberal life against authoritarianism by a humanist philosopher. Law argues that children should learn about right and wrong and respect for others, but that their moral education should be grounded in the hard-won values of the Enlightenment.)

Lipman, M. & Stottlemeier, H., 1982. Discovery. London: Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children. (Stories for stimulating philosophical discussion in the primary class.)

Midgley, M., 2007. Intelligent Design Theory and other ideological problems (Impact pamphlet no. 15). London: Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.

Mill, J.S., 1863. Utiliarianism. London: Methuen.

Norman, R., 2004. On Humanism (Thinking in Action). London, Routledge.

Rogers, B., (ed.), 2004. Is Nothing Sacred?. London: Routledcge. (Chapter 11 Richard Dawkins "The Sacred and the Scientist".)

Russell, B., 1927. Why I Am Not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects. London: Routledge Classics. (See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_I_Am_Not_a_Christian)

Sagan, C., 1997. Billions and Billions. London: Headline. (Chapter 19 "In the Valley of the Shadow" - an atheist scientist faces illness and death.)

Taverne, D., 2007. Are Religion and Science Compatible?. London: British Humanist Association.

Walter, N., 1997. Humanism: What's in the Word?. London: Rationalist Press Association.

Warburton, N. 2004. Philosophy: The Basics. London: Routledge Paperback.

Wilson, E.O., 2006. The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. London: W W Norton. (A humanist scientist proposes an alliance between science and religion to save Earth's vanishing biodiversity.)

Wynne Willson, J. & Ashby, R., n.d. New Arrivals. London: British Humanist Association. (a practical guide to humanist and non-religious baby naming and welcoming ceremonies.)

Wynne Willson, J., n.d. Funerals Without God. London: British Humanist Association. (a practical guide to humanist and non-religious funerals)

Wynne Willson, J., n.d. Sharing the Future. London: British Humanist Association. (a practical guide to humanist and non-religious weddings, affirmations and civil ceremonies.)

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