This subject did not occur to me until I saw an intriguing article through the New York Times:  Link.

The article is worth a read, if you’re patient, but the basic idea is this:  Humanists consider their brand of communion to be a viable – and, really, a more reasonable – alternative to traditional religious institutions.  Or, they emphasize the notion that you don’t need God to find meaning in life.  As such, why wasn’t humanism represented at any point during the tragedy in Newtown, CT?

Aside from the fatal blow that is obvious to most people – that is, without God, without an eternal reality, haven’t you rendered everything meaningless? – I found this to be an interesting question.  The article mentions, after all, that humanists are readily available to celebrate a wedding, and most other life events.

But it doesn’t ask the really interesting question.  Rather than ask, it assumes that humanism IS a viable alternative to faith in God (or gods, or at least spiritualism).  It assumes that humanism has answered, with perfect rationality and without appealing to anything beyond that which can be experimented upon, every human longing and lament.

The article could have been aborted . . . → Read More: Humanists and Tragedy