Secular Humanism in the USA Trivia Quiz

Answer: That is usually the case.

Most *secular* humanists are atheist or agnostic, but the terms aren't exactly synonymous. Atheism is a negative, a denial of the existence of a Deity. Secular humanism, however, is more positively defined as the belief in and valuing of reason, free inquiry, critical thinking, the scientific method, freedom, compassion, moral excellence, and love of fellow human beings.

Carl Sagan, noted astronomer and secular humanist, once said, "An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence."

By the way, whereas *secular* humanists generally operate outside of a religious framework, there are *religious* humanists, e.g. people who consider themselves Christian and Jewish humanists, who synthesize Judeo-Christian ethics and humanist principles. (But this is beyond the scope of this quiz!)

Answer: the Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism

The American Humanist Association was a charter member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), founded in Amsterdam in 1952 but now based in London. It is an umbrella organization for secular humanist organizations in countries around the world.

The National Secular Society is primarily a British political organization that works for the separation of Church and State. The Council for Secular Humanism is a North American educational non-profit organization that runs a number of programs including the Secular Organizations for Sobriety, an alternative to the 12-step programs which utilize a "Higher Power".

Did you recognize the Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism as the fictional Protestant denomination of the the TV show, "The Simpsons"? It's a portmanteau of Presbyterianism and Lutheranism, in case it eluded you.

Answer: in the 1920s at a university

The term "secular humanism" was invented in 1851 by a British gentleman named George Holyoake, who ran a worker's cooperative in England. Secular humanism did not, however, become a recognizable movement in the USA until the 1920s, at the University of Chicago, almost two decades after Holyoake's death.

It began as the Humanist Fellowship among faculty members, and by 1941 it had evolved into the American Humanist Association.

Answer: The Satanic Bible

The original Humanist Manifesto, written by Raymond Bragg and signed by 34 others, was an extremely optimistic document written with a very positive view of the innate goodness of every person. It also declared opposition to an "acquisitive and profit-motivated society".

After the events of World War II and other rapid changes in modernity, Paul Kurtz and Edwin H. Wilson put forth the Humanist Manifesto II in 1973, a slightly more realistic yet still optimistic declaration. The AHA released a third and greatly abridged edition in 2003, called 'Humanism and Its Aspirations'. It includes beliefs in empiricism (knowledge gained through observation and experience), in ethics arising from human need, and in working to benefit society as a whole.

During the first World Humanist Congress in 1952 in the Netherlands, the general assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) passed Amsterdam Declaration. In 2002, the IHEU passed an updated statement during its 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress. Among its principles, the Declaration balances personal liberty with social responsibility.

It would be a mistake to think that Anton LaVey, the author of the "The Satanic Bible" (1969) and the inventor of his own religion was ever a humanist or had anything to do with the American Humanist Association or any other humanist organization. They are very different philosophies.

Answer: Torcaso v. Watkins (1961)

Roy Torcaso (1910-2007) became a notary public in Maryland in the 1960s. Maryland state law required all public officials to profess a belief in God. Torcaso refused, and he was fired, so he filed suit. The Supreme Court ruled that Maryland's law violated the 1st and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Justice Hugo Black (1886-1971) wrote in a footnote to the decision: "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism, and others". This 1961 decision is considered a turning point regarding the status of secular humanism in the USA.

Roe v. Wade dealt with abortion and privacy. Plessy v. Ferguson upheld Jim Crow (segregationist) laws in the American South. Brown v. Board of Education essentially overturned Plessy.

Answer: Happy Human

The symbol looks like a capital H stylized into a person standing with legs slightly splayed and arms held up high in the air. It was chosen in a competition organized by the British Humanist Association in 1965. Dennis Barrington won the competition, and it has become the ubiquitous symbol of secular humanism around the world.

The flaming chalice is a symbol of Unitarian Universalism. The Smiley Face's origins are rather obscure and disputed, but the particular yellow rendition most people know was the brainchild of commercial artist Harvey Ball, who created it for State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, Massachusetts. I made Alan the Atheistic Aardvark up.

Answer: All Souls' Day (November 2)

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) endorses the holidays listed, but not All Souls' Day, which is a Christian feast day, chiefly though not exclusively observed by Roman Catholics, to commemorate the dead.

World Humanist Day was started by the American Humanist Association in the 1980s to promote and celebrate secular humanist values.

Darwin Day is the birthday of Charles Darwin, naturalist and author of 'The Origin of Species'.

Human Rights Day is the anniversary of the UN General Assembly's 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Answer: Intelligent design (creationism)

A secular humanist generally embraces naturalism, i.e. that there is nothing supernatural, that the natural world is all there is. Because of non-belief in the supernatural, and because of the value placed on the scientific method, a secular humanist would not support any theory of creation that presupposes a divine intelligence and would support the theory of evolution by natural selection.

The AHA has a caucus specifically dealing with women's rights, including reproductive rights, and in fact during the 1960s the AHA was rather active in the movement to legalize abortion and contraception. The AHA also endorses world peace through understanding and mutual respect.

Answer: Albert Einstein

Although Albert Einstein never received the AHA's award, he made no bones about his personal beliefs. He did, however, serve on the advisory board of the First Humanist Society of New York. Einstein once said, "All of our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have."

Riddle, a biologist who researched into the pituitary gland, received the award in 1958. Pauling, a chemist and a peace activist known for his research on Vitamin C, received the award in 1961. B. F. Skinner, a psychologist famous for his theory of behaviorism and his belief that behavioral science properly applied could prevent humanity from destroying itself, received the award in 1972.

Answer: Barack Obama

President Barack Obama is a Christian, although unconnected with any particular congregation or denomination. For more than two decades, he had belonged to Trinity United Church of Christ (of the mainline Protestant denomination United Church of Christ). When controversy arose over the inflammatory nature of some of Pastor Jeremiah Wright's sermons, however, Obama severed ties in 2008. During his presidency he attended Methodist services, mostly, with the First Lady.

Carl Sagan was a famous astronomer at Cornell who had a popular TV series on PBS called "Cosmos" (1980). He once said, "The Universe belongs to those who, at least to some degree, have figured it out."

Isaac Asimov was a prolific science fiction writer known for such works as "I, Robot" and the "Foundation" series. He also served as president of the American Humanist Association (AHA) from 1985 until his passing in 1992.

John Dewey played a major role in shaping America's educational system during the 19th and 20th centuries, and he signed the first Humanist Manifesto in 1933.