“What religion are you? And have you been going to church?” She asked.
“I am a secular humanist. I do not go to church.” I replied.
She looked kind of confused and her face was contorted.
“You mean you are not a Christian?” She asked. “Everybody is either a Christian or a Jew in America.”
I love my grandmother but her ignorance on religion in America astounded me. I started to explain that there are many other religions other than Christianity and Judaism practiced in our country but decided it was a lost cause. In her case the old adage you can’t teach an old dog new tricks ringed true.
My grandmother was fervently caught up in the religious right movement that swept the south that has always historically voted democrat. She was one of the staunchest Bush supporters I met during the campaign days. She would ask me who I was voting for and I would just say that I was undecided to stay out of a fruitless discussion or argument.
“What is a secular humanist? Sounds like atheism to me. I call a stone a stone.” She said.
My grandmother couldn’t come to terms that her oldest grandchild was not a Christian. I explained in round about terms what a secular humanist is and what I believe in. For those of you unfamiliar with secular humanism, here are some guidelines I go by:
• A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
• Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
• A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
• A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
• A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
• A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
• A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.
One of my biggest fears is that America is shifting back to Protestantism not like the 1930’s but more like the 1690’s! I see an eroding of the separation of church and state. The issue of creationism being taught in our schools is often on the local school board agendas. There is also this underlying chord of intolerance that scares me the most and I fear much of it is fostered by fundamentalist religious thinking.
Our conversation turned to morals.
“You cannot have morals if you are not a Christian. That concerns me Jonathon.” My grandmother said.
One does not need to have religion to have morality I explained. I do not just go out and kill someone because no one is looking and I can get away with it. I know that murder is wrong despite not being a Christian. I do not need some arcane commandment to tell me the difference between right or wrong.
My grandmother finally gave up trying to convert me and I could see the pain in her face. It was not an easy moment for me or her. I told her I will always love her and I am a good, moral man. Being a secular humanist does not make me some evil, immoral atheist. Sadly, the majority of less informed Christians would think so like my grandmother. I am slowly coming to the realization that in the current grassroots religious movement and the renewed focus of religion in mainstream politics that it is better for me to keep my views on religion to myself. I fear the intolerance I have often seen will be turned towards me and my views and I will be ostracized. This is one of the problems living in a small rural southern town where there is a church in almost every neighborhood and everyone is a Christian.
No comments:
Post a Comment