Humanism, atheism and religion.
Humanism is the atheistic result of the enlightenment hundreds of years ago. It was a philosophy invented to keep moral systems even if you didn’t believe in gods and religion dogma, and today a big part of mankind populating on this planet call themselves humanists. But humanism also embrace the illusion of Free Will, so in my opinion humanism is also a religion. So, humanists are per definition religious people, because they believe in a super natural force called Free Will.
Ask any atheist you know if they believe in Free Will. If they do they are religious but the religion they belong to have no mythology and worshipping traditions, no collective cultural system, no common organisation. It’s a religion without any specific creator or story about why we are here, but with the belief in a super natural force; the Free Will.
I don’t know anything about what was before Big Bang or why it ignited. We can not know this, it’s far beyond our capabilities to even guess in this matter and no science have ever explained where energy originally comes from or why Big Bang ignited or anything about pre Big Bang… and that Nothing also must be Something. We can’t comprehend nothingness or eternity. It’s just words, there’s no understanding of those words. No images. No references.
For me science and religion is two different planets and science is for everyone when religion is — and should always be — a private matter.
Science and reason have many times through history trashed the primitive and childish (but often beautiful) mythology in religions, but we should not confuse organised and written religion with the question of a divine creator or creators. The big issues have never been touched by science and that’s exactly as it should be; science have no tools to even search for answers when it comes to The Big Question; is there a “consciousness” and “intelligens” behind the creation?
A true scientist say: I don’t have a clue, it’s far far away from my field or any scientific activity.
Some scientists are at war with religious prejudices and stupidity, and harmful dogma that organised religions want to force on the population in general, and that war is all good and important. But it has nothing to do with god or gods, it’s just people against people…like always. Of course.
To be an atheist, to deny any intelligence and consciousness behind the creation, is not science. Denial that a religious mythology, for example the bible, is the truth about what happened a long time ago, can be done with science. You can regard every religious mythology as fairytales without being an atheist. You can also laugh att all those stupid moral laws springing from religions…and still be deeply religious. To be religious is an emotion, nothing more, nothing less. Emotion.
If you believe (feel) that there is or was an intelligent and conscious force behind the creation of the universe or universes, that this force would be the source of energy for example, you are religious. Belonging or not belonging to a religious organisation is irrelevant, it’s just culture. You can make up anything you like about the reason why we are here, but it has nothing to do with science and your emotion is a private matter. There can be as many religions as it is Homo Sapiens individuals and every religion has exactly the same relevans and all religions have exactly the same “truth” value when it comes to the why…the reason.
If you don’t believe (feel) that there is or was an intelligent and conscious force behind the creation of the universe or universes you are an atheist.
If you don’t believe (feel) that there is or was an intelligent and conscious force behind the creation of the universe or universes, but still believe in a super natural force like Free Will, you are religious. Everyone that believes in super natural forces IS religious, the amount and complexity of culture around those beliefs, and how many or few organised around it, is not relevant. It’s religion.
And it’s not us, our conscious persona, who have created this conviction or lack of conviction. Our beliefs are not something we, our conscious persona, have chosen or originated. No, it’s just a complex neuron process made by events in the past. We just feel or believe it’s our process.
