Evolutionary Religion

The Council for Human Secularism has published a list of the elements and principles of secular humanism:

• 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.

Secular humanism is an important intellectual forebear of evolutionary religion. In nature, evolutionary religion predates secular humanism. In intellectual thought, secular humanism predates evolutionary religion.

Secular humanists endorse universal morality based on the commonality of human nature, and that knowledge of right and wrong is based on our best understanding of our individual and joint interests. Evolutionary Religion endorses universal morality based on the timeless principles of evolution, and that knowledge of right and wrong is based on our best understanding of direction of evolution.

The goal of secular humanism is a search for viable individual, social and political principles of conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility, ultimately eliminating human suffering. The goal of evolutionary religion is a search for viable individual, social and political principles of conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance evolution, ultimately maximizing human potential.

Secular humanists are our friends and allies, but secular humanism does not provide them with the clear vision necessary to create a usable plan for real action. Our “individual and joint interests” don’t give us a direction. “Eliminating human suffering” is an impossibly utopianist goal. The interests of evolution are universal and they give us a clear direction for action. We do not seek to eliminate human suffering, but to maximize human potential. To state our case very clearly, some things are worth suffering for.