Are you a humanist?

Today there was a House of Lords Select Committee meeting in which the BBCs responsibilities with respect to religion were discussed. Hanne Stinson, Executive Director of the British Humanist Association was present and the Guardian reports that:

Ms Stinson said there was a growing number of people with no religious beliefs who share humanist beliefs but would not call themselves humanists, simply because they do not know the name, "and the BBC is partly to blame for that".

This is a good point. Most people have no idea what a humanist is. The British Humanist Association defines humanism as follows:

"Humanism is the belief that we can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs. Humanists make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values. We seek to make the best of the one life we have by creating meaning and purpose for ourselves. We take responsibility for our actions and work with others for the common good."

I think Stinson is right, that many people in Britain would identify with this description. I certainly do. I came across the term quite by chance as a teenager when a boyfriend's father explained that he was a humanist and what that meant. I'm not sure when I would have come across the term if it hadn't been for that event.

Humanism is rarely mentioned on television or in the media. I always have to explain the term if I mention that I'm a humanist, even to people who would describe themselves as atheists.

I think the BBC does have a duty to cover both belief and disbelief adequately. Surely it's not too much to expect that there should be sufficient coverage that the average Brit would come across humanism at some point?

Comments

[Dustin]

Here in Midwestern Wisconsin humanism is a known term. Unfortunately, it is commonly used as an insult. Humanism and Secular Humanism (which I consider one and the same but many don't) are treated as if they stand for moral corruption and evil deeds, so in a way I would rather deal with teaching the uninformed than combating religious propaganda on a daily basis.