Greetings, Brother George!
I just wanted to thank you for writing this, as it was very informative and edifying for myself. I also shared it with a few brethren in my fellowship who are also are thankful for the information. I just thought I would add a few highlights of the Humanist Manifesto just so people who might not have the time know exactly what it is they want to do.
This is from Humanist Manifesto I, and speaks of conforming to the world.
FIFTH: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relations to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.
And this is from Humanist Manifesto II, and is truly saddening to me.
SECOND: Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices. Modern science discredits such historic concepts as the "ghost in the machine" and the "separable soul." Rather, science affirms that the human species is an emergence from natural evolutionary forces. As far as we know, the total personality is a function of the biological organism transacting in a social and cultural context. There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body. We continue to exist in our progeny and in the way that our lives have influenced others in our culture.
Traditional religions are surely not the only obstacles to human progress. Other ideologies also impede human advance. Some forms of political doctrine, for instance, function religiously, reflecting the worst features of orthodoxy and authoritarianism, especially when they sacrifice individuals on the altar of Utopian promises. Purely economic and political viewpoints, whether capitalist or communist, often function as religious and ideological dogma. Although humans undoubtedly need economic and political goals, they also need creative values by which to live.
Here is a link to the website the above information was gotten if you are interested in reading all three of them in full.
http://contenderministries.org/humanism.php
Thank you again for taking the time to write all of this.
-In Christ
Timothy