The year was 1933. The United States was in the depths of the great depression; Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and gave his well known "We have nothing to fear except fear itself" inaugural address.
In Europe, Adolph Hitler had just been appointed Chancellor of Germany.
Back in this country, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Rushmore was dedicated, Wiley Post was the first person to fly solo around the world and the Blaine Act repealed prohibition.
Erskin Caldwell's risque book God's Little Acre was published and such well-known films as King Kong, 42nd Street and I'm No Angel with Mae West and Cary Grant were being shown in movie houses.
The Chicago Bears beat the N.Y. Giants 23-21 in the first NFL championship game and the N.Y. Giants beat the Washington Nationals in the World Series. These were indeed interesting times.
But there was one other event in this year that often seems to be omitted from almanacs and year-end summaries.
While often over-looked in the major events of the time, nonetheless, this was an event that would have great significance for the future of our Unitarian Universalist movement.
This was the publication of the Humanist Manifesto. But first, we need to explore a little more history.
In 1933, the merger of the American Universalist Association and the Universalist Church of America was a hardly even a flicker in the minds of the leaders of these two religious movements.
In fact, merger would not occur for nearly thirty more years when in 1961 the Unitarian Universalist Association was founded.
What was known as the "Humanist Debate" began to spread through the Unitarian side of the house early in the 1900's.
By the 1920's two western Unitarian ministers, Curtis W. Reese and John H. Dietrich were preaching the humanist gospel.
Both men began their ministries in more theologically conservative denominations before moving to Unitarianism.
Reese was raised a Southern Baptist and Dietrich was a minister in the Reformed Church and early in his ministry he was charged with heresy on the grounds that he denied the infallibility of scripture, the virgin birth, and the deity of Jesus
John Dietrich was perhaps the first Unitarian to use the term "humanism" as we know it today.
During a long and prominent tenure as the minister of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, Deitrich was able to speak freely on humanism.
William Shulltz, our former UUA president described Dietrich's ministry in this way, " He was largely inattentive to the pastoral dimension of his calling, which was putting it mildly since Schultz quoted Deitrich as saying, "In my ministry people have to have the courage to work through their personal problems by themselves) Deitrich devoted the bulk of his time to the preparation of long, meticulous sermons."
Dietrich believed that law and not caprice governed the universe.
"He was convinced," wrote Shultz "that by understanding and acting in accordance with those laws, human beings could better their situations."
Dietrich was unwilling to attach the label God to the workings of the universe.
He was neither an atheist nor a theist; he relied on reason to guide his thinking about the divine and stated simply, "I do not deny such guiding intelligence (as in theism), I simply see no evidence of it."
He grounded himself in naturalistic and evolutionary processes and the conviction that human beings could mold nature to fit their ends.
And as I hinted at earlier, he certainly held an unsentimental, "manly" attitude toward human failings.
The second figure in the rise of humanism, Curtis Reese, also served churches in the mid-west.
Reese held three basic beliefs: First, was the importance of the scientific exploration of natural laws, the second was the development and use of technology; and third was his belief in individual freedom.
Reese held to the principle that the creation of a more rewarding life for all human beings had to be the premise of faith and action.
He believed in an open marketplace of ideas. New ideas for improving life should be tested with those that bettered humanity retained, and those that did not rejected.
His understanding of humanism stressed development, growth and culture.
Reese was not as concerned with issues around the divine as was Dietrich, and he did allow for "a simple belief in some kind of deity" which in his mind was probably a belief that creation was not a one time static event; but rather an on-going process. Thank you, Mr. Darwin!
The decade of the 1920's saw a rapid rise of humanism both within Unitarianism and gradually throughout many segments of the intellectual world.
The humanist movement in the post war years spread rapidly, especially among the churches of the mid-west.
However, all did not embrace the new movement. One minister stated that if he did not believe in God or immortality he certainly would not consider himself to be a Unitarian and that he would have to give up his ministry.
Another declared that whether the humanists liked it or not, they, too, had to be considered Christian, because their stated purpose was to redeem humanity. "If this is not essential Christianity," wrote the critic, "I know not what to call it."
So, this brings us back, or perhaps I should say, up to 1933. During this year a group of men, unfortunately there were no women, put their signatures to a document defining human responsibilities and possibilities.
The document was the result of years of individual study by those who were interested in forging this new philosophy about the human condition. The document was called "A Humanist Manifesto."
The introduction to the Manifesto states:
"The time has come for widespread recognition of the radical changes in religious beliefs throughout the modern world. Science and economic changes have disrupted old beliefs. Religions of the world are under the necessity of coming to terms with new conditions created by vastly increased knowledge and experience."
As I was reading this I couldn't help but think of the issues around the ordination of gays and lesbians, reproductive rights and fundamentalist thinking that are sending shock waves through so many religious movements today.
The signers of the Manifesto defined religion as "the quest for life's highest values and life's abiding values." The signers offered the Manifesto as a new statement of the means and purposes of religion.
They set out 15 principles (see we UU's are more economic in only having seven) of what they termed religious humanism. Briefly, here are the essentials of the document:
Religious humanism regards the universe as self-existing and not created.
It asserts that the nature of the universe as depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural origin of human values.
In place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer, the humanist finds religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal well-being and in the cooperative effort to promote social well-being.
Generally speaking, humanists deny the existence of supernatural powers and beings; they do not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered
Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists seek to explore the possibilities of life, they aim to foster human creativity, and encourage conditions that add to the satisfaction of life.
The Manifesto concludes: (parenthetically, I need to point out that this document was not written using inclusive language. I apologize for the sins of those who went before)
"Though we consider the religious forms and ideas of our fathers (sic)
no longer adequate, the quest for the good life is still the central task for mankind. Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement."
Since the signing of the original Manifesto there have been two revisions.
The first revision was issued in 1973, and the most recent just this past April. The first revision took a decidedly secular turn and proposed a lengthy political agenda.
The most recent is much shorter than its predecessors and affirms a number of broad themes that will appeal to many UUs.
Each of the manifestos has been substantially rooted in Unitariansim. Fifteen of the original 34 signers were Unitarian ministers; another was Universalist. Two of the writers of the most recent version are Unitarian Universalist ministers.
The Humanist Manifesto III, contains language that is far more inclusive and I believe less strident that the earlier versions. The document begins with these words, "The life stance of Humanism - guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience-encourages us to live life well and fully.
It evolved through the ages and continues to develop through the efforts of thoughtful people who recognize that values and ideals, however carefully wrought, are subject to change as our knowledge and understandings advance...this document is not a consensus of what we must believe but a consensus of what we do believe."
The original document had 15 statements of belief, the second had 17, and the latest version has only 6. Without going into complete detail, the latest manifesto affirms the following:
Humanists find that science is the best method for solving problems and developing beneficial technologies.
We seek to animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose, finding wonder and awe in the joys and beauties of human existence.
Humanists long for and strive for a world of mutual care and concern...where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence.
We support the just distribution of nature's resources
We recognize nature as self-existing. We accept our life as all and enough, distinguishing things as they are from things as we might wish or imagine them to be.
And finally: We are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and of making informed choices in a context of freedom, consonant with responsibility.
Sound familiar?
In general, I believe that most, if not all, of us can subscribe to these beliefs. Even those among us who call themselves UU Christians, or UU Buddhists, atheists or theists can essentially endorse these statements.
And while this document in no way should be construed as dogma or creed, I do believe that it is a statement of faith-faith in ourselves and in each other that together we can begin to make a difference in the world.
When we speak of equality, of women and men, of blacks, whites, Hispanic, Asians and Native Americans we are talking about humanism.
When we talk about gay rights, domestic partner benefits, and marriage laws, we are talking about humanism.
When we speak of the rights of the oppressed, the marginalized, and the victimized, we are talking about humanism.
When we talk about environmental issues, issues of justice and issues of world community we are talking about humanism.
And I believe that when we are talk about humanism we are talking about faith- A faith that human endeavor can save our world from the terrors of war and starvation, from pollution and environmental waste, from the desecration of wilderness and the depravity of the inner cities.
When we are talking about our response to the human condition, we are talking about how we live out our living tradition.
Albert Schweitzer once said, "Humanism, in all its simplicity, is the only genuine spirituality." So, let us simplify our lives. Let us live our lives deliberately and with purpose.
I believe that humanity possesses the tools to overcome despair, fear, poverty, isolation, disease and war.
And I believe Humanism provides us with a vision that enables us to put these tools to work.
I believe that humanism promotes individual freedom and choice within a context of mutual caring and support.
I believe that humanism encourages our congregations to support diversity and to have greater influence in the community.
And finally, I believe that humanism urges us to keep the great commandment-to love our neighbors as ourselves.
A deep and abiding faith in the principles of humanism is what makes congregations such as ours a religious community; and not just a clubhouse of like-minded individuals.
Our UU Principles encourages us to think critically, while living faithfully. And so, let us live and work in congruence with our individual and collective beliefs.
Surely, religious humanism is a way of life.
Amen and Blessed be