Image by SJ Objio.
The invention of the telescope was more important than that of the steam engine, the transistor, the internet, or artificial intelligence. The telescope changed humankind’s understanding of the world.
The Greek philosopher, Aristarchus, conceived of a heliocentric solar system in which the planets revolved around the sun. Christian revelation preached an opposing view, that the earth was the center of the solar system, indeed the center of the universe with heaven above and hell below. That the earth was stationary, solid ground seemed obvious and Aristarchus’s concept was lost.
For nearly two thousand years Christian Revelation dominated western culture, not only our understanding of the universe, but ethics, morality, and behavior. The Bible governed every aspect of personal life. Freedoms were restricted and people lived in fear of the absolute power of kings like Henry the VIII, who beheaded two wives, and the Church, which regularly burned heretics at the stake.
In the 16th century the Danish astronomer Copernicus, like Aristarchus, observed that the earth revolved around the sun. That was confirmed one hundred years later, by the German astronomer Kepler who developed laws of planetary motion. Galileo then built a telescope and showed conclusively that we did indeed live in a heliocentric world. Galileo also showed that the rate at which objects fall is independent of their weight.
Building on Galileo, Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity and laws of motion. He was able to derive Kepler’s laws and describe the motion of the planets with exquisite accuracy, so much so that his theory was used to guide Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the surface of the moon.
But what was far more astonishing was that Galileo’s observations and Newton’s mathematical reasoning provided a much better understanding of the natural world than Christian Revelation. The Bible was wrong. This was the dawn of the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, and secular Humanism, the idea that humankind’s reasoning ability could lead not only to a better understanding of the natural world but also to a better understanding of human nature.
The Enlightenment questioned how societies should be governed, especially the symbiotic relationship between authoritarian kings and popes that had controlled western civilization. What followed was a revolution in our understanding of law, property, human rights, and governance. The idea of democracy, originated by the Greeks, and independently developed by Native Americans, appealed to the Enlightenment thinkers.
The most important outcome of this revolution in thought and understanding of the natural world and government is the United States of America. Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are the embodiments of Enlightenment philosophy and an embrace of secular Humanism. They guarantee religious freedom, but do not endorse religion.
The founders were remarkable people but still human and imperfect. Washington and Jefferson were slave owners. Nonetheless, when Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he rooted our nation in three basic principles – freedom, equality, and democracy. These three principles have guided us for 250 years. Established in the Enlightenment, they are a product of rational thought.
The new nation and its founding principles were rejected by those with a stake in preserving the established order. King George III fought a five-year war trying to hold power over the colonies. Christianity was also threatened. The source of Christian authority was the Bible, which was now questioned, and the new nation paid homage, not to God, but to “We the People.”
From the beginning, Christian leaders objected to the secular nature of our Constitution. Today Christian Nationalists, failing to see the genius in the separation of church and state, openly campaign against it.
Humankinds’ ability to reason led to a profound understanding of the natural world. Reason brought the invention of thermal engines, flight, space travel, the Webb Telescope, and a host of modern-day medical miracles like radiation therapy and monoclonal antibodies. With recent discoveries in quantum physics and the advance of AI, we are on the cusp of another revolution in human development.
At the same time, our reasoning ability has led to a refined perception of human nature. The field of psychology has increased our understanding of behavior and the subconscious mind. The discovery of the DNA molecule has shown a fundamental connection between all animals, including humans. And research has shown that lesbian, gay and transgender people who comprise seven percent of the world’s population, are not abnormal but as nature intended them to be.
Though never an objective, from Newton onward, science has shown that the Bible is flawed. A few examples: contrary to the Bible, the earth and other planets orbit the sun; our world is not 6,000 years old but 4.5 billion years; humankind did not descend from the Garden of Eden, but evolved, and promiscuous and gay people should not be stoned to death.
Conclusions drawn from scientific research are based in fact. Religious beliefs are opinions. No one’s opinion is better than another’s, and it is hubris for a group to be certain that their beliefs are true, and others are false. Fundamentalists believe that personhood begins at conception, but that is their opinion, not fact. To believe that personhood begins at viability or birth, are equally valid opinions. But for those indoctrinated with extreme religions views from childhood, it is only belief that matters.
Religious extremism is a form of mass hysteria, a mental madness that turns worlds upside-down such that fantasy equals fact; fair elections are fraudulent; presidents are kings; the right to own a gun exceeds the right to life; embryos stand equal with adults; authoritarian government trumps democracy; judges write laws; convicted felons run for president; insurrectionists are patriots; and state laws enforce religious beliefs.
And extremism can lead to violence. Before the Enlightenment there was the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, and Mary Dyer’s hanging. Examples today include Jeff Durbin, a far-right “abortion abolitionist” and influential Christian nationalist, who said that women who have an abortion deserve to be executed. This, he claimed, is “the historical position of the Christian church.” And speaking in a small-town church last month, Mark Robinson, the Trump-endorsed GOP nominee for governor of North Carolina, told his audience that “some folks need killing.”
Fundamentalists see a binary world. You are on the side of God or the side of the devil. Yet they are unable to show that either one exists. Such fanaticism reflects a world that existed not a generation or two ago, but a time before the Enlightenment when religious belief controlled the western world, and autocrats and wealthy oligarchs ruled society. That is the world that Christian fundamentalists seek, a world rejected by the Enlightenment and America’s founders.
Members of my family and close friends are devout Christians. They are some of the finest people I know. And I have atheist, Jewish, Moslem, Hindu, and Buddhist friends who are also outstanding individuals. But extremism in any religious sect poses a threat to our basic freedoms.
Organized religions have not brought peace to the world, and, unlike secular Humanism, they have not improved the lot of humanity in fundamental ways. Regrettably, after three thousand years, there is no reason to think that they can. The best prospect for the future of humanity, the only real hope, is our ability to reason. Looking back over the past 250 years, secular Humanism has been remarkably successful. We should not be afraid to believe in ourselves. That is why I chose the light and truths of secular Humanism over fearing the fantasies written, rewritten, and interpreted over several thousand years in the name of God.
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