Outer Streams, Secular Humanism Part 2 of 8

Part 2 of 8: Dr. David Noelle, Regional Director for the Council for Secular Humanism, explains the benefits of the philosophy of reason over theology. Secular Humanism is dedicated to "deploring efforts to denigrate human intelligence that seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and who look outside nature for salvation." Dr. Noelle has been actively involved in Secular Humanism since 1988. Host is Pittsburgh Theosophical Society President Andy Nesky.

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[shabido1]

@riversidechamp11 It's the opposite; If you know now is all you have then you will be more likely to appreciate it. Your intentions are not negative but people who believe in God don't work like that just because they believe. It doesn't make them better people. They don't give up their possessions. Many of them, including you most likely, are good people. You would be a good person no matter what you believe. When we lack faith in ourselves, we find it somewhere else, and that can be harmful.

[riversidechamp11]

@shabido1

The stronger my faith in God is the more willing I am to not live for myself but to put others before myself because I know that I will inherit life after this world fades. None of the problems of the world will ever be solved when people only live for their selves because they put their faith in this world and they have nothing more than the now and their material possessions.

[shabido1]

@riversidechamp11 Does your faith honestly solve the problems of the world though? Has it ever changed anything, or can you recognize it for what it is, just a desire you think will come true only because you want it to?

[riversidechamp11]

In James 2:20 of the Bible, it states that "faith without works is death." For this reason, Christians are not called by God to sit and do nothing, but rather to walk in faith in his amazing glory and grace

[riversidechamp11]

Second, in regards to what was said at 1:30 about prayer by many religions. I am not sure to what religion you were referring to but this is definitely not the case for the Judeo Christian denominations. In these denominations, prayer is not a passive role played by the helpless, but instead active roles made by those wise enough to realize that with many things being out of our control, we need to be guided by God.

[riversidechamp11]

First, I would like to state that there is no unequivocal proof for the creation of the universe by merely natural sources. For this reason, I feel without the presence of faith, any conclusions made on this presumption are insubstantial. Science is based upon evidence and empirical findings, but there is not any hard evidence, only assumptions made by those that do not have faith in regards to those aspects of life outside there control.

[tudortoomey]

Bill Bailey?