Studies & Actions
of the General Assembly of
The Presbyterian Church in America
HUMANISM
[15h General Assembly (1987), 15-92, III, Item 3, p. 186.]
That the 15th General Assembly adopt the following resolution
on Humanism:
Resolution on Humanism
Whereas, the authority of God is neglected or disavowed
in wide reaches of modern life, both in official atheistic nations that
elevate the state as the ultimate source of human rights and duties, and
also in the Free World where naturalistic philosophies regard human beings
as lords of truth and right; and
Whereas, any generation that flees accountability to God, ignores
the supernatural, and obscures transcendent truth and fixed values, invites
poverty of spirit, ethical turmoil and civilizational chaos; and
Whereas, Humanism or Secular Humanism has penetrated leadership
in public life in our own land, especially in the political, mass media,
and educational arenas, so that religion (except for Humanism) is more
and more regarded as irrelevant to national affairs and as of private
significance only; and
Whereas, this secular outlook clashes with that of founders of
the American republic who in the Declaration of Independence emphasized
that the Creator has endowed all mankind with inalienable rights, in clear
contrast with the contemporary priority for evolutionary theory in public
schools and their evasion and virtual exclusion of creation doctrine from
the classroom; and
Whereas, a generation that is academically encouraged to view divine
creation as myth and evolution as fact cannot long escape the further
illusion that human rights endowed by the Creator are likewise mythical,
thus accelerating the drift to personal relativism and social instability
in contemporary life; and
Whereas, the Supreme Court decisions of 1962 and 1963 have engendered
considerable confusion as to the rights and privileges granted by the
First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America with
regard to prayer and other religious expression in public schools; and
Whereas, the same First Amendment to the Constitution which protects
against the establishment of religion also clearly states that government
shall not prohibit the free exercise of religion.
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Presbyterian Church in America
encourage its members and other Christians to challenge the growing tendency
of Humanists to dilute biblical principles in public life while they promote
Humanistic alternatives; and
Be it further resolved, that we call upon our people to work to
reverse the de facto exclusion of references to the Deity and Judeo-Christian
values from public schools, which makes the government not neutral to
religion but antagonistic to it, and replaces the Judeo-Christian ethic
with a religion of humanism or Secular Humanism; and
Be it further resolved, that we pursue this reversal by Christian
example and the penetration of secular society, and by seeking appropriate
legislative and/or judicial action; and
Be it further resolved, that we call upon our churches to emphasize
the authority of the living God as creator, preserver, and judge of the
universe, and to articulate the significance of this for community, national,
and international life, as well as individual life; and
Be it further resolved, that we approve the principle of quality
education and urge our members and other Christians to become personally
involved in public, private, or Christian school matters, encouraging
the restoration of theistic history and values in the curriculum so the
Humanistic values will not be taught exclusively; and
Be it further resolved, that we call our members and other Christians
to involvement in political, educational and media opportunities, and
to exemplify in their lives and leadership the relevance of the ethical
principles of the Bible to the contemporary moral crisis.
Adopted |