Community

Religion offers the illusion that going to a service and listening to exhortations from the podium to practice values satisfies what it means to be a good person. Hoodlums famously hide under the banner of religion. Mafiosa, Taliban, Kosher Nostra. Killing and stealing during the normal work week, balanced by confessions and/or prayers at week's end.

 

The Messiah concept, one who is godlike and saves the masses through his life and death, is a convenient invention for those who do not wish to practice daily goodness and self-salvation through thought and deed. The Messiah, or prophet, or sage, is simply another battle/sport icon, who takes the risks and does the hard work to entertain and absolve those who sit on the sidelines. An avatar in life's video game.

 

Churches, mosques and temples market the concept of community. The operators of these institutions need the contributions of this so-called "community", or congregation,  to pay the bills and support their lifestyles, which in many cases are far more exorbitant that the lifestyles of those who throw money in collection plates or write checks. Rare examples of true practicing communities, centered on religion and shared daily action bsed on shared values, are seen today as anachronisms: Shaker, Quakers and Amish.

 

While I loathe some of the dogmatic prescriptions that come witth practicing sectarian communities,

I do admire the practice of their daily actions in concert with their values. This process is itself admirable, even if based on antiquated, anti-scientific (Luddite) moralities. I myself aspire to be as truthful in my daily life as the buggy-riding, non-violent Amish man, though I do not wish to go back to needing to maintain a horse to go shopping. His process is admirable, even if the content of his belief structure is out of date.

 

As a humanist, I wish to spend time in a community of people who practice their values daily in every aspect of life. There are no large neon signs blinking "Be With Practicing Humanists Here". Part of the nature of true humanism is intentional individualism. Saying, "The responsibility for maintaining and improving my own life and my own environment is mine in ethical cooperation with society.", entails introspection and deliberation which requires some isolation, either concrete or intellectual. Always being immersed in the hub-bub of modern life is a distraction from mastering the mind and putting its values in practice.

 

I would like to see a community of humanists develop around practice and the sharing of ideas about practice. This does not entail presentations by best-selling authors or media celebrities. It does not entail abstract discussions like a book club. This entails the simple getting together of practicing humanists, who share their experiences of humanist practice and learn from each other. It would resemble a weekly Quaker meeting perhaps, rather than an academic symposium. The greatest obstacle to the formation of this type of community is getting it started in an organic and equitable way. It requires leadership which steps back into peer participation as soon as the community has developed its own life. No clergy, no board of directors, no titled roles.

 

Obviously, this kind of community must start with individuals who are already practicing their humanist values in their daily lives. This is not a top-down proposition. No converts, no proselytizing, no mental or financial coersion, no snappy ad campaigns. Humanists would do well to leave those bad habits to religion.