Up to the time I was 21, I was very religious. I never missed Sunday Mass, contemplated the priesthood once or twice, and I tried to live my life according to the words of Jesus. I believed, fervently, in the power of prayer. Then, in what seemed like an instant, it all came apart. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so rational that our souls went somewhere else when we died. The idea of a God of the Universe caring much about the goings on of some obscure species on an obscure planet now seemed rather bizarre. And then there was the problem of suffering and why a loving, all powerful god would permit evil to happen in the first place. My worldview changed overnight, but I have never looked back.
I had an agnostic phase, then an atheist phase, but nowadays, I think of myself as humanist. I am still an atheist, but this word is an inadequate description of who I am. My atheism informs how I look at religion, but that’s about it. I self-describe as a skeptic, but this also is only part of who I am. It has made me appreciate the value of science and evidence and I see it as a useful tool, helping to evaluate the claims people make. I am a secularist in that I believe a secular state, that is indifferent to religion, is better for everyone, religious and non-religious alike. I am agnostic in that there is much I don’t know, yet I am not willing to accept that just because I’d like something to be true, it therefore must be so.
Humanism is something more. It informs how I feel about things. It brings in important values such as compassion, integrity, honesty and friendship. It says something very profound to me. That I am here for a short time, and while I cannot personally change many things, there are people around me who affect me and whom I affect in turn. That there is a world here that should be respected, as it is our only home in this Universe. That our enthusiasms and loves and hobbies and friendships are something to be cherished. That others may not be so lucky and that we should strive to make life better for everyone, not just a fortunate few. That education and healthcare and control over our bodies and freedom from oppression should be our birthrights.
These are universal aspirations that are shared by many, non-religious and religious people alike. Some people base this common understanding on their theology. I arrive at it because I realise that life is short, and the people around me are important and deserving of respect and compassion.
I often think I have not changed much from the time I was religious, but humanism has opened my eyes to others and their differences. When I was growing up, “Protestant” meant “them”, “Catholic” meant “us”. Being “Irish” was different to being “English”, as was “American” or “Nigerian”. “White” and “black” and “asian” all carried different meanings – not always benign. Sexuality was spoken about in hushed tones. Similar distinctions could be made regarding disability and mental illness. Humanism has helped to blur these distinctions. It’s more important that we relate to people, not because they are Christians or Irish or Americans, but because they are humans like ourselves. Likewise it’s important to acknowledge differences, but to realise that siblings from the same family are often more different than two people from different backgrounds and different continents who happen to meet, have a laugh, and fall in love with each other.
As a humanist, the greatest distinction I make is between people who want these things, and those who want the old orders to prevail. I am not sympathetic to those who advocate for theocracy, the exclusion of women or the suppression of sexuality along narrow lines. I oppose those who believe the world is to be exploited with little thought for long term consequences. I am appalled by traditions of mutilation and ostracisation that still prevail, despite the misery they wreak. People who put their ideologies ahead of universal education are a danger to us all, no matter how well meaning those ideologies are. Our shared humanity should always trump the thoughts that are in peoples’ heads. It’s people that are important – not their beliefs.
On World Humanist Day, I’m celebrating my humanism and the amazing fact that I can share a tiny sliver of time on this planet existing with other wonderful and fascinating creatures, some of whom also happen to be humans. I long for a day when this sense of belonging, humility and cooperation is shared by all the governments of this world. Unfortunately we have a long way to go.
Passive Impressions 
“I ..contemplated the priesthood once or twice ..”
A What If scenario:
From the Irish TImes:
Pope Appoints new Bishop of Ossory
The Pope has announced that the Very Rev Colm Ryan, Parish Priest of Urlingford, will be the new Bishop of Ossory to replace Bishop Seamus Freeman who has had to retire because of ill health. Fr Ryan, a Kilkenny native, has been Parish Priest of Urlingford for the last five years and previously served as curate in Ballyragget, Durrow, and Gowran, all in the Ossory diocese. He will be consecrated in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny on October 1st.
Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent, writes:
The elevation of Fr Colm Ryan to the Bishopric has come as a major surprise as he was not considered a realistic candidate. This was due to his ultra-conservative theological views and hardline pastoral stance which, according to one observer, resulted in a veritable tide of parishioners wherever he ministered moving to other parishes for religious services. During his time in Urlingford, for example, he has insisted on women wearing scarves or hats in church, something that has not been seen anywhere else since the reforms of Vatican 11 came into effect.
There have also been reports of parents moving children to other parishes’ schools because of Ryan’s insistence on the pre-Vatican 11 Catechism being taught by rote in primary classes. “The guy’s a nutter”, one parent who insisted on anonymity said to me, “he’s a throwback to the 1950s.”
There have been several instances of prospective married couples being refused Letters of Freedom because of the pregnancies of the brides-to-be. “He went apeshit when I told him I was pregnant”, one woman said; “he started ranting and raving about my fiancée and I being miserable sinners and that we ought to be ashamed of approaching a Minister of God in my condition. We legged it and later got married in the Registry Office below in Kilkenny. We didn’t need that crap.”
The question therefore presents itself: what kind of message is Pope Francis sending to the Irish Church by the appointment of Bishop Colm Ryan? Is it that the conciliatory and, as some observers would have it, pusillanimous approach we have seen from the bench of Bishops in the last twenty or so years is over? The Church has been haemorrhaging active members over that time so it may be the Vatican is taking a bet that a more hardline stance may stem the tide and appeal to those who hanker after “that old time religion”. One thing is certain: the Diocese of Ossory in particular and the Irish Church in general is set for some interesting times ahead.
Oh. My. God. That had me in the fits of laughter! Or maybe I’d end up like Bishop Teebart Von Elst – spending 10 million on a new diocesan centre – and some gold fittings and climate control for the baptismal font. Hmm. I wonder is it too late?