To see secular humanism as an outgrowth of Christianity requires far too much cherry-picking for my liking. For starters one would have to dispense with the entire 'secular' component. The loathing of worldly knowledge by pious Christianity was a famous and consistent part of the post-classical mind.
As examples, one can St Jerome's terrible nightmare that the Almighty condemned him for being a Ciceronian, not a Christian (leaving him to abandon secular texts for 15 years and only then to take them up under the caveat of Deuteronomy XXI 11-13, a position followed by Augstine and St Peter Damian in the 11th century, and the abbot Hildershiem who compared natural studies as being a spy in the camp of the enemy. The earth indeed was the Devil's garden.
The second set of cherry-picking involved the profound anti-humanism prevalent in Christian action and thought. From Clovis' famous utterance "With this cross I conquer", Charlemagne's execution of thousands of pagans (and others e.g., Hypatia), the doctrines and practice in the Malleus Maleficarum, and the use of Christian doctrine to protect the institution of slavery. Heck, all the way up to you-know-who with ""I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.."
No religion, monotheism nor pagan, has any particular claim on secular humanism. There have been elements of it found in all, but it belongs to none.
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Re: ?
Date: 2009-09-17 11:27 pm (UTC)As examples, one can St Jerome's terrible nightmare that the Almighty condemned him for being a Ciceronian, not a Christian (leaving him to abandon secular texts for 15 years and only then to take them up under the caveat of Deuteronomy XXI 11-13, a position followed by Augstine and St Peter Damian in the 11th century, and the abbot Hildershiem who compared natural studies as being a spy in the camp of the enemy. The earth indeed was the Devil's garden.
The second set of cherry-picking involved the profound anti-humanism prevalent in Christian action and thought. From Clovis' famous utterance "With this cross I conquer", Charlemagne's execution of thousands of pagans (and others e.g., Hypatia), the doctrines and practice in the Malleus Maleficarum, and the use of Christian doctrine to protect the institution of slavery. Heck, all the way up to you-know-who with ""I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.."
No religion, monotheism nor pagan, has any particular claim on secular humanism. There have been elements of it found in all, but it belongs to none.