Love, Reason, and the Future of Humanity

By Susan Wayne

In a time of great uncertainty, people are searching for answers. We are affirming old values: family ties, stable relationships, service to community, courage and faith. Yet often the answers we get from churches and governments seem tired and stale and lacking in conviction. We speak of lofty values, but we very seldom see them practiced. We yearn for a bright vision of the Human future, but fear annihilation. We aspire to be the best we can, but we are not sure how.

The great advances we have made in science, psychology, philosophy and art give us a clearer and brighter vision of what the human future could be. They also offer us a clearer vision of God, the creative process in nature of which human beings are a part. It is through the ethical and spiritual genius that we transcend nature and discover the secrets of life. With greater understanding comes a vision of our role in shaping the future. We have a choice. We can be contributors, or we can be passed by.

The Church of Humanism, based in New York City since 1973, in working for social justice and the human future on an international scale, is a response to that choice and that challenge. Its concept of Theocentric Humanism calls on us to become a part of nature’s creative process by committing ourselves to love God and humanity, by striving to let reason and truth guide our understanding, and by acting in ways that enrich and enhance the future. This is the conceptual core of the Church of Humanism, a true religion for our time.

Religion for our time

Love, reason and the future of humanity: these are not simply abstract ideals. Rather, they are standards for addressing the pressing needs of humankind, as well as practical foundations for a rewarding personal life. Theocentric Humanism embraces a responsible and naturalistic understanding of spiritual, emotional and erotic love and sexuality that, through education and growth experiences, can help resolve the emotional barriers to love that so many of us carry within us. We are committed to the understanding that loving personalities are the hope of humankind between individuals and between nations.

On these pages you will find information about who we are, what our history is, and what we invite you to explore. Much of what you will find here is morally demanding on an unprecedented scale: it is a Call to Action of the highest order. Nothing found herein is presented dogmatically, nor is it meant to be taken uncritically. We do not seek followers or believers. What we seek, what we invite you to become, are freethinking partners in a great spiritual enterprise.