What It Means to Be a Humanist

Sermon: June 21, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito

This sermon was delivered in three parts by Mark Tuller (Atheist Humanist), Mary Lou Schultz (Ethical Humanist), and Rev. Heather Megill (Spiritual Humanist.)

Mark Tuller: Atheist Humanism

Good morning, and happy Fathers’ Day. I’m going to try to sketch out the kind of humanism that I’ve arrived at. It’s an ongoing attempt to make sense of the life I've been

given. Although I am an empiricist who trusts reason and science, ironically, my current best answer involves having faith in things I can’t prove and may well be false.

I. I'm on a journey through life, and so, of course, are you and everyone else. I think that's the starting point for me as a humanist. I’m always struck that every one of the 8 billion humans I live among is on the exact same life journey, facing, every day, a day that never before happened, and making of it what they do. That's the stuff of humanism - everything human: all that unfolding joy, pain, cruelty, tragedy, wisdom, creativity, and

hope. To me, that’s the framework that drives a humanistic viewpoint. It's the view that, when all is said and done, our concern is centered on humanity.

It's what Alexander Pope said: "The proper study of mankind is man."

II. Like most UUs, I've been searching to make sense of all that. Is there any meaning to it? How should I behave personally? How can I make this a more useful journey? It's a continuous process. It changes with time, and it's personal. I don't really want to debate with anyone else what they believe from their own journey. Over the years, my answers have evolved. Some beliefs have fallen away. Others have become more important. What I have now is not doctrinal in any way but a continuing effort to live the best I can — thoughtfully, honestly, and responsibly — in the world as I find it.

Now, I've actually created a piece of paper that summarizes where I stand on these issues today. It hangs in my office. There I've listed virtues, obligations, and credos that are fairly common in a humanist worldview: reason, science, materialism, no supernaturalism, personal virtue, obligation, freedom, community, peace, and so on. I'm a big fan of intellectual honesty, doing the right thing, duty, moral and ethical growth, and good works; freedom of expression, freedom from oppression, and solidarity with others.

These are values from the Enlightenment and they are important but, as I said, not unusual or surprising within a humanist perspective. For example, Pope Leo, a man I deeply admire, in his recent encyclical on artificial intelligence, echoes these themes, and says that authentic humanism — (in his case he’s talking about specifically Christian humanism, which doesn’t exclude the supernatural) — but, authentic humanism means

recognizing the unique dignity, freedom, creativity, moral responsibility, and relational nature of the human person. AI is valuable only insofar as it serves those human goals, and to the extent that it dehumanizes, it is anti-humanistic.

III. But the surprising part of my humanism, as I said, is my faith. As an atheist, a materialist, and someone who believes that science advances human knowledge, faith seems paradoxical. Faith is hard to deal with, because faith is believing in something that cannot be empirically proven and could, in fact, be empirically false. Yet I choose to believe it anyway. Faith is a religious characteristic.

But I am a religious person. I belong to the Unitarian Universalist religion. So I can talk about faith. However, when I talk about faith in my humanist sense, I'm not talking about traditional religious doctrines such as God, miracles, resurrection, redemption, or anything of that sort.

IV. I'm talking about two humanist principles that cannot be empirically proven and could well be false, but which I choose to believe anyway. Call them my articles of faith. [You know, I wrote this next bit before President Obama said it so much more eloquently the other day in Chicago at the end of his dedication speech. I urge you to find it and watch it.]

As for me, I have faith in the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. And: I have faith that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. In our dark times, I would say those are optimistic articles of faith. That optimism is congenial to my personality.

And to me these beliefs are not abstract. They do affect how I move through the world. If I truly believe that every person has worth and dignity, then I am called to treat people with respect even when I disagree with them. If I truly believe that justice ultimately advances, then I am called not to give in to cynicism or despair when events seem to be moving in the opposite direction. These two articles of faith may not be provable, but they do shape my conduct. They tell me not just how to think, but how to try to live. Why do I choose to believe these possibly false things? Not because I can prove them. Not because science demonstrates them. I choose them because life is better, communities are stronger, and human flourishing is more possible when we act as though they are true.

V. So, to close, I want to quote a rather famous humanist and freethinker from the late nineteenth century who was also deeply optimistic about humanity. Robert Ingersoll was something of a Clarence Darrow figure—a lawyer, lecturer, sometime politician, freethinker, and advocate for a humanistic worldview.

Here's what he said, and it resonates with me: "I do believe in the nobility of human nature. I believe in love and home, kindness and humanity. I believe in good fellowship and cheerfulness, in making wife and children happy. I believe in good nature. I believe in free thought, in reason, observation, and experience. I believe in self-reliance and in

expressing your honest thought. I have hope for the whole human race."

So that's what humanism means to me.

Mary Lou Schultz: Ethical Humanism

I have been a member here for a very long time, since 1972. Back in the day I joined because UUFSD was not a church and the Sunday talks were followed by a "talkback" after every speaker. And Paul Palmer was always prepared to ask a probing question. These Unitarians were questioning, thoughtful, and logical thinkers who were political activists.

I saw Spirituality and religion as otherworldly. For me it seemed to provide NO impetus to work for change. Since Christians saw the world as evil to begin with, there is no responsibility for those who are being hurt by it. I also saw Spirituality as otherworldly. It seemed to promise extrication from the messy condition of life rather than getting us to clean up the mess.

UUFSD continues to be a place where I am encouraged to explore new ideas and work for social justice. So I joined Rev. Heather's Spirituality Writing Workshop. I have always considered myself a Unitarian, not a Universalist, but Heather has said she is a Universalist. Her class was way outside my comfort zone. No spirits have ever come to me, and I still object to the term "worship associate," but others were quite comfortable talking about their spiritual experiences. And I found these to be good, intelligent, questioning people who were involved with social justice. Their writing was interesting and we all were expected to have a final piece of writing at the end of the course. Chris had a thoughtful essay, Eileen a book, and I managed a limerick. No, it is not "there once was a lass from Nantucket."

There once was an old Unitarian

Spirits came not to this Octogenarian

They came to the young Universalists

All religious and secular optimists

Unitarian, Universalist, Humanitarian

Rev. Heather Megill: Spiritual Humanism

In France, in the late 1790’s, during the French revolution, a group of radicals attempted to de-Christianize France and created the Cult of Reason, an atheistic humanist movement meant to replace Catholicism. It didn’t last. In the early 1800’s, French philosopher August Compte created The Religion of Humanity, which was another secular religion. It didn’t last. In 1844, Karl Marx called religion “the opiate of the masses,” which had a great influence on many nations like the Soviet Union, which created an atheistic society that didn’t last. In China, Confucianism offered a non-religious option for rule setting and the structuring of society, although many Chinese practiced folk religions or Buddhism at the same time. In the 1980’s Chinese Confucian thinker Tu Weiming asserted that Confucianism was religious after all due to the fact that it maintains the transformation of self as a concern and as the ultimate goal. 

Finally, in 1995, Professor Syed Hasan Askari, a Muslim Humanist, delivered a speech in which he said, “On the eve of the 21^st century the entire world stands at an abyss, a vast ideological vacuum. All secular ideologies have collapsed… The great socialist dream has been eroded by the rise of multi-national empires… There is a slow but firm rise of religious, ethno-centric racist ideologies… When the centre becomes empty then all sorts of emotive fascist ideologies rush in to fill; to occupy that centre. The hour is crucial. Humanity [needs] an alternative ideology… to secularism and religious fundamentalism. To racism and to ethno-centricism. Because there is no other way left for humanity but to come together as one indivisible spiritual unity.” This speech followed a book Professor Askari had written in 1991 in which he first used the term Spiritual Humanism.

With Spiritual Humanism, there is room for the knowledge that we don’t yet know everything. There is room for the mysterious and even the supernatural, as long as we define the supernatural as merely still unknown nature. This is a humble approach to reality since we acknowledge how much we don’t know, and are open to science and research guiding our education. Spiritual Humanism asserts the notion that humans are capable of much empathy and compassion and that we can move toward a world that is peaceful and sustainable. This sort of Humanism can live side-by-side with the Dalai Lama’s Buddhism, or Professor Askari’s Islam, Tu Weiming’s Confucianism, or even the Pope’s Catholicism. Spiritual Humanism allows for rituals and traditions that provide meaning for the things we don’t yet understand, while encouraging a world-view that keeps us from becoming overwhelmed by tribalism, dogmatism, or superstition. 

Christian Humanist Jon Ogden, wrote a substack article called “The Case for Spiritual Humanism (Or Why Secular Communities Fail).” He talks about great leaders like Martin Luther King and Thich Nhat Hanh, who used the language of their personal religious traditions to empower their words with life. With soul. He argues that without the religious component, using only science and reason, their arguments for a better society would feel sterile, lifeless, and ultimately be unpersuasive. Martin Luther King wrote, “I came to see that behind the legends and myths of the [Bible] were many profound truths which one could not escape.” He understood the power of Biblical verses like "Let justice roll down like waters” and inferences like “I have been to the mountaintop.” These words didn’t provide reason for his arguments. Instead, they touched something deep within the souls of the listener, stirring them toward a universal truth and encouraging them toward action. 

Ogden argues that by not positioning itself against religion, spiritual humanism opens itself up to the best of all traditions. Because it seeks wisdom where it can find it, it has roots in the stories that have given meaning to us for centuries, connecting us to the past, and providing context for our present experiences. Ogden says “It places human beings in a story full of meaning, a story that instills a duty to pass along wisdom to the next generation in the hope that the future will bring more light to the mystery of life.” He points out that neuroscience supports the idea that our physical and emotional health is improved by spiritual practices, which enhance the neural functioning of the brain. Lisa Miller, professor of psychology at Columbia University, writes that “children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more thriving, more flexible, and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.” Science is now backing up some spiritual practices like meditation, chanting, expressing gratitude, and connecting to nature.

We are seeing a return to spirituality and religion not only because of an existential vacuum, but because for many of us, abandoning religion completely has left us empty. We need to continue to nourish our soul, to marvel at the universe, and to humbly lean into learning. Unitarian Universalism offers us that opportunity by providing a dogma-free humanistic approach to life and community, while honoring the wisdom passed down to us through the world’s religions. 

One of my peers in seminary once said, “We are meaning makers, who rest in ritual.” Religion offers us a container and a firm foundation upon which we can connect to our soul while opening our minds to possibilities. I call myself a Universalist Humanist because it incorporates the two kinds of faith that I hold in my heart: faith that the end of this life on earth is not the actual end, and faith in humanity. The first I can provide no evidence for, but I feel it here, in my soul. The second, I can provide unlimited evidence for and that evidence cannot be denied. 

Whether you are an atheist, ethical, or spiritual humanist, what binds us together as Unitarian Universalists is our belief in the power of empathy, compassion, justice, and love, our belief in the inherent goodness of humans. As Professor Askani said, “Spiritual Humanism is not replacing religion [with] a new ideology. It is enlightening the religious tradition to rise above closed identities… With such a vision a new civilization can come to birth; a new understanding can come to birth.”

OTHER READINGS FOR REFLECTION:

Alexander Pope:

"To principles in human nature reign,

Self love to urge and reason to restrain,

Known then thyself, seek not God to scan,

The proper study of mankind is MAN."

Author Brandon Sanderson, Fantasy novel The Way of Kings:

“Just because I do not accept the teachings of the devotaries does not mean I've discarded a belief in right and wrong… I believe that my own morality -- which answers only to my heart -- is more sure and true than the morality of those who do right only because they fear retribution.”