Humanism is not anti-Christian as many connotations imply. This is a concept that deviates with the belief that the life of every person is in the hands of God even his or her destiny. Humanism according to Spencer (2012) can be traced back from the 14th century in Western Europe when an idea rose to challenge the current norms under the Roman Catholic ruling. It is a term that fosters the freedom of human intellect and artistic inclinations, and human beings as the key decision makers regarding their life and destiny. This led to the weakening of man’s reliance to faith in God and the dictates of the Christian creed. Humanism also popularized the idea that the world is a City of Men rather than City of God.
Spencer (2012) argued that humanism is definitely not doing away with Christianity. The longing for intellectual freedom, freedom of choice and dignity is not anti-Christian. He added that human beings are innately good. They might make wrong choices in their journey of life but it is how they will be molded for excellence. During the birth of humanism, the Christian Church propagated the idea that it is paganism and it is evil. This propaganda is still inculcated in most Christians today because they believe that it is a sin to crave for worldly desires whereas humanists are liberal about this. The Christian creed stresses that greatest joy and freedom are found in the arms of God in heaven after death.
Humanism moreover believes that in governance, every individual is important in running a state. It believes that every citizen is potential in the progress of a nation. On the other hand, Divine authority of governance imposes an idea of a Ruler and Subjects relationship. It is a kind of governance that everyone should comply with the governing authorities regardless if it is against the will of an individual. This came from the belief that the governing authorities are anointed or blessed by God through the Pope. An authority that comes from the Lord is divine and cannot be disputed.
Today, most of the governments are already adhering to a democratic way of governance that implements mostly the principles of humanism. Democracy believes that every citizen is important in the progress of a nation and every individual has civil and political rights and freedom and human rights are the core values. The government authorities are determined through a democratic process of election where a qualified citizen regardless of educational and race background may run for office. It disposes the belief in the divine authority that the one who leads a state should first receive a blessing from the heavens. Democracy recognizes the rights of the citizens to protest against an oppressive ruler or protest against a law that goes against human rights.
Meanwhile, Divine authority is still reflected in the Catholic Church today where the ultimate authority comes from the Vatican. Worldwide, there are millions of Roman Catholic Christians who are following the orders and principles from the Vatican City in Rome. This is called the Catholic Dogma. Their position on burning issues like the Reproductive Health Bill is complied with by their members or “subjects”. No matter how useful the Bill is in particular situations like in the Philippines and many other countries all over, the Catholic Christians should follow. On a positive note however, the Catholic Church have passed a memorandum against the destruction of environment brought about by big industries like mining and logging concessions. With that memorandum, the Church support in the advocacy for environment rapidly strengthened worldwide. Between humanism and divine authority, in the framework of promoting human rights, humanism is the better choice. This is not however discounting the relevance of Catholic dogma because in the context of human rights, every person is free to embody a religion that he or she believes.
Works Cited
Spencer, Nick. Machiavelli's The Prince, part two: Humanism and the Lessons of History. The Guardian online, 2012. Web 3 Jul 2014.
Kreis, Steven. Renaissance Humanism: Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History. The History Guide. 2000. Web 3 Jul 2014.
