Is it Hard Out Here for a Humanist?

Last updated on: October 8, 2013 at 12:58 pm by Leah Libresco

Is it Hard Out Here for a Humanist? 2013-10-08T12:58:11-04:00 Leah Libresco

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My alma mater is turning up in religious news stories this week. It turns out that the Yale Humanists have asked to join the consortium at Yale Religious Ministries, and have been turned down [further discussion at Friendly Atheist].

The organization in the ministry are “dedicated to the spiritual, ethical, intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students, faculty, and staff,” which, for the most part, sounds like a decent match for the Humanists. I can come up with a couple reasons they might have been excluded, beyond their non-religious nature.

Perhaps it was a problem that they don’t belong to any overarching body (credal or otherwise); the YRM agreement, that all affiliates must sign, talks about groups being responsible to both Yale Religious Ministries and some specific “faith community” with which they must remain in good standing. Or maybe it was a problem that humanism doesn’t entail anything beyond, as their website would have it, a rejection of revelation, a rejection of nihilism, and a rejection of positive theism (though not Deism or agnosticism).

I do wonder what other non-religious groups on campus might be able to join the Yale Religious Ministries if either of these constraints were relaxed. I’ll admit that freshman me would have been tempted to start a Deontology group and show up politely on the Chaplain’s door with an application. But if the Yale Religious Ministries expanded to all philosophy groups, not just those that are god(s)-focuses, I know one currently existing group that would presumably make the cut.

The Objectivist Study Group at Yale (OSGAY) does meaning of life questions, is affiliated with an outside tradition (the Ayn Rand Institute), and seeks dialogue (often over vodka and cookies) with weekly discussions of topics like “Should a Father be a Soldier?” and “Can Sacrifice Ever Be Rational?”

I’d be curious if Chris Stedman, the Coordinator of Humanist Life at Yale, thinks OSGAY should also be part of the discussion at Yale Religious Ministries. Would it make more sense for there to be a larger umbrella for all Yale groups offering preparation for death (i.e. philosophy) that would include the Humanists, OSGAY, my hypothetical crew of Deontologists, and the members of the Yale Religious Ministries as a subset of this larger group? Would it make sense for the explicitly religious groups to distinguish themselves in this larger conglomerate?

In the end, I suspect part of the problem for the Chaplain was related to two provisos in the agreement for affiliates of the Yale Religious Ministries:

As a member of YRM, I pledge respect and support for other recognized ministries on campus, and when acting in the name of YRM, I agree to do so in a nonsectarian manner while at the same time acknowledging the faith tradition I represent.

While acting in my capacity as member of YRM, I pledge that I will articulate information for the purpose of sharing knowledge about my faith community and will not undermine another faith community.

These would presumably limit the Humanists ability to run down other religions on campus or possibly to host prominent New Atheist speakers like Dawkins or Harris. I remember, when I was an undergraduate, that I had Catholic friends who were disappointed that the campus church has signed this agreement and limited its ability to go after Protestants as heretics, instead of fellow affiliates.

I do wonder how tight the restrictions are for YRM members, and whether the Humanists would have found them tolerable. Having roomed with a former President of OSGAY, I am certain that the Objectivists wouldn’t have been able to toe this line in good conscience.

Atheism

bright college years

Previous Post

October 7, 2013

What All Relationships (religion included) Require

Next Post

October 9, 2013 Replies on Relationships (with Chaplains and others)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 7 Quick Takes Apologetics Atheism Book Conversion Debate Tactics Debates Epistemology/Philosophy Housekeeping Ideological Turing Test Marriage Morality in Practice Parsing Catholicism Possibly Heretical Radio Reviews/Recommendations Sequence Index Spiritual Practice Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the slave who became a Christian and whose master was Philemon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Onesimus Tychicus Barnabas Sosthenes