April 2011 It’s like herding cats…

…because Humanists are not sheep

A personal view – by Alan Trevethan

(First published April 2011)

During the ‘Protest the Pope’ event at Conway Hall one of the speakers for Catholic Voice said, in reference to the predominantly atheist audience, ‘You need to organise!’ Some would say that its like herding cats. This view highlights a misconception in the value of independant, free-thinking individuals.

 

‘Like-Minded’ is not the same as having the same mind. Any event, campaign or idea will attract its own audience based on the perception of its relevance to the individual.

 

That individuality is best seen as part of the resilliance of Humanism. There is no top down authority. There is no ‘definative’ statement of truth. There is, however, a broad area of consensus that has evolved over millenia. Two examples are the KAMHA Statement and the Amsterdam Declaration. Neither is fixed, they will continue to evolve. This clearly shows that Humanism is not, nor can be, a Religion. No amount of others saying it is will make it so!