Is Bristol a Godless City? This was the headline above a recent feature in the online paper Bristol24/7. It went on to say that Bristol is a city where a high proportion of the population, 51.4 per cent, say they have no religion. It ties with Hastings as the third least religious city in England. But as the article also explained, this is part of a wider long-term trend. Although the figures in places such as Bristol are particularly high, across England and Wales 37.2 per cent said that they had no religion, up from 25.2 per cent in 2011. And the real number is probably higher. The census question asks, ‘What is your religion?’, implying an assumption that being religious is the norm. The 2018 British Social Attitudes survey, which asked a more neutral question, found that 52 per cent said that they do not regard themselves as belonging to any religion.
This represents a huge social transformation, from a time when the vast majority of the UK population would have automatically described themselves as Christian. The dramatic magnitude of the change is perhaps masked by the fact that it has been going on slowly, but inexorably, for well over a century. It is what sociologists refer to as the process of secularisation. There is disagreement about the nature of the change – whether it extends beyond Western European societies, why it has occurred, and whether it will continue. What seems relatively incontestable is that it is linked to other deep social changes, including greater social mobility and greater diversity. Increasingly, it has come to be the case that individuals make their own decisions and choices about the religious or non-religious beliefs and values which they accept, rather than just absorbing them uncritically from the community in which they live.
Many would see this growth of independent critical thought as progress, but does it come at a price? Does it represent a worrying loss of social cohesion, if our society is no longer held together by a shared religion? Is something needed to take its place, and if so, what?
The Bristol 24/7 article also referred to a group called Bristol Humanists, and to humanism as a non-religious commitment to living a good life without religion. I am myself a humanist. I have written three books on humanism, aiming to articulate it as a credible and coherent worldview. Though it is non-religious, I do not see it as anti-religious. Rather, I believe that humanism is grounded in things which we all share as human beings. They include:
- A belief in making the most of the one life we have. All of us, whether or not we are religious and whether or not we believe in an afterlife, can recognise the importance of living life to the full, making the most of our potentialities and opportunities in our time on this earth.
- A recognition of shared human needs – physical needs for food and shelter, health and security, but also needs for love and companionship, for the enjoyment of the natural world, for beauty and the arts, the songs and stories which enrich our lives.
- A commitment to shared human values, which we share because we are social beings embedded in communities and relationships – values of kindness and compassion, fairness and justice, loyalty and honesty, respect for human rights and human dignity.
Not everyone is a humanist, but these are not only humanist beliefs and values. They are shared human beliefs and values, and as such, they can be a source of community cohesion in societies which are no longer held together by a shared religion. That is why, as well as writing books about humanism, I have also co-edited two books of dialogue between religious people and atheists. I believe that a commitment to dialogue is vital if we are to build more just and compassionate societies, but, especially in the modern world and with the impact of digital media, good dialogue is hard to find. Too often, it is replaced by vituperation and vilification. In those two edited books, we have brought together people with differing views to engage with one another with honesty and humility, to be open about what we believe, but at the same time to listen and to learn. Ultimately, whether inspired by religious or secular humanist ideals, the goal is the same: to affirm our shared humanity, to foster communities rooted in dignity and kindness, and to shape a world where dialogue triumphs over division.
Richard Norman is a British academic, philosopher and humanist. He is Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Kent, where he spent most of his career, and a patron of Humanists UK.
What Is Humanism For? by Richard Norman is available on Bristol University Press for £8.99 here.
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