Humanist Not Necessarily Anti-Religious Values

Just as I consider myself a Global Citizen, and not an American citizen, so also I am a Humanist and not a believer in the supernatural.

As a Global Citizen, I do not mean that I am anti-American. Instead, I mean that I am free to embrace the values of the US that are also in my own personal set of values. And I am free to not embrace those values of the US that I do not share. And I am free to embrace the values that I may share with other countries like Canada, or France, or Haiti.

So it is with being a Humanist. That does not mean that I am anti-religious. But rather that I am free to embrace the values of any religion that are included in my set of values. So I can embrace the social justice that is so strong in Judaism. And I can participate in the Muslim celebration of Eid (last Friday) which celebrates the end of an entire month of focusing on compassion. And also I can celebrate the love, joy, and peace that is a part of the Christmas celebration. These are not exclusive values of their particular religious beliefs. They are also Humanitarian values for they are how we celebrate our human-ness. And so I will share these values and celebrate with these religions even though I do not share their beliefs. For to me, values expressed in actions are the essence of our social interactions much more than our beliefs.