FAQ

The questions below provide a brief overview of the spiritual humanism that I teach. It does not represent the views of other forms of spiritual humanism.

  • Spiritual humanism is a flexible spirituality that aims to enrich the quality of your inner life and cultivate your ability to bring love into the world. Bringing love into the world reduces suffering and promotes well-being for yourself and the world around you.

  • Mission: The mission of spiritual humanism is to help bring love into the world.

    Six Commitments: The six commitments of spiritual humanism are commitments to yourself to grow in six important areas of life.

    1. Ethical Living
    2. Values
    3. Compassion
    4. Protecting Others
    5. Open-Mindedness
    6. Calmness

    Everyday Practice: People practice spiritual humanism by applying the mission and six commitments to the activities of their everyday lives.

    •  Flexible about the supernatural: People can fulfill the mission, six commitments, and everyday practice of spiritual humanism regardless of their views about the supernatural (atheist, agnostic, or believer). People are encouraged to rely on their own views about the supernatural.
    •  Respects freedom of thought: Many different ideas and practices can help people fulfill the mission, six commitments, and everyday practice of spiritual humanism. People are free to choose ideas and practices from a wide range of sources (art, religion, philosophy, and science).
    •  Respects individual differences: People are encouraged to adapt spiritual humanism to fit their own unique lives. Such adaptations help people fulfill the mission, six commitments, and everyday practice of spiritual humanism.

  • The benefits of spiritual humanism are similar to the benefits reported for other spiritualities. For example, a 2020 study by the Fetzer Institute1 asked people what spirituality offered to them personally. People reported 13 main benefits:

    Peace Belonging
    Love Wonder
    Inspiration Security
    Values Transformation
    Purpose Transcendence
    Morality Structure
    Clarity

    All of these benefits are possible in spiritual humanism. However, the extent to which a specific person experiences these benefits will vary. If spiritual humanism does not benefit a person, then it is reasonable for that person to seek out a different spirituality or philosophy of life.

    Reference:
    1. Veronica Selzer, Gillian Gonda, & Mohammed Mohammed (2020). What Does Spirituality Mean to Us? A Study of Spirituality in the United States. Fetzer Institute. See page 56.

  • Spiritual humanism teaches people to rely on their own views about the supernatural. Atheists can practice spiritual humanism while firmly rejecting all claims about the supernatural. Agnostics can practice spiritual humanism while remaining doubtful about the supernatural or holding no beliefs at all about the supernatural. Believers can practice spiritual humanism while incorporating their personal beliefs about the supernatural into their practices. What matters in spiritual humanism is a person’s effort to fulfill the mission, six commitments, and everyday practice.

  • Spiritual humanism encourages people to rely on their own views about life after death. Atheists can practice spiritual humanism while denying life after death. Agnostics can practice spiritual humanism while remaining uncertain about life after death. Believers can practice spiritual humanism while having faith in life after death. People can fulfill the mission, six commitments, and everyday practice of spiritual humanism regardless of their beliefs about life after death.

  • People are welcome to practice spiritual humanism outside of any spiritual or religious community. They are free to be solo practitioners.

    People are equally welcome to practice spiritual humanism with support from various kinds of social groups. For example, they are free to practice spiritual humanism with support from groups such as friendship circles, book clubs, and online communities.

    People may even practice spiritual humanism while being a member of an organized religion. They may consider themselves spiritual humanists while also belonging to a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple. However, spiritual humanism does not require participation in any organized religion. Participation in an organized religion is completely optional and depends on what each person prefers.

  • The spiritual humanism that I teach is not an organized religion. There are no official leaders or authorities. There are no official scriptures or dogmas. There are no churches, mosques, synagogues, or temples.

  • Spiritual humanism shares a number of themes found in definitions of spirituality used in nursing care and end-of-life care (click here for examples). Spiritual humanism also shares a number of themes found in national surveys of people’s views about spirituality (click here for examples). Based on shared themes with definitions of spirituality and with people’s views about spirituality, a person may reasonably think of spiritual humanism as a spirituality.

    Yet, if people think that what I teach is not a spirituality, then they are free to call it “compassionate humanism” instead of spiritual humanism. They are also free to view what I teach as a philosophy of life instead of a spirituality. What matters is a person’s effort to fulfill the mission, six commitments, and everyday practice.