“because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:21-23).
The inevitable course of ungodliness and unrighteousness is enunciated quite succinctly in Romans 1:18-32. When American history is placed beside it, one can easily trace the degeneration of a nation whose founding fathers sought to construct a nation upon solid Biblical principles. Described in verses 18-20 is the first powerful spiritual plague inflicted on America: MODERNISM.
By the 1930s a second and equally vicious scourge began brutalizing Uncle Sam. It is described in verses 21-23. In American history, it chose the name of HUMANISM, and in 1933 it published Humanist Manifesto I. Forty years later, Humanist Manifesto II was published. A third Manifesto was published in 2003.
Humanism, in simple terms, is the complete rejection of God and His Word and the replacement of God’s wisdom and glory with human foolishness (thought to be wise by its proponents). In 1961 the US Supreme Court’s decision in Torcaso v. Watkins stated that humanism is a religion which “does not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God.”
Much of what Humanism envisioned for America and its future when the Manifestos were written are now securely woven into American history and culture. Here are a few examples from 1933:
- “The universe is self-existing and not created.”
- “Man is a part of nature and…has emerged as the result of a continuous process.”
- “the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected.”
- “the time has passed for theism…”
- “the complete realization of human personality (is) the end of man’s life…and its development and fulfillment (is) in the here and now.”
- “existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and … a radical change in methods, controls and motives must be instituted.”
From 1973, consider the following affirmations found in the second Humanist Manifesto:
- “We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species.”
- “we can discover no divine purpose or providence for the human species…humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.”
- “Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusionary and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices.”
- “There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body.”
- “We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and situational.”
- “The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized…we do not wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults.”
- “individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities and pursue their life-styles as they desire.”
- “The separation of church and state and the separation of ideology and state are imperatives.”
- “Technology is a vital key to human progress and development.”
Humanism has existed since the Fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. In the United States, its lethal venom was hindered from being openly and religiously injected into our society until the twentieth century. It has vigorously aided and abetted America’s moral and spiritual decay.
