Practical humanism is not just an alternative to what the churches offer. It offers a positive opportunity to develop one’s own self without having to submit to a higher power, as the Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard once described as an existential alternative. This was emphasized by the President of the Humanist Association of Germany, Frieder Otto Wolf, in his welcoming address at the Humanist Day in Hamburg last Thursday. Wolf also reminded the audience that after more than 150 years of organized ideological self-understanding, it is clear that “it is simply not enough to simply think up positions on practical humanism – however much people may rely on the ‘state of the art’.” Sustainable and convincing positions as the basis “of common as well as individual orientations in one’s own life and social coexistence always require inspiration and effort through practice,” Wolf continued. In the “connection between thought and action” developed and made tangible by practical humanism, an “identity as a community can be developed and strengthened on the basis of an open, truly non-dogmatic world view.” And humanist practice is not just social and cultural work in independent sponsorship, but also the principled defense of human minima, “i.e. the advocacy of human rights and the fight against all forms of discrimination and disenfranchisement”. The association invites people to do this: “To create a space in which positive convictions can be developed both publicly and individually, which offer an alternative to people who are still religiously committed and also further spread humanist attitudes and positions among non-denominational people.” Frieder Otto Wolf emphasized that he would like to see a large Humanist Day. He was thinking of an event that “is accepted by our society, which already largely lives according to its fundamental orientations without recourse to the offerings of religion, as a suitable space” to meet, to reflect together on the worries of everyday life and the meaning of life from a world view that is common in its fundamental questions and to celebrate this event in a community and in an inclusive way. “The Humanist Day in Hamburg is a step in this direction,” Wolf continued. But there is still a long way to go to reach the goal outlined. On this path, humanists should also learn from the “cultural-protestant side” of the Protestant Kirchentag, he emphasized here. The Kirchentag took place parallel to the five-day series of events in Hamburg and, according to Frieder Otto Wolf, did not primarily attempt to “proselytize for its religious positions or even to publicly settle doctrinal disputes over many Christian theological dogmas, but to actually offer our society spaces” in which people could “fundamentally discuss and agree on the major social issues of our time, detached from the day-to-day conflict of interests”. This achievement should be taken seriously and humanists should “work together to reach this level”.
In his welcoming address, Frieder Otto Wolf thanked the Chairman of the “Freedom of Thought” Foundation, Konny G. Neumann, on whose initiative the event was created, as well as the many volunteer activists for their work: “Your commitment has made this successful first step possible.”
