Humanism must be able to stand for itself

Non-religious convictions and humanist practice should not be presented as a mere reflection of major church events. “A humanist worldview must be able to stand for itself.” This was emphasized by the President of the Humanist Association of Germany (HVD), Frieder Otto Wolf, on Monday in Berlin with regard to the current plans of the Bavarian Federation for Freedom of Thought. This association wants to organize a series of events critical of the church and religion under the name “Humanist Day” on the occasion of the Catholic Day 2014 in Regensburg. The Presidium of the Humanist Association of Germany firmly rejects this plan. Frieder Otto Wolf emphasized that the humanists in the association welcome and support all independent gatherings under the umbrella of a genuine Humanist Day if they promote a humanist world view in a representative, positive and convincing manner. This is not the case with the plans in Regensburg, according to Frieder Otto Wolf. Corresponding agreements made by the associations and societies united in the Coordinating Council of Secular Organizations at the Humanist Day 2013 in Hamburg are being disregarded by the events planned by the Bavarian Federation for Freedom of Thought. “In our eyes, they are therefore not suitable for the explicit profiling of a humanist world view.” Frieder Otto Wolf judged the publicizing of the events under the name “Humanists’ Day” to be “harmful”, as it runs counter to the goal of developing “an independent joint project of secular humanists in Germany.” He expressed his deep regret that the Bavarian Federation for Freedom of Thought had not responded to these arguments despite urgent appeals from many sides and was sticking to the plan, which had apparently been made spontaneously and without sufficient forethought. In conclusion, Frieder Otto Wolf said that he remained convinced that an independent event for encounters with one another and also for discussions with other social groups is of great importance for the emancipation of people with a humanist world view. “We need a Humanist Day which, independently of the gatherings of the faithful, offers all committed humanists a communal and public forum for dialog and the presentation of the diverse and forward-looking contributions they already make to society on a daily basis.”