In a comment to my recent post on secular humanism, S.Faux pointed out that secular humanists are free to believe the way they do. This doctrine is found in Alma 30:7-9, which reads
Now there was no law against a man's belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds. For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve. Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to punish him.
S. Faux is correct. According to the great Plan of Salvation, people are free to believe whatever they want and to do so without ridicule. This was the case with Korihor. Korihor was free to believe whatever he wanted without ridicule.
In this post I explore the following question: If Korihor was free to believe whatever he wanted without retribution, then why was he called out by Alma for his abhorrent beliefs, and why did he pay such a hefty price?
Korihor was called out because he was “working devices that . . . destroy[ed] the children of God,” and his spreading of false doctrines was “bringing many souls down to destruction.” Alma warned Korihor that if he persisted, God would smite him so that he would “not deceive this people any more.”
“Why was Korihor called out and struck dumb?” Answer: He became an unrepentant anti-Christ social activist.
And so it goes with secular humanism. There are numerous secular humanists who keep their atheist views to themselves. I am fine with these folks. They have a right to their beliefs. I know and work with secular humanists who are good people. But those who become social activists for secular humanism have crossed the line, and I am calling them out. Specifically, I am calling out the secular humanism movement in America for propagating atheism in society.
The following quote is a glimpse of what secular humanist activism is up to.
[Secular humanism] is a vibrant movement, and there have already been successes. The newly formed Secular Coalition for America has brought the first lobbyist to Washington specifically representing the interests Secular Americans. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) has "come out" as the first openly nontheistic congressman in American history.
The American Humanist Association initiated the first national advertising campaign promoting the notion of secular humanist identity, and now numerous groups around the country are doing the same. We now have Camp Quest, a camp for children of nonreligious families, and we have education centers, legal centers, charities, student groups through the Secular Student Alliance, and local groups all around the country, all affirming the notion of secular identity.
The movement was assisted somewhat in recent years by a series of bestselling books debunking religion, and now awaits an important book to be released by HarperCollins this fall from Harvard Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein, Good Without God - What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe, that promises to educate the public about the positive aspects of the humanist lifestance. Clearly, Secular Americans are emerging, and we have no intention of going back to the closet.
Secular Americans don't for a moment think that the election of Obama has eliminated the danger of the religious right. Critical thinking and rational public policy will not be secure until secular humanists have firmly established themselves as a recognized and respected demographic category, seen by the public, the press, and the government as being worthy of a seat at the table in the American public dialogue. Obviously, there is much work to be done and this is no time for complacency.
(Source: http://www.americanhumanist.org/HNN/details/2009-08-why-secular-actvism. For another list of secular humanist activism visit http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=29).
I agree with the last line. In these perilous times “there is much work to be done and there is no time for complacency.” If members of the LDS church and other Christian organizations do not recognize this movement and counter its influence, America may one day become very different nation. I don’t want my great grandkids living in a country where believers are the minority and America has become a predominantly secular nation because I failed to recognize the warning signs and did not take a stand.
Now there was no law against a man's belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds. For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve. Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to punish him.
S. Faux is correct. According to the great Plan of Salvation, people are free to believe whatever they want and to do so without ridicule. This was the case with Korihor. Korihor was free to believe whatever he wanted without ridicule.
In this post I explore the following question: If Korihor was free to believe whatever he wanted without retribution, then why was he called out by Alma for his abhorrent beliefs, and why did he pay such a hefty price?
Korihor was called out because he was “working devices that . . . destroy[ed] the children of God,” and his spreading of false doctrines was “bringing many souls down to destruction.” Alma warned Korihor that if he persisted, God would smite him so that he would “not deceive this people any more.”
“Why was Korihor called out and struck dumb?” Answer: He became an unrepentant anti-Christ social activist.
And so it goes with secular humanism. There are numerous secular humanists who keep their atheist views to themselves. I am fine with these folks. They have a right to their beliefs. I know and work with secular humanists who are good people. But those who become social activists for secular humanism have crossed the line, and I am calling them out. Specifically, I am calling out the secular humanism movement in America for propagating atheism in society.
The following quote is a glimpse of what secular humanist activism is up to.
[Secular humanism] is a vibrant movement, and there have already been successes. The newly formed Secular Coalition for America has brought the first lobbyist to Washington specifically representing the interests Secular Americans. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) has "come out" as the first openly nontheistic congressman in American history.
The American Humanist Association initiated the first national advertising campaign promoting the notion of secular humanist identity, and now numerous groups around the country are doing the same. We now have Camp Quest, a camp for children of nonreligious families, and we have education centers, legal centers, charities, student groups through the Secular Student Alliance, and local groups all around the country, all affirming the notion of secular identity.
The movement was assisted somewhat in recent years by a series of bestselling books debunking religion, and now awaits an important book to be released by HarperCollins this fall from Harvard Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein, Good Without God - What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe, that promises to educate the public about the positive aspects of the humanist lifestance. Clearly, Secular Americans are emerging, and we have no intention of going back to the closet.
Secular Americans don't for a moment think that the election of Obama has eliminated the danger of the religious right. Critical thinking and rational public policy will not be secure until secular humanists have firmly established themselves as a recognized and respected demographic category, seen by the public, the press, and the government as being worthy of a seat at the table in the American public dialogue. Obviously, there is much work to be done and this is no time for complacency.
(Source: http://www.americanhumanist.org/HNN/details/2009-08-why-secular-actvism. For another list of secular humanist activism visit http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=29).
I agree with the last line. In these perilous times “there is much work to be done and there is no time for complacency.” If members of the LDS church and other Christian organizations do not recognize this movement and counter its influence, America may one day become very different nation. I don’t want my great grandkids living in a country where believers are the minority and America has become a predominantly secular nation because I failed to recognize the warning signs and did not take a stand.
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