Humanism is not a religion, or ‘faith’ as this is normally understood, but an approach in study, philosophy, or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. Some people prefer to call it, a ‘lifestance’ or 'ethical philosophy'.
In the modern day, the most widely known form of humanism is 'Secular Humanism' (as opposed to Religious Humanism, which integrates humanist ethical philosophy with religious rituals and beliefs). There is no single unifying doctrine of Secular Humanism, so this following description is something of a 'generally speaking' account.
Secular Humanism rejects religious dogmas, supernaturalism, pseudoscience and superstition as the basis for morality and decision-making. It espouses human reason, ethics, justice and the search for human fulfilment. Most Secular Humanists are non-theists or non-religious, which can include agnosticism and atheism. However, not all agnositcs/atheists are Secular Humanists. They believe that all beliefs are fallible and provisional and that diversity and dialogue are essential to the process of developing and learning. Secular Humanists also believe that religious and philosophical views should be every bit as open to debate and discussion as political beliefs. Secular Humanists espouse naturalism and, as such, supernatural events and claims are viewed with a high degree of skepticism.
Secular Humanists believe that it is possible to be good and moral without religious belief, although it does not assume that humans are inherently good or 'above' nature. In deciding the correct action to take or what is ‘good’ or moral or ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ Secular Humanists try to arrive at a decision by weighing up all the evidence, thinking about the likely consequences for others and society as well as ourselves, and maybe taking note of public opinion, rather than just relying on views of the Pope, a Mullah or some other religious leader.
Being a Secular Humanist means accepting that there are many people who do have or need a religious belief and trying not to insult that belief or that person for their belief. Secular humanists believe that a healthy society supports a variety of worldviews, just as it supports a variety of political parties.
However, Secular Humanists frequently have to be critical of religion when it tries to gain privilege or power for one set of believers over other sections of society or when it deliberately misleads people over such things as evolution or HIV/AIDS.
The British Humanist Association is the national organisation for Secular Humanists in the UK but there are several local groups in the region, two of which (asterisked) have Wikipedia entries.
• Birmingham Humanists * (www.birminghamhumanists.org.uk)
• Lichfield, Walsall & South Staffordshire Humanist Group (www.lichfieldhumanistgroup.webs.com)
• Coventry and Warwickshire Humanists
• Leicester Secular Society * (http://www.leicestersecularsociety.org.uk)
• Worcestershire Humanists
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