Editing Secular humanism (section)

==Manifestos and declarations==
[[File:Happyman.svg|thumb|100px|Organizations like [[Humanists International]] use the "[[Happy Human]]" symbol, based on a 1965 design by Denis Barrington.]] 
Humanists have put together various [[Humanist Manifesto]]s, in attempts to unify the Humanist identity.

The original signers of the [[Humanist Manifesto I|first Humanist Manifesto]] of 1933, declared themselves to be [[Religious humanism|religious humanists]]. Because, in their view, traditional religions were failing to meet the needs of their day, the signers of 1933 declared it a necessity to establish a religion that was a dynamic force to meet the needs of the day. However, this "religion" did not profess a belief in any god. Since then [[Humanist Manifesto|two additional Manifestos]] were written to replace the first. In the Preface of Humanist Manifesto II, in 1973, the authors [[Paul Kurtz]] and [[Edwin H. Wilson]] assert that faith and knowledge are required for a hopeful vision for the future. Manifesto II references a section on religion and states traditional religion renders a disservice to humanity. Manifesto&nbsp;II recognizes the following groups to be part of their naturalistic philosophy: "scientific", "ethical", "democratic", "religious", and "Marxist" humanism.

===International Humanist and Ethical Union===
In 2002, the [[IHEU]] General Assembly unanimously adopted the [[Amsterdam Declaration|Amsterdam Declaration 2002]] which represents the official defining statement of World Humanism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iheu.org/amsterdamdeclaration |title=Amsterdam Declaration 2002 |access-date=5 July 2008 |publisher=International Humanist and Ethical Union |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509080606/http://www.iheu.org/amsterdamdeclaration |archive-date=9 May 2008}}</ref>

All member organisations of the [[International Humanist and Ethical Union]] are required by bylaw 5.1<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iheu.org/bylaws |title=IHEU's Bylaws |access-date=5 July 2008 |publisher=International Humanist and Ethical Union}}</ref> to accept the ''Minimum Statement on Humanism'':
<blockquote>Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not [[theism|theistic]], and it does not accept [[supernatural]] views of reality.
</blockquote>
To promote and unify "Humanist" identity, prominent members of the IHEU have endorsed the following statements on Humanist identity:<ref name=Blackham/>
* All Humanists, nationally and internationally, should always use the one word Humanism as the name of Humanism: no added adjective, and the initial letter capital (by [[life stance orthography]]);
* All Humanists, nationally and internationally, should use a clear, recognizable and uniform symbol on their publications and elsewhere: our Humanist symbol the "[[Happy Human]]";
* All Humanists, nationally and internationally, should seek to establish recognition of the fact that Humanism is a life stance.

===Council for Secular Humanism===
According to the Council for Secular Humanism, within the United States, the term "secular humanism" describes a world view with the following elements and principles:<ref name="what">{{cite web
|url= http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=what
|title= What Is Secular Humanism?
|publisher= Council for Secular Humanism
|access-date= 2 October 2005
|archive-date= 15 September 2011
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110915030026/http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?page=what&section=main
|url-status= dead
}}</ref>

*'''Need to test beliefs'''&nbsp;– A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted by faith.
*'''Reason, evidence, [[scientific method]]'''&nbsp;– A commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence and scientific method of inquiry in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
* '''Fulfillment, growth, creativity'''&nbsp;– A primary concern with fulfillment, growth and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
* '''Search for truth'''&nbsp;– A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
* '''This life'''&nbsp;– A concern for this life (as opposed to an [[afterlife]]) and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
* '''[[Secular ethics#Humanist ethics|Ethics]]'''&nbsp;– A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
* '''Justice and fairness'''&nbsp;– an interest in securing justice and fairness in society and in eliminating discrimination and intolerance.<ref>{{cite web
  | title = The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles
  | work = secularhumanism.org
  | publisher = The Council for Secular Humanism
  | url = http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?page=affirmations&section=main
  | access-date = 28 May 2012
  | archive-date = 9 June 2012
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120609003223/http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=affirmations
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref>
* '''Building a better world'''&nbsp;– A conviction that with reason, an open exchange of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

''[[A Secular Humanist Declaration]]'' was issued in 1980 by the Council for Secular Humanism's predecessor, CODESH. It lays out ten ideals: Free inquiry as opposed to censorship and imposition of belief; separation of church and state; the ideal of freedom from religious control and from jingoistic government control; ethics based on critical intelligence rather than that deduced from religious belief; moral education; religious skepticism; reason; a belief in science and technology as the best way of understanding the world; evolution; and education as the essential method of building humane, free, and democratic societies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=declaration|title=A Secular Humanist Declaration|publisher=the Council for Secular Humanism|author=the Council for Secular Humanism|year=1980|access-date=27 November 2008|archive-date=17 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817084107/http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=declaration|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===American Humanist Association===
A general outline of Humanism is also set out in the ''[[Humanist Manifesto]]'' prepared by the [[American Humanist Association]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/3/HumandItsAspirations.php |title=Humanism and Its Aspirations – Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933 |publisher=Americanhumanist.org |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809103515/http://www.americanhumanist.org/3/HumandItsAspirations.php |archive-date=9 August 2007}}</ref>