Home > Universism
Universism (prounounced "universe-ism") is a religious philosophy which aims to unite freethinkers, whether they use the term atheist, agnostic, deist, transcendentalist, pantheist, scientific materialist or other to describe their beliefs. Universism posits that religious philosophy should not be conceived in terms of one's views toward God, but rather the method and attitude with which one approaches religious questions. Universists embrace uncertainty and deem it fundamental to human progress. Universists believe all meaning and purpose should be understood through personal reason and experience, without resort to faith. Universists contend this approach allows for belief in a supernatural first cause, as in Deism, or a conception of the universe as explaining itself, as in atheism. One who accepts Universism is termed a Universist. Universism distinctly differs from Universalism, which is inclusive of religious faith, and faith-based interpretation.
Some principles of Universism include:
- The most important thing is the search for meaning and purpose, as in relationships and love, understanding and knowledge, experiences and emotionIn psychology, and in ordinary language, emotion is used to describe a state of a person. Examples of emotions are fear, anger, joy, hate; see list of emotions. Emotional state is related to mood, sometimes even identified with it, although emotions are gs, or elsewhere.
- There is no absolute truth that applies to all beings; ultimate knowledge of the nature of existence cannot be communicated, it can only be experienced personally. The natural state of most beings is uncertainty, motivating curiosity, openmindedness and appreciation for the experiences and thought of other beings.
- Morality is relative to individual circumstances and relationships. Any action's ultimate rightness or wrongness can only be determined by those involved in the action. Good and evil are ideas that can be useful, but are inaccurate if used to describe the nature of the universe.
- Social structures such as governments and institutions are useful insofar as they help individuals to flourish - that is, become and remain healthy, happy and able to work toward their goals that do not interfere with the rights of other individuals to work toward their goals.
- All life is free in the universe, limited in potential only by the physical laws of nature.
There is a nonprofit organization to promote Universism called United Universists, whose motto is Faith in Reason, Inspiration in Nature, Hope in Progress. Established in Fall 2003, United Universists currently reports a membership of over 4,000 individuals.
A different movement, which aims to change the public perception of atheists and others whose worldview is free from supernatural elements, is the Brights.
1 See also
- moral relativismMoral relativism is a view that claims moral standards are not absolute or universal, but rather emerge from social customs and other sources. Relativists consequently see moral values as applicable only within agreed or accepted cultural boundaries.
- emotivism
- atheismAtheist" redirects here. For the music group, see Atheist (band). Atheism is the condition of lacking theistic belief. Etymology The term atheism (French atheisme from athee meaning atheist, from Greek atheos, meaning godless : a-, without; + , theos, mea
- deismDeism is belief in a God or first cause based on reason rather than faith, distinguishing it from theism. Deism is usually synonymous with "natural religion" in 18th century Enlightenment writings. Deism originated in 17th century Europe, gaining populari
- agnosticismThe terms agnosticism and agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. The concept however has long existed: the philosophical and theological view that the existence of God, gods or deities is either unknown, or inherently unknowable. The term is
- pantheism
- transcendentalism
- freethought
- humanism
