Liberty University
Critical Thinking Paper:
Secular Humanism v. Christianity
Shiloh Ford
RLGN 104-B23
Dr. Tom Keiser
February 24th, 2021
Compare and Contrast
Secular Humanism and Christianity are seemingly two completely different forms of
belief. There really are not many things that both sides agree upon. It has been said in very few
places that some humanists believe that there is some sort of higher power, not necessarily God
though. Aside from that, however, most everything else seems to be completely opposite of each
other. For instance, while some humanists do believe in some sort of a higher power, more often
than not they believe that man is the highest form of being, nothing is above, everything else is
below. Christians, however, believe that God rules over them, that He is King of all things.
When it comes to the different questions of origin, identity, meaning/purpose, morality,
and destiny, the answers that the two belief systems give are also differentiating. The question of
origin is asking how people got here, how everything got here, who put it here, and did anyone
put it here. Going back to the fact that secular humanists do not necessarily believe in the
existence of God or any kind of higher power, they also don’t believe that anyone created
anything or put us here. They tend to follow the more evolutionist standpoint when it comes to
this topic. Christians on the other hand believe that God created all things, with man being
created in His image, all in seven days. They also believe that God was not created by anything,
He has always been in existence.
The question of identity is asking what humans are, are humans supposed to be above
all other things, and why is it that humans were put in charge of everything else. Secular
humanists, believing in evolution, see man as just another evolved animal, and yet still think of
themselves as thought they are meant to be above their fellow evolved animals. They also don’t
really hold life to a high standard, they don’t think of it as something that is really all that
important. Christians believe that all life is precious. Whether it be the life of a plant, animal, or
unborn child, every life is precious. The reason for that belief is because everything was created
by God, and therefore people should treat everything and everyone on this earth with dignity,
grace, and respect. With that be said, they also don’t believe that people were evolved from
animals, everything was created by God as it looks now.
The question of meaning/purpose is asking now why humans are here and what is their
purpose. Secular humanists believe that humans exist for the purpose of trying to gain the most
amount of happiness that they can in their lifetime. They want to do as much as possibly with
their lives before their time on this earth runs out. Basically they feel as though they can do
anything that they want to do as long as it makes them happy, isn’t wrong in their eyes, and
doesn’t hurt anyone else. Christians believe that humans were created and placed on this earth
for the purpose of glorifying and worshipping God in our thoughts, words, and actions. That isn’t
to be said that Christians cannot also live their lives to the fullest, but everything they do is
meant to be done for the purpose of praising Him.
The question of morality is asking what right and wrong are and what are morals
defined by. Secular humanists believe that personal morals as well as what is right and wrong are
determined by each person depending on how they view certain things. In other words, they
decide what they think is best for them. So what is right for someone might be wrong for
someone else, but it all depends on each individual’s situation. They also think that for someone
to come along and say that something they are doing is wrong, they consider it to be very
intolerant. Christians on the other hand believe that God has set the precedent for what is right
and what is wrong or sinful. Christian morals are found and defined in His word that He gave to
us for our benefit. The Bible is the guide to a Christian life and that is why it is so important to
Christians and why they study it constantly. God is always revealing new things through His
word.
The question of destiny is asking what happens when someone dies. Secular humanists
do not believe in life after death. They think that once someone dies, they’re dead and that’s all
there is to it. They don’t believe people have souls, and without a soul, no one can go anywhere.
Christians believe that there is a heaven and hell and that if they accept Jesus into their hearts as
their Savior, then once they die, they will be born again and live with God in heaven forever.
However, if they do not accept Jesus and believe that He died on the cross for their sins, then
they will go to hell and spend an eternity suffering.
Works Cited
[Lew Weider (2015). Finding Your Worldview: Thinking Christianly about the World,
Revised Ed.. B&H Academic. Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com]
[Ed Hindson (2017). Everyday Biblical Worldview. B&H Academic. Retrieved from
https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com]
Powell, M. (2018, September 10). Secular humanism defined. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from
https://secularhumanism.org/what-is-secular-humanism/secular-humanism-defined/
Topic. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2021, from
https://www.aboundingjoy.com/humanism_chart.htm
Unknown. (2005, September 08). Secular humanist. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from
https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/secular-humanist-faq.htm
