The Humanist Manifestos: A Catalyst for America’s Moral Decline

While scrolling through X recently, I stumbled upon a post by MO Education Watch (@MOEdWatch) that struck a chord:

Shared on March 28, 2025, the post referenced a thread highlighting the influence of John Dewey and the Humanist Manifesto on modern education—a system that has increasingly sidelined faith and traditional values. As I delved deeper, I was stunned by the profound impact these manifestos have had on American culture and political thought. From a Constitutionalist, Conservative Christian perspective, it’s evident that Humanist Manifestos I and II have significantly contributed to the moral decline of the United States, eroding the biblical principles that once anchored our society and replacing them with a secular, relativistic worldview.

The History of the Humanist Manifestos

The Humanist Manifesto I was published in 1933 during the Great Depression, a time of economic and social upheaval. Drafted primarily by Unitarian minister Raymond Bragg, with philosophical contributions from Roy Wood Sellars, it sought to establish a new "religion" grounded in human reason and science, rejecting the supernatural. The document was initially signed by 34 individuals, with a 35th signature arriving too late for the original publication. About half of the signatories were Unitarians, reflecting its roots in liberal religious thought, but it also appealed to secular thinkers. Over time, it gained thousands of additional endorsements.

In 1973, Humanist Manifesto II was released, authored by Paul Kurtz and Edwin H. Wilson. It responded to the cultural shifts of the 20th century, including the atrocities of Nazism, the rise of totalitarianism, and the social revolutions of the 1960s. This second manifesto was more explicitly secular, addressing global issues like human rights, sexual freedom, and the need for a world community. It was initially signed by 120 individuals—a more diverse and international group than the first—and eventually garnered thousands more signatures through the American Humanist Association’s efforts.

The 15 Affirmations of Humanist Manifesto I

Humanist Manifesto I outlined 15 affirmations to redefine humanity’s purpose and values without reference to God. Here they are, with brief summaries:

1. "Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created." The universe wasn’t created by a divine being.

2. "Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process." Humans evolved naturally, not as a special creation.

3. "Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected." Mind and body are a unified natural system.

4. "Humanism recognizes that man’s religious culture and civilization… are the product of a gradual development due to his interaction with his natural environment and his social heritage." Religion evolved from human experience, not divine revelation.

5. "Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values." Science shows no evidence of supernatural support for human values.

6. "We are convinced that the time has passed for theism, deism, modernism, and the several varieties of ‘new thought’." Belief in God or spiritual alternatives is outdated.

7. "Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and experiences which are humanly significant. Nothing human is alien to the religious." Religion is about human experiences, not the divine.

8. Religious humanism considers the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man’s life and seeks its development and fulfillment in the here and now." Life’s purpose is personal fulfillment in this world.

9. "In place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being." Worship is replaced by personal growth and social good.

10. "It follows that there will be no uniquely religious emotions and attitudes of the kind hitherto associated with belief in the supernatural." Traditional religious feelings are irrelevant.

11. "Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement." Humanity shapes its future, not God.

12. "The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good." A cooperative, reason-based society is the aim.

13. "Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world." Unity and shared responsibility are key.

14. "The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted." Capitalism needs radical reform.

15. "We assert that humanism will: (a) affirm life rather than deny it; (b) seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from them; and (c) endeavor to establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for the few." Humanism promotes a positive, inclusive approach to life.

These affirmations reject the biblical worldview (e.g., Genesis 1:1) and the moral absolutes tied to America’s founding, setting the stage for moral relativism.

The 17 Affirmations of Humanist Manifesto II

Humanist Manifesto II expanded on the first, introducing 17 new affirmations grouped into categories like religion, ethics, the individual, and global society. Here they are, with summaries:

1. "We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence of a supernatural; it is either meaningless or irrelevant to the question of survival and fulfillment of the human race." There’s no evidence for a supernatural realm, and it’s irrelevant to human survival.

2. "Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful." Concepts of heaven and hell are false and damaging.

3. "Modern science discredits such historic concepts as the ‘ghost in the machine’ and the ‘separable soul’." Science disproves ideas of a soul separate from the body.

4. "We can discover no divine purpose or providence for the human species… No deity will save us; we must save ourselves." There’s no divine plan; humans must rely on themselves.

5. "We are responsible for what we are and what we will be… The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone." Humanity alone shapes its destiny.

6. "Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction." Morality is based on human experience, not divine laws.

7. "To enhance freedom and dignity the individual must experience a full range of civil liberties in all societies." Civil liberties, including speech and religion, are essential for human dignity.

8. "We are committed to an open and democratic society." Democracy and openness are core values.

9. "The separation of church and state and the separation of ideology and state are imperatives." Religion and ideology must be kept out of government.

10. "The principle of moral equality must be furthered through elimination of all discrimination." Moral equality requires ending discrimination in all forms.

11. "We believe in maximum individual autonomy consonant with social responsibility." Individuals should have freedom but also responsibility to society.

12. "We support the development of a system of world law and a world order based upon transnational federal government." A global government is needed for world order.

13. "The world community must renounce the resort to violence and force as a method of solving international disputes." Global peace requires rejecting violence.

14. "The world community must engage in cooperative planning concerning the use of rapidly depleting resources." Global resource management is essential.

15. "We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic grounds… The best option is to transcend the limits of national sovereignty." Nationalism divides humanity; global unity is better.

16. "We urge that parochial loyalties and inflexible moral and religious ideologies be transcended." Narrow loyalties and rigid ideologies must be overcome.

17. "We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience… A search for transcendent meaning is not necessary." Morality comes from human experience, not a higher power.

These affirmations reflect a more aggressive secular agenda, prioritizing individual autonomy, global unity, and situational ethics over traditional values and national identity.

The Moral Decline in America

The Humanist Manifestos have profoundly shaped American culture, contributing to what we Conservative Christians see as a moral decline. By rejecting God and biblical morality, they’ve fostered a culture of relativism where "truth" is subjective. This is evident in the normalization of abortion, the redefinition of marriage, and the erosion of family structures—trends that contradict Scripture (e.g., Psalm 139:13-16, Genesis 2:24). In education, Dewey’s influence has led to the removal of Judeo-Christian values, replacing them with secular ideologies that often mock faith. Politically, the push for globalism and centralized control threatens the sovereignty and liberty enshrined in the Constitution. The spiritual vacuum left by humanism has fueled despair, as seen in rising mental health crises, fulfilling warnings like 2 Timothy 4:3-4. The Humanist Manifestos, while presented as progressive, have undermined the moral foundation of America, leading to a society increasingly adrift from its godly heritage.

Signatories of the Humanist Manifestos

The manifestos were endorsed by influential figures whose ideas shaped education, science, and culture.

Humanist Manifesto I (1933) Signatories (35 total):

- J.A.C. Fagginger Auer (Professor of Church History, Harvard and Tufts)

- E. Burdette Backus (Minister, First Unitarian Church, Los Angeles)

- Harry Elmer Barnes (Historian, Scripps-Howard Newspapers)

- L.M. Birkhead (Liberal Center, Kansas City, MO)

- Raymond B. Bragg (Unitarian minister, co-author)

- Edwin Arthur Burtt (Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University)

- Ernest Caldecott (Minister, First Unitarian Church, Los Angeles)

- A.J. Carlson (Professor of Physiology, University of Chicago)

- John Dewey (Philosopher and educator, Columbia University)

- Albert C. Dieffenbach (Former editor, The Christian Register)

- John H. Dietrich (Minister, First Unitarian Society, Minneapolis)

- Bernard Fantus (Professor of Medicine, University of Illinois)

- William Floyd (Editor, The Arbitrator, New York)

- F.H. Hankins (Professor of Sociology, Smith College)

- A. Eustace Haydon (Professor of History of Religions, University of Chicago)

- Llewellyn Jones (Literary Editor, Chicago Evening Post)

- Robert Morss Lovett (Professor of English, University of Chicago)

- Harold P. Marley (Minister, Unitarian Church, Ann Arbor)

- R. Lester Mondale (Unitarian minister)

- Charles Francis Potter (Founder, First Humanist Society of New York)

- John Herman Randall, Jr. (Philosopher, Columbia University)

- Curtis W. Reese (Dean, Abraham Lincoln Center, Chicago)

- Oliver L. Reiser (Professor of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh)

- Roy Wood Sellars (Professor of Philosophy, University of Michigan, co-author)

- Clinton Lee Scott (Unitarian minister)

- Maynard Shipley (President, Science League of America)

- Wilella Waldorf (Drama Critic, New York Evening Post)

- Eldred C. Vanderlaan (Unitarian minister)

- Joseph Walker (Unitarian minister)

- Jacob J. Weinstein (Rabbi, Chicago)

- Frank S.C. Wicks (Unitarian minister)

- David Rhys Williams (Unitarian minister)

- Edwin H. Wilson (Unitarian minister, later co-author of Manifesto II)

- Rudolph W. Wirth (Unitarian minister)

- Alson Robinson (Unitarian minister, signed late)

Humanist Manifesto II (1973) Signatories (120 total):

- George Axtelle (Professor of Education, Southern Illinois University)

- Archie J. Bahm (Professor of Philosophy, University of New Mexico)

- Paul Beattie (President, Fellowship of Religious Humanists)

- H.J. Blackham (British philosopher, humanist leader)

- Brand Blanshard (Professor of Philosophy, Yale University)

- Joseph L. Blau (Professor of Religion, Columbia University)

- Raymond B. Bragg (Unitarian minister, signed Manifesto I)

- Theodore Brameld (Professor of Education, Boston University)

- L. Sprague de Camp (Science fiction writer)

- Charles W. Colson (Unitarian minister)

- Arthur W. Combs (Professor of Psychology, University of Northern Colorado)

- Francis Crick (Nobel laureate, co-discoverer of DNA structure)

- Arthur Danto (Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University)

- Edd Doerr (Editor, Church & State)

- Paul Edwards (Editor, Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

- Albert Ellis (Psychologist, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy)

- Herbert Feigl (Professor of Philosophy, University of Minnesota)

- Raymond Firth (Anthropologist, University of London)

- Antony Flew (British philosopher)

- Betty Friedan (Feminist author, The Feminine Mystique)

- Erich Fromm (Psychoanalyst and social philosopher)

- Alan F. Guttmacher (President, Planned Parenthood)

- Max Hocutt (Professor of Philosophy, University of Alabama)

- Sidney Hook (Professor of Philosophy, New York University)

- James F. Hornback (Unitarian minister)

- Hudson Hoagland (Neuroscientist, Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology)

- Robert E. Huestis (Unitarian minister)

- Julian Huxley (Evolutionary biologist, first UNESCO Director-General)

- Irving Louis Horowitz (Sociologist, Rutgers University)

- Horace M. Kallen (Philosopher, New School for Social Research)

- Alfred H. Kelly (Historian, Wayne State University)

- Lawrence Kohlberg (Psychologist, Harvard University)

- Paul Kurtz (Philosopher, co-author)

- Joseph Leon Blau (Professor of Religion, Columbia University)

- Chauncey D. Leake (Pharmacologist, University of California, San Francisco)

- Richard Lester (Economist, Princeton University)

- Robert S. Lynd (Sociologist, Columbia University)

- Ernest Morgan (Publisher, Antioch Bookplate Company)

- Garrett Hardin (Ecologist, University of California, Santa Barbara)

- Corliss Lamont (Philosopher, civil liberties advocate)

- Floyd W. Matson (Professor of American Studies, University of Hawaii)

- Lester Mondale (Unitarian minister, signed Manifesto I)

- Henry Morgentaler (Canadian physician, abortion rights advocate)

- Lloyd Morain (Editor, The Humanist)

- Mary Morain (Editor, The Humanist)

- Gunnar Myrdal (Economist, Nobel laureate)

- H.J. Muller (Geneticist, Nobel laureate)

- Kai Nielsen (Philosopher, University of Calgary)

- Robert L. Park (Physicist, University of Maryland)

- John Passmore (Australian philosopher)

- W.V. Quine (Philosopher, Harvard University)

- A. Philip Randolph (Civil rights leader)

- John Herman Randall, Jr. (Philosopher, Columbia University, signed Manifesto I)

- Oliver Reiser (Philosopher, University of Pittsburgh, signed Manifesto I)

- Richard Rorty (Philosopher, Princeton University)

- Andrei Sakharov (Soviet physicist, Nobel Peace Prize winner)

- Roy Wood Sellars (Philosopher, signed Manifesto I)

- B.F. Skinner (Psychologist, Harvard University)

- Mark Starr (Labor educator)

- Gordon Stein (Editor, American Rationalist)

- Morris Storer (Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University)

- Mark Strand (Poet, Columbia University)

- Claude Sumner (Philosopher, University of Addis Ababa)

- V.M. Tarkunde (Indian jurist, humanist leader)

- Lionel Tiger (Anthropologist, Rutgers University)

- Edward L. Thorndike (Psychologist, Columbia University)

- Rexford G. Tugwell (Economist, former member of FDR’s Brain Trust)

- Frederick C. Wertham (Psychiatrist, author of Seduction of the Innocent)

- Edwin H. Wilson (Unitarian minister, co-author, signed Manifesto I)

- George Woodcock (Canadian writer, anarchist)

- Isaac Asimov (Science fiction writer, biochemist)

- Joseph Margolis (Philosopher, Temple University)

- Ernest Nagel (Philosopher, Columbia University)

- Chaim Perelman (Philosopher, University of Brussels)

- Bertrand Russell (Philosopher, mathematician, deceased but listed as an endorser)

- Herbert W. Schneider (Philosopher, Claremont Graduate School)

- George O. Abell (Astronomer, UCLA)

- Khoren Arisian (Unitarian minister)

- Robert S. Brumbaugh (Philosopher, Yale University)

- Edward Lamb (Lawyer, philanthropist)

- Robert B. Tapp (Professor of Religion, University of Minnesota)

- James W. Woelfel (Professor of Philosophy, University of Kansas)

- Marvin Zimmerman (Philosopher, SUNY Buffalo)

- Richard S. Davis (Unitarian minister)

- William R. Jones (Professor of Religion, Florida State University)

- Lawrence Lader (Abortion rights activist)

- Philip M. Klutznick (Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce)

- Norman Fleishman (Unitarian minister)

- Robert M. Gordon (Unitarian minister)

- Richard A. Givens (Unitarian minister)

- Paul H. Beattie (Unitarian minister)

- William F. Schulz (Unitarian minister)

- Kenneth L. Patton (Unitarian minister)

- Howard B. Radest (Humanist leader)

- Lyle L. Simpson (Unitarian minister)

- William J. Jacobs (Unitarian minister)

- Philip R. Giles (Unitarian minister)

- Robert E. Jones (Unitarian minister)

- Harry B. Scholefield (Unitarian minister)

- J. Harold Hadley (Unitarian minister)

- Donald S. Harrington (Unitarian minister)

- Charles S. Slichter (Unitarian minister)

- John A. Taylor (Unitarian minister)

- Philip H. Wernette (Unitarian minister)

- Walter F. Westhoff (Unitarian minister)