Humanism in monotheistic religions

Humanism in monotheistic religions - This three-part article on religion and humanism discusses the place of humanism in the revealed religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The three authors show that humanism, which posits man as an autonomous being endowed with reason who is the measure of all things, and religion, which implies a revealed truth and a link to a transcendent order, are not antithetical. The great philosophers are not all atheists and the great theologians do not repudiate reason. However, one should distinguish between Renaissance humanism, closely linked to Christianity, and the humanistic values on which the three religions concur, with a shared respect for reason. Neither Judaism nor Islam can subscribe to the idea of God being a man. In Judaism, God is described in the Torah as being not in heaven but "in your mouth and in your heart'' (Deuteronomy 30). God has thus implanted eternal life in mankind. In Islam, too, God passes down his word upon the heart of the prophet who passes it on in a human voice. But in all three religions one finds the same concern of anchoring mankind and human values in transcendence and of structuring them through rituals. Finally, on top of everything, charity which mends social injustice is a value common to all three monotheisms.