I received a couple of emails off-list asking why I thought the British
Humanist Association's claim that it "campaigns on behalf of the UK's
17 million Humanists" was ridiculous. Just to clarify, I should say
that it was the the organisation's stated belief that there are 17
million Humanists in the UK, rather than its ability or right to
campaign on behalf of how ever many there are, that I found absurd.
The BHA's figure of 17 million is not based on actual membership of
Humanist organisations in this country but extrapolated from the
results of a survey they commisioned which asked rather loaded
questions. The responses to just three (of only five) questions which
were answered in an 'appropriate' way was deemed to represent an
adherence to Humanist beliefs. (Rather in the same subjective way that
some poverty researchers deem that someone is in poverty if they answer
a chosen proportion of questions in a certain way, e.g. Breadline
Britain). Respondents were asked to choose between two or three
'opposing' views in each question:
1. Scientific and other evidence provides the best way to understand
the universe / Religious beliefs are needed for a complete
understanding of the universe.
2. Human nature by itself gives us an understanding of what is right
and wrong / People need religious teachings in order to understand
what is right and wrong
3. What is right and wrong depends on the effects on people and the
consequences for society and the world / What is right and wrong is
basically just a matter of personal preference / What is right and
wrong is unchanging and should never be challenged
4. This life is the only life we have and death is the end of our
personal existence / When we die we go on and still exist in another
way
5. Which, if any, of the following groups of people do you think the
Government pays too much attention to?
Leaders of other countries
Religious groups and leaders
Newspaper headlines
Big Business
The Royal Family
Trade Unions
Ordinary people
None of the respondents were actually asked if they considered
themselves Humanists but as some 36pc of them fitted the BHA's
pre-determined definition of holding humanist beliefs from their
responses to three of the above 'objective' and 'revealing' questions,
the organisation claimed that there are 17 million Humanists in the UK.
It is this method of defining a Humanist that I find absurd.
Paul Ashton
[log in to unmask]
2007-01-23
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