Humanism is not an armchair philosophy, but a fighting faith.   Though rooted in the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers humanity has ever produced, it is not content to rest in the world of thought.  Rather it seeks to apply those ideas to the present and the future, in order to create a world in which not merely human beings, but all forms of life, can grow and flourish.

      As Humanists, we AFFIRM that every human being possesses inalienable dignity and worth.  No civilized society can tolerate the level of poverty and human degradation that exists in the United States today.  It is intolerable for a wealthy nation to permit people to die in cardboard boxes on its city streets, and children to suffer and perish for lack of medical care.  There is a war going on in this nation between those who believe in a just society and those who do not.  In that war, we stand foursquare on the side of justice.

       We STAND for tolerance, diversity and equal opportunity, and demand an end to all forms of racism, sexism, religious bigotry and ethnic discrimination.   There is but one world – and that is the one we must all inhabit.  There is but one race – and that is the human race.

       We OPPOSE the attempt being made, at the highest levels of our government, to suppress free thought and rational inquiry in the name of religious dogma.  A society that builds prisons and closes schools is a standing insult to its own principles, and to every enlightened humanist that has ever lived.

       We DECLARE that every human being has a right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and enjoy the bounty of this wondrous planet.  A healthy environment is the birthright of all living things, great and small.  We are unalterably opposed to those who would destroy the forests, poison the rivers and oceans, and pollute the air for the sake of their own greed.  We deny that anyone has a right to invoke freedom in order to destroy the conditions that make freedom possible.  In a world without air, without water and without life, property would have no value and human rights would have no meaning.

       We SUPPORT the principles of the United Nations Charter, which seeks to forever end the scourge of war.  We stand for peace between all nations, all religions and all peoples.  The world can no longer afford to allow swaggering bullies to invade and oppress other countries, and to grasp by force the resources that belong to others.  A means must be found to apply human resources and ingenuity to the betterment, and not the destruction, of humanity.

       We DEMAND that the voice of common sense and simple humanity be heard, at last, in the halls of power.