An article by Humanists International:
An important alternative to religious ceremonies
A moment taken from a humanist wedding (via Humanists UK)
Humanists are first and foremost human beings. And like everyone else they might wish to celebrate some of the most important moments of their lives: when a child is born, when children grow from adolescence into adulthood, when they marry the one they love, or when a loved one dies.
For millennia there has been no real alternative for humanists, atheists and non-religious people in general: either you celebrated important life events with a religious ceremony or you would not celebrate it at all. In the best case scenario, a humanist couple could get married in a town hall with a secular state registration, which on average is notoriously neutral and anonymous.
Three reasons why humanist ceremonies are so important
Often (wrongly) disregarded as a mere mimicry of religious ceremonies, humanist ceremonies are instead one of the most meaningful expressions of humanism itself. Overall, humanist ceremonies are important for at least three reasons:
- They normalize humanism, allowing humanists to celebrate the important moments in their lives in their own way;
- They help to spread the humanist message, because often people attending the ceremony never heard about humanism before;
- They are a virtuous and sustainable source of income for humanist organizations.