The Sermon of the Serpent

Part 1

First preached:              January 15, 1992

Updated                       May 22, 1999

Updated:                      June 11, 2006

 The teaching of Humanism

 Humanism affects everyone in this room.  ‘Secular Humanism’ are not Bible words, but the Bible has a lot to say about it.  Romans 1:21 – 23

 A.         According to Webster’s Dictionary and other Encyclopedia, 20^th century Humanism is based on Atheism.

 B.         It holds the view that ‘religion’ is outdated.  (Including Biblical Christianity)  If the Bible and  Christianity are outmoded then the church is outmoded, and its message may be ignored.

 C.        When did this humanism thinking begin?  It began in the Garden of Eden with the Devil using the Serpent. Genesis 3:5, ‘ye shall be as gods.’  This is what the humanist preaches.

 D.        Now let’s look at some history:

           1.      In the 5^th century B.C. Protagoras, a Greek Philosopher said:  ‘Man is the measure of all things, of  those that are, that they are, of those that are not, that they are not.’

2.      Man as the ultimate standard for man.  Instead of saying glory to God in the highest, the humanist says'  ‘Glory to man in the highest.’

3.      Cultural roots of humanism:  It began in ancient Greece and continued on throughout the Roman Empire.

4.      The Renaissance:

a.       The ‘Intellectual awakening of the 14^th century in Italy that extended through the mid 16^th century with names like, DaVinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello.

b.      This was really a revival of humanism.

c.       One of the highlights was the ‘dignity of man.’  There was a lot of emphasis on nudity and the structure of the body.

d.      The 16^th century humanists rejected the idea that man was a sinful being.

e.       The humanistic influence is very noticeable in the educational system of the developed countries.

f.        The renaissance humanist education outlook was to train the ‘ideal gentleman’ or the ‘universal man.’

g.       It is the philosophy that created the fiction characters of Superman, Batman and other comic book heroes that reflect this ideal.

5.      By the 18^th century the word humanism had come to be identified with a purely secular attitude.  One that often rejected Christianity altogether.

6.      The American Humanist Association grew out of the Unitarian Movement.

a.       The Unitarian Church rejects the Divine Verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures.

b.      They maintain that human beings can satisfy religious needs from within.  (You might know someone like this who states that every person has God or is his own God).  The concept of God for the humanist is inconsistent with ‘advanced thought’ and human freedom.  (Many university professors think this way.)