Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1419860
Joanna Onions and Dr Christian Colombo are committee member and president, respectively, of the Malta Humanists Association Joanna Onions and Christian Colombo 12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2021 OPINION IN 2010, at a time when Mal- ta was perhaps not so open to addressing diversity – in cul- ture, religion, and worldviews – as it is now, a small group of like-minded people met to es- tablish a Humanist association in Malta, knowing that, while lo- cal culture is heavily influenced by the islands' long religious his- tory, there are those who do not hold religious views. Why Humanism? As the world population con- tinues to soar, the challenges we face together can only in- crease: climate change, immi- gration, pandemics and more. There will be faster depletion of non-renewable resources; great- er consumption of energy; high- er pollution levels; increased movement of people from dan- gerous or poor societies to saf- er and more prosperous ones; more international travel; and transmission of new diseases. In this context, the ethical re- sponse as a human family must be a united one, based on a common fundamental set of principles which nevertheless acknowledge a diverse range of cultures and experiences. This is where Humanism has a crucial role: it is based on a set of values which can be the basis of a uni- versal ethical framework. First and foremost is that hu- manity needs to base its policies on reason and co-operation. COVID-19 has taught us that science-based interventions, enacted in good time, can save much suffering. Covid has un- derlined the necessity for a co-ordinated, rapid, response across all public health sectors, with the free flow of reliable in- formation and objective advice. The second tenet of a human- ist ethical framework is to live a moral life which respects the freedom of others (and brings its own reward in the knowl- edge that one is living a good life, regardless of an afterlife). As Simone de Beauvoir said, one cannot wish freedom for oneself without also willing it for others. As many feel they are living in an ever more crowded and compli- cated world, mutual respect and tolerance is the only thing that makes it possible to live sanely together, and advance the com- mon good. Third, the humanist point of view is based on compassion. Respecting each others' freedom doesn't mean we are indifferent to one another. On the contra- ry, one can hardly be called a Humanist if one's actions do not hear the cries of the disadvan- taged and marginalised in our society. Ten years of Humanism Since its official foundation as an NGO in 2011, the Malta Humanist Association (MHA), for a number of years under its late Chair, Ramon Casha, has championed equality, tolerance, inclusivity, secularism and rea- son-based morality in Malta, supporting human rights and freedom of belief for religious and non-religious alike. The MHA was a strong voice during the divorce campaign; supported marriage equality, availability of the Morning After Pill, and cre- mation; contributed to the Na- tional Curriculum on teaching of Ethics in schools; champions women's and LGBTQ+ rights; and contributes to debates in the press and social media on such as the Constitution and racism. It believes in bodily autonomy, and thus supports both a wom- an's right to choose, and the right to die. Since 2015 MHA celebrants have helped to mark important life events such as fu- nerals or memorials, weddings and baby-welcomings, in a sec- ular but highly personal manner. The MHA is a secularist organ- isation, calling for the separation of church and state to ensure equal treatment, and tolerance, for all. We do not believe in any deity, but respect the be- liefs of those who think other- wise, and we are avowedly not anti-religious. We fully support freedom of thought, religion and belief, and all internation- ally recognised human rights, and abhor unfair discrimination in any form. We ask only that our rational, ethical approach to life is recognised and accept- ed as an equal, alternative, but non-threatening, world view. The future In the 2021 State of the Na- tion survey, 7% of respondents did not believe in God, and 40% did not agree that religion is im- portant to them. If these figures could be extrapolated to the current population of Malta, it would seem that around 35,000 living on these islands are atheist while religion is unimportant for many more: A non-religious eth- ical voice definitely needs to be heard in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society. We have made much progress since the early days, and now have some 2,000 followers. But there is still a long way to go be- fore we see a state wholly neutral on matters of religion, belief, or lack of it, and acceptance that, like other minorities in Malta, Humanists are part of the com- munity, bearing others no ill- will, but differing about religion - though not, in many cases, about other fundamental values. We will continue to work for a focus on rational, construc- tive dialogue with the Maltese community. To this end, we are expanding our Youtube chan- nel and programme of events, including the '7 minutes sound- bites' series and our 'Humanist Exchanges' on current topics. Because of Covid, these are cur- rently online but we hope to get back to meeting in person soon. Does this sound interesting? Our website maltahumanist. org contains our latest updates including a quiz on Humanism. Who knows? You might discov- er that you're a Humanist too! Ten years of humanism in Malta