Without Burnt Offerings

"In this book I share some of my experiences with the ceremonies of Humanism as I have known them. The calls for our services have come from individuals and families of all religious, racial, national, and class backgrounds.

"A ceremony cannot make the sun rise or stop an earthquake, even if people believe it will. It cannot cause some power outside of man to intervene in the laws of nature on behalf of an individual or group or nation, a particular race or religious set. It cannot assure favor to those who are more honest or just or loving than most. Nor can it save the human species if human beings persist in working destruction and death against each other and against life itself.

"A ceremony can bring people together. It can bring them together at an important time to share responsibility and make common commitment. It can celebrate the joyous and challenging situations of life. It can commemorate and keep alive the memory and influence of persons and achievements. The ceremonies of Humanism can meet needs that lie at the heart of human experience. They can enrich and bring meaning to the spiritual lives of mankind. They can help human beings continue the search for a faith to live by; a faith consistent with the best in human thought and feeling, a faith which will help the individual fulfill his potentialities for a creative life. They can help humankind find ways of meeting the challenges of nature and the most difficult problems of the world of human relationships."
-Algernon D. Black