by Sean Graham
God – The First Humanist
Can I call myself a Christian humanist? I think Jesus gave me permission. He did not come as a spiritual entity separated from the human experience. Jesus came as a baby who became a boy, who became a man and called his life the way. When God became human in Jesus, a clear statement was made - that to be human was to be like God. Often religions endeavour to remove the beauty of being human. We are taught to perceive humanity as the problem rather than the solution. We often get confused with Paul’s words “the flesh” and associate that with our physical bodies, and thus we are accidentally inclined to think of that which is human as being negative, and that which is spiritual being positive, when the truth is when we look to Christ, we discover that to be human is spiritual, therefore good. The notion of the flesh in Paul’s writings is much more akin to a term we use today as “ego”. He is talking about the selfish ambitions of the human heart. He is not in any way diminishing the image of God which is the beauty of humanity.
Humanists have always contended that humanity is the solution when at its best, and the problem when at its worst. I believe God is in agreement with this belief. Jesus came to show us what humanity could look like. Again, when we look to Jesus, we begin to discover that to be human is the very essence of being spiritual. Everything about the physical world is spiritual. The human body is spiritual expression and when empowered by love, capable of the miracles of grace and justice.
I think it’s a fair statement to say that the first humanist was God. But religion for control, anxiety and suspicious reasons taught many people to distrust that which is human. To constantly be looking to the sky to find life, rather than looking deep within where God has always dwelt. The Christ child directed our eyes away from the stars, down to a manger. Away from the ethereal to the very real, human baby boy. Jesus was the perfect fusion of what is truly human, that reveals that everything is spiritual. This includes you, in your body, this day. You were once a baby, who became a child, who became an adult, and are invited to live The Way. Perhaps to be a Christian is to be a humanist.