Few books for children have captured the positive life-affirming aspects of humanism as well as Helen Bennett in her book, Humanism, What's That? A Book for Curious Kids (Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 2005). I hope you will enjoy the review of it that I wrote several years ago. But do get a copy of this book for your students - and children.
--
Many of you have heard me tell about a recent conversation (a very brief one) that I had with my nearly 8-year old grandson. It went like this. "Grandpa Bob, I have a real good friend." "That's wonderful," I answered, "who is it?" "Jesus is my best friend." After a moment of dumbstruck silence, I asked, "How can anyone who may -- or may not - have lived over 2,000 years ago be your best friend?" Of course, there was no answer. Except my daughter-in-law said, "Oh, that's all right. He must have been taught that several years ago when we had him in pre-kindergarten at St. Pius." I also was told by several adults at the table to drop the subject and not give another one of my lecturers on humanism.
My grandson is a pretty sharp kid. And although the cover of Humanism, What's That? A Book for Curious Kids indicates that the book is intended for "Ages 10 and up," I'm not waiting two years until he comes of age. I'm buying it for him soon. We'll read it and discuss it together. That's about all I can do for someone who shares my last name and, hopefully, has inherited some of my skepticism.
I wish I had enough cash on hand to buy Helen Bennett's book for every child 10 and above -- or even younger. In the May 25, 2005 issue of the Humanist Network News, the author said that she wrote it "because I wanted to help Humanist children understand and be able to defend their worldview and to show children who have been raised in traditional religions that there is another way of thinking, another means to derive ethics, spiritual enrichment and a guide to life."
The book is in the form of a conversation between Mrs. Green, a science teacher (grade level not specified) and her students. When a fellow student is injured on her way to school, the students wondered why they aren't allowed to pray for her in class. So starting with the concept of the separation of church and state, the dialogue leads to many philosophic and cultural issues and many questions. Why do some people believe in God while others do not? What gives live meaning? In classroom and after-school discussions (with parental approval), Mrs. Green offers a humanist perspective and emphasizes scientific explanations of life and freedom of thought. Other topics as well as the separation of church and state are discussed, for example, the origins of religious belief in God, the meaning of metaphor, myth and symbols. The book also touches on such subjects as abortion and the death penalty and young readers can begin to understand the nuances of these controversial issues. The book also focuses on the affirmations of humanism by emphasizing the essential worth and dignity of all people and some of the important humanist philosophers who have helped advance the causes of reason, compassion, and skepticism.
A number of poems also are included (e.g., "Thank You, Life" and "What Humanism Means to Me") as well as the useful instructional activities and discussion questions (e.g., "Humanism is a positive philosophy that asserts the potential for goodness in every human being. How does this contrast with the religious doctrine of ‘original sin' ...that we are all born bad.") I wish we had a Mrs. Green in every public school classroom. I'd even settle for a copy of Helen Bennett's book in each classroom and school library.
Reviewed by Bob Bhaerman, Coordinator, Kochhar Humanist Education Center
