I. Rights of Reason.
As a means of developing and establishing Secular principles, and as security that the principles of Nature and the habit of reason may prevail, Secularism uses itself, and maintains for others, as rights of reason:—
The Free Search for Truth, without which its full attainment is impossible.
The Free Utterance of the result, without which the increase of Truth is limited.
The Free Criticism of alleged Truth, without which its identity must remain uncertain.
The Fair Action of Conviction thus attained, without which conscience will be impotent on practice.
II. Standard of Appeal.
"Secularism accepts no authority but that of Nature, adopts no methods but those of science and philosophy, and respects in practice no rule but that of the conscience, illustrated by the common sense of mankind. It values the lessons of the past, and looks to tradition as presenting a storehouse of raw materials to thought, and in many cases results of high wisdom for our reverence; but it utterly disowns tradition as a ground of belief, whether miracles and supernaturalism be claimed or not claimed on its side. No sacred scripture or ancient church can be made a basis of belief, for the obvious reason that their claims always need to be proved, and cannot without absurdity be assumed. The association leaves to its individual members to yield whatever respect their own good sense judges to be due to the opinions of great men, living or dead, spoken or written, as also to the practice of ancient communities, national or ecclesiastical. But it disowns all appeal to such authorities as final tests of truth."*
* "Programme of Freethought Societies," by F. W.
Newman. (Reasoner, No. 388.)
III. Sphere of Controversy.