….Well it is really, but the history of its development is not easy. Here is an example

at http://www.socinian.org

BH membership must discover a new religious , philosophical or secular web-site every few days. This was one of the more interesting ones especially as it sets out its own principles of Humanism

Philosophical Principles of Humanism

Prof Marian Hillar

The continuous and steady rise of democratic societies in the world since the democratic revolutions of the XVIIIth century makes us recognize political democracy as the moral and practical way to determine the form of the government and self-rule of the people, i.e., the use of an electoral mandate to select political leaders to implement the main policies, the right to dissent, the right to opposition, the rule of law, and the assurance of civil liberties.

    This political and democratic revolutionary process goes hand in hand with the moral revolution leading to the development of ethical values and norms for our conduct which are both practical and rational, based on our universal human condition of living in a global society.

    The central value for all humans is self-realization and fulfillment. Thus, all persons are not only equal in their dignity and value, but also are equal before the law and are entitled to participate in society so that they are able to achieve a fulfilling life.

    All individuals should have a right to self-determination. Furthermore, they should have freedom of choice and freedom to develop their own values and lifestyle, as long as they do not deny the same rights to others. Society should restrict an individual’s liberties only in accordance with social needs in a democratic process. Therefore, tolerance and respect of others becomes another of the basic moral principles. The right to self-determination, however, necessitates personal responsibility and moral growth through education and rational, critical inquiry.

    Humanism is the intellectual formulation of the recognition of universal morality in a global society with all its freedoms and obligations. Humanism is the moral philosophy concerned with the reality available to us through reason and scientific inquiry. It is an open-ended process that provides answers to human problems.

The site goes on to extol the work and genius of Michael Servetus as

The representative of the most remarkable union of the two tendencies – speculative mysticism and cold rationalism – was Michael Servetus, the Spanish thinker who is distinguished also for his profound piety. In him was found the fusion of all that was best in the sixteenth century development if one puts aside the evangelical Reformation. Servetus equally distinguished himself as a learned experimenter, as a critical thinker, as a speculative philosopher, and as a Christian reformer in the best sense of the word.”

The site and its publications are endorsed by the American Humanist Association.

Prof Hillar also recently posted a thought provoking piece on the

 MANAVATAVADI-GROUP@yahoogroups.com

Noble Swami Monavtavadi,
I think you just hit a right cord when you quoted that little anecdote about your Muslim friend in context of his free will.
This issue of free will was debated since antiquity and not much more can be added to those old views. The Stoics were the first who discovered its value for human life (Marian Hillar, The Stoic Ethics: Natural development, Rationality, and Responsibility, published in Houston Freethought Alliance Newsletter, issues 101-106, 2008). The same trends can be found in the Hindu ethical theories.
So it is in order to quote a modern Stoic who gives exactly the same version of the free will but in a modern formulation
Professor Lawrence C. Becker in wonderful book which I recommend for reading (A New Stoicims, Princeton University Press, 1998) differentiates between the “negative liberty” and the “positive liberty.” Negative liberty is the absence of impediments to action. Positive liberty is the presence of the means necessary for effective choice and action. It is the stuff we require to act in the space provided by negative liberty. Those means are given to us by social and political institutions, by friends, courage, physical strength, etc. these are liberating factors and for using them some psychological and physical resources are necessary.
After such an introduction professor Becker quotes a little story:
“Now consider the question of whether liberty of either sort is a necessary condition for a good life. Why should it be? Suppose my name is Calvin, and suppose that my creator has predestined every detail of my life, every nuance of my thought and action, including the fact that through theological study I have now discovered that my life is predestined. Does this mean that I have not had a good life to this point, or that I cannot continue to have one? I have no genuine liberty at all to do anything other than what God has planned for me. I am, in effect, a total slave to God. But I certainly think I have a good life. I remember, and feel, and feel joy, anticipation, fear, responsibility, pride, guilt, shame, and obligation. I fear judgment. I do not know how things will turn out for me, but I suspect I am one of the elect, and am glad for that. In any case, I know that whatever happens, it will be exactly as God has planned. In the meantime, I will live the life that I have been given. Given God’s will, nothing else could have happened. I was never at liberty to do other than I did in fact do. I had life without liberty. But I rejoice in it, and affirm it anew every day.
End of story. Now what is wrong with it? It surely does not suggest that we cannot have good lives without liberty. Negative liberty, in general terms, is the space left to us by the political, social, personal, and metaphysical impediments that surround us; positive liberty is the stuff that enables us to act in that space. What Calvin imagines is that the space and stuff available to him are enough for exactly one life – the one God has given him to live, without liberty.”
Marian Hillar M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy
and Religious Studies
web site : http://www.socinian.org