List of religious humanists

This is a partial list of famous religious humanists.

A

• Aviccena: Medieval Persian polymath, author of 240 surviving books on philosophy, medicine, astronomy, and Islamic theology.^[1]

E

• Desiderius Erasmus: Dutch Renaissance humanist philosopher and Catholic priest.

G

• Mahatma Gandhi: Major leader of the Indian Independence movement in the early 20th century, known for his use of nonviolent resistance in opposing British colonial power.^[2]

K

• Søren Kierkegaard: 19th century Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first proponents of existentialism.^[3]

M

• Jacques Maritain: Twentieth century French Catholic philosopher who helped revive St. Thomas Aquinas for modern times, and influential in the development and drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.^[4]

• Thomas More: English lawyer, social philosopher, author, and statesmen.^[5]

P

• Francesco Petrarca: Italian poet, often called the father of Italian Renaissance humanism^[6]

W

• Elie Wiesel: Jewish^[7]-American, professor, political activist, and author of 57 books, including Night, which details his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. ^[8]

Notes and references

1. ↑ UNESCO. "Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science". Retrieved 8 April 2015. A healer and a humanist, Avicenna developed an exemplary holistic approach that captures the essence of ethics in science and has thus come to serve as a source of inspiration for the promotion of this concern, which is of central importance to UNESCO.
2. ↑ Geeta S. Mehta. "The Integral Humanism of Mahatma". Retrieved 8 April 2015. As a humanist, Gandhi worshipped God through the service of man and looked upon all human beings as but the manifestations of God Himself. His humanism meant his utter devotion to the human interest.
3. ↑ Eliseo Perez-Alvarez (2009). A Vexing Gadfly: The Late Kierkegaard on Economic Matters. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 1556359608. Kierkegaard shared with Hegel (via the Young Hegelians) the emphasis on humanism, based on commitment to human beings as opposed to a mere sentimental act or charity. Now, Kierkegaard’s love is neither platonic nor an idealized nor “natural but a paradoxical love”; it is the result of a divine commandment: “You should love your neighbor”; it is “scandal for the Jews and… gentiles”; in short, it is Christian humanism.
4. ↑ Jacques Maritain. "True humanism." (1938).
5. ↑ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Thomas More". Retrieved 8 April 2015. Thomas More (1478–1535) was an English lawyer, humanist, statesman, and Catholic martyr....
6. ↑ University of Michigan Press. "Rereading the Renaissance: Augustine in Petrarch's humanism". Retrieved 8 April 2015. Although Francesco Petrarca's position as the "father" of Italian Renaissance humanism has long been acknowledged, the specific meanings of his works and his legacy remain matters of controversy.
7. ↑ Joseph Lowin. April 2015 "A Conversation With Elie Wiesel". My problem is not with Judaism but with humanity. As to my beliefs, people didn’t understand about my faith [in the camps]. I never lost my faith. If I had lost my faith, I would have had no problem...Later on, in the fifties, when I studied philosophy and theology [at the Sorbonne], I began to be invaded by doubts, all the questions we have now in philosophy and theology, God’s presence in history, God’s action in history, God’s relationship to his creation. Again, not that I stopped believing in God.
8. ↑ Nobelprize.org. April 2015 "Elie Wiesel - Facts". The Jewish author, philosopher and humanist Elie Wiesel has made it his life's work to bear witness to the genocide committed by the Nazis during World War II.