Humanist Movement - Conflict With Other Organisations

Conflict With Other Organisations

The history of the Humanist Movement has not been without its conflict with other organisations and individuals.

During the 1960s in Argentina, as the initial groups were forming with the name "Young Power", there was conflict with the Catholic Church. Humanist organisations, clearly opposed to the military regime in Argentina, came under attack from the government. People were arrested and jailed, two were killed and an attempt was made to shoot Silo.

A research by Professor Barr-Melej from Ohio University contains some information about the early conflicts.

Later on, with the advent of the Humanist variant of the Green party, humanists were exposed to a lot of opposition in Italy, Spain, the USA, the UK and Germany. Some people in the Green movement interpreted the Humanist Movement as being opposed to environmentalism, considering that humanity, not nature, should be the focus of attention. The response from the Humanist Movement was that environmental exploitation happens because society is following values (such as money, economic growth, etc.) that are contrary to the human being. The argument continued by pointing out that if we were to truly act on human values, there would be no need for a conflict with any living things.

In the UK and USA there has been confusion between the Humanist Movement and organisations such as the British Humanist Association and the American Humanist Association who promote secular humanism.

Some disaffected former members have also complained that the Humanist Movement is a cult, though some ex-members object to this label, considering this merely an attempt to discredit the organization.