Origins of The Phrase "life Stance"
Life stance is a neologism apparently coined in the mid 1970s by humanists interested in educational matters, and developed originally in that context by Harry Stopes-Roe of the Rationalist Press Association and British Humanist Association. It was originally used in the context of debates over the controversial content of the City of Birmingham's Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, 1975. That document referred to "non-religious stances for living". According to Barnes:
It was the first syllabus to abandon the aim of Christian nurture and to embrace a multi-faith, phenomenological model of religious education; and it was also the first syllabus to require a systematic study of non-religious ‘stances for living’, such as Humanism, and for such study to begin in the primary school.In the late 1980s, Harry Stopes-Roe initiated a successful campaign for the adoption of the term by the International Humanist and Ethical Union and other organisations (see also his comments quoted below on its provenance). It was not an uncontroversial proposal among humanists.
The term was introduced as part of an attempt to establish a clear identity for Humanism, in order to gain recognition and respect.
According to Stopes-Roe:
"Life stance" is an expression that has been current in Britain for more than ten years and is now gaining acceptance worldwide, to describe what is good in both Humanism and religion - without being encumbered by what is bad in religion.Read more about this topic: Life Stance
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