Humanism, atheism and agnosticism
Non-religious does not mean having no worldview. Humanism is a positive position with its own claims about knowledge, ethics and meaning.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Compare religious and non-religious worldviews
Key learning points
- • Three distinct words
- • Where humanists and religious believers agree
- • Where they differ
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 20 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 20
Visual introductionPicture this
Humanism, atheism and agnosticism
Non-religious does not mean having no worldview. Humanism is a positive position with its own claims about knowledge, ethics and meaning.
In a nutshell
Compare religious and non-religious worldviews
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 20
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Three distinct words
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 20
Learn
Three distinct words
An atheist holds that there is no God. An agnostic holds that we cannot know. A humanist holds a broader position: that this life is the one we have, that evidence and reason are the best guides to truth, and that ethics comes from human welfare rather than divine command.
Reset break
Part 4 of 20
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 20
Learn
Where humanists and religious believers agree
Compassion, honesty and fairness appear across worldviews. Many humanists and religious believers work together on the same causes. Disagreement is usually about the foundation of ethics, not the content of everyday moral behaviour.
Quick check
Part 6 of 20
Quick check
Part 7 of 20
Reset break
Part 8 of 20
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 20
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Where they differ
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 20
Learn
Where they differ
Sources of authority differ: sacred text and tradition on one side, evidence and reasoned argument on the other. Views on life after death differ sharply, which shapes ceremonies — humanist funerals celebrate the life lived rather than a life to come.
Quick check
Part 11 of 20
Reset break
Part 12 of 20
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 20
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 20
Worked example
Worked example: a comparison paragraph
Both Christians and humanists teach that helping others matters. Christians usually root this in the teaching to love your neighbour and in belief that people are made in God's image. Humanists root it in shared human welfare and the observation that cooperation reduces suffering. The behaviour can be identical while the reasoning differs — which is exactly what a comparison should show.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 20
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 16 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 20
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Compassion, honesty and fairness appear across ____.
Many humanists and ____ believers work together on the same causes.
Challenge round
Part 18 of 20
Game · Recall cards
What does an agnostic hold?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 19 of 20
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Humanism, atheism and agnosticism
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. What does an agnostic hold?
2. Where do humanists say ethics comes from?
3. What is a fair statement about agreement?
4. What does a humanist funeral typically focus on?
Lesson round-up
Part 20 of 20
Lesson round-up
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Ask LunaPart 1 of 20 · Watch & discover