My Problem with the Modern Humanist Movement

A decade or so ago, I used to regularly attend London Humanist meetups. It used to be like stepping into a marketplace of ideas. Marxists, libertarians, liberals, conservatives—you name it, they were there. The diversity of opinions was tolerated and celebrated. You didn't just nod along, you actively questioned, debated, and walked away richer for it.

Fast-forward to the present. I attended a few Humanist Reading meetups, and the atmosphere has changed dramatically. The chair openly bashing Brexiters, a co-organiser campaigning for climate issues, and another member of the leadership team advocating for open borders. It felt more like a meeting of a political party than a space for intellectual exploration. 

it's like an echo chamber. Stray from the accepted viewpoint and you're not just wrong, you're immoral. Have reservations about some part of the LGBTQ+ agenda, or not entirely sold on late-term abortions? You might as well be an outcast. It's as if there's a checklist of beliefs you need to tick off to be part of the club.

The cost of this ideological homogenisation is the erosion of diversity in thought. Leadership has alienated a swath of people who once found value in these meetups. A movement that once stood as a symbol of enlightenment and open debate has devolved into a bastion of intolerance because we're just replacing one form of dogma with another.