humanism
affirmation of the importance of humanity, as articulated in the theological sharing between Muslims, Jews and Christians in medieval Christendom. Subsequently, most especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, it has been promoted as ‘secular’ and contrasted with any religious humanism. This is now the predominant usage, with the connotation of being a non-theistic life stance. Whereas some humanists of ‘secularist’ inclinations would make strong assertion of the falsity of any and all religion, others acknowledge that different journeys of faith are being legitimately pursued both by those who call themselves religious and those who do not.