Definition of Humanism

[Yarn]

What is a humanist?

Is it merely an atheist who believes in the very vague idea that you should do good for its own sake?

Personally, I define a humanist as someone who believes that ultimate moral good is the freedom, achievement, life, happiness, and dignity of human beings. Someone who does not believe in other moral considerations. Notably this means that faith, worship, abstinence of adultery, etc, are not considered to have inherent moral value.

In my opinion a humanist doesn't need to be an atheist, being that the ultimate paradigm of humanism is the value of eudaemonia-an aristotelian word meaning human life considered well lived when reflected on soberly. That having been said, I don't think very many humanists follow an organized religion.

I realize of course that the dictionary may contradict my definition, but the reality of the inconcreteness of how the word humanist is tossed around causes me to be guiltless as I morph it in my conception into what I would like it to be.

[McCulloch]

What is a humanist?

The dictionary is somewhat inadequate:

hu·man·ist [hyoo-muh-nist or, often, yoo-]
–noun

1. a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity.
2. a person devoted to or versed in the humanities.
3. a student of human nature or affairs.
4. a classical scholar.
5. (sometimes initial capital letter) any one of the scholars of the Renaissance who pursued and disseminated the study and understanding of the cultures of ancient Rome and Greece, and emphasized secular, individualistic, and critical thought.
6. (sometimes initial capital letter) a person who follows a form of scientific or philosophical humanism.

I prefer the definition from the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 .

[Catharsis]

Humanism = direction of a European thought that began to develop in 15th & 16th centuries during the time of the Renaissance. A desire to direct a thought to solve life’s problems in a materialistic and practical nature in order to improve man’s life.

Contemporary humanism — is a godless sect, that places as the cornerstone of its life, the "highest being" of the universe, MAN. This man doesn’t need God and can create his own laws, rules and moral standing at any given time and place. Contemporary Humanism considers all church organizations and faiths as harmful for education, psychology and life of mankind. C.H. was created in USA in the middle of the 1930s by atheistic scientists and philosophers who were organized into the American Humanitarian Association.

[McCulloch]

Humanism = direction of a European thought that began to develop in 15th & 16th centuries during the time of the Renaissance. A desire to direct a thought to solve life’s problems in a materialistic and practical nature in order to improve man’s life.

Contemporary humanism — is a godless sect, that places as the cornerstone of its life, the "highest being" of the universe, MAN. This man doesn’t need God and can create his own laws, rules and moral standing at any given time and place. Contemporary Humanism considers all church organizations and faiths as harmful for education, psychology and life of mankind.

Contemporary humanism is godless although I would question the use of sect. Humanism does not explicitly recognize humans as the highest being in the universe, although it remains skeptical about the existence of higher order invisible spiritual beings.
It is not so much that we don't need God, but we have come to the realization that there is no God, or at the very least, there is no conclusive reason to believe that there is a God. We recognize the reality that humans make their own laws. We don't pretend that the laws we make have been granted to us by a sky daddy.

C.H. was created in USA in the middle of the 1930s by atheistic scientists and philosophers who were organized into the American Humanitarian Association.

I believe you meant the Humanist not the Humanitarian Association, although humanists do have an affinity towards the ideals of humanitarianism too.