(highlight:: Felix Adler and the Founding of Ethical Culture Movement
Summary:
Felix Adler moved away from belief in a personal God during college, becoming a member of the Free Religious Association and was drawn to the belief that ethics should arise from experience, sentiment, and study.
He founded ethical culture to help humanity focus on larger concerns and ampler interests, organizing community meetings devoid of prayer to educate, console, and inspire people to become ethical citizens. Adler emphasized humanitarian social action, demanding fairness before the law and equitable access to resources, and founded ethical societies in various cities, leading to the establishment of two dozen ethical societies connected through the American Ethical Union today.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
During college, Felix moved away from belief in a personal God, explaining that he just, quote, stopped praying one day. He gave up his intention to follow his father as rabbi of Temple Immanuel. Felix became a member of the Free Religious Association, founded in 1867 by, get this name, Octavius Brooks Frothingham. Felix was drawn to Frothingham's belief that ethics should arise from experience, sentiment, and study, not from supernaturalism. Religious dogma and intolerance had caused too much suffering in the world. As the Free Religious Association devolved into more of a debating society than a vehicle for promoting ethical living, Adler started his life project. In May of 1876, he gave what came to be the founding address of a new congregational movement called ethical culture. In this address, Adler warned of grave dangers facing modern society, materialism, greed, apathy. We are, Adler declared, drifting on a seething tide of business, each one absorbed and holding his own in the giddy race of competition, each one engrossed in immediate cares and seldom Disturbed by thoughts of larger concerns and ampler interests." So, to help humanity focus on larger concerns and ampler interests, Adler created an alternative to traditional Religion. He organized regular Sunday morning community meetings, devoid of prayer and with minimum ritual. Thoughtful words and beautiful music would educate, console, and inspire people to become ethical, engaged citizens. That was the goal at least. People from all backgrounds would be able to build meaningful lives and to work together to make the world a better place. The New York Society for Ethical Culture was founded. Now, Felix Adler's early lectures were some of the best entertainment in town. They drew overflow crowds and were often published in the New York Times. Early on, he lectured about the lives of Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad. Adler embraced their humanity and discarded the blind obedience to man -gods in the sky. He focused on this world, on ethical issues in education, government, business, labor reform, personal relationships. Much of Adler's time and energy was spent on humanitarian social action. While caring for the destitute, he suggested that we move away from paternalistic charity towards empowerment of everyone. Adler demanded fairness before the law and more equitable access to resources. Under his leadership, the Ethical Society developed many projects, particularly those to address problems of life. It organized the first kindergartens and settlement houses in the United States, the visiting nurses' program and the workingman's school. Adler supported progressive governmental efforts, such as the National Child Labor Committee and the New York State Tenement House Commission. Soon, Adler founded ethical societies in other cities, Chicago in 1882, Philadelphia in 1885. Others followed in St. Louis, Brooklyn, Washington, Baltimore, and a number through Europe. Two dozen ethical societies exist today, and they're connected through the American Ethical Union, our federating organization.)
- Time 0:01:39
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(highlight:: The Core Values of the Ethical Culture Movement
Summary:
The Ethical Culture Movement is guided by shared values and a framework that prioritize action over belief, maintain institutional non-theism, and focus on humane values.
The movement emphasizes honoring the worth of all individuals, striving for social justice by deconstructing oppressive systems and fostering supportive environments, and nurturing ethical relationships based on openness, respect, and compassion. These values are not imposed but are continuously reaffirmed through community discussions, with a commitment to treating individuals as ends in themselves and upholding self-evident and unalienable rights.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
But I think we are linked even more by our shared framework and values. Now, by framework, this is what I mean. First, we are dedicated to deed before creed. We focus more on how we act than in what we believe. After all, it's more important that we treat each other well than the reasons for doing so. Another part of our framework is that we're institutionally non -theistic. That is not the same as atheistic. Atheism is the denial of the existence of God. Ethical societies make no claims about the existence or non -existence of God. As individuals, members of ethical societies, maybe theists or atheists or something else, but organizationally, we don't make any theological claims. It's more important that we according to our shared humane values. What are these shared values and where do they come from? Well, first, they're not handed down to us on stone tablets. Many were a part of Felix Adler's original vision. But the values we share are those we come to again and again in our community discussions. I'll just share with you three that I think are important. The first is a commitment to honor the worth of everyone. We strive to act towards all people as if they were irreplaceable, unique, and of infinite worth. It doesn't even require that you believe in the worth of others. After all, we have bad days when our belief in the worth of others is tested by their poor behavior. But the commitment should carry on in how we treat others compassion and respect. Adler found philosophical grounding for this value while studying Immanuel Kant. Every individual should be treated, Kant claimed, as an end in themselves and never just as a means. This reinforced the revolutionary ideal that we're endowed with certain self -evident and unalienable rights. Rights that cannot be separated or made alien from us. A second shared value arises out of this commitment to the worth of all. If you really do commit to the worth of others, you'll soon run into the reality that you can't do this for each and every person. You can, however, deconstruct systems of oppression and create supportive mechanisms that allow for everyone to flourish. It is the universalization of this commitment to the worth of each person. The value that arises is social justice. A third shared value that I think makes ethical culture particularly unique is that at the ethical society, we strive to honor the worth of everyone and to build social justice through The nurturing of ethical relationships. Relationships that are open, respectful, and compassionate. This demands an openness to others and to different points of view. We strive to build such relationships between people and groups and nations and all of life. It admits that we are largely of an interconnected web.)
- Time 0:05:47
-

(highlight:: 1min Snip
Transcript:
Speaker 1
After all, we have bad days when our belief in the worth of others is tested by their poor behavior. But the commitment should carry on in how we treat others compassion and respect. Adler found philosophical grounding for this value while studying Immanuel Kant. Every individual should be treated, Kant claimed, as an end in themselves and never just as a means. This reinforced the revolutionary ideal that we're endowed with certain self -evident and unalienable rights. Rights that cannot be separated or made alien from us. A second shared value arises out of this commitment to the worth of all. If you really do commit to the worth of others, you'll soon run into the reality that you can't do this for each and every person. You can, however, deconstruct systems of oppression and create supportive mechanisms that allow for everyone to flourish. It is the universalization of this commitment to the worth of each person. The value that arises is social justice. A third shared value that I think makes ethical culture particularly unique is)
- Time 0:07:30
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(highlight:: Felix Adler and the Founding of Ethical Culture Movement
Summary:
Felix Adler moved away from belief in a personal God during college, becoming a member of the Free Religious Association and was drawn to the belief that ethics should arise from experience, sentiment, and study.
He founded ethical culture to help humanity focus on larger concerns and ampler interests, organizing community meetings devoid of prayer to educate, console, and inspire people to become ethical citizens. Adler emphasized humanitarian social action, demanding fairness before the law and equitable access to resources, and founded ethical societies in various cities, leading to the establishment of two dozen ethical societies connected through the American Ethical Union today.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
During college, Felix moved away from belief in a personal God, explaining that he just, quote, stopped praying one day. He gave up his intention to follow his father as rabbi of Temple Immanuel. Felix became a member of the Free Religious Association, founded in 1867 by, get this name, Octavius Brooks Frothingham. Felix was drawn to Frothingham's belief that ethics should arise from experience, sentiment, and study, not from supernaturalism. Religious dogma and intolerance had caused too much suffering in the world. As the Free Religious Association devolved into more of a debating society than a vehicle for promoting ethical living, Adler started his life project. In May of 1876, he gave what came to be the founding address of a new congregational movement called ethical culture. In this address, Adler warned of grave dangers facing modern society, materialism, greed, apathy. We are, Adler declared, drifting on a seething tide of business, each one absorbed and holding his own in the giddy race of competition, each one engrossed in immediate cares and seldom Disturbed by thoughts of larger concerns and ampler interests." So, to help humanity focus on larger concerns and ampler interests, Adler created an alternative to traditional Religion. He organized regular Sunday morning community meetings, devoid of prayer and with minimum ritual. Thoughtful words and beautiful music would educate, console, and inspire people to become ethical, engaged citizens. That was the goal at least. People from all backgrounds would be able to build meaningful lives and to work together to make the world a better place. The New York Society for Ethical Culture was founded. Now, Felix Adler's early lectures were some of the best entertainment in town. They drew overflow crowds and were often published in the New York Times. Early on, he lectured about the lives of Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad. Adler embraced their humanity and discarded the blind obedience to man -gods in the sky. He focused on this world, on ethical issues in education, government, business, labor reform, personal relationships. Much of Adler's time and energy was spent on humanitarian social action. While caring for the destitute, he suggested that we move away from paternalistic charity towards empowerment of everyone. Adler demanded fairness before the law and more equitable access to resources. Under his leadership, the Ethical Society developed many projects, particularly those to address problems of life. It organized the first kindergartens and settlement houses in the United States, the visiting nurses' program and the workingman's school. Adler supported progressive governmental efforts, such as the National Child Labor Committee and the New York State Tenement House Commission. Soon, Adler founded ethical societies in other cities, Chicago in 1882, Philadelphia in 1885. Others followed in St. Louis, Brooklyn, Washington, Baltimore, and a number through Europe. Two dozen ethical societies exist today, and they're connected through the American Ethical Union, our federating organization.)
- Time 0:01:39
-

(highlight:: The Core Values of the Ethical Culture Movement
Summary:
The Ethical Culture Movement is guided by shared values and a framework that prioritize action over belief, maintain institutional non-theism, and focus on humane values.
The movement emphasizes honoring the worth of all individuals, striving for social justice by deconstructing oppressive systems and fostering supportive environments, and nurturing ethical relationships based on openness, respect, and compassion. These values are not imposed but are continuously reaffirmed through community discussions, with a commitment to treating individuals as ends in themselves and upholding self-evident and unalienable rights.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
But I think we are linked even more by our shared framework and values. Now, by framework, this is what I mean. First, we are dedicated to deed before creed. We focus more on how we act than in what we believe. After all, it's more important that we treat each other well than the reasons for doing so. Another part of our framework is that we're institutionally non -theistic. That is not the same as atheistic. Atheism is the denial of the existence of God. Ethical societies make no claims about the existence or non -existence of God. As individuals, members of ethical societies, maybe theists or atheists or something else, but organizationally, we don't make any theological claims. It's more important that we according to our shared humane values. What are these shared values and where do they come from? Well, first, they're not handed down to us on stone tablets. Many were a part of Felix Adler's original vision. But the values we share are those we come to again and again in our community discussions. I'll just share with you three that I think are important. The first is a commitment to honor the worth of everyone. We strive to act towards all people as if they were irreplaceable, unique, and of infinite worth. It doesn't even require that you believe in the worth of others. After all, we have bad days when our belief in the worth of others is tested by their poor behavior. But the commitment should carry on in how we treat others compassion and respect. Adler found philosophical grounding for this value while studying Immanuel Kant. Every individual should be treated, Kant claimed, as an end in themselves and never just as a means. This reinforced the revolutionary ideal that we're endowed with certain self -evident and unalienable rights. Rights that cannot be separated or made alien from us. A second shared value arises out of this commitment to the worth of all. If you really do commit to the worth of others, you'll soon run into the reality that you can't do this for each and every person. You can, however, deconstruct systems of oppression and create supportive mechanisms that allow for everyone to flourish. It is the universalization of this commitment to the worth of each person. The value that arises is social justice. A third shared value that I think makes ethical culture particularly unique is that at the ethical society, we strive to honor the worth of everyone and to build social justice through The nurturing of ethical relationships. Relationships that are open, respectful, and compassionate. This demands an openness to others and to different points of view. We strive to build such relationships between people and groups and nations and all of life. It admits that we are largely of an interconnected web.)
- Time 0:05:47
-

(highlight:: 1min Snip
Transcript:
Speaker 1
After all, we have bad days when our belief in the worth of others is tested by their poor behavior. But the commitment should carry on in how we treat others compassion and respect. Adler found philosophical grounding for this value while studying Immanuel Kant. Every individual should be treated, Kant claimed, as an end in themselves and never just as a means. This reinforced the revolutionary ideal that we're endowed with certain self -evident and unalienable rights. Rights that cannot be separated or made alien from us. A second shared value arises out of this commitment to the worth of all. If you really do commit to the worth of others, you'll soon run into the reality that you can't do this for each and every person. You can, however, deconstruct systems of oppression and create supportive mechanisms that allow for everyone to flourish. It is the universalization of this commitment to the worth of each person. The value that arises is social justice. A third shared value that I think makes ethical culture particularly unique is)
- Time 0:07:30
-