Editing Secular humanism (section)

===Positivism and the Church of Humanity===
Holyoake's [[secularism]] was strongly influenced by [[Auguste Comte]], the founder of [[positivism]] and of modern [[sociology]]. Comte believed human history would progress in a "[[law of three stages]]" from a [[theological]] phase, to the "[[Metaphysics|metaphysical]]", toward a fully rational "positivist" society. In later life, Comte had attempted to introduce a "[[religion of humanity]]" in light of growing anti-religious sentiment and social malaise in [[French Revolution|revolutionary France]]. This religion would necessarily fulfil the [[structural functionalism|functional]], cohesive role that supernatural religion once served.

Although Comte's religious movement was unsuccessful in France, the positivist philosophy of science itself played a major role in the proliferation of secular organizations in the 19th century in England. [[Richard Congreve]] visited Paris shortly after the [[French Revolution of 1848]] where he met [[Auguste Comte]] and was heavily influenced by his positivist system. He founded the London Positivist Society in 1867, which attracted [[Frederic Harrison]], [[Edward Spencer Beesly]], [[Vernon Lushington]], and [[James Cotter Morison]] amongst others.

In 1878, the Society established the [[Church of Humanity]] under Congreve's direction. There they introduced sacraments of the Religion of Humanity and published a co-operative translation of Comte's Positive Polity. When Congreve repudiated their Paris co-religionists in 1878, Beesly, Harrison, Bridges, and others formed their own positivist society, with Beesly as president, and opened a rival centre, Newton Hall, in a courtyard off Fleet Street.

The New York City version of the church was established by English immigrant [[Henry Edger]]. The American version of the "Church of Humanity" was largely modeled on the English church. Like the English version, it was not atheistic and had sermons and sacramental rites.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUnCQ6dD0YEC&q=%22church+of+humanity%22+positivist&pg=PA23|title=Positivist Republic|access-date=12 June 2015|isbn=978-0271039909|last1=Harp|first1=Gillis J.|date=2010-11-01|publisher=Penn State Press }}</ref> At times the services included readings from conventional religious works like the [[Book of Isaiah]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F03E4DE1730EE3ABC4E52DFB766838A699FDE | title=A Positivist Festival| journal=The New York Times| date=1881-01-16}}</ref> It was not as significant as the church in England, but did include several educated people.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 3169031|title = "The Church of Humanity": New York's Worshipping Positivists|journal = Church History|volume = 60|issue = 4|pages = 508–523|last1 = Harp|first1 = Gillis J.|year = 1991|doi = 10.2307/3169031| s2cid=162304255 }}</ref>