Albert Eustace Haydon (1880–1975) was a Canadian historian of religion and a leader of the humanist movement.

Biography

Haydon was ordained to

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

ministry and served a church in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, in 1903–04. He ministered to the First Unitarian Society of Madison,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, from 1918 to 1923. He was head of the Department of Comparative Religion at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

from 1919 to 1945. While there, he was an influential voice of naturalist humanism. In 1933 he was one of signers of the Humanist Manifesto. The

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constitutiona ...

awarded him the Humanist of the Year award in 1956. Haydon's ''Biography of the Gods'' is an account of the origin of human belief in Gods and the rise and decline of Gods throughout history. Chapters are dedicated to the belief in

Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

, the Gods of China, India, Japan and the

God in Abrahamic religions The concept of God in Abrahamic religions is centred on monotheism. The three major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, alongside the Baháʼí Faith, Samaritanism, Druze, and Rastafari, are all regarded as Abrahamic reli ...

. Haydon concludes that just as belief in most of the old Gods is dead, the Christian God is no exception and is on the road to extinction. According to Haydon, Gods are invented so long as they meet real human needs (emotional and economic) and fulfill desires, fantasies and longings. When man's beliefs and fancies change the Gods die and substitutions take their place. Personal Gods outnumber abstract deities because the latter do not serve man's emotional nature or demands of practical living.

Selected publications

*''The Quest of the Ages'' (1929) *''Man's Search for the Good Life'' (1937) *''Biography of the Gods'' (1941, 1967) *''Modern Trends in World Religions'' (1968)

References

External links

Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography - Eustace Haydon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haydon, A. Eustace 1880 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Canadian Baptist ministers Canadian historians of religion Canadian humanists Canadian skeptics Canadian Unitarian Universalists Former Baptists People from Chatham-Kent Scholars of comparative religion Secular humanists