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Humanism as we know it today didn't exist until fairly recently.
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I'm surprised no one disagreed with this earlier. It's the biggest assumption you're making, and understandably so - it is at the core of defending your world view.
If you want to critically analyze your beliefs, you should start here. Why do you believe that humanism "as we know it" didn't exist until "fairly recently". This sounds a bit like double-speak, as "as we know it" cannot be defined; we don't have the same knowledge, and "fairly recently" is similarly undefined - is recently 10 years, 50 years, 100 years?
I tend to believe that contemporary humanism is identical to the humanism expressed by cavemen forming civil society, as it is a simple philosophy. Don't do what you don't want done to you, and act altruistically because it serves to benefit the society (and consequently you, if everyone follows it).
The only benefit that Jesus of Nazareth or similar spiritual leaders provided (presuming you don't believe in their divinity) is having it written down. I earnestly believe that humanism predates Christianity, but neither of us can say this conclusively.
That's why I don't understand why Jesus is different for you than any other leader. If we believe the Gospels are truly what Jesus said, then the only thing he has over any other secular humanist is that he has a book written about it. That's not impressive enough for me to 'follow' him as you do.