INQUIRER
Long Island Secular Humanists Box 119, Greenlawn, NY 11740, 516 742 1662, Email: InfidelsRe@aol.com

Volume 1, Issue 2, December 1998
1  First meeting 1/29/99 LET'S TALK!
2  Local Humanist News
3  Bill Reel - Newsday's 'Gift' to the Secular
4  New LI Christian TV Network
5  Letters To the Editor
6  Feature Stories Wanted

FIRST MEETING 1/29/99 LET'S TALK! Jerry Dantone
    The first regular meeting of the newly formed Long Island Secular Humanists is scheduled to take place Friday, January 29, 1999 @, the Plainview-Bethpage Public Library, 999 Old Country Road, Plainview, at 7:30 PM. It is expected that a number of responsibilities regarding incorporation, fund raising, newsletter production, and meeting planning will be addressed and the group can quickly move into the business of serving humanist community needs.

The format of regular meetings should be structured but not rigid, and allow for participation from members, fun and enlightenment for all. It is anticipated that there will be occasional guest speakers and entertainment from local artists as well. Volunteers are needed to help plan meetings, and all ideas are welcome.

A follow-up meeting is planned for Friday, March 26, 1999, same place, same tine, with the topic to be announced. Please note that there is no February meeting. TOC

LOCAL HUMANIST NEWS Gerry Dantone
    All news items of interest to area secular humanists can be mailed to the address above, faxed to 516 742 4618 or Emailed to InfidelsRe@aol.com for inclusion in the newsletter. It is surprising how many items this can amount to, even if the stories are limited to those that effect Long Island humanists. Items can include stories that denigrate the nonreligious, local accounts of faith based miracles, church state separation issues. discrimination against the non-religious or other religious groups, and so on. Let us not forget that stories about triumphant human effort also qualify as inspirational examples of humanism! With just a little effort, much can be gathered, and enlighten those who seek to understand our point of view. TOC

BILL REEL - NEWSDAY'S 'GIFT' TO THE SECULAR Gerry Dantone
    Though I am not sure how many years it has been, Bill Reel has been a Newsday columnist who regularly writes with a "spiritual" slant. He typically addresses a political or social topic and shares his admittedly Roman Catholic point of view with the readership. Seemingly a congenial and moral person on the surface, an often righteous and judgmental personality emerges when he's aroused, and it's not pretty. He saves his greatest wrath for the secular, and his reasoning is often astounding. I believe it is important to comment and respond to Mr. Reel since Newsday is Long Island's primary news medium and he a great source of distorted information, unfortunately, about secularism. A terrific example of Mr. Reel's feelings about secularism and church-state separation can be found in a column he wrote while attending the Republican National Convention in August of 1996. He wrote "The first article of faith of the devout secular leftist is that no expression of classroom homage to a Supreme Being is allowable lest an atheistic or agnostic child or parents takes offense." Of course he ignores the fact that the Constitution prohibits this homage and it protects persons of all beliefs. Further, a secular person should not hold a belief based on faith, but instead based on a rational process of finding solutions to problems. He continues "Schools were better when education was grounded on faith, before the Supreme Court outlawed school prayer.

Religious-rightists believe." If Creation Science and the outlawing of evolution is your cup of tea, this might be correct, but if education, unencumbered by prevailing religious myths is your preference, this is an untruth. If you like your classrooms racially segregated, and your history slanted to protect the sensibilities of the religious, Mr. Reel would be correct, but if you want to know the facts, warts and all, you may prefer a non-faith grounding of education. Consider the whole point of education: To ask questions, seek answers and not accept information on faith alone.

His venom for the secular is betrayed by the column's end "Nothing would benefit children as much as restoration of traditional morality and the two parent family...The secular left hates to hear that... Secular leftists can't complete a sentence without 'intolerant' in it. It would be wrong to say that secular leftists have no faith; they believe deeply, devoutly and reverentially in condoms for kids. Secular leftists have a couple of favorite final solutions: birth control and abortion."

If any columnist were to vent this kind of spleen at a group other than the secular, they would be summarily dismissed. Now it is not my business, ordinarily, what one person believes in the privacy of their mind, that is their unalienable right and Mr. Reel is entitled to his position. Newsday, similarly, is entitled to employ him as well. However, due to Newsday'spower in our market, we are entitled and obligated to respond and make ourselves heard. This kind of rhetoric is damaging to us and to our children in the minds of those who are forming opinions. Our silence, as a group, invites this kind of attack. If we believe that our opinions are reasonable, and not the result of prejudice, irrationality or hate, we should not be afraid to express them. You'll feel better for it. Write to Newsday, it won't hurt! TOC

NEW LI CHRISTIAN TV NETWORK Gerry Dantone
    According to Newsday, a Long Island couple will be launching a new Christian-oriented cable network available to about 70,000 subscribers in Brookhaven. The Christian Television Network plans to have 30 hours weekly of programming airing Sundays through Fridays. Another Long Island network Telicare, is the broadcasting arm of the Rockville Centre Roman Catholic Diocese and reaches up to 770,000 homes on Long Island Non-Catholic denominations are also featured in Telicare's programming.

If you are familiar with Telicare, it is not known as a fundamentalist leaning network, though the programming can be very dogmatic in its own way. Furthermore, the leading Telicare personalities, the "God Squad" Father Tom Hartman and Rabbi Marc Gellman are attractive spokespersons with an entirely different style from a "700 Club's" Pat Robertson.

On the other hand, it is reported that CTN's founders, Ministers Richard and Diane Anderson, spent time with the producers of the 700 Club and Mr. Robertson, and that CBN will provide the network with some programming. CBN has also offered some training for CTN staff and a show modeled after Pat Robertson's flagship is scheduled, complete with phone banks for prayers and counseling.

Richard Anderson was quoted saying "It's definitely a walk of faith. . . If God doesn't provide, we can't continue." Not taking any chances, however, CTN will depend on viewer monetary support to pay the bills. It will be interesting to see if CTN is going to be CBN North, and if it will fly in the Long Island area Stay tuned. TOC

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR   We urge our readers to write to us at the above address or the Ernail address or fax number mentioned in the Local Humanist News story. We want to know what's on your minds! Where else can you have a reasonable chance of having your humanist point of view expressed publicly?

Send letters to LISH, Box 119, Greenlawn. NY 11740, Email to InfidelsRe@aol.com, or fax to (516) 742-4618 TOC

FEATURE STORIES WANTED   All LISH members are invited to contribute articles to your newsletter. It may not be as prestigious as the New York Times, but there's no pay as well! Articles can focus on areas of interest to Secular Humanists, including philosophy/religion, church-state issues? human rights, ethics and so much more. TOC