INQUIRER Volume 3, Issue 9, September, 2000 A Thumbs Up Publication Editor: Gerald Dantone, Art Design: John R. Wilmarth Copyright LISH 2000 (All articles in this newsletter may be reprinted by organizations affiliated with the Council for Secular Humanism with a reciprocating reprinting agreement with LISH, so long as the article is used in full and with complete crediting. Edited versions can be used with written permission.)
Visit LISH on the web: http://www.homestead.com/lishweb and also at http://wwwhumanist.comTable of Contents
1) Open Letter to Newsday (Long Island)
2) Quickies
3) Making the Rounds with Norm
4) Book Review
5) Not Kosher?
6) Gore Not Concerned If Atheist Becomes President
7) Religion and the Elections
8) Compassion in Dying of NYOpen Letter to Newsday Gerry D
I am deeply disappointed that Newsday has chosen to completely ignore a primary issue in the current Boy Scouts controversy regarding the Scout's use of public school buildings in local districts. Despite my letters to Newsday, the fact that the Boy Scouts not only discriminate against gays but also against others on the basis of their religious beliefs is NEVER REPORTED! As I have pointed out, and as is plainly evident in the Boy Scouts application, all Scouts must affirm the Scout's "Declaration of Religious Principle" before the child is admitted. The Declaration states "The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God...". Besides non-believers, Unitarian Universalists, who have no religious belief requirements, are also not accorded the full privileges of other Scouts on the basis of their religion.This insulting Declaration is the first thing a parent and child must affirm when joining the Scouts. If you also hate atheists, and do not object to this, try substituting YOUR religious denomination and ask yourself if this is the kind of organization that belongs in your public school.
The very fact that Newsday, and almost every other newspaper neglects to mention this aspect of the Boy Scouts bigoted attitude is testimony to the widespread nature of ill feeling towards persons of the Community of Reason. It is no coincidence, upon the announcement of Joe Lieberman as the Democratic Party VP, that Newsday did not fully report on the Gallup Poll that indicated 92% of the American public would vote for a Jewish candidate for national office. That same poll reported that only one class of persons would not even be considered to be voted for by a majority of the voting public - atheists! Newsday was silent on this. Do the Boy Scouts contribute to this atmosphere of bigotry?
Your recent (Sunday 8/27/00) LI Topic page was once again typical. There was not one mention of religious discrimination by the Scouts. Not one contributor identified as a person of the Community of Reason. Why am I not surprised?
It is time Newsday actively sought a non-believer to add to their editorial board so that it can begin to represent the point of view of perhaps up to 300,000 or more non-religious, atheistic, agnostic, deistic, freethinking and secular persons who live on Long Island. If Newsday is unable to locate qualified persons, it may contact our organization. [TOC]
QUICKIES! Gerry D
Item: The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that women may read aloud from the Torah at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Ultra-Orthodox Jews believe this violates God's laws, and the Religion Minister vows to submit legislation to override the ruling.
Comment: Yes, the religious extremists in this religious country want people to go to jail for praying! Well, at least the wrong people! The secular courts have ruled that anyone can pray! Is everyone paying attention? This is another bit of evidence that without a secular government, religious freedom is impossible.
Item: Meskhetian Turks are the subjects of vicious bigotry in Southern Russia. Originally from Soviet Georgia, they were deported from that area in 1944 under Josef Stalin and sent to the Uzbekistan area. In 1989 they were run out of their adopted homeland and scattered among the neighboring areas. There are about 20,000 now living in Krasnodar and hated by their neighbors, primarily Cossacks. They are unjustly accused of rape, murder and generally considered "human cockroaches." They have no civil rights in these parts of the country. A human rights center in Moscow reports that "for the first time in the history of the Russian Federation, the government is purposely discriminating against one distinct ethnic group in a non-conflict peaceful situation."
The leader of the Cossacks, Deputy Gov. Gromov says, "they terrorize the local population, are involved in criminal activities, create problems in the social sphere. Traditionally, this area is an Orthodox area. Now there is a discussion of building mosques!"
Comment: Yes, the Turks are Moslem, the Cossacks are Christian, and the rest is predictable: Ethnic cleansing all over again. Solution? Could it be secularism and strict separation of church and state? Is this possible for the very religious?
Item: A crash course on finance and business was being given at the NY Stock Exchange and intended for Christian ministers. Didn't Jesus say that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into God's kingdom? What gives?
"A lot of people seem to think that the poorer you are, the more God loves you" says the Rev. Meeks of Chicago. "That might be true, but it didn't say that the rich man isn't going to get (to heaven)."
Comment: No it doesn't but if they want to ignore the gist of what Jesus supposedly said, it's just one more contradiction they will have to learn to live with. No problemo!
Item: Shirley McLaine claims that she had two affairs with Charlegmagne: Once while he was emperor and she was a Moorish girl, and a second time while Charlegmagne was Olaf Palme and she was, well, Shirley McLaine. Oh.
Comment: I wonder if she forgot about the time she and Olaf/Charlegmagne were goats and there was this soft moonlit night on the Chilean steppes...
Item: A question in a Sunday NY Times poll asked "Do you usually pray in the hopes of some reward, do you usually pray without the hope of some reward or do you not pray? Answer: 35% usually prayed with hope of reward! 45% prayed without hope for reward (yeah right!) and 16% did not pray.
44% of those without high schools diplomas prayed for reward and typically, in most surveys, they are among the lowest income and highest crime victim segments of society. Their life expectancy might also be lagging.
Comment: Nothing fails like prayer!
Item: Baseball player Chad Curtis believes he was traded from the Yankees in part because of his Christianity. The Yankees point to his $2,000,000 salary as a second stringer, a reasonable explanation. Curtis explains though, "there was a little apprehension toward what some would consider the way I have a tendency to bring my religion into work, my place of employment." He believes his strong convictions annoyed teammates and the front office took notice.
This kind of persecution complex is not unusual. Pat Robertson is always moaning about the plight of Christians in the US, comparing it to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. Curtis admits he removes what he considers pornographic material from the clubhouse, and engages in arguments with teammates over "offensive" lyrics to music playing in the clubhouse. He also once criticized the Yankees Derek Jeter for not fighting during a mini-brawl last year and defended the unrepentant baseball gambler Pete Rose in a dispute with NBC.
Comment: Actually Curtis is probably right. Who could stand to share a clubhouse with someone who needs to impose his need to obey on others? That he is a Christian is actually an arrogant statement - he is insinuating that many if not most other ballplayers are not - yet they are, almost to a man! The number of known non-Christian ballplayers is miniscule. It is Curtis' obnoxiousness that is unusual.
Item: Government forces captured Sierra Leone's rebel leader, Foday Sankoh. His reign of terror included recruitment of 10 year old soldiers, torturing enemies by gouging out their eyes and cutting off their limbs. Human rights groups insist he be tried as a war criminal. According to the NY Post, he built up his operation by claiming "God chose me to lead the revolution that will save Sierra Leone."
Comment: His followers apparently had great faith, and faith, as we all know, is a virtue. The ten thousand dead and the ten thousand maimed must have lacked faith. However, now that he is captured, the true faith is now possessed by the government forces, I'm sure.
Item: Methodists meeting in Cleveland, reaffirmed their opposition to homosexuality, ordination of gay men and blessing same-sex couples, binding congregations to this decision for the next four years.
Comment: All in a hard day's work of intolerance! See what you can do if you really set your mind to it?
Item: Minister Louis Farrakhan has apologized on "60 Minutes" for his role in the assassination of Malcom X.
Comment: Has he apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks, the sale of questionable medical cures, his racist rhetoric, etc? Perhaps he can hire the Pope's apology writers so that he can get great press without actually having said anything.
Item: NY Archbishop designate Edward Egan has met with a federal magistrate in an effort to settle suits filed against his Bridgeport Diocese over sex abuse charges against priests there. Egan took over in 1988 but the lawsuits claim he knew about the incidents and tried to keep them secret.
Comment: And good works flow from faith!
Item: The Pope cannot visit Russia without the approval of the Russian Orthodox Church says President Putin. Patriarch Alexiy, head of the Orthodox Church agreed saying, "much work had to be done" before such a visit. After 70 years of communism, the Russian Orthodox Church fears "competition." "It is unclear to us if you have an Orthodox Church in this country, why do you need another church?" said the director of relations for the Moscow Patriarch.
Comment: Let's get this straight - the communists have no problem with the Pope visiting - the problem is other Christians who fear the competition, in the realm of ideas no less! What precisely was their beef with communist suppression of religion? Could it have been the communist's fear of competition? What, exactly, then, has changed? Why is atheism, a largely irrelevant and often optional feature of communism still the overriding evil as far as the Vatican is concerned when the communists have no problem with the Pope and the Patriarch still does? Imagine - the former communist, Putin, is attempting to reconcile two warring church groups!
Item: The Vatican has ruled that theologians who teach at US Catholic colleges must obtain a "mandate" from a local bishop in order to teach. College presidents should be Catholic and pledge fidelity to the faith and a majority of trustees and faculty members should be Catholics as well.
Comment: And of course pursue knowledge and truth in a completely unbiased and objective manner!
Item: Suffolk County rejected a plan to add coverage and benefits for domestic partners. Such a law would have provided benefits to both homosexual and heterosexual couples who are not married. Legis. Andrew Crecca, one of 7 Republicans who voted against the bill said that the law would "lessen the meaning and definition of marriage."
Comment: If the law had passed, Mr. Crecca is possibly concerned that he would have turned gay on the spot, left his wife and kids and run away with Republican Legis. Alan Binder.
Item: A report by the Manhattan based Human Rights Watch claims that black men are 13 times as likely to be jailed for a drug offense as a white male. They write, "Our research shows that blacks comprise 62.7 percent and whites 36.7 percent of all drug offenders admitted to state prison, even though federal surveys and other data detailed in this report show clearly that this racial disparity bears scant relation to racial differences in drug offending. There are, for example, five times more white drug users than black."
Comment: I'm sure those opposed to Affirmative Action see this as just an annoying statistical quirk. How can one explain such a disparity? Could it be - racism? Could this sort of pattern be repeating itself in the job market, mortgage market and schools? Besides Affirmative Action, what could be done to level the playing field?
Item: NFL All-pro linebacker Ray Lewis is not a murderer after all. No, he just witnessed a murder, obstructed the police investigation, and as part of his plea bargain, is testifying against his "friends." According to his attorney, Lewis knelt in prayer before accepting the plea bargain.
Comment: Apparently prayer does work for those who obstruct justice! So what if two people died? Praise the Lord!
Item: The Catholic Church, according to an article in the NY Post, has admitted that the Bishop of Brooklyn of the Catholic Church approved an offer of $15,000 to a person that was sexually abused by a parish priest. The abuse supposedly occurred 20 years ago at St. Cecelia's school.
The diocese knew about sex-molestation charges against this priest, Father Pat Sexton, in 1983 and provided counseling for him. However, he continued supervising altar boys until 1990 at St. Patrick's in Long Island City. Since the Post began its report, a number of others have come forward confirming the tales of abuse. The statute of limitations has expired for all of these cases.
Comment: It is understandable how a few employees of an organization can betray the organization with irresponsible behavior: is it necessary to cover it up? The Church, as an institution, would be much more respected if it did not need to "act" so holy and instead possessed more integrity. This apparently will not happen where it is claimed "good works flow from faith."
Item: In a story in Newsday, it was reported that Sammy Gravano, an informant who testified on his former associates, was arrested in Arizona, along with members of a gang called the "Devil Dogs," for selling drugs. More interesting is the following excerpt: "Even more surprising, many of the original Dogs were churchgoing Mormons from prominent families who actively tried to recruit the sons of local notables, including Brent Benson, son of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Steve Benson of the Arizona Republic."
The gang apparently has grown from a group that had called itself Hitler's Youth. They later became the Devil Dogs and specialized in assaulting minorities, according to the story. The Anti-Defamation League branded the gang a hate group, but civic leaders in the area rose to their defense. Former Mayor James Farley was quoted as saying "They acted as jocks are supposed to act, obnoxious and aggressive."
Comment: Aside from the other sickening aspects of this story, will the media ever learn that portraying the arrest of a religious person being shocking somehow is a slap in the face of those who are not religious? Nahhhhhhh!
Item: Ivette Zapata-Smalls declared "we're going to have seven!" as news broke that the New Jersey woman was pregnant with septuplets. "It's all in God's hands" she said.
It was just two years before that her first child, still an infant, died of rheumatoid arthritis. After their daughter's death, Ivette and her husband, former pro football player turned minister, Fred Smalls, raged against God, demanding to know why their daughter died when so many evil people in the world seem to flourish.
With her latest pregnancy in progress they said they saw the hand of God at work, though they were coincidentally taking fertility drugs from their doctor. Their fundamentalist faith was restored.
Doctors warned the couple however, that unless some of the fetuses were aborted, none might survive at all. This advice was rejected because of their faith. "If we fought for the life of our daughter Anisa, how dare we destroy two or three?"
All seven fetuses died two weeks after the announcement to the media due to an infection and resulting miscarriages. As one could try to imagine, the couple was devastated.
Comment: Our sympathies are with the couple who now must now deal with a double tragedy - the miscarriages and the seeming betrayal by their God. Can one explain away this betrayal if one believes in heaven and hell? Does that mean the death of a loved one is then a good thing, if they're going to heaven? How come, then, no one is happy when a loved one passes away? Non-believers have wrestled with these ideas for centuries and generally understand that the most reasonable answers may not be the "feel-good" answers, but they do indeed constitute a glorious endorsement for the valuing of life itself.
Item: The Catholic League has taken exception to the "coarseness" of a joke by TV Weatherman Al Roker! Roker, on "Larry King Live" mentioned that his wife became pregnant with the help of the "expensive" fertility drug Pergonal, which Mr. Roker said (accurately it seems) was made from the urine of menopausal nuns! "It was cheaper to adopt a nun, you know, and just have her pee in a cup" was the offending joke.
Bill Donohue of the Catholic League says, "How much it would cost to rent a slave, he does not say. And with good reason: It might hit home... Perhaps Mr. Roker would benefit from a course in diversity run by the Catholic League but unfortunately we're too busy dealing with anti-Catholic bigots to have such a luxury."
Comment: Precisely what is Donohue getting at? Is adoption akin to slavery? Are nuns sensitive about being called adoptees? Obviously there was no malicious intent on the part of Roker, but can that be said of Donohue? Could the fact that Mr. Roker was once a Catholic and is now an Episcopalian have anything to do with this snit by the Catholic League?
The Catholic Church is insensitive enough to non-believers to call atheism one of the great evils of the world. Yet they're offended by someone humorously saying they're going to "adopt a nun" so they can "pee in a cup?" Get a life!
Item: Recently the Greek government decided to delete a person's religious affiliation from their state ID cards. The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, fearing this new freedom, has opposed the move. "Your efforts are futile, the people do not follow you," said the Archbishop. Can the Greek government rule without the consent of the Orthodox Church?
Comment: Of course, if one were Jewish, a non-believer, a Christian other than Greek Orthodox, etc., one would be grateful for the government's action. But religion is not about freedom and democracy, is it?
Item: According to published reports, Nigeria's largest state, Kano, has proclaimed the adoption of Islamic Shariah law. Despite government assurances, hundreds of Christians have been fleeing the mostly Muslim State fearing violence.
Shariah supporters have claimed that the law would only apply to Muslims, but the non-Muslim community fears the change in the legal system creating Islamic courts. Hundreds have died in various Nigerian states over sectarian violence in the last year.
Comment: Nigerian Christians would be protected only under a strict separation of church and state - do their American counterparts understand? Or are they more concerned with gaining privilege when they are able to gain it, and to hell with a fair system of justice?
Item: Roman Catholic Cardinal Thomas Winning was denounced by singer Elton John for writing that gays are engaged in a lifestyle that "can never respond to the deepest longings of the human heart." John stated that "Cardinal Winning and his ignorance, is totally representative of why people are turning away from the church." Sir Elton added, "As a gay man... I can honestly say that the deepest longings of my heart are satisfied."
Comment: Can the Cardinal understand that it is up to each individual to determine what their deepest aspirations might be? How can obedience to a supposed deity necessarily satisfy everyone? Is this not the height of arrogance to pretend to speak for everyone? What does it matter if no one is harmed and in fact some are made happy by accepting their preferences?
Item: The highest ranking of 20 priests and nuns accused of aiding and abetting genocide in Rwanda was acquitted of his crimes. The bishop, Augustin Misago was supposedly present at a meeting where former government officials discussed genocidal plans. The court said the case was not proven. Two priests have thus far been convicted and sentenced to death. The Vatican called this acquittal "a day of justice and truth." The bishop was head of the diocese where tens of thousands died at the hands of Hutu soldiers, militiamen and civilians.
Comment: Perhaps the bishop should reflect on his moral leadership, where numerous members of his flock killed thousands in cold blood. The Vatican should be more concerned with the hatred that seemed to flourish under its Rwandan nose. [TOC]
Book Review: Niles Eldredge, The Triumph of Evolution: and the Failure of Creationism Barry L
To my mind, the most interesting part of the Yankees-Red Sox mini-series in June was when the commentator informed us that a certain Boston player (who shall remain nameless) once said in an interview that he didn't believe in dinosaurs because they weren't in the bible. When asked to account for all those bones that we keep finding, he responded that those were "man-made." Too bad he wasn't also challenged to explain crude oil.Now one might think that the notion that secular humanists are doing the work of the Devil (in whom they don't believe) by constructing fake skeletal remains in order to undermine people's faith in scripture, is the ultimate madness. But one would be wrong. No, that honor belongs to Pat Robertson's 700 Club, which (back in 93, as an attempt to counter the popularity of Jurassic Park) told its viewers that dinosaurs were the dragons of medieval myth. Forget about asteroids; their extinction was at the hands of chivalrous knights. (See, you really can't think of anything crazier, can you?)
The name "Niles Eldredge" is already familiar to those who have been following the evolution-creationist "debate." He is easily one of the most important figures in the field of evolutionary theory. The tremendous knowledge of biological reality that he brings to this book is without a doubt one of its two great strengths. The other is the plain fact that it was written in 2000. Most of the books that attempt to refute creationist inanity date back to the early 80s. Since then, creationism itself has evolved in order to adapt to its intellectual environment. Eldredge's wider perspective allows him to explode creationist contentions old AND new.
Perhaps the feature of this book that will most interest humanists is the author's belief that there need not be any "culture war," including any conflict between science and religion. Science cannot tell us about God because it cannot get Him under the microscope, so to speak. But this does not mean that science presumes the rejection of God. Indeed: "The penchant of some scientists... to agree with creationists... that the naturalism of science indeed implies that the Judeo-Christian God does not exist, strikes me as crass and rather stupid." Does it now? Eldredge himself points out that science doesn't so much "prove" things as it disproves -- falsifies -- them. What is evolutionary theory but the falsification of creationist claims?
In addition to being a great scientist, Eldredge is a wonderful writer. In this book you encounter, not pages of jargon, but a man who is speaking to you. It is, simply, a crucial work that is as entertaining as it is educational. And it is those who think that we needn't concern ourselves any more with this issue, who will benefit from it the most. [TOC]
Seeking a Long Island Humanist Coalition Making the Rounds with Norm Norm R
It's been quite awhile since my last rounds. I have a lot to report.1)On June 22, 2000, the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly took place in Nashville, Tenn. 4000 people came to deal with UU issues, fun and frolic, as well as do business. It is obvious that the UU's are quite a wide spectrum of views from new age to hardheaded humanists. In the humanist arena we saw a changing of the guard from old timers to the new regime. Exciting new young people are taking on key roles. We also saw dialogues with Pagans and feminists. This is a response to previous two General Assemblies, which saw humanism under fire by these other positions and the approach of Post Modernist thought. There was a much friendlier environment for humanists this time
Present were not only UU humanists, but also folks from the AHA. It was a conference that found us having much dialogue and we can look forward to working with UU Humanists.
2)Unity Temple in Bohemia July l3, 2000: Here we met a very friendly woman minister of this temple. A tiny group of three people met to pray and discuss prayer. I substituted the word contemplation. She responded in a very positive way even after I indicated an atheistic perspective. Life was valued more than specific dogma. This Metaphysical group has a strong Emersonian Transcendelist flavor with intuition playing a major role. The main positive here is that I was able to show a good image of an Atheistic individual.
This group however, would not be a good coalition partner since their emphasis is on prayer rather than social action.
3) July l9, 2000: I visited a Buddhist temple in Centereach. This was a Theraveda Temple with Thai monks. This group was very cloistered in a small center. I witnessed a chanting session, which I was able to follow in a form of a guide. Few of these people could speak English. I did have a brief conversation with a leader. Their philosophy is quite Humanistic with a great deal of skepticism and deductive reasoning. It is noted however that this group is very much into themselves, and are not about to engage in coalition activity but they are quite interesting.
4) Conscience Bay Friends Sunday July 30, 2000: I attended a silent meeting on this Sunday morning. A small group of six people came to this little rural place in St. James to sit in silence and contemplate. After about one hour Clerk Brown turned to the others and shook hands. It was then followed by a rather friendly exchange and gathering. The friends are very involved in many social action endeavors in spite of their small numbers.
We have here a friendly ally who we would find quite compatible in spite of their liberal theology.
Liberal Christianity is one description of their theology. They however, are more concerned with worldly conditions than any hereafter. The Friends are good folks to be in touch with.
5) July 29, 2000, Saturday Morning, Reconstructionist Jewish temple, Cold Spring Harbor: I arrived early and spoke to the rabbi. He asked me many questions. He wondered whether I would be interested. He seemed suspicious. He pointed out that they were not interested in coalitions. His main concern is preservation of Jewish heritage.
He did however invite me to stay. The service was not unlike a Conservative Jewish ritual but with as very liberal almost humanistic philosophy. They would not call themselves as agnostic but simply as searching.
This group is very interesting but the tone is not inviting. The insular nature of this group makes contacts with them quite unlikely.
This makes the role of the Humanistic Jewish more significant since the Humanistic group is far more friendly and philosophically compatible. [TOC]
Not Kosher? Gerry D
A Federal Judge in Brooklyn struck down NY state Kosher food laws as unconstitutional. Based on a suit by Commack Kosher meats, it was argued that state laws were "heavily Orthodox" and not appropriate for defining what Kosher means for all Jewish persons in New York state. The judge agreed.It seems fairly simple that the government cannot determine what is or is not "kosher" since this is a religious question. Of course, this is a blow to some Orthodox Jews.
Sheldon Silver, NY Assembly Speaker declared "Accommodating religion is not establishing religion. The state has definite interpretations so that consumers are, in fact, buying kosher products." Mr. Silver is Orthodox and apparently finds it simple to ignore the opinions of the non-Orthodox.
As a consumer occasionally of kosher foods, I much prefer that the government not define a religious term and stick to inspecting food stores for public health reasons - not religious orthodoxy. If I care which rabbi has approved the store's food, I'll look for it specifically - I don't need the government to do that for me. [TOC]
Gore Not Concerned If Atheist Becomes President American Atheists News Item
Vice-President Al Gore has revealed that he would he would not be bothered if an atheist were to someday win the nation's highest elected office.In a story carried in a recent issue of Newsweek magazine titled "What They Believe -- and Whether It Really Matters," Gore was asked by religion editor Kenneth L. Woodward how he would feel if an atheist were elected president. Would it bother him? "No it would not. I think that it would depend on who the person was, of course. But do I believe that someone can have an understanding of our Constitution (and) a true spirit of tolerance without affirming a particular and specialized belief in God? Yes, I do. I think that is incumbent upon anyone who affirms a respect for tolerance."
It was not clear if candidates other than Mr. Gore were questioned on their reaction to a hypothetical atheist being elected to the nation's highest public office. [TOC]
Religion and the Elections Gerry D
It's election time and the race is on - to see which party can stake the best claim to being the party of faith! In nominating Sen. Joe Lieberman for VP, Al Gore and the Democratic party have, to their credit, broken down a long-standing barrier - nominating a person of the Jewish faith on the national ticket. It seems as though the country is ready for this, as 92% claim they would vote for such a person, all other things being equal.But instead of having to reassure the electorate that a person's faith would not influence their performance in office, the tactic has been to emphasize that Sen. Lieberman is a man of "deep faith."
What exactly is this supposed to mean? Does it mean that he is a better person than he would be if he did not have "deep faith." That is PRECISELY how it is meant and it is PRECISELY how most Americans understand it. It is somehow honorable and virtuous to have "faith," which in this usage means "belief without sufficient evidence." Arguing that "deep faith" means "deeply held religious beliefs" does not significantly change things - it is still referring to the supernatural and belief in one or another concept of God.
Of course this is an indirect slap at non-believers - the non-believer does not have "deep faith" and cannot "brag" about it.
Why does this reassure the Christian majority? Why do they feel better about a person of "faith" even if it is the "wrong" faith? Why does only 49% or less of the electorate see it possible to vote for an atheist, according to the same poll that found 92% willing to vote for a Jew? Aren't both Jews and atheists going to hell forever? Why are persons of reason so hated? The answer is simple: believers are threatened by persons who ask questions about their "deep faith." They have been indoctrinated from birth that morality comes from some authority from above, unaware that such a morality is by definition divorced from human standards of usefulness, concern and aspiration. It is the ultimate in Moral Relativism by the religious to endorse a faith, any faith, even a "damned" faith, as long as it is supernaturally based.
In addition to his public show of faith, Sen. Lieberman has supported, albeit on an experimental basis only, a school voucher plan that would have tax dollars go to churches that run private schools. Presidential candidate Gore opposes this policy. It is a remarkable thought that the Jewish Sen. Lieberman would support such a policy, considering that many of the tax-supported church-based schools could then teach their students that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus (Deicide) and deserve eternal punishment. In fact, if such vouchers were widespread, such religious divisiveness would get a huge boost via taxpayer dollars. Amazing!
Despite the above, the Republican ticket is even more hostile to Church-State separation. Vouchers for church-based schools are widely supported by Bush and little pretense is made that better education is the impetus. In addition they support all kinds of school prayer plans, Ten Commandment postings, religiously inspired abortion rights curtailment, and on and on. Candidate Bush's support of a Texas "Jesus Day," and his stated belief that all non-born again persons are unsaved are evidence of his fundamentalist position.
It is a conflicted choice that secular humanists have to make this election. They can choose, of course, a third party, but more than likely that would insure the election of the party most hostile to Church-State separation at a moment when the Supreme Court will need to replace aging justices. It is not just the political parties that are to blame - it is the American people who fail to see the value in strict separation and who still retain the bigotry dispensed in their churches against the non-believer. It is all the more reason why non-believers, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, those who love freedom and LISH should only work harder to get the message out, if for no other reason than the legacy we leave to future generations. [TOC]
Compassion in Dying of NY Gerry D
Last November, LISH's guest speaker at the monthly meeting was Dr. Peter Rogatz of Compassion in Dying of New York. As a follow-up to that meeting, Jane Emery, President of the Board of Directors sent along more information about the organization and it's services.The mission statement is as follows:
We will work at both individual and societal levels to:
Educate and advocate for the right of patients to make free and informed choices
Increase the availability of high quality palliative care through education and advocacy
Counsel patients and those appointed by them about palliation, relief of pain, suffering and other symptoms
Refer patients for hospice care, when appropriate
Provide information about withholding or withdrawing treatment and about hastening death to avoid further unnecessary suffering to mentally competent, terminally ill adults who have made an enduring and voluntary request
And at all times, we will be governed by the constraints of the law.
To find out if you or a loved one may benefit from a service they can provide, or simply to find out more about the organization, please either write to Compassion in Dying of New York, PMB 2010, 244 Fifth Avenue, NYC, NY, 10001-7604 or call 212 561 9175. [TOC]