INQUIRER Volume 4, Issue 6, June, 2001, Long Island Secular Humanists Box 119, Greenlawn, NY 11740, Email: LISecHum@aol.com . 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.)
LISH members, our monthly meetings (Calendar) are your chance not only to see and hear a stimulating discussion on an exciting subject, but also to meet with your fellow secular humanists on Long Island.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) A Bush insults the godless
2) Letters to the Editor
3) Making the Rounds with Norm
4) Book Discussion Club!
5) Quickies!
6) Help Wanted!
7) SOS Meetings on Long Island!LISH MEETING INFORMATION
The next LISH sponsored monthly meeting will be held on Friday, June 22, @ 7:15 PM at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library, 999 Old Country Road, Plainview. A speaker from the World Federalist Association, Morton Gladstone, will give a presentation on the "The Future of the International Criminal Court: Why it is Important."On Tuesday, July 10, 2001, American Atheists is organizing a demonstration at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. to protest Pres. Bush's faith based initiatives. Also, on July 17, they are asking everyone to send a fax, letter or fax (not email) to your elected official. For all the needed info, go to www.thedaythatcounts.org or call 908 276 7300.
Note: Sunday, July 1, 10AM, Gerry Dantone, LISH President will be speaking at the UU Congregation of the South Fork, in Water Mill, Suffolk County at the Community House. The topic will be "James Madison & Separation of Church and State." For directions call Sue @ 631 725 6435.
A BUSH INSULTS THE GODLESS Gerry D
The Department of "so what else is new?The following letter was sent to the President in response to a speech he made in April:
Recently, you (President Bush) attempted to equate great evil with non-belief with the following statement:
"Tyrants and dictators will accept no other gods before them. They require disobedience to the First Commandment. They seek absolute control and are threatened by faith in God. They fear only the power they cannot possess -- the power of truth. So they resent the living example of the devout, especially the devotion of a unique people chosen by God." (George W. Bush, at the National Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance at the US Capitol on April 19, 2001.)
Of course, non-belief in God is no guarantee of morality but it is no indication of the opposite either. What is sickening is the willingness of a President to lie about well-established historical facts in order to insult nonbelievers and inflate the egos of the publicly pious.
Here's a quote or two for you to ponder (and ignore):
"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." [From Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf".]
"My feeling as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter." (From Adolf Hitler's "My New Order".)
Now of course, although Hitler's willing executioners were primarily Christian, and Christian dogma mightily contributed to anti-Semitism, not all Christians (these days) are bigots. However, it is clear that saying "Tyrants and dictators will accept no other gods before them" is an outright fiction and an insulting explanation for tyranny to those who accept no Gods.
I would hope that you would apologize for insulting up to 10% to 15% of the population who think the First Commandment is a recipe for religious intolerance and become more informed on the motives of those who do great evil. I'll give you a clue: Great evil is caused by those who place a belief, religious or secular, beyond question, to the point of holding it on faith.
Please respond with an apology for this unprovoked slap at the non-religious. Sincerely, Gerry Dantone, Long Island Secular Humanists.
(The President can be reached via email @ president@whitehouse.gov, or via regular mail @ The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500.)
Note: No response has been received. It is interesting to note that the former President Bush also made disparaging remarks about non-believers as reported by radio show host Rob Sherman. Question: Is distrust or animus toward non-believers intrinsic in a faith that demands belief? [TOC]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
4/24/01 Re: Jimmy Carter: I received a similar letter from Carter begging for money. I sent him a short note indicating that if has so much faith then he could simply pray to Jesus to move mountains (as JC explicitly promised in the NT) and a mountain of money could be easily moved to Carter's establishment. I was taken off the mailing list. Kornform via Internet
Response: It is true that if Pres. Carter were to take bible teachings literally, he would be confounded. If he didn't take such a teaching literally one would then wonder what the lesson was in that biblical passage. G.D.
4/24/01 Re: "Congratulations to President Carter for losing some of that faith and replacing it with common sense and common decency." I hope that you do write President Carter and congratulate him. Add my congratulations too.
Also, I disagree with the statement (by Gerald A. in the letters to the editor.) Throughout our lifetime we are constantly making decisions - what to tentatively accept and what to tentatively reject. Everything in life is a judgment call.
All of science is judgment - what to tentatively accept until newer, contradictory information becomes available. To say that you cannot make a judgment because you cannot deny any possibilities is simply BS. All of the evidence that we have on the origin of the universe and the origin of man suggests that it was an extremely long evolutionary process, punctuated by haphazard random events - such as meteorite impact, and the extinction of various life forms. There is zero evidence of any "Good" God directing operations for the benefit and well being of humankind in the past, or in the present. Hence it is very reasonable to suggest that there is no intelligent design whatsoever, and that we are the simple product of billions of random acts of probability. Therefore, I am happy to brand myself a humanist/atheist, and not some wimpy, waffling agnostic. :) Kind Regards, Bill P via Internet, Thornton, CO
Response: Obviously agnostics do not think they are wimpy or waffling, and in fact they are not. You could say that their assertion that one can never know whether a God or the supernatural exists is a pretty strong stand to take, and probably it's too strong a stand to take. I don't know if such things can be disproved or not; perhaps you CAN disprove the existence of God concepts that are coherent, at least to the degree we require of other things.
If people allowed the same standard to hold for disbelieving in Gods as they do for, say, gremlins, a lot more people would call themselves atheists. It's just habit and tradition.
However, this atheist/agnostic debate obscures more important issues - for example the basis of humanistic ethics, which is something agnostics and atheists can equally share in. Theists would be eager to exploit a debate between non-theists regarding what is a semantic discussion for their own purposes. It would be wise for non-theists to make this debate secondary to the important thing - "How we should live our lives?" G.D.
4/24/01 I am a Humanist, a Religious Humanist, and a Humanist Minister. I am a person of faith. My faith is in people. I do not cede the definition nor the usefulness of faith to those who believe in the supernatural. When I board a plane I have faith that the pilot has been properly trained and that the ground crew has done its job. I do not check her credentials nor do I perform any mechanical checks on the plane. My faith is in people who work in the tower doing air traffic control. I am religious. I do not cede the definition nor the usefulness of religion to those who believe in the supernatural. I regularly and religiously attend humanist meetings where I have learned to deepen my faith in people. This is my spiritual journey.
I have learned that most people, even those who claim to be saved, do not use god at every decisive moment. In fact; people are, often quite boastful of their intellectual prowess and their success at navigating through their daily lives, mindless of the thanks that they owe to countless relations, teachers, friends and even perhaps their priests, rabbis, and ayatollahs.
People are not morally or ethically bankrupt for having religious convictions or for having faith in gods but when they hold that lives are not sacred and that persons have less value, they are sick and need to be healed. Humanism has no synonyms and should be as wary of pious theism as cranky atheism. Gene Q via Internet
Response: I cannot share your faith in people in the sense that others use it when speaking of faith in God. That kind of faith implies an infallibility and guarantee that we know humans cannot approach. I believe we must rely on ourselves because there is no other choice - moral decision-making is everyone's responsibility. G.D.
4/26/01 Did you notice Pat Robertson's two full-page ads in the April US News and World Report? They were ads for his university and the first of two pages included the fake Madison quote, which claims the U.S. was founded on the Ten Commandments of God.
Response: Even David Barton has taken this out of his book and recommended it not be used. Guess Pat doesn't listen to David. Carol in Milwaukee via Internet Response: Poor Pat, he's still trying to make people forget he used the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as an indirect source in his "New World Order" book. He's had this quote trouble before! G.D.
4/10/01 I enjoyed your article re: Jimmy Carter. I'd be pleased to come to Long Island & deliver a presentation on "It's Time to End Faith-based Discrimination in NY." What do you think? Joe Beck, host of "Humanist Perspective," Amherst, NY
Response: I think it's a great idea. Many LISH members regularly watch the show and we look forward to a visit. Although the library has not confirmed our meeting dates yet, September through December is available at your convenience. G.D.
4/22/01 Dear Gerry, I sent this to Newsday (Ed.: without success.) Ed Lowe has a good feel for human interest and I enjoy most of his heart-warming stories. However he ventured into the supernatural with speculation on life after death and communication from the departed. The article promoted mediums (featured on science fiction channels) and implied that some people are routinely communicating with the dead! The problem with this is that young persons, eager to accept "cool" ideas, see newspaper writers as authorities conveying facts. This country is very short of scientific talent and we need to encourage critical thinking in the shrinking pool of future scientists, not gullibility about the powers of psychics.
So, when you publish spooky stuff with no well-tested foundation in fact, you should at least offer contrasting views. Get an editorial from scientists who investigate paranormal stories. A good starting place for information is http://www.csicop.org.
CSICOP is the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. They encourage the investigation of fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. There is also an active branch for youngsters: http://csicop.org/youngskeptics. These folks let the chips fall where they may and teach a respect for evidence. This is a good thinking tool for our youth. Frank J. Madriota, Bayport, NY.
Response: Although humanism and skepticism are not one and the same, humanists should have high regard for evidence if we are to be responsible for our ethical decisions. Being well informed becomes a must if one is to make sensible decisions. G.D.
5/5/01 I went to Paul Kurtz's talk at the Plainview Library. I didn't enjoy it. I think he is not tolerant enough of people who are religious. He talks about them like psychiatrists talk about people with "mental illness". Sincerely, David Herman, contributing editor, http://www.enabling.org/ia/szasz/, via Internet
Response: I believe the word you should have used instead of "tolerant" is "critical." Dr. Kurtz is a strong supporter of the First Amendment, and additionally he does not believe that any person should be consigned to eternal torment for their beliefs or lack of beliefs, or is moral or not moral on the basis of their beliefs. What is unusual for many persons to hear out loud is the application of critical reasoning to religious claims. Many persons equate criticism with intolerance, but indeed it is the stifling of criticism that constitutes, perhaps, the greatest incidence of intolerance in this or any other society. G,D.
5/7/01 Hi Gerry, here's just a short note to let you know that my wife and I enjoyed the inspirational talk by Paul Kurtz last night. I thought that he made a lot of sense and I agree with most of the points that he made on why secular humanism has not found as many adherents in this country as in other places. One other point that I didn't get a chance to make in the discussion with Paul was that I believe that this country has an abysmal ignorance of the fundamental principles of science (although they love technology!!!) and that the key to getting people to be more skeptical of the claims of organized religion is to teach them to think as scientists do. That is, they need to use logic and our knowledge of the physical world and an infinite curiosity to question the validity of those who claim to know "the facts" of our existence in this universe. Scientists do this every day and that is why, I believe, they are less religious than the population as a whole. That is not to say that most scientists are not awed by the beauty of the cosmos and our place in it or really understand the physical laws that make our existence in it possible. It's just that they refuse to invoke supernatural beings to explain these mysteries when scientific investigation can help to explain them. If we can't educate a community of rational people, then we don't have much chance of promoting secular humanism as a way of viewing the human community.
I agree with Paul that we need to have a more positive message. It's important to debunk false claims as Paul has spent much of his career doing but we also need to convince our fellow citizens that rational thinking is not inconsistent with a caring attitude and that secular people care just as much about the fate of humanity as religious people. We need to explore more ways that this message can be propagated and perhaps we will reach a wider audience. I didn't notice many young people attending these meetings and that's very sad because we will need to enlist the youth to continue the movement. Hope you agree!!! Al Tobin, Long Island, via Internet.
Response: Priority one should be a humanistic youth movement. The young are always searching for an alternative to supernatural belief systems, and if there is a void, nihilism can result. G.D.
5/7/01 Good morning Gerry: Sunday morning 0600 hours and sitting at my Macintosh and having philosophical thoughts on life. There seems so much to do and so little time to do even a part. The weeks are now like days the months are like weeks, time waits for no man. It passes you by. Sounds like a song. It is a song.
My main objective to this post is to let you know that the last meeting was truly a most enjoyable, knowledgeable and interesting. You did another outstanding job. An outstanding group of people and Paul Kurtz, he says it all so simply and talks to the people in laymen's language. So again, thanks, we need people like you, do not stop. Paul Lozowsky, Massapequa via Internet. Response: Thanks, there's no plan to stop. G.D.
5/7/01 (Addressed to Star Jones, of ABC's The View, copy to LISH) I was shocked at your feelings about atheists. What makes you think atheists have no morals? Just because a person does not believe in a higher power does not make them immoral. I admire you Star, you are an intelligent woman and I think you should learn more about people who are atheists. I appreciate Meredith, Joy and Lisa and what you said on the program. I love you Joy but I don't believe I am going to suffer because I don't believe in heaven. Beatrice E., Kennett Square, PA
Response: Thanks for taking the time to educate Ms. Jones. G.D.
5/11/01 I'm not sure what I would like to see LISH accomplish, but I know what I would like not to see; the ridiculing of religion. Some positive things that will make the world the better place all secular humanists envision (would be something I'd like to see.) I would like to see a discussion on what possibilities might be within our reach. Fabian M., Smithtown, NY
Response: A topic that emerges quite often is the ridiculing of religion by humanists. Do we do it, do we do it too much, is it ethical to do it, and is it useful or harmful? The answer probably lies in a balance of some sort. We all have the right to satirize and parody anything we wish as a method of critique. Having a laugh while doing so is only human. No one questions satirizing political beliefs, or any number of secular social beliefs, yet parody of religious beliefs is somehow automatically seen as taboo or in poor taste. G.D.
Many important points can be made when holding what one considers a ridiculous belief up to the light of day. On the other hand, positive values are needed so that one doesn't simply tear down, but also adds value to the world. But consider the actual situation involved: humanists are criticized for ridiculing beliefs such as transubstantiation, reincarnation, inerrancy, infallibility, prophesy, omnipotence, revelation, and so on, while non-believers are considered evil and deserving of eternal punishment, if not capital punishment, for their beliefs and/or words. Without exaggerating, it is small potatoes for believers to hear a little ridicule in comparison to the persecution and contempt that humanists and non-believers receive. I'd say that the concepts of blasphemy and eternal punishment are very deserving of ridicule. But that's better than believing someone else is damned and deserving of it. This is an argument that should no longer remain taboo.
What could serve the world better than making laughable the idea of persons being blessed or damned on account of their beliefs?
Response: Still your point is noted, and of course you are not alone in your opinion. LISH hopes to strike a proper balance. G.D.
6/8/01 (Sent to the NY Daily News) After reading the article on the sexual escapades of the NY Knicks, I could not help but wonder whether all those prayer sessions the players hold on and off the court are to ask for forgiveness or to give thanks for prayers answered! Dennis Middlebrooks, Brooklyn, NY (co-founder with Warren Allen Smith of FANNY)
Response: Whatever they were praying for, it certainly didn't seem to have much to do with winning basketball games! G.D. [TOC]
MAKING THE ROUNDS WITH NORM Norm R
New Life Community Church, Sayville, Friday, April 6, 2001: On this day the Multi Faith Forum ventured into a Christian Fundamentalist church. As we may have mentioned in the past The Multi Faith Forum is a group of twelve religious groups including Christians, Jews, Hindus, along with Unitarian Universalists and others. I represent Unitarian Universalism with a humanist bent.
On this day we had a Christian, Muslim, American Indian (Indigenous American) and myself.
For the most part this was a rather friendly experience with a rather accepting attitude towards our great diversity of views.
Only in two cases were there any controversial questions or exchanges. One involved the special place of Christianity and it's being the only path to salvation. Each of our respondents gave rather interesting answers. The Indigenous American indicated the oneness of God and that He (it she) had many names. The Muslim indicated almost agreement reiterating the indigenous American position and even giving Jesus considerable respect. They raised the question of the diversity within Christianity and why so many interpretations exist.
Even though I pointed out that Christianity is the largest religion in the world, it is also the most divided. Also I added that should a God look away from all those others who may never have heard of Jesus in their culture. Are not all faithful people deserving of his (its) salvation?
I then added that with so many viewpoints is it not a wonder that some of us may be agnostic or maybe even atheistic. With so much diversity of views we must have the opportunity to search for the "good news" in the best way we know how. This was received surprisingly well.
The other big issue was the Muslim being accused of being warlike and violent. Our Christian representative just mentioned the word "Crusades."
Most people thanked us for coming and afterwards spoke in a most benevolent manner. The first of the two questioners was quite positive even if he hoped that someday some of us would "see the light."
A friendly exchange respectfully presented surprised me in the positive these views were received.
Dr. Paul Kurtz, Friday, April 27 at the Plainview Public Library: In a year rich in quality programs we experienced a highlight with the appearance of Paul Kurtz, the founder of our movement.
Before a full house in the double room Dr Kurtz, issued a great challenge to the secular Humanist world. This involved the chipping away at the wall of separation of church and state especially with the new administration. We also will have the challenge dealing with the term "religious" within the humanist movement, locally and nationally, even though the term is used by the non-super naturalist.
Can we meet this challenge? Yes but with considerable effort and intelligent diligence. Ironically many religious groups will be our allies in the church-state separation issue. All in all Dr Kurtz provided us with a rather stimulating program.
Friday May 18 Plainview Public library. On this night Gerry Dantone debated the issue of Separation of Church and State with Louis Wein. It seems that these two people are using two completely different epistemologies (knowledge systems) to make their cases. Gerry uses factual data, observable data based on use of careful research. Mr. Wein, who speaks with considerable conviction, has quite a different method of knowing; he knows God by imagining and bases his knowledge via methods of revealed truths. Thus our two debaters are playing on two different fields.
In all fairness Mr. Wein afterwards did address many questions and was quite patient with opposing views.
We still must try to recognize that to really counter the opposing views it is not only effective to use our reasoning but to also try to understand the methodology of those with whom we disagree and understand why this is so. Meanwhile let us continue to find just the facts folks, just the facts. [TOC]
BOOK DISCUSSION CLUB!
If you are interested write Bill W @ Box 631, Southold, NY, 11971.
August 10, 2001, Charlotte H's house, Amityville, Suffolk, Book: William Manchester, "A World Lit Only By Fire".
September 14, Sherman C's house, Commack, Suffolk, Book: Michael Osterholm & John Schwartz, "Living Terrors".
October 12, Mary Jane & Warren's house, Patchogue, Book: Richard Dawkins, "Climbing Mount Improbable". [TOC]
QUICKIES! Gerry D
Item: Pat Robertson was asked by Wolf Blitzer on CNN in April 2001 to give his thoughts on the forced abortion policy in China. Robertson replied, "Well, you know I don't agree with it. But at the same time, they've got 1.2 billion people, and they don't know what to do. If every family over there was allowed to have three or four children, the population would be completely unsustainable."
Robertson, who acknowledged that he has business interests in China, went on to say that China suffers from "tremendous unemployment" and is plagued with "antiquated factories" owned by the government that will have to be shut down, spawning more loss of jobs. "And the leadership is like on a teeter-totter board," he said. "They can fall off if the population gets too restive. So, I think that right now they are doing what they have to do. I don't agree with forced abortion, but I don't think the United States needs to interfere with what they're doing internally in this regard."
Comments: There is some consistency in Robertson's position: It's always anti-choice. And of course, his personal fortune is involved.
Item: The U.S. House Republican Conference, chaired by Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), announced earlier this month that 32 religious leaders have been appointed to serve on an advisory committee for the House-Senate Republican Faith-Based Leadership Summit planned for April 25.
Among the most controversial of the committee's members are: Bishop J. Delano Ellis -- Ellis was fired from serving as Cleveland's police chaplain in March 1995 after delivering a sermon in which he said Jews were "carnal, selfish...dirty and lowdown and wicked," according to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. His sermon, which was broadcast over the radio, also said Jews had mistreated others through the years and "God allowed Hitler to rise up and make you all suffer." Although he added "Hitler was wrong," Ellis went on to criticize Jews and Muslims for not recognizing Jesus Christ as the son of God.
Also, the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon -- Sheldon, as head of the Traditional Values Coalition, frequently offers extreme anti-gay rhetoric. In recent years, he has written monthly fundraising letters on imagined threats from gay people. In August 1997, for example, Sheldon notified his supporters of a "homosexual conspiracy." His January 2001 fundraising letter predicted a "homosexual invasion," which could result in the "stealing of our children." In 1985, Sheldon even supported quarantining persons with AIDS in so-called "cities of refuge."
And also, the Rev. Reggie White -- White offended virtually every ethnic group in America during a speech to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1998. White sparked outrage by calling attention to crass stereotypes, saying that blacks "like to sing and dance," while whites "know how to tap into money." He went on to say that Hispanic people are "gifted" because they "can put 20 or 30 people in one home," while Asians know how to "turn a television into a watch." American Indians, he added, were spared slavery in the U.S. because they "knew how to sneak up on people." White also said the nation has strayed from God by allowing homosexuality to "run rampant."
Of the 32 committee members, only two are women, only one represents a Jewish congregation and there are no representatives from other minority faith traditions, including a total absence of Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus.
Comment: I don't know what the complaint is about - these fellows are certainly diverse. Based on their statements it would seem that one is anti-Semitic, one is homophobic and the other is a bigot. But I could be wrong. Also, I can't seem to find MY invitation to this advisory panel. Must be an innocent oversight!
Item: A pair of inspectors sent by Interior Minister Yishai, a strict Orthodox Jew, fined restaurateurs who served leavened breads on Passover. At a Tel Aviv restaurant they found a boy eating a hamburger on a bun. The owner was fined $25.
Comment: Score one for the forces of "Bun Control" in Israel. Of course, it raises the question of whether there is real freedom of religion in Israel, where you can be fined for what you eat, or more precisely, what you eat with what you eat!
Item: Teen pregnancy has been "virtually eliminated in the Netherlands" according to the Dutch institute for Applied Scientific Research. Less than 1% of 15 to 17 year old women get pregnant each year. The rate is 9.9% in the US. The low Netherlands rate is attributed to high contraceptive use in that country where it is available free through a state plan, and through the large amount of information available to teens about sex in that culture.
Comment: But what if these teens have sex and their lives are not ruined by an unwanted pregnancy? We couldn't allow that here, could we? Those who advocate abstinence only sex education are probably unmoved - in their minds, if you sin, you must pay for it, period. Note that Netherlands teenagers are most likely less sexually active in response to their society's openness regarding sex.
Item: Atlanta police and social workers are investigating reports that members of a church, at the direction of their pastor, beat as many as 60 children with belts and other objects to enforce discipline. The House of Prayer's founder, the Rev. Arthur Allen said the bible gives parents the authority to "whip" their children.
Comment: The Bible, a book of most likely mythical tales, gives authority to beat, whip and kill at various times for various offenses, only subject to the interpretation of the reader. How conveeeeenient!
If it weren't for the Bible, would assault against a child be treated in the same manner as an assault against anyone else? Another "blessing" of the bible. Imagine if an atheist organization displayed the same kind of behavior!
Item: Bill Gates' father, William Gates, Sr., favors a continuation of the estate tax.
Comment: How this became a popular tax to repeal is amazing since it does not affect the vast majority of Americans. Although it could easily be argued that the amount of inheritance to be protected should be increased, the tax only impacts those who can truly afford to pay the tax. Is it fair? In many senses no, since one goal of most parents is to leave a good life for their offspring. This is only natural. However, it can be argued that a balance needs to be found between what is best for one's offspring and the needs of a prosperous and fair society. All children need a chance to prosper, not just those of the wealthy. The estate tax, for better or worse, is a proposed mechanism for that balance.
Item: Hassan Yosufi Eshkevari is condemned to death for supporting separation of church and state in Iran.
Comment: Of course, more is made of the Taliban's destruction of Buddhist statues, but in Islamic Iran, and in other theocracies, people are being destroyed also. Women have no voice in their society and men can only speak in agreement with the Ayatollah. This is where theocracy leads.
Item: Most people are aware of the recent brouhaha regarding Knick point guard Charlie Ward and his remarks on the "Jews killed Christ" issue. The media reported it fully and most editorials denounced the quoted remarks. After that episode, Stanley Crouch of the NY Daily News wrote in his column of 5/4/01 that Paul Weyrich, a Christian activist with some clout, published a similar statement on his website. Conservative reporter Evan Gahr had exposed this fact and was fired by David Horowitz (he of the anti-African Americans reparations fame) from his job on FrontPage, an E-magazine. According to Horowitz, there was no evidence that Weyrich was anti-Semitic. Gahr was also fired from his position at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. The media, aside from Mr. Crouch, has reported little. (Ed.'s note: I have not been able to find either Weyrich's original post or Gahr expose to confirm, but Americans United have reported on this in Church and State.)
Comment: For some reason, it was easy for many to brand Ward as ignorant with the excuse being that he's just a basketball player. This avoids the real issue, and ignores the fact that Mr. Ward is a bright individual on most matters. For centuries, the most straightforward reading of the New Testament indeed points the finger at Jews. This is an intrinsic corruption inherent in Christianity - it must blame Jews and others for not believing in Jesus' divinity, it must blame sinners for sins that hurt no one, and it must contend that we are all born sinners and stay that way. The only fair way to report this kind of story would be embarrassing to Christians, and thus, it is never done.
Item: The Pope traveled to Greece in May 2001, amid protests by black-robed Greek Orthodox priests, and protestors with "Pope Go Home" placards. However the Pope placated Archbishop Christodoulos by saying, "For occasions past and present, when the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by actions and omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us the forgiveness we beg of him."
The religious protestors, who consider the Pope the "arch-heretic," were not convinced claiming the Pope came to "subjugate" them.
A following trip to Syria by the Pope was an opportunity for anti-Semitic remarks by the Syrian President Bashar Assad, who likened Israelis to betrayers of Jesus, according to the Associated Press on May 7.
Comment: In fact, the Pope does see the Catholic Church as the one true faith and the goal is to unify all of the others under the Papacy. It is amazing to see how far the Pope can get with non-apologies, as once he again he did not apologize for the Catholic Church itself, any unethical Popes, and did not address the apology to the Orthodox Christians, but instead, to God, seeking forgiveness. Making things right, for the 1204 ACE sacking of Constantinople, the seat of the Orthodox Church at that time, by Crusaders from the West, as an example, was not on the Pope's agenda.
Also, President Assad's remarks were unanswered by the Pope, who did not want to be involved in a "political" dispute. Of course, anti-Semitism is also a moral issue. It is not exaggerating to say that the average person could declare Assad's remarks as unethical without a problem. The Pope, a self-described moral leader, was unable to make that simple declaration.
Item: A fatwa was issued in Saudi Arabia banning Pokemon cards because some contain the Star of David, "which everyone knows is connected to International Zionism... as well as being the first symbol of Freemasons."
Comment: I'm sure this is an excerpt from the forthcoming "Protocols of the Elders of Pokemon." [TOC]
HELP WANTED! Volunteers are needed to assist with the August LISH picnic! Those interested or with suggestions please email Gerry D at LISecHum@aol.com [TOC]
SOS MEETINGS ON LONG ISLAND!
SOS is a program for those who abuse alcohol or other substances. One meeting is in the North Fork of Long Island, N.Y. The contact person is Matthew R., 631-477-0746. The meetings are each Tuesday from 6 to 7 P.M., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Main Road, Route 25, Southold, Suffolk County, NY.
The other meeting is on the north shore, mid-Suffolk County. The contact person is Kathy, 631-689-1683. The meetings are each Wednesday, 6:30PM at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 380 Nicolls Road, StonyBrook, Suffolk County.
The home page of SOS is http://www.secularsobriety.org. This web site has much information for downloading on running SOS groups. [TOC]