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"Definitions"
1. Atheism is the life philosophy (Weltanschauung) of persons who are free from
theism. It is predicated on the ancient Greek philosophy of Materialism.
2. American Atheism may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly
accepts the supremacy of reason and aims at establishing a system of philosophy
and ethics verifiable by experience, independent of all arbitrary assumptions of
authority or creeds.
3. The Materialist philosophy declares that the cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purpose; that it is governed by its own inherent, immutable and impersonal
law; that there is no supernatural interference in human life; that man-finding his
resources within himself---can and must create his own destiny; and that his potential for good and higher development is for all practical purposes unlimited.
May, 1978
ON THE COVER
EDITORIAL
COMMENT CORNER
NEWS
U.S. Bound For "Peanut Heaven"
Dopes Dupe Carter
Anita Declares War On Madalyn
FEATURE ARTICLES
3
5
7
9
ATHEIST
RADIO
10
13
16
19
21
25
26
SERIES
28
BOOK REVIEW
31
RENEWAL
Name
North
Carolina
Chapter
Director
Patricia Voswinkel has long since realized that as Atheists we must always be
vigilant in assuring freedom of thought
and inquiry for our children and those
who come after us as well as for ourselves. As the mother of three growing
boys, she is fervently interested
in the
establishment
and maintenance
of a
thoroughly
secular system of education available to all.
Pat was born and raised in New
York City and Yonkers, N.Y., respectively, and has resided in Charlotte,
North Carolina for the past 12 years.
She is the daughter
of a prominent
physician and credits her scientifically
inclined father for instilling in her a
strong respect for the supremacy
of
reason and for an ethical code which is
independent
of all arbitrary
assumptions of authority or creeds.
Pat's husband
is a German citizen
who resides in the U.S. as the owner
and operator of a dental laboratory in
Charlotte, while their oldest son plans
to become a physician like his maternal grandfather
and at the age of 15 he
is already a member of MENSA.
Like many other confirmed
Atheists, Pat Voswinkel was introduced
to
religion (Episcopal
church) at a very
early age and, ironically,
she won
many awards for her regular attendance
and partici pation in Sunday school activities although she clearly recalls judging the religious aspect of those social
gatherings to be patently ridiculous.
It is from those early memories of
her social involvement
with her environment
and her peers that Pat has
come to recognize the need for Atheists to establish their own system for
the secular education
of their children
from kindergarten
through high school
with emphasis placed on the teaching
of the sciences and a humane ethical
system.
North Carolina Chapter
American Atheists
3221 Dunaire Dr.
Charlotte, N.C. 28205
Address
City, State, & Zip
Austin,
Texas
May, 1978
Page 1
( I
l.;;"j.
As a chapter
director,
my
name and address have been
given to other chapters and to
new members of the organization for the past year. Recently,
I have been receiving
some
unsolicited
mail from
persons
into whose hands th is information has fallen.
I have been shocked at the
hate mail which has been directed to me. The thrust of this has
been critical of the national office of the Society of Separationists, Inc. However, upon examination of the contents of these
letters I find that more heat [and
often fury] is given than facts.
As far as I can decipher, about
eight persons lthe number from
whom I have received mailings]
are quite desirous of taking over
the American Atheist Center and
running it for some unspecified
reason not clearly defined.
Many Enemies
Atheism has been under attack
for a great number of years by
every conceivable enemy. Often
we have found religionists in our
own ranks. There have been
many successful attempts to fragment prior Atheist attempts at
organ ization.
I have had personal meetings
with both Dr. O'Hair and her
son, Jon Garth Murray. They are
in a vicious fight, for religion is
of that nature. If they were to
exhibit
the traits of the effete
scholar, we would not survive as
an organization. What we need in
the national office are persons
who can take the rough fight.
I would not be in the place of
the Murrav-O'Hairs
for anything
in this world. When they receive
a punch in the solar plexus, they
need to punch back. We need
hard
[or
hardened]
fighters.
When these two stalwarts are accused of being rough, I think we
need to ask "What has made
Page 2
BC.:.ho.:~_a~_~_~c_r~_~.~_~_~_~_I~_~_~e
Damaging Rivalries
We are in our infancy yet.
Many leaders are needed - in
Cities, counties, states and even
nationally. We should learn from
national - not attempt to rival
it.
Currently we have the largest,
best financed, most stable American Atheist
organization
which
has ever come into being - and
survived in our United States. We
need to get behind it and accept
the favorable fall out from its
initial fight.
Don't write me to attack our
national officers.
They are farand-away the best I can see, on
the horizon and I plan to stick
with them.
Patricia J. Voswinkel
GUEST EDITOR
May, 1978
~J -
American
Atheist
COeMeMENT
O
R
N
E
R
Dear Editor:
I am an American Atheist, although
my youthful
years were spent as a
member
of the Episcopal Church.
I
was confirmed
into that faith, and of
course, am a statistic on their membership list. Ugh!
I am only 26 but I have watched in
my lifetime the horrors of Christianity,
and indeed the horrors of other religions, each on its own ego trip, determined to wipe out opposition and any
conflicting thoughts, reasons, and purposes.
I have watched faith-blinded
bigots
interfering
with human progress and
it turns my stomach.
These feverish
fanatics
demand
obedience
and unquestioning
compliance
to their antihuman, anti-nature
rules and regulattions at the expense of poverty-stricken populations in Catholic South America {where many infants are born into
the world simply because their ignorant Catholic Church controlled parents
are afra id to offend the mighty chu rch
and its miserable ruler, the pope, only
to suffer starvation, disease and deprivation}.
These heathens
single out groups
for persecution
in America and other
parts of the world, examples
being
Anita
Bryant's
campaign
against
homosexuals,
the phoney
campaigns
for decency and strict censorship
in
Cincinnati,
Philadelphia,
Lexington,
Ky. {where the cast of "Oh! Calcutta"
was arrested recently} and other areas.
These groups and individuals seek to
deny freedom of expression,
lifestyle,
pursuits of happiness
and basic freedoms to vast multitudes
of American
people.
Of course,
the greatest
desire of
many American
Christians
is to gain
control
of the government.
I have
heard
religionist
friends
talk about
a "Christian
Congress
by 1984,"
"death to homosexuals,"
"destruction
of the Equal Rights Amendment
because it offends god's law,"
and of
course
President
Carter's
call for
50,000
new Baptist
missionaries
to
spread their anti-human
smut across
the globe. Christian fascism is rising.
Then the killing of fellow humans
in the name of god and Jesus goes on
and on, in Northern Ireland, Lebanon,
Uganda,
Rhodesia,
Ethiopia
and
Somalia and other places.
Austin, Texas
Dear Editor:
Are Atheists born that way or do
our life experiences make us into
Atheists? 1 think some of us are inherent Atheists. As a child 1 was forced to
go to church and each Sunday 1 sat
and cringed in fear as the Methodist
preacher droned on about god and his
love one minute and his evil revenge
the next.
1 had been told that if 1 did not believe in god that he could strike me
down dead as lightning does. 1 would
May, 1978
sit there trying to force myself to believe with a terrible fear that 1 would
be struck dead. Now no one at home
had explained religion to me but had
preached about the golden rule. This
was fine and 1 grew up believing in it. 1
had heard many times through the
years that most people who think they
do not believe in a supreme being do
finally pray to one on their death bed.
1 often wondered if 1 would succumb
too. 1 had the misfortune to find out
when 1 was near death from heart
spasms caused by a thyroid condition.
1 rolled in bed in agony and moaned
over and over, "Oh if only 1 could believe there was someone up there that
would hear me." Then 1 knew 1 was an
inherent Atheist.
It is my opinion that if everyone
practiced the golden rule there would
be no need for any kind of religion.
The fact that religious people can sin
and be forgiven by a non-existent god
tends to cause habitual sinning ..
Kay Holly
Vashon, WA
Dear Kay,
Thank you for your thoughts on
the on-going discussion as to whether
Atheists are born with this love of
reason or if it is their varied life experiences which lead them to discard the
inhibiting delusions and neuroses religion would force on us all - were we
to allow it.
Along this line of thought, you
might be interested in reading former
Franciscan priest Emmett McLoughlin's Crime and Immorality
in the
Catholic Church (reviewed in The
American Atheist, Feb. 78), in which
he presented in detail proof that religionists' "option" to sin and be forgiven by a non-existent god does tend
to cause habitual sinning.
The Editor
Dear Editor:
You are doing a job which our
whole family enjoys. It is the only
magazine we care about enough to
see that it is quickly passed on so that
the next can read it.
Our youngest boy (19) said, "I am
taking this to our college librarian to
see if they will buy a subscription;
after all they do need different points
of view."
I'd like to make a suggestion for
an article that 1 think could be a lot
of help to some people. Take the
plight of the young mother who has
to protect her child's tender person-
Page 3
ality.
Most children will really be vicious with another little child
once they know it doesn't go along with the whole Sunday
school routine. It is easy for us as adults, but it is very difficult
for a young child to handle the teasing and the ridicule, which
is endless.
I've raised three men and they are super fellows each and
every one of them. They frequently say, "Thanks, Mom for
not cluttering up our minds as everything has been a lot easier
for us as adults," but as children it was otherwise.
All five of us appreciate your efforts and most especially do
we appreciate the fine faces on your covers that give the
"right-in-the-eye look."
You are reaching more people than you think!
Miriam Hollen
Fresno, CA
Dear Mrs. Hollen,
Thank you for your kind words about the magazine. We are
always grateful for such words and for constructive criticism
which will help make the magazine greater as it grows larger.
Your idea for an article on the problems of childhood
Atheism is a good one. Some suggestions for handling this matter may be found in the Alfonso John Cruz editorial (p.5) of
our November, 1977 issue.
The Editor
[Editor's Note: The following two letters (original plus followup) are from an Atheist who had sent us a donation earmarked
for state-church separation work. Unfortunately, the magazine
subscription we sent to her following this donation caused her
discomfort as she lives in a conservative neighborhood among
people who would begrudge her her (dislbeliefs.]
Dear friends:
I did not order the magazine. I gave a donation for statechurch separation work.
I may be the "village Atheist," but that role is not as comfortable as it once was and I would rather not be labeled at
this time.
Barbara Gold
Edmonds, Wash.
Dear Sirs: {follow-up letter]
I sent you a donation earmarked for your state-church separation work. I am sorry I did. I won't do it again.
... I have enough trouble as a left- winger in a conservative
neighborhood. Your publication does not help. I want my religious convictions to remain my business.
Barbara Gold
Edmonds, Wash.
Dear Barbara,
We will respect your wishes not to receive our magazine. We
can understand the pressure that a neighborhood can bring
down. It is an unfortunate, sad reality that even in America
people are made to feel uncomfortable because of their beliefs.
We hope that you will not let your conservative neighbors
stop your support of our organization.
Dear Friends:
Please remove my name from your lists. I have married a
very dear man who is a believer, and I can do more good if he
is not frightened by mail from the American Atheists.
Also, it could jeopardize my marriage.
Ida Norman
Las Vegas, Nev.
Dear Ms. Norman,
We are sorry to hear that your Atheism and your communication with fellow Atheists must be abandoned because your
spouse's beliefs would be threatened by your own. It is even
more of a shame to see that it is most always the Atheist who
recants his/her knowledge when such facts conflict with their
marriage partner's faith.
Disappointments such as your departure from our ranks are
somewhat softened by the enlistment of a long-time freethinker the likes of Irma Shilleman, whose heart-warming letter follows her son's, next.
The Editor
Fellow Atheists:
Please find enclosed my personal check for $15 for membership for my mother. She wants to join us. She has been
reading my American Atheist magazine and has been an Agnostic all her life, but now realizes that the outrageous takeover by organized religion must be opposed.
Ken Schilleman
Antigo, Wisc.
I would like to join your organization. I have lots of gripes
against what the churches are doing, and the way they are
pushing the clergy into government positions, which is not
right. They have built up huge businesses and do not pay taxes.
I am also against the teachings of the Bible which shows the
Christians don't even believe in their own religion. The preachers shout loud and clear on Sunday, but it's all a sham.
My mother insisted that my brother, sister and I had to go
to church with her, come rain, snowdrifts or high water as if it
were life itself. I often had a very bad fever or pneumonia after those trips because we had to walk 10 blocks to the church.
I got a beating for not believing in hell and not wanting to
go to German church school. I lost four years education, but I
did learn German reading and writing, also lots of long verses
and church songs which were all forgotten as I grew older.
After Mother died (when I was 14), I had to live with my
older sister who was a devout Lutheran (Ha!) and promised
Mother she would carry on with my education.
Mother worked as a ladies aide with every event going on in
the church. But when she took ill with cancer not one of her
church friends came to see her. All were very afraid of catching her illness - is that ever a showing of faith! I still remember telling our preacher I didn't believe that Lot's wife had
been turned into a pillar of salt; I was six at the time. Dad told
me that salt melts, and it was raining at the time!
I am now an 82-year-old lady. I am healthy, do my own
housework and have a large garden in Kenneth's backyard. He
helps me and enjoys it also. I don't go to church unless it is for
a funeral or a wedding. I want no preacher at my funeral nor
do I want to be kept alive in a hospital when I am ready to die.
And I hope my sons will take my wishes seriously.
Irma Schilleman
Antigo, Wisc.
Dear Lady Irma,
It is indeed our pleasure to welcome you as an American
Atheist and to thank you for sharing some of your rich ex
periences with us. It is particularly encouraging to us that you
were able to recognize your own Atheism through reading
your son's copies of The American Atheist. We sincerely hope
that with increased circulation of our journal we shall be able
to reach other "freethinkers" such as yourself. We know they
are out there (23% to 27% of the American population) and
we believe that with added circulation of our message they will
recognize and join us.
The Editor
Page 4
May, 1978
American
Atheist
II NEWS 111IflltI1111~1J.lflltl'!tlllllll
Jimmy Leading U.S.
To "Peanut Heaven"
What goes on in the government and in the mind of our
president, Jimmy Carter, can be best evaluated by actions and
stated objectives. If you think the nation is not in trouble with
a born-again Christian at its head, you should have been at the
"National Prayer Breakfast" in Washington in February - a
ceremony which is becoming an institution. Never matter that
it is a breach of separation of state and church, the politicians
[there is not one statesman in the lot of them] are there to
make points with possible religious votes.
The good Baptist reporter who covered it for a publication
of that group was happy that it was not a routine prayer orgy
as in past years which "glorified" civil religion in that "the
nation was exalted almost as much as God." This year, he noted,the gathering of "highly placed" governmental officials of
all branches of government "sounded a note of humility, service to God and humanity and of religion as a motivating force
toward world peace"! [Yes, with Ireland, the Philipines, IndiaPakistan, South Africa, Israel against the Arabs, he actually
said that!] Some observers attributed the new attitude to the
open commitment of President Carter to his religious faith.
"To me God is real. To me the relationship with God is a
very personal thing. God is ever-present in my life, sustains me
when I am weak, gives me guidance when I turn to him, and
provides for me as a Christian through the life of Christ a perfect example to emulate in my experiences with other human
beings," declared Carter at the breakfast.
The president explained that he and his wife worship together every night. He said that, "often during the day I turn
to God in a quiet and personal way."
He then emphasized again his concept of being "born
again." He said that many people do not know the meaning of
these words. "For those of us who share the Christian faith,
the words 'being born again' have a simple meaning," he said,
"that through personal experience we recommit our lives as
humble children of God which makes us in the realest possible
sense brothers and sisters of one another."
The president went on to say that for government officials,
who have a concern for the needs of people, [surely he was
talking of Califano who would deprive poor women of abortions] "the word 'family' has a broader meaning, the family of
all human beings, and how we might alleviate world tension,
misunderstandings, death, suffering, loneliness and alienation
through a common understanding, a common purpose and
sometimes even a common belief."
Subserviant Before Allah
As illustrations Carter cited the spiritual fervor of Mahatma
Gandhi of India [the president has not read enough to discover
that Gandhi was an Atheist], the religious commitment of
Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia [Feb. American Atheist,
pages 13, 14], Prime Minister Menahem Begin of Israel [a
religious fanatic] and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt as
The news which fills one half of the magazine is chosen to demonstrate, month after month, the dead reactionary hand of religion. It dictates
good habits, sexual conduct, family size, it censures cinema, theater, television, even education. It dictates life values and lifestyle. Religion is
politics and, always, the most authoritarian and reactionary politics. We editorialize our news to emphasize this thesis. Unlike any other maga~ine or newspaper in the United States, we are honest enough to admit it.
~
Nixon'S
Prayers
Unanswered
H.R. Haldeman in his book,
The Ends of Power, reports the
following touching scene which
occurred as the Nixon regime
came to a conclusion. It all happened, we are told, on April 29,
1973. Of course, we Atheists
knew it all along: Nixon thought
he was on the hot line to god.
We quote:
"We were standing on the terrace [Nixon and Haldeman] when
. . . Nixon said with a hushed
voice, 'You know, Bob, there's
someth ing I've never told anybody before, not even you. Every
night since I've been president,
every night since I've taken this
office, every single night before
I've gone to bed, I've knelt down
on my knees beside my bed and
prayed to God for guidance and
help in this job.'
"I
[Haldeman]
was deeply
touched by this. He went on:
'Last night before I went to bed, I
knelt down and prayed, and this
time I prayed that I wouldn't
wake up in the morning. I just
couldn't face going on.' r r
"Atheist of the Year" Michael Dean Hagen is not one to rest on his laurels. In November of last year Hagen got his employer, the United States Navy, to officially recognize him as an "American Atheist" in his service record book where he had been
previously listed under the catch-all denomination of "no preference. "
Now the 21-year-old sailor has formally petitioned (letter reproduced below) the
U.S. Navy to "remove particular religious references from various pledges that I must
abide by as a member of the Armed Forces. " The young seamen from Oakland California, is asking that references to a god be eliminated from the Navy Credo, th~ U.S.
Fighting Man ~ Code and from the Pledge of Allegiance.
Hagen has been conducting a well organized and articulate correspondence campaign with ~he Department of the Navy in Washington, D. C. "to see some progress
made on this matter soon, or I'll have to consider the possibility of opening up legal
channels for a problem as complicated as this seems. "
We here at the national American Atheist Center salute Seaman Hagen and are delighted to recognize him as our ''Atheist of the Year" for 1978. He represents a new
generation of Atheists whom we wholeheartedly support in their and our efforts to
advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways the complete and absolute separation of state and church.
2 February
Hagen
1978
Department of Navy
Chief of Naval Personnel
Washington
25, D. C.
Dear Sir:
Seeks
To
I am presently
in the Navy and have recently
been given
recogni t.Lon as an American Atheist.
I truely
had anticipated
no problem in receiving
this classification.
Now. as an atheist
and a member of the Armed Forces,
I must register
this
complaint.
I see vast
differences
be tween religious
principles
and
fundamental
principles
of our free institutions.
The fact
that
Amer-Lc an s are largely
religious
has no relevance
in an affair
of
state.
I shall
not yield
allegiance
to 'God' as I eou Ld for my
country.
Specifically,
my complaint
applies
to:
1)
Scuttle
God
From
Navy
2) The 'U.S.
Fighting
Fan's
Code',
\.,111 t r-ue t in my God '",
where
3) The Pledge
of Allegiance,
nat.Lcn , under God,
it
where
it s t e t ee , "I
states,
II...
one
It.
T!:J.8First
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
states
in part,
"Congress
shall
II1Me no law respecting
an e s t ab'Ld shmen t of religion "
In the cases
noted,
I feel
this
clause
has been violated.
'Ihe s e references
to 'God' definitely
make a religious
aa suep t Lon ,
It suggests
monotheism,
to say the least,
and constitutes
a coercion
of belief
that requires
tt e
to recite
a pledge
which,
to De, is profane.
I suggest
LmmedLat;e action
be taken to amend these
pledges
so as to exclude
all references
to r-e Lf.gLon ,
I wouLd appreciate
a proopt
reply,
in writing,
from your of rice.
Respectfully
~I.<U)
yours,
D.QAv\ ~
Hichael
Dean Hagen) HN
N.R.N.C.
Ward H
Bremerton t WA 98314
Page 6
May, 1978
~/
American Atheist
I called
on hold
another
Minister
Austin, Texas
to
Anita Declares
War On Atheists
As if she hasn't already made enought enemies in America with her religious crusade against gay rights, Anita Bryant has now declared war on A theists in general
and Atheist leader Madalyn Murray O'Heir in particular.
Bryant fired the first salvo in her war on secular education in February with a
plug for the reinstatement of voluntary prayer in public schools. Referring to Dr.
O'Heir, Bryant proclaimed, "Whereas one woman took prayer out of schools, the
day has come when it may take one woman to put it back. "
The well-paid agent for orange juice, heterosexuality and forced religious indoctrination made her comments before a crowd of about 3,000 in the EI Paso, Texas
Civic Center as part of her "Revive America Campaign" which earlier had received
an angry reception from 75 placard-bearing demonstrators in San Antonio. No one
was injured during Bryant's San Antonio appearance although at least one confrontation took place between police and angry demonstrators.
Bryant's appearance was in tandem with another evangelist, Cecil Todd, who
asked for contributions for a planned crusade special he said would be aired on
national network television. Bryant said the point of her campaign is to "hate the
sin and love the sinner. "
The former Miss Florida did not comment on whether or not she would be
willing to meet Dr. O'Heir in debate of the issues which separate these two prayer
and anti-prayer warriors.
May, 1978
Page 7
Page 8
May, 1978
~I
American
Atheist
Scholar Canned
For Humanizing
Jesus Christ
Christians are particularly thin-skinned and intolerant of deviation from
dogma around their Christmas and Easter holidays. Witness the fate of Dr.
Robert S. Alley, chairman of the department of religion at the University
of Richmond in Virginia.
Dr. Alley was asked to speak to a
group of Atheist members of the First
Unitarian Church in Richmond on the
topic of how Atheists might resist the
at times fanatical attempts of religionists to convert them to acknowledging
the Christian deity. He spoke to the
group for two-and-one-half hours the
night of December 6 and the next day
some of his remarks were reported in
The Richmond News Leader under a
four-column headline:
"Jesus 'Never Claimed To Be God.' "
In his talk to the Atheist group
known as "Atheists' Corner," Dr. Alley
said that Jesus never really claimed to
be god or even remotely related to god,
adding: "For the last 1,800 years the
,Christian church has been preaching
Austin,
Texas
May 1978
Page 9
Has Religion
A Future?
By Robert Edson Russell
We live in a period of history, at
least here in the United States, where
the actual and felt belief in some kind
of all-knowing and supreme "god" ruling over the entire universe and all
human life is - the fact must be faced
- on the decline. A new generation
has grown up out of the ashes and
ruins and concentration
camps of
World War II no longer so susceptible
to other-worldly religious beliefs and
yearnings. The new beliefs and the
new spiritual yearnings have descended
from the heavens and now depend
upon worldly and demonstratable exercises and rituals for inspiration.
What are these new beliefs and
yearnings? Transcendental meditation,
for one, or TM as it is now commonly
called. Yoga, Arica training, Marxism,
gestalt therapy, encounter groups, est,
sexual exploration, drug cults, and
communal communitities are other examples.
For many people, "god" is no
longer the stern and moralistic deity
depicted in the Bible. It is realized by
more and more people that the Red
Sea did not actually part in two for
Moses when he and his followers were
fleeing the ancient Egyptians. We
know now that oceans and lakes do
not part in two for anybody or anything.
Similarly, it is no longer accepted as
"fact" by many people that Jesus
walked on water or was resurrected
from death to live eternally at "god's"
side. Both the Moses story and the
Jesus story are now regarded increasingly as poetic explanations of important myths and legends.
Why has this belief in an actual
"god" ruling over us declined and lost
ground to its once common and accepted place in human consciousness?
Largely, one imagines, because of the
scientific discoveries and developments
of the last 200 years.
Science, however, is not necessarily
the "enemy"
of religion; it may
merely be its successor. Science and
scientific theory are slowly and gradually replacing religious and theological
theory as explanations for organic and
inorganic existence and as inspirations
for the future. Man did not land on
the moon because "god" wanted him
to. Man landed on the moon because
human technicians and scientists figured out a way to get him there and
Page 10
back.
It is possible that July 20, 1969 will
be remembered in the future as the
day the traditional and ancient religious beliefs of humankind took a step
forward toward virtual extinction. Because on that day two human beings
from this planet Earth stepped and
walked for the first time upon the surface of "another world." Not only did
the moonwalk of July 20, 1969 open
up the way for future space exploration, but it also inevitably marked the
last stages of supernatural religious belief by the inhabitants of this planet.
Religion, however, will not simply
die out. The need for theological or
scientific explanation will always exist
within the human mind, as will the
yearning for some kind of spiritual
comfort. Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism are not
simply going to fade away just because
it is realized and agreed that a "god"
does not exist.
These ancient religious systems will
either adapt to the new findings of the
world scientific community (the theories of evolution, relativity, planetary
origin, genetic coding, etc.) or else
they will gradually lose their vigor and
force in the contemporary world and
will come to be looked upon merely as
vast systems of folklore and superstition and myth.
Bottled Superstition
How can religion adapt to the incontrovertible consequences of modern
scientific theory and knowledge? This
is a question one leaves to the theologians and philosophers of religion
themselves, for it is a question they
must grapple with. New wine (to borrow a phrase from the Bible) will have
to be made to put into the old bottles,
or the old bottles will lie in the cellars
of history, empty and dusty, and full
of cobwebs.
It seems fairly evident that we
moderns have reached a new stage in
religious thought and custom. We
know far too much today about physics and biology and psychology to
stick with the out-dated religious doctrines of our ancestors. Jesus no more
rose to heaven than some "god" presented Moses with a finely-chiselled
marble tablet containing the Ten Commandments. Allah no more dwells in
May, 1978
~/
American Atheist
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POLEMIC SYNOPSIS
ralph h. shirley
Something Happened
Atheists are often asked by Christians and others of a similar superstitious bent, what it was that made
them Atheists. The inference, of
course, is that there must have been
some great tragedy in the person's life
which shattered their belief in god.
Since they simply "believe" in religion
without any logic or reasoning on their
part, they assume that the shedding of
religion must also result from a mere
emotional experience.
One person put the question to me
this way, "Something
happened,
didn't it?" I replied, "Yes. It all happened the day I was born with the ability to reason logically."
Obviously, tragedies and hardships
occur to almost everyone regardless of
whether or not they believe in religion
or a god. The reason that some people
become Atheists even though they
were indoctrinated in religious superstition cannot be because they suffered a tragedy, since many believers
have suffered similar tragedies and yet
they remain steeped in religious superstition. In fact, most religious testimonials are given as a result of some misfortune.
For example, a man will be involved in a grim automobile wreck
which demolishes his car and seriously
injures him. He then gives thanks and
praise to "god" for saving his life.
Such is a typical religious testimonial.
These people obviously do not have
enough intelligence or reasoning ability to ask why their god did not prevent the accident in the first place if
he is watching over them and cares
more for them than he cares for the
many thousands of people (mostly
Christians) who are killed in auto accidents each year. These non-thinkers
say they "love god" for saving their
lives, even though he permitted or
caused them to suffer a terrible misfortune.
When a reason for this contradiction is offered by a witch doctor
(preacher), it is usually that god loved
them but thought that they were wandering from the flock. He wanted to
make them realize that they should be
more concerned with worshiping god
and be more serious about living a
Christian life, etc.
This explanation is a contradiction
of another Judeo-Christian
concept
which has it that man possesses free
will and may choose to live as he
wishes without interference from god.
The explanation is analogous to the
suggestion that in order to get a jackass to do what you want, you should
first hit it in the head with a 2 x 4 to
get its attention.
Neo-Tragedians
Since non-thinking believers - like
the biblical Job - thrive on misfortune, we will have to look for another
reason why some religiously indoctrinated people become Atheists.
The difference between an Atheist
and a believer is not indoctrination,
because most Atheists received just as
much religious indoctrination in childhood as the staunchest believer. The
difference, as we have seen, is not misfortune, either.
The main difference is in the innate
ability of the Atheist to reason logically, to think in scientific terms and
to reach conclusions independently.
The Atheist also has the courage to
face reality, which is lacking in the believer.
There are certainly some young believers with reasoning ability who will
eventually become Atheists. There are
some who take a rather long time
reaching the conclusion that religion is
spurious. For example, some men have
worked as a practicing minister, priest
or rabbi for up to 20 years before eventually turning Atheist.
Since it is not possible to determine
who might be a potential Atheist, literature debunking religion should be
provided to as many people as possible,
especially to the young. We shouldn't
feel that there is no use trying to educate believers because, although the
non-thinking sheep will pass it up and
spurn the greatest of wisdom, those few
who have good reasoning ability will
seize upon the information like a
young tiger having its first taste of
meat.
A few people have criticized the
providing of information concerning
the falsity of primitive, superstitious
religions to the young, claiming that
one should wait until the child is old
enough to understand all of the pros
and cons and mature enough to form
an intelligent opinion of his/her own.
These high-minded people are the same
ones, of course, who have been stuffing their children's minds with religious rubbish.
To borrow a phrase from Radio
Free Europe, by the time the child is
old enough to think he is no longer
able to think. Because it is much less
Page 12
May, 1978
~J
Up To Atheists
Once a person has been thoroughly
indoctrinated with religion, it then requires a higher degree of reasoning ability on his part to overcome it - an ability which most do not have. But if the
indoctrination
can be prevented or
blunted, then even those of lesser reasoning ability may not fall prey to it.
Atheist and freethought literature
can be distributed in various ways without revealing the identity of the person who is physically making the distribution. Nothing would be gained by
revealing this anyway as it adds nothing to the facts or the argument, and
might cause resentment. On the other
hand, careful reading and reflection on
the material can be persuasive. Whatever method you choose by all means
get the Atheist message to the public.
American
Atheist
from
Christian
By
John
Henderson
Mythological Creatures
When incredulous Christian friends
ask why I doubt the existence of god,
I reply by explaining that I do not
doubt the existence of god - only the
reality. God most certainly does exist
- but how and where? The answer to
this is fairly simple. God exists in exactly the same way that all other mythological creatures exist - in the minds
and imaginations of frightened men
and women.
One of the most exasperating (and
in my opinion, stupid) questions that I
am frequently asked is: "How do you
explain the existence of the universe?"
My response to this is that I do not attempt to explain the existence of-the
universe - I simply admit, quite honestly that I do not know how or when
the universe came into existence. And
I usually add that if one is to accept
"god" as the answer to the existence
of the universe, who, or what, created
god?
As an Atheist, I am frequently subjected to idiotic questions such as one
put to me by one of my students who
wanted to know if I were not afraid
Austin,
Texas
to
Atheist
that god would be angry with me for
not believing in him. I replied that I
was not afraid of god's anger any more
than I was afraid that Jupiter, Woden,
Brahma, or any other gods would be
angry because of my disbelief.
One of the pet contentions of
Christian ministers (especially the uneducated, "jackleg" types) is that
Christianity is the only religion with
an "empty tomb." This is mean t to imply that Christianity is the only religion in which the resurrection myth is
a basic part of the formal doctrine.
Nothing, however, could be further
from the truth. Resurrection is merely
a bit of pagan mythology which has
been incorporated into Christianity.
The Hindu religion teaches that its
chief god, Brahma was murdered and
arose from the dead, and the ancient
Egyptians had a similar myth.
The Egyptian version has it that
Osiris was murdered by his evil brother,
Seth. His body was cut up into millions of pieces and scattered all over
the earth. His wife, Isis, gathered all
the fragments together, piled them
into a heap, and Osiris was magically
resurrected, after which he, Isis, and
their son, Horus, ruled the heavens as a
triad.
This - threesome, Osiris, Isis, and
Horus, was probably the forerunner of
the trinitarian doctrine to which most
Christians subscribe today. The Trinity
is not mentioned anywhere in the
Bible. As Christian doctrine, it was officially adopted by the Council of
Nicea in A.D. 325. It is interesting to
note that the Hindu religion, which
originated long before Christianity had
(and still has) a "trinity" also consisting
of the three principal Hindu gods,
Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva.
Another pagan element that found
its way into Christian dogma is the
doctrine of the virgin birth. Most religions attribute some form of miraculous birth to their gods. Zoroaster was
believed to have been born of a virgin,
and Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess,
was called the "Holy Virgin." Minerva,
the Roman goddess of wisdom, was
believed to have been born not of a
mother, but from the head of her father, Jupiter. The same legend was
May, 1978
Cruelty Sanctified
Instead of enhancing love, kindness,
and compassion, it would seem that religion does the exact opposite. It promotes cruelty, intolerance, and bigotry.
It not only promotes these things; it
makes them respectable and acceptable. Thus it is that in Ireland today a
Catholic can, with a clear conscience,
toss a grenade into a Protestant kindergarten; a Protestant can, without a
twinge of guilt, set fire to a Catholic
orphanage. Here in the United States,
as recently as the early 18th century,
men, women, children, and animals
were burned to death for witchcraft in
accordance with the injunction found
in Exodus 22: 18.
In addition to the needless fear and
suffering that it causes, religion is decidedly harmful in another way. It limits
man's intelligence. Every bit of progress that has ever been made in any
field of human endeavor has been
made over the strong opposition of religion.
Page 13
Foundation
Of Fear
Page 14
May, 1978
(;0(/
"
American
Atheist
Jon
Dl.urray
Jndividual
We recently received a wave of distressing news: birth
control clinics across the country had been fire-bombed; our
president has said that he bases his support of Israel on the
"fact" that Israel's existence fulfills biblical prophecy; the
Kentucky legislature has a bill before it to make the display of
the Ten Commandments mandatory in all public school classrooms; the State of Texas is a functioning theocracy due to a
provision in its constitution requiring all elected or appointed
officials to have a belief in a "supreme being"; and countless
city council meetings across the nation open with invocations,
as do both houses of Congress.
Each of these is a flagrant violation of the constitutional
principle of separation of state and church. The list is almost
endless, it could go on for pages. Why? Because the Constitution of the United States has suffered a grave transition in our
recent history, it has now become just an advisory document.
Our rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and other
freedoms have now been left up to the discretion of powerful
political forces.
The only line of defense left is the individual citizen. Think
about it: in the years since WWII the U.S. Supreme Court has
handed down a number of decisions which served to enhance
human rights, but all of which resulted from litigation brought
by individuals who felt they had to force their government to
deliver freedoms already promised and guaranteed them by the
Constitution. All of the so-called "civil rights" decisions of the
60s were rights that the government had already granted in its
founding document, but generations later the descendants of
those founders needed to petition the government for those
very same rights all over again.
Why? Simply put, the people of the United States have by
and large not cared for the protection of their rights for many
years now. As long as they had two cars in every garage and a
chicken in every pot all was OK. Meanwhile, in the halls of
Congress the legislators were taking away one freedom after
another under the guise of caring for the people.
The great silent majority slept through the conversion of
our national symbolism and ideals from those of "freedom
for all" to those of "love it as it is or get out." The idea that to
love your country is to fight to make it better is but a recent
notion. If you loved it before, you simply kept your mouth
closed tight and went along so as not to rock the boat, thereby
qualifying as a "good citizen."
All of those "good citizens" have now almost cost us the
very right to exist as Atheists in the United States. While they
remained "in line," the administration of President Eisenhower began to convert our nation into a Christian democracy
and none knew what was going on. Now organizations such as
American Atheists are being urged to do something about it.
Well, it's too late now for ordinary effort. It is only with extraordinary effort and boldness that we can hope to have a
chance at reaquiring our constitutional liberties. The fighting
should have been done during the 50s to save those symbols
and ideals are forefathers held so dear.
In three short years -1954,1955
and 1956 - our nation
was symbolically delivered over to the Christian scheme of salvation. Actions that guarenteed our descent into a new Dark
Age went unopposed. In 1954, the words "under God" were
inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance. From that moment on
no Atheist could swear allegiance to this nation. In 1955, the
words "In God We Trust" were made mandatory for the currency of this nation. From that point on, no Atheist could
exist without being forced to acknowledge a supreme being
with every monetary transaction. In 1956, our national motto
Austin, Texas
Action
was changed to "In God We Trust." From that time on, no
Atheist could consider the United States a safe home.
As early as 1908, the Congress of the United States made
clear what its position was with respect to a destiny for our
nation. In a committee report on the restoration of the slogan
"In God We Trust" to certain coins under consideration at
that time, they said, "Your subcommittee is unanimous in the
belief that as a Christian nation we should restore this motto
to the coinage of the United States upon which it was formerly inscribed ... as an outward and visible form of the inward
and spiritual grace, which should possess and inspire American citizenship, and as an evidence to all the nations of the
world that the best and only reliance for the perpetuation of
the republican institution is upon a Christian patriotism,
which, recognizing the universal fatherhood of God, appeals to
the universal brotherhood of man as the source of the authority and power of all government."
The power of government was thus given over to a fable.
No viable organization existed at that time nor was to exist for
many years to come to counteract that kind of sickness in leadership. For that reason we are now caught up within a flow
of history that we cannot reverse short of tremendous social
upheaval.
Where were the lovers of freedom when our nation was
given over to the god idea and sold out to the most disreputable of all existing systems of thought - organized theism?
On November 13, 1861, a minister from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania wrote a letter to the Hon. S.P. Chase, then Secretary
of the Treasury. It said in part: "One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean that recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins.
...This would make a beautiful coin, to which no possible citizen could object. This would relieve us from the ignominy of
heathenism. This would place us openly under the divine protection we have personally claimed."
That letter initiated the placement of "In God We Trust"
on certain coins, an initial defeat for the free mind, a signal of
many more to come.
We now have a "born again" president and the pledge of
"god's word" has made its way into every nook and cranny of
our lifestyles. It is almost too late now to eliminate a concept
so entrenched in the inner fabric of our culture. It should have
been stopped 100 years ago. We are now faced with a cancerous growth, a growth which will perhaps die out - but only by
killing its host. All we can do is to slow its progress and relieve
the pain because the opportunity for cure through early diagnosis has passed. We will do the best we can, as any good physician might.
Due to the silence of the many, the few have suffered. Now
the few who knew that suffering perhaps cannot save the
many. If only those who cried wolf had been heard.
Only the hope of individual action remains, action against
the government asking it to restore the United States to the
noble experiment of our founding, a complete separation of
state and church. No other nation had ever thought of such a
separation, but a few brave men dared. Let us not forsake
them now. Each of us owes it to ourselves to strike out in
whatever way we can for the restoration of collective reason as
a guide for our nation and its affairs. Americans must get back
to thinking together - not praying together. The solution is
only as far away as the space between our ears.
The harm one minister can set in motion seeking a return to
serfdom surely many organized Atheists can remedy for a return to liberty.
May, 1978
Page 15
Page 16
May, 1978
~J
A Good
Knight
For
Atheism
.
~~~~~~~
American
Atheist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,
sed to the publication of books and pamphlets contradieting its mythology, and that if given the opportunity,
would prefer to stop such publications? YES NO
7) Is not Tanksley's statement "As a. C~ristian, I can thir;k
of no greater disservice to a non-Christian than to tell him
he can find favor with God without Jesus Christ" exactly
the same as saying that all religions other than Christianity
are a disservice to mankind? Is this not an accurate reflection of the tenets of Christianity? And does not this sil11:Ply
reflect a discriminatory, prejucicial attitude that reaffirms
my entire statement? YES NO
Count one point for each YES answer. Score as follows:
1 to 2 - There is still hope for your humanity.
3 to 4 - You are a member of the Anita Bryant Fan Club.
5 to 6 - I suggest reading Mein Kampf.
7 - Congratulations! You are a complete fulfillment of that
treasured doctrine, Christianity. Welcome to the wonderful
world of fascism. Praise the Lord and pass the ammo!
During the spring semester of 1977 Straczynski ~ad p~,blished two short introductory samples of a column entitled A
Modern Cynic's Dictionary" in the Daily Azt~c which .had
such good reaction from the student body that It was decided
by the paper to run the column in the fall semester as well. A
couple of gems from the column follow:
THE DRI!. Y RlTEC-
Tuesdo'll. October
18,
:J(
~~~~~~~~~
",
Austin, Texas
May, 1978
Page 17
Page 18
May, 1978
American
Atheist
A JOYOUS ATHEIST
g. riehard bozarth
Whose Sister is Science?
A Christian I used to correspond
with had one particular opinion that
he often expressed. This opinion was
that religion and science are sisters. He
endeavored to convince me of this by
making examples of scientists who
were also religionists. For instance, he
quoted Werhner von Braun as having
said, "I just can't envision this whole
universe coming into being without
something like a divine will."
Are religion and science sisters?
This is a necessary question for an
Atheist to answer, and at first glance,
the answer seems to be yes. After all,
in the ranks of religion there have been
and now are many, many scientists,
some of them the great geniuses who
have revolutionized human concepts
of the nature of the universe. Surely, if
scientists can also be religionists, then
religion and science must be sisters.
Look again, look deeper. Almost
everything can be reconciled in the individual human mind when reconciliation is necessary. Religion invests
most of its time, money, and energy in
the never ending labor of creating in
each new generation the need for god
that keeps religion going strong. We
may as well admit it, religion is very
successful in this essential labor.
This is a material world. Humans
also grow up learning that they need a
profession or job or occupation in order to feed, house, and clothe themselves and their families. Ideally, what
one does to earn one's wages is also
something that brings one satisfaction
and fulfillment
in the doing. I
wouldn't be- too optimistic about how
many of us attain this ideal, but I can
state with reasonable certainty that a
human who needs religion is going to
be a religionist regardless of his or her
means of earning a living.
Are there any humans who would
give up their enjoyable (or lucrative)
professions for their religious beliefs?
A few, yes, but upon examination I
think it will be consistently found
such religionists enjoy their labors for
religion more than they enjoyed their
former profession. (I am only thinking
of the reasonably sane, for insanity
acts without normal motivations.)
What of a person who has a profession he or she enjoys and who needs
religion, but does not want to make a
profession of religious service? Do
such persons feel constrained
to
choose their professions over their religions, or their religions over their pro-
Austin,
Mortal Enemies
We must not allow ourselves to be
deceived by the pious words of religious scientists into believing science
and religion are sisters. To grasp what
science means to religion, we must go
beyond the individual reconciliations
of religionists who are also scientists.
To a great many religionists who are
not scientists, science is the tool and
breeding ground of Atheism. The most
persistent stereotype characteristic of
the scientist, after sloppy absentmindedness, is Atheism. Father Shipman,
one of the local priests in Vacaville,
Calif., once declared that Atheism is
"chiefly found" in moral degenerates
and "among students of physical science." (The Reporter, 17 April 77)
Now, is that any way to talk about
May, 1978
Texas
~I
your sister?
Why, considering the numbers of
scientists who were and are devout religionists, has this stereotype of the
scientist being Atheist become so
widely accepted?
Religion requires mystery. "The
Christian rather rejoices in mystery,
reveling in the triumphant paradoxes
of revelation," George Brantl writes in
Catholicism (p. 80). A mystery, according to Webster's Third New International Dictionary, is "something that
has not been or cannot be explained."
In other words, where there is mystery there is ignorance; where there is
mystery, there you can find god offered as an explanation to fill the void
of ignorance. Prehistorical humans invented gods to answer the mysteries of
nature, and invented religions as a
means to influence divine will.
What is mystery's mortal enemy?
Science! Every time science clears up a
mystery, explains the heretofore unexplainable, a little of religion's realm is
taken from it. Each time science
pushes the boundaries of our ignorance back a little, god has less territory
in the human mind to roam in.
Religion resents this because science slowly, steadily is reducing the
mystery that nurtures religion. Consequently, despite individual reconciliation, religion's greatest foe is science.
This is why, in Rousseau and Revolution, Will and Ariel Durant wrote that
Christianity suffers severely from "the
victorious audacities of science that invade the very heavens that once
housed deities and saints." (p. 881)
Religion is not science's sibling,
Atheism is! Atheism is the only philosophy that has nothing to fear from
science
because
Atheism
grows
stronger with each new advance of science.
Perhaps it is better to describe
Atheism as the child of science, because nowhere in all history will one
find Atheism 'so diffused throughout a
society that a movement and organization like the American Atheists was
possible, except in 20th century America - except in the most scientific
country of this most scientific century
of human existence. Atheism abhors
ignorance. So does science. It is natural that they should flourish together.
In the 1978 Yearbook of Science
and the Future, put out by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., Charles M.
Cegielski, one of the associate editors,
Page 19
writes, "Man's demands on science for the necessities and conveniences of daily existence increase with each passing year."
As our civilization becomes increasingly scientific, where
will we find a moral and ethical system that is compatible with
science and helps us to progress as human beings capable of
dealing with science's progress? Will that system continue to
be the one offered by religion? No. Religion's constant battle
against science is the major reason so many people feel distrustful of science and are unable to adapt to this age of
science we live in. Religion can only sruvive by degenerating
our confidence in science, and religion has succeeded in this
with far too many.
In a scientific civilization, only Atheism can provide a philosophical system that is happily compatible with science. Only
Atheism can offer moral and intellectual development that
makes us fit to be fully responsible, participating, happy members of a scientific civilization. Only Atheism can give us the
confidence and mental outlook necessary to deal with and
overcome the dangers that also are part of a scientific civil-
The time for action has long since been upon us. Can you
really afford to delay?
The news item to the right was forwarded to us by a concerned member in Houston, Texas. It exemplifies the unrelenting efforts of religionists to force their delusions onto the
backs of all Americans - whether they like or not. Should the
Christian psychoneurotics in Kentucky get this measure passed,
it would mean a "regression" into ignorance from which it
would take years to recover (if at all lIf this attempt at reinstituting ignorance becomes law in
Kentucky, will it be long before religionists in other states become impressed enough to attempt to do likewise - inevitably in your own state?
Such is an example of religionists' attempts to circumvent
the Constitution which must be opposed on both the local and
national levels. It is for this purpose that your American
Atheist legal Fund was established and it continues to survive
only through your on-going support.
The special pink envelope enclosed with this issue of The
American A theist is for your convenience in assisting the legal
Fund with the continuance of these vital issues. Please send
your contributions to:
"Legal Fund"
American Atheists
P.O. Box 2117
Austin, TX 78768
Page 20
May, 1978
*************
Author's Correction: In mv article entitled "The SoulJust a Case of Bad Breath" (March, 78), I made a silly mistake
I caught too late to prevent it from being printed. In it I called
RNA a polypeptide. It is not a polypeptide. RNA is a polynucleotide, and contains the code for the assembly of polynucleotide sequences of protein. The ribosome is the molecular
machine that effects the translation of the polynucleotide
code into the polypeptide chemical. I can only explain the
error as sloppiness. My concern with building the general argument of the article made me sloppy in this particular detail.
G.R. Bozarth
American
Atheist
Problems
Of
Origin:
The
Facts
On
Matter
The public's indifference
to scientific explanations
for natural phenomena
presents opportunities
to religious charlatans.
Austin,
Texas
May, 1978
fields, and light reflected from interstellar clouds prove that the elements
found on earth are present throughout
the universe. Thus, the origin of earth's
matter must be considered along with
the origin of matter elsewhere in the
universe.
The spectroscope attached to a
modern telescope is a versatile tool.
Not only can it "fingerprint" elements
millions of light years (A light year is
the distance light travels in a year at
the rate of 186,000 miles per second)
from the earth, but it has a number of
other uses including the ability to determine the rate at which a light
source such as a galaxy filled with stars
is moving away or toward the observer.
Unlike elements, galaxies (There are
billions of stars in only one galaxy as
well as clouds of matter from which
stars are born) are the largest units in
the universe. We are inside the one
called the Milky Way. Galaxies are visible by the billions with modern telescopes. All galaxies,. except a few in
our local clusterr, are moving away
from our galaxy, and thus away from
an earthbound
astronomer with a
spectroscope.
Page 21
Elements Scattered
The heavy elements cannot all remain in large. stars if they are to form
planetary bodies such as the earth.
Fortunately, large stars tend to be unstable. Some lose matter during novae
and supernovae explosions and the
heavy elements are scattered through
space. There they mingle with primordial hydrogen gas so that following
generations of stars contain a small
.sPOEMS_
My Trial
Page 22
May, 1978
American
Atheist
GADFLY
frankduffy
Outrunning Jesus
Running breeds realism. That was
what I had assumed prior to reading recently in Sports Illustrated that Jeff
Wells, first-place finisher in a field of
3,050 in the December running of the
Honolulu 26-mile Marathon, had proclaimed, "My main objective was to
glorify god, but I wanted to win the
race, too."
If this is the brand of "realism" I
have to look forward to should I continue my own five-year running career,
then I suspect I'll abandon the daily
roadwork and return to the delusions
of sedentary life.
I had assumed that all marathoners,
whose training requires anywhere from
nine to 20 miles of daily roadwork,
would eventually shed their delusions
along with their sweat. Both are personal treasures which the human animal is reluctant to give up without a
struggle and both can be replenished
with ease if one is given sufficient time
to recuperate.
Psychological Ploys
A person doesn't put in that much
humbling physical effort and still manage to retain many delusions about his
or her abilities and limitations. Within
the first five miles of a marathon, simple psychological motivation is enough
to overcome the discomfort. Up to
about 18-20 miles a trained runner is
making do on reserves of strength and
stamina stored in the muscles in the
form of glycogen. After the twentieth
mile all psychological ploys - religious
or otherwise - used to whip the
aching body onward are useless.
It is at this point that physical reality shows its sovereignty as nothing
short of a glimpse of the finish line
dead ahead is sufficient to rouse the
numbed psyche.
- Why bother? As an Atheist who
accepts the Materialist philosophy I
look to myself to create my own destiny. No one is going to solve my problems for me. Marathoning is an at-tempt to act on my environment
rather than reacting to it. Therefore I
accept all the failures and any glory
resulting from my actions.
Jeff Wells is a "divinity student" at
Dallas Theological Seminary, so I
would guess it is there at that factory
of the irrational that he gets his daily
dose of religious delusionswhich some
people need to help soften the immutable realities of the universe. It would
Austin,
Texas
May, 1978
II
Page 23
Bigotry
and
Godism:
The Sexual
Connection
*********************
IWY Confab
A Testimoniet
To Reason's
Rebirth
By Gerald Tholen
The most interesting and educational experience that I personally witnessed in the past decade transpired
the weekend of Nov. 19-20, 1977 -the
weekend included in the IWY (International Women's Year) Convention held
in Houston, Texas. To anyone who attended that meet must come the realization of the underlying existence of
religiously induced bigotry that contaminates this nation. However, along
with this realization comes another.
The second realization, and possibly the first time it has been demonstrated so clearly, is that bigotry IS in
the minority! Due to the fact that fanatical religionists are so powerful in
the matters of wealth and influence,
many are led to believe that they represent the vast majority of the citizenry,
but this is not so - they simply "blow
big horns."
This was plainly evidenced only
two days after the convention by the
two to one vote loss suffered by Frank
Briscoe in his bid for the office of
mayor of Houston. While the IWY
Convention was in session Mr. Briscoe,
being a staunch conservative, made an
appearance at an anti-ERA (Equal
Rights Amendment) meeting also held
in Houston and made public his position opposing the ERA. Ironically,
two days later he suffered the most
one-sided defeat that a Houston mayoral candidate has faced for quite
some time. This can only indicate that
even the milder mannered religionists
are becoming fed up with those who
continually try to dominate the minds
of an entire nation of people.
Page 24
May, 1978
American
Atheist
Gender
Justice:
Womenm
Still
Down Under
The Rationalist News, journal of the Rationalist
Association
of New South
Wales, Australia
reprinted in its January/February,
1976 issue the
following item "from a recent Women's Liberation
leaflet. "
********************
THE
WOMEN'S
MOVEMENT
AND
YOU
because .....
our work is never done and underpaid or unpaid or repetitious and we're the first to
get the sack and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our
fault and if we get bashed we must have provoked
it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches
and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't
we're frigid and if we love women it's because we
can't get a "real" man and if we ask our doctor too
many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if
we expect community
care for children we're
selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're
aggressive and "unfeminine"
and if we don't we're
typical weak females and if we want to get married
we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're
unnatural
and because we still can't get an
adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on
the moon and if we can't cope or don't want a
pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion
and .....
for lots and lots of other reasons .....
we are part of the women's liberation movement
.....
if you're a woman there's room for you too.
-
Austin,
Texas
May, 1978
leaflet.
Page 25
United
World
Atheism
In
France
[EDITOR'S NOTE: For the benefit of our readers curious
about the development of Atheism in other parts of the world,
we have had translated from the French the gist of a single issue of The Atheists' Tribunal. Published quarterly by the Society of Atheists at Bellenaves, The Atheists' Tribunal is edited
by Albert Beaughon of Clermont-Ferrand.
In order to make features like this one available in the future, The American Atheist is interested in hearing from readers capable of translating into English from any other language.
At this time we have three Finnish and five French documents
waiting the ministrations of an Atheist translator.]
Because of many difficulties - retirement, moving, etc. - I
was forced to delay the publication of the Tribunal. But this
was preceded by an improvement in working conditions:
namely, we acquired a postage machine and an addressing
machine. Also, the number of members has increased and now
approaches the 500 mark. Our principal objective which, a few
years ago appeared to be almost impossible, has been achieved
- Atheists no longer feel isolated.
There remains, however, a great deal for us to do - thousands of interested people do not know of us, and we are
badly informed about the methods of those who are still
largely against us. Our adversaries on the other hand benefit
from the greatest benevolence, notably from the state where
the responsible people are often unable to maintain objectivity.
Our work retains an invaluable worth and I ask each one of
you to keep this in mind in order to assure our difficult, yet so
worthwhile, advancement.
Open Tribunal on Television - On April 14th, television
station FR 3 presented an "Open Tribunal" of the Society of
Atheists. President Francis Perrin explained the reasons for the
existence of the society, then A. Beaughon talked about the
activities, and finally Louis Gabriel provided precise details
about membership and the meeting of May 18th.
Two sequences were interpolated - one, humorous on the
theme that it isn't necessary for Atheists to prove the nonexistence of god, but for believers to prove his existence - the
other, the humane testimony of our friend, Perrodo, former
priest.
This broadcast has had an undeniable success. The society
received about 200 letters, the majority of which were enthusiastic and this was followed by about 60 new members. Unfa-
Page 26
May, 1978
Atheists
vorable letters were less than 10, not one of them from responsible religious authorities, but coming from religious private individuals, iricluding two clerics. There was no violent opposition, and they sometimes agreed with us that television has
failed to give us proper recognition.
The Society of, Atheists warmly thanks those responsible
for presenting this Open Tribunal on FR 3 and can't urge
strongly enough that its members write them in this vein,
underlining how the increase of such programs is called for in
the face of the regular monopolizing of TV by the various religions.
International Congress of the Society of Atheists - As previously stated, this congress took place on May 18th at the
Hotel Moderne, Place de la Republique, Paris. It was presided
over by M. Francis Perrin, assisted by A. Beaughon, E. Becker,
treasurer and Mil. Gaumat, secretary.
The presence of about 100 permanent members from various regions in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy was
noted. Delegates from far-away countries such as Japan and
Australia sent friendly letters of encouragement and sympathy.
Dinner reservations for 30 had been made, but actually 60
were there. Our friend, the magician known as Mystag, gave a
show.
SRO Crowd
The crowd reached its peak during the debate when the
audience can well be said to have been more than 200 people,
part of whom had to follow what was going on from outside
the hall because of lack of space. There were some opposing
people who were allowed to speak during the freest of discussions.
The congress was welcomed by President Francis Perrin,
who recalled the aims of our society, among other things: the
getting-together of unbelievers who until now had been isolated, in an association that was sympathetic, just as believers
find in their religious groups but where, unfortunately, an atmosphere of mysticism and irrationality is dangerously present.
For Atheists, only human nature counts and has always had
great worth and grandeur. The president emphasized the specific character, of .our movement, which doesn't exist in any
other and which does not put us in accord with Free Thought
or the Society. of Rationalists.
Beaughon then spoke about the activities and the membership, during the course of which many questions were debated
of which it is impossible to give a full account. Many members
aired their thoughts on subjects close to them such as: politics,
social problems, morals (naturalism, esperanto, pacifism ... ).
Beaughon pointed out that members who entertained the
same position on any of these subjects could form their own
groups without excluding opposing groups. The agreement on
Atheism by the Society of Atheists did not in any way imply
an agreement on other matters, particularly not on politics. We
might mention that remarks in favor of "left-wing" politics
were loudly applauded. Eventually, interested groups formed
their own sections - those having to do with esperantists,
naturalists, etc.
The afternoon ended with the showing of the April 14th
television broadcast which had been video-taped by Becker.
The public address by Beaughon was made in front of a
considerable audience and was followed by many remarks
made by friends and adversaries. Religious people and representatives of various sects (Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists)
spoke freely, but their irrational talks very plainly made no impression whatever on the greater part of the audience which
only saw a confirmation of the worth in any action against
such ravings. In reply, the celebrated author, Cavanna, achieved
American
Atheist
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a huge success in affirming that Atheism was the only reasonable, common-sense position.
Maurice Clavel - (This is a criticism of the French author
Clavel who has just written a book called What I Believe. TV
gave him a lot of publicity but the person writing says he has a
wild imagination and makes such absurd statements as "Jesus
Christ is God because everything in him is man and nothing in
him is divine." This critic says he is extremely naive and has
nonsensical ideas.)
Resolution Taken at the Congress
1. The Society of Atheists deplores the fact that the press,
which was invited, very clearly avoided the congress to a
large degree. Only Radio-France (International) and Europe
No. 1 responded to the invitation and the society must
thank them warmly for this. On the other hand, TV, which
was told well in advance, completely ignored the meeting
and took not even the slightest notice of it but instead gave
over the afternoon to various religious broadcasts and also
in the evening broadcast a religious discussion about "Pentecost 75." However, for this "Pentecost 75" broadcast,
thousands of unbelievers whom the Society of Atheists
represents were passed over in silence with very obvious
partiali ty .
This religious TV discussion, "Pentecost 75" was naturally
concerned with unbelief. It is noteworthy to state that this
question was discussed without one single unbeliever present, without the slightest reference to the Society of
Atheists (the only association of unbelievers) and clearly
without mention of the congress when the occasion was so
tailor-made for such a discussion.
Austin,
Texas
May, 1978
..eLAVBlflGO
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Page 27
31 Oct. 75
Austin, Texas
Hello there,
This is Madalyn Mays O'Hair, American Atheist, back to
talk with you again.
Back in 1879 when Kersey Graves was writing Atheist books
some material was published which staggers the imagination. It
is valid in the argument between religious sects, but today it
would come under savage attack. Let me give you a sample of
it, anyhow, and - believe me - I have diluted this so that it is
only half as onerous as what Kersey Graves wrote.
In his book, The Bible of Bibles, he discusses the "character" of Moses, and Abraham and David, all of which I will
bring to you later in this series. But, he also speaks to the character of the Jews. In Chapter XXVII which he titles "Character of God's 'Holy People', the Jews" he has this to say:
"As the Jews are reputedly 'the Chosen People of God' chosen by him out of all the nations of the earth to be the special recipients of his favors - the chosen instruments through
which to communicate his will and his laws to the whole human race, and chosen to be a moral example for all mankind,
for that age, and for all future generations - it becomes a
matter of great importance to know their real character for
morality, for intelligence, for honesty, for reliability. And so
thatwe may, in the effort to present a brief sketch of their
character, that we furnish no ground for suspecting any misrepresentation, we will present it in the language of Jewish ...
writers of established reputation.
"It may reasonably be presumed that their own writers
would be more likely to overrate than underrate their virtues.
Hear, then, what one of their leading prophets says of them.
Isaiah thus describes them (lsa. 1. ix): 'Their hands are defiled with blood, and their fingers with inequity; and their lips
speak lies; their tongues mutter perverseness. None of them
call for justice; none of them plead for truth. They trust in
vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth
inequity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.' Such is a
description of god's holy people by one of their number. And
David completes the picture by declaring, 'There is none righteous; no, not one.'
"And Christ calls them 'a generation of vipers.' Rather a
shocking picture of god's peculiar people! 'Peculiar' they were,
if Isaiah's description of them was true ... It is rather strange
that Jehovah should have selected such moral outlaws as lawgivers and moral.examples for the whole human race. There
were, at the time, several nations superior to the Jews in morals and intelligence, and much further advanced in civilization.
The Greeks, Egyptians, Chaldeans, and a portion of the Hindus
were in advance of the Jews.
"Josephus, being a Jew, was their friend and defender; and
yet he says, 'They were .so illiterate, that they never wrote anything, or held intercourse with the learned' ... One writer says,
'They hated all nations, and were hated by all nations,' and
they seemed determined to exterminate all nations but
their own.
"Some of the laws which Moses adopted for the government
of the Jews corroborates still further the statement that they
occupied a very low position in the scale of morals as well as
intellect; for the laws of a nation are a true standard of their
character. Hence the law of Moses prohibiting uncleanness
(Lev. xv), and the law against incest (Lev. xviii).
"Laws against bestiality, to prohibit both sexes from carnal
familiarity with beasts, and various other laws of a similar
character, furnish a clear implication that they were addicted
to all these vile habits; and a law to comple them to wash their
hands leads to the conclusion that they were inclined to be filthy in their habits. And the following law shows that they
were not very particular about their food: 'Ye may eat the locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.' (Lev. xi. 22)
"This portraiture of the Jewish character is not here presented in any caviling spirit, or to show that they are justly objects of either censure or ridicule. Far from it. They most probably acted up to the highest light they were in possession of.
The primary motive of this exhibition of their character is to
show that they possessed no qualifications and no traits of
character calculated to fit them for moral lawgivers and moral
exemplars for us, and for the whole human race; and we cannot assume, without really dishonoring ourselves, that such a
morally and intellectually inferior nation of people were the
chosen instruments in the hands of god to communicate the
revelation of his will to the human family.
"We are under no moral obligation to believe it. A revelation
from a pure, perfect, and holy god must (if we assume a revelation necessary) come through a pure and holy channel: otherwise it would be contaminated and corrupted before it reached
us. If god could consent to communicate a revelation to the
human race through such a channel as the Jewish nation furnished, we don't see how he could escape a stigma upon his
character for stooping to such ignoble means. And would not
the act of familiarizing himself with such a people show that
he kept bad company, and furnish a bad example to us who
are enjoined to be 'perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect?'
by Bob Thoves
%f ,,,'$
ALL
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Page 28
May, 1978
American
Atheist
Another writer (Dr. Burnet in his Archaeologia Philosophie) says of the Jews, 'They were of a gross and sluggish
nature, not qualified for the contemplation of natural things,
nor the perception of divine ones.' And consequently, Moses
provided nothing for them of an intellectual nature, and promised them nothing beyond this life - did not teach a future
state of existence.
Lactantius says, "They were never visited by the learned
men of other countries, because they were never famous for
literature." St. Cyril says, "Moses never attempted to philosophize with the Jews, because they were grossly ignorant, and
addicted to idolatry." Dr. Burnet further states, "They were
depraved in their manners and discipline, and almost bereaved
of humanity. If I may speak the truth, ... they were a vile
company of men - an assembly of slaves brought out of Egyptian prisons .... "
The Old Testament is principally a history of the Jews and
their god Jehovah, - a narrative of their trials, troubles, treachery, quarrels, and faithless dealings toward each other. No
other god ever had so much trouble with his people; and no
other nation ever showed so little respect for their god, or so
little disposition to obey him, or live up to his commands.
There appears to have been almost a natural antipathy between them; so that they were constantly repelling each other.
The relationship appears to have been a forced one, possessing
but a few of the adhesive ties of friendship.
Both parties were apparently happier when separated, as
they were several times, (during which) ... according to the
biblical history of the case, they got along as well, .. as when
their god was with them. Another circumstance which implies
that Jehovah cherished but little respect for his people, and
cared but little about them, is that they were literally broken
up while he was apparently with them. One portion of them
fell into the hands of Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, and the
other portion into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon; and they were never able to regain their political power
as a nation afterwards.
And, to cap the climax, 10 out of the 12 tribes were lost
entirely, thus leaving Jehovah almost childless, and destitute
of worshippers. And a search for them for several thousand
years has failed to bring them to light. This circumstance is entirely irreconcilable with the idea that the Jews were the special favorites of god. It proves, also, that Jehovah's promise
never to leave or forsake them was not adhered to (1 Sam. xii.
22).
Jehovah Vexed
And the language and conduct of the god of the Jews on
several occasions imply that, if he ever did make choice of
them as his pets, he was disappointed in them, and reperited of
the act. When he exclaimed, "I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me," (Isa. i.2) he virtually confesses he had been short-sighted, or that he had erred
in judgment in selecting the Jews as special favorites. Certainly
this is the language of vexation and disappointment, and want
of judgment or foresight.
We are told "he hated his own heritage" (Jer. xii. 8). Here
is evinced again a feeling of hatred, vexation and disappointment, that no sensible being should manifest, much less a god.
"He gathered unto him the children of Ammon andAmalek, and went and smote Israel" (Judg. iii. 13). Think of such a
being (an all-wise and benevolant god) getting into a squabble
with his own children, and having to invoke the aid of heathen
tribes to subdue them, and get him out of the difficulty. One
day he heads an army composed of his "peculiar people" to
fight the heathen, with the avowed determination to exterminate them, and "leave nothing alive that breathes." The
next day he gets out of patience with their stubbornness and
inequity; his fury gets up to fever heat; and he traitorously
abandons them, and joins those same enemies to fight them,
and reduce them to slavery.
Jehovah is represented as selling his people several times to
the neighboring heathen tribes, which again leads to the con-
Austin,
May, 1978
Texas
Page 29
ONOUK WAY
Ignatz sahula-dyeke
What Praying Won't Solve -- 2
All it takes is a bit of thinking about, and you'll perceive
that the life of every one of us would be immensely improved
and a lot more enjoyable if we could only answer how it all.
began. Nearly everything that is known and believed about the
beginnings of mankind's long history stands on statements of
two kinds. First, on inferences resulting from painstaking
scientific investigations substantiated by material evidence of
man's early life on our globe, and second, on specious allegations of which is woven the fabric of all the religions.
Although the evidence in the hands of science is very sparse
in view of the eras, periods, and epochs to whose immensity
it pertains, it nevertheless serves most importantly by enabling its dedicated and honest experts rationally to infer
that this or that more than probably had taken place, or indeed did, in bygone times.
And religion? Although the Christian believes the story
of man's creation as his god's truth, the lone incontrovertible
fact about it is one which the believer rarely if ever notes:
namely, that Genesis is a compound of theistically dogmatic
allegations forcing anyone searching for material evidence to
deem that biblical account as - at best - a thesis which sufficed in its time the mass intelligence, but presently is of no
consequence in the quest for answers to mankind's beginnings.
Which, now, of the above two agencies is best fit to help us
know what happened that enabled man and his race to populate the earth? For given reasons it is sufficiently evident that
science (geology, archeology, paleontology, biology, physiology and its other disciplines) has contributed immensely
more than has religion (Christianity or any other) by way of
attempts at clearing up for us this mind-boggling mystery.
We are avid here for understanding, the while impeded in it
by a more immediate puzzle: by our unknowing how much of
the puzzle's partial solution by science our fellow-creatures are
sufficiently open-minded enough to think about and to appreciate.
Page 30
May, 1978
American Atheist
m[k m@WD@W
The Psycho-Neurosis
Called Christianity
By JohnA. Gerber
Austin,
Texas
May, 1978
Page 31
The
Magazine
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Keep all information-packed
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May, 1978
American
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Why I Am An Atheist
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~C--/'-
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