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AMERICAN ATHEISTS
is a non-profit, non-political, educational organization, dedicated to the complete and absolute separation of
state and church. We accept the explanation
of Thomas Jefferson that the "First Amendment"
to the
Constitution of the United States was meant to create a "wall of separation" between state and church.
American Atheists are organized to stimulate and promote freedom of thought and inquiry concerning
religious beliefs, creeds, dogmas, tenets, rituals and practices;
to collect and disseminate information, data and literature on all religions and promote a more thorough
understanding of them, their origins and histories;
to encourage the development and public acceptance of a human ethical system, stressing the mutual
sympathy, understanding
and interdependence
of all people and the corresponding
responsibility of each
individual in relation to society;
to develop and propagate a culture in which man is the central figure who alone must be the source of
strength, progress and ideals for the well-being and happiness of humanity;
to promote the study of the arts and sciences and of all problems affecting the maintenance,
perpetuation and enrichment of human (and other) life;
to engage in such social, educational, legal and cultural activity as will be useful and beneficial to
members of American Atheists and to society as a whole.
Atheism may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and
aims at establishing a lifestyle and ethical outlook verifiable by experience
and the scientific method,
independent of all arbitrary assumptions of authority and creeds.
Materialism declares that the cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purpose; that it is governed by its own
inherent, immutable and impersonal laws; that there is no supernatural interference in human life; that man finding his resources within himself - can and must create his own destiny. Materialism restores to man his
dignity and his intellectual integrity. It teaches that we must prize our life on earth and strive always to improve
it. It holds that man is capable of creating a social system based on reason and justice. Materialism's "faith" is in
man and man's ability to transform the world culture by his own efforts. This is a commitment which is in very
essence life asserting. It considers the struggle for progress as a moral obligation and impossible without noble
ideas that inspire man to bold creative works. Materialism holds that humankind's potential for good and for an
outreach to more fulfilling cultural development is, for all practical purposes, unlimited.
,-.
********************************************************************
American Atheist Membership Categories
Life membership
Sustaining membership
Family/Couple membership
Individual membership
Senior Citizen/Unemployed*
Student membership*
;
membership
S500.00
SlOO.OO/year
S50.00/year
S40.00/year
S20.00/year
S12.00/year
*1.0. required
All membership categories receive our monthly "Insider's Newsletter," membership card(s), a
subscription to American Atheist magazine for the duration of the membership period, plus additional.
organizational mailings, i.e. new products for sale, convention and meeting announcements, etc.
June, 1985
American Atheist
A Journal
of Atheist
News
and Thought
7
9
Atheists -
Maurice LaBelle
13
14
16
20
21
28
29
32
35
37
38
40
41
42
44
44
On The Cover: Now and then Atheists strike back. Such was the case with (Mississippi) American Atheist Paul Tirmenstein. He struck
back -long and hard! And, with the aid of attorney Henry Martin and fellow Mississippi Atheist John Marthaler, his effort to rid the
Mississippi State Constitution of an absurd religious requirement was successful (see page 7). Thanks Paul, from all true Americans! ...
Also in this issue is a summary of events concerning the Fifteenth Annual National Convention of American Atheists recently held in
Austin, Texas. There are transcriptions of a number of the presentations delivered by the speakers and a centerfold section of photos of
events and/or personalities. Each of our convention related articles bears the logo which was used on promotional material for same - a
geometric diamond emblem overprinted with the (year date) figure 85.
Editor/Robin Murray-O'Hair, Editor Emeritus/Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Managing Editor/Jon G. Murray, Assistant Editor/Gerald Tholen,Poetry/Angeline
Bennett, Gerald Tholen, Production Staff/Bill Kight, Gloria Tholen, Sandra M.P.
McGann, Non-Resident/G. Stanley Brown, Lowell Newby, Merrill Holste, Margaret
Bhatty, Fred Woodworth, Frank R. Zindler.
I~,
NEW ADDRESS:
(please
OLD ADDRESS:
print)
Name
Name
Address
Address
City
State
(please
print)
City
Zip
State
zip
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Page 1
~
/~~
Page 2
June, 1985
In the Baby Doe cases, (the rule originally South sponsored by the U. S. Postal Serhaving been promulgated in March of 1983) vice.It was held March 17th through 19th in
New Orleans, and Iattended the conference
the U. S. Surgeon General placed authority
for intervention with local hospitals, again on behalf of the American Atheist Press.
reinforcing the "local option" rule which so Robin Murray-O'Hair was also in attendance
benefits the churches. The Office of Civil with her concerns for the American Atheist
Rights was empowered to defend the rights magazine. This conference was held for
of these children (specifically Spina Bifida large volume mailers to participate in semand Down's Syndrome babies) by revoking inars with postal officials concerning mail
the hospital's federal funds grants. This was preparation, rate structures, routing, and
an administrative tightening up. But later in generally information as to how the postal
the year, legislation was actually passed to customer could help improve service from
make it statutory.
his end of the contract. Every major session
of this conference was opened with an
Evangelical Christian publishers reported
a twenty-three percent increase in sales. invocation, some lasting as long as five
minutes, each delivered by a clergyman of a
Gospel music had a boom that placed it near
the top ranks of the nation's music, with different "faith." What prayer has to do with
1,400 radio stations playing gospel music a delivery of the mails I am still at a loss to
total of 50,000 hours a week. Gospel music understand, despite the statement of the
also captured an increased percentage of Post Master General that it was the duty of
record sales in stores, coming in at $210 the postal service to keep god's children in
million. Most often in the past Gospel music contact one with the other. Religion was
presented by this quasi-government agency
sold more volume through the churches,
T.V. commercials, or at gospel concerts.
as essential to its continued operation.
The radical religious right wing, meanReligious television increased so that by
the end of 1984 there were seventy-six all- while, was forming a Coalition for Religious
Freedom to fight Black integration. The U.
religious stations in the country. According
to the 1985Directory of Religious BroadcastS. Justice Department was abandoning the
ing there were ninety-two television sta- fight for Affirmative Action. Jesse Helms
tions with full-time or part-time religious organized the Center for Legal Studies, a
religious and right wing "think tank." A
formats - an increase of about twenty-one
percent since 1984.C.B.N (Christian Broad- Religious Liberty Foundation, characterized
casting Network) is now available to twenty- by fundamentalism, was formed by anum"
three million cable television households
ber of former government officials of the
through over 3,900 cable systems. Religious legislative and executive branches of the
cable systems are now the third largest cable federal government. In addition, Christian
system network behind E.S.P.N and Ted fundamentalists began to open up "Crisis
Turner's Atlanta based "super station.t'The
Pregnancy Centers" throughout the U. S. to
P.T.L. (Praise The Lord) club is now on 825 lure young pregnant women, ages thirteen
cable systems reaching 8.1 million sub- to seventeen, to have their babies and give
scribers. Religious broadcasting, in general,
them up for placement in "real Christian
grew at an estimated annual rate of ten homes." All of this was characterized by
percent. Religious films for television in- news of millions of dollars poured into these
creased thirty percent in 1984 over 1983. fundamentalist religious endeavours while
The demonology and possession films, most science and opposition magazines,
including our own journal, the American
which are really highly religious in content,
made up the bulk of this increase along with Atheist, continued to function either in the
red or with severe financial difficulties.
films like "Star Wars" that have messianic
More and more states passed laws to
themes. There are now 1,043 radio stations
with religious formats, which is an increase
accommodate the religious rights of employof 101from the previous reporting year. The ees, prohibiting discrimination on the basis
state with the largest number of religious of religion, i.e. that employees do not need to
radio stations is not surprisingly North Car- work on their designated sabbath days or on
olina, home to Jesse Helms, with fifty-four. their designated religious holidays.
California with fifty-two, Texas with forty- . The A.M.A. (American Medical Associanine, Pennsylvania with forty-seven, and tion) could have made an effort to stop the
Georgia with forty-six round out the top five. fraud of "faith healing" but did not intervene
For the "Believe It Or Not" category, the despite the fact that fifteen states now have
laws prohibiting local prosecutors from goLoma Linda University Medical Center took
up the the practice of exorcising demons in ing after parents who withhold medical
1984, while Christians Science practitioners
treatment, for religious reasons, from minor
were being paid through Medicare for pray- children or aged parents in their care.
ers on behalf of the sick.
The Falwellians launched an attempt to
Government and military agencies con- stop media advertising of beer, to close
stantly were being exposed as carrying on down "happy hours," and the like, but not to
religious activities. A good example of this curb smoking since tobacco growing is the
was the recently held National Postal Forum
chief industry of Jesse Helms' home state of
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
$60,000 a year. The House voted an approval of the appointments on May 11, 1984.
On August 11th, 1984, Reagan officially
signed the Equal Access bill into law. It had
all begun, actually, with the Widmar v.
Vincent equal access case, decided December 8, 1981 - a case which had relied
heavily on O'Hair v. Wotjka. In the latter
case American Atheists had attempted, in
the first equal access case, to prevent the
Pope from using the Washington, D.C. Mall
to give a full mass, principally for Roman
Catholics in the area. In that case, the
A.c.L.U. and other so-called state/church
separation groups (such as Americans United for Separation of State and Church) had
joined with the Roman Catholics against the
American Atheists. Equal Access for religion on any public land or in any public
institutions, became the law of the land in
just six years - because alarm was not
taken at the first experiment against our
liberties.
The elections were fullof religion from the
first but some actions went unnoticed. On
July 25th a rider had been attached to Title
VII of the Billto provide financing to schools
for mathematics and science courses, that
being Sec. 709, which read:
Sec. Grants under this title may not
be used for consultants, for transportation, or for any activity which does
not augment academic improvement,
or for the courses of instruction the
substance of which is secular humanism.
On July 26th, the next day, a "Voluntary
Silent Prayer" bill was passed as part of the
General Education Provisions Act, as follows:
Sec. 420A, No State or local educational agency shall deny individuals
in public schools the opportunity to
participate in moments of silent prayer. Neither the United States nor any
State or local educational agency shall
require any person to participate in
prayer or influence the form or content of any prayer in such public
schools.
No media reported on either law.
Ferraro was under immediate attack from
Bishop John O'Connor of New York. Mario
Cuomo, the Governor of that state, intruded to demonstrate that Roman Catholics
may take all positions. The Bishops retaliated with heavy criticism in respect to prochoice on abortion. With Cuomo and Ferraro
expressing one viewpoint and the Bishops
hard-lining their response the populace was
utterly confused. The situation was larded
over with attacks on secular humanism and
Atheism, and deliberately cautious "heated"
debates on prayer and equal access.
The Moral Majority issued its Moral Report Card on candidates in August. A fortypage, four-color, magazine to provide moral-
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
PageS
Page 6
-rr/ Y
June, 1985
The American
Atheist
tional right to seek public office. Therefore, it has the effect not only of
preventing me from holding public
office, but also from voting for or
being served by public officials who
share my beliefs. Thus, I have been
denied the right to be treated as an
equal citizen with equal rights and
privileges in my state and community.
Finally, by late 1985, the State of Mississippi
was agreeing that the case could not possibly proceed further for the provisions were
in fact unconstitutional. The Attorney General's office, however, wanted the onus of
declaring this to be so to be on the federal
judge and not on the state. The thing to do
was to wait.
And wait everybody did, while Tirmenstein turned eighty-six years of age and
Henry Martin, cautiously but consistently,
pressed the case.
The Consent Decree never came out, for
the federal district judge was finallyforced to
act on Tirmenstein's Motion for Summary
Judgment, which was granted on April 22nd
1985. The American Atheist Center staff
read about it in the newspapers, and heard
about it from a jubilant John Marthaler and a
happy Tirmenstein, both of whom had been
contacted by the media. The Court's clerk
was so hostile that he never sent a copy of
the order to Martin, who was forced to
obtain a photocopy from the Mississippi
attorney of record. The pettiness and meanspirit of both the Mississippi officials and the
judge were evident in the decree:
ORDER
This case is before the Court on the
Motion of the Plaintiffs for Summary
Judgment. The Plaintiffs, avowed
Atheists, filed this Complaint attacking the constitutionality of Article 14,
Section 265 of the Constitution of the
State of Mississippi which provides as
follows: "No person who denies the
existence of a Supreme Being shall
hold any office in this state." The
Plaintiffs seek a declaratory judgment
holding this provision of the Constitution unconstitutional, nominal damages, attorney's fees, and injunctive
relief requiring the Attorney General
to indicate in the annotations following this section of the Mississippi
Constitution that this Section is invalid. The affidavits of the Plaintiffs are
included with the Motion for Summary Judgment alleging injury because they are denied the right to hold
public office, denied the right to vote
for those who share their beliefs, and
general injury resulting from the presJune, 1985
June, 1985
Page 9
Page 10
June, 1985
easily obtained, but the result is a psychologically healthy person who has integrated
both the emotional and rational aspects of
the personality.
"We Have Outgrown Christianity"
The only time in Western culture when
the two antagonistic forces of Apollonianism
and "barbaric Dionysianism" were successfully integrated into "Dionysianism" (the
term he used for the unification of the two
opposite forces) was during the period of the
great tragedies of ancient Greece, the culmination of which was Oedipus the King.
Since that time, Western culture has degenerated into Judeo-Christianity and Apollonianism (science), both of which are "lifedestroying"; it is a culture of "window-dressing." Prof. Kaufmann rightly comments that
"Nietzsche turns away from all faith in
progress, admits that the Greeks, three
thousand years ago, took a step which
raised them above ourselves." The contemporary age, therefore, is inferior to "The
Golden Age" of ancient Greece, the culture
which spawned Oedipus the King. In contrast, "We live in an era of theory, a time in
which science is more honored than true
art."
The Birth of Tragedy was poorly received
in scholarly circles because it was not replete with secondary sources and documentation. But Prof. Kaufmann, who speaks for
modern scholars of Nietzsche, says that
"this book [anticipated] a new era in the
interpretation of Greek culture." One of the
most universally celebrated authorities on
ancient Greek, Prof. Francis Cornford, concludes that The Birth of Tragedy is "a work
of profound imaginative insight, which left
the scholarship of a generation toiling in the
rear." He is too conservative. It was the
twenty-eight-year-old Nietzsche who forced
Greek scholars to question whether Socrates and Aristotle, the vaunted gods of the
"Golden Age" of ancient Greece, truly represented its "Golden Age." To Nietzsche,
they represented its degeneration.
Nietzsche significantly developed his
Atheism in his masterpiece, Thus Spoke
Zarathustra (1883-1885). Very early in the
work, Zarathustra announces that "God is
dead." This assertion is widely misunderstood. A common rebuttal to Nietzsche's
assertion by Christians is that ifGod is dead,
then he must have been alive. Not at all.
God, to Nietzsche (and later to Freud) is a
psychological concept, a product of "human
insanity." In the modern world, god is no
longer of any value. For instance, the vast
majority of contemporary people are far
more concerned with Sunday football games
than whether Jesus was really an ignoramus
or the savior of the entire cosmos. Nietzsche
concluded that "We have outgrown Christianity."
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
rr
AN/)
PLEASE-
NO ,41~RWRINKLES.'))
Page 12
June, 1985
HISTORICAL NOTES
Austin, Texas
Page 13
Page 14
convincing all within a forty-eight hour period. Little did the fundamentalists realize
that they had only accomplished having the
American Atheist Convention move to a
much finer hotel.
And Then It Began
Despite concerns over potential confrontations with overexcited Christians, the Fifteenth Annual National Convention of American Atheists began smoothly on the morning of Friday, April 5th. While "early bird"
conventioneers registered at the booth graciously manned by Mrs. Gloria Tholen, the
Board of Directors of American Atheists
met to discuss the current national situation
for Atheists. That morning also, the first bus
left for the American Atheist Center.
Throughout the Convention, members of
American Atheists were given tours of the
National Headquarters nearly ten miles
away; complimentary shuttle service was
provided, and six departures were scheduled over two days time.
BillKweder, Director of the Austin Chapter of American Atheists, and Claudia
Kweder, his wife, had spent over a month
coordinating a volunteer work crew from
the Austin Chapter to clean, paint, arrange,
repair, renovate, and "spit and polish" The
Center. Shirley Nelson, Director of the
Arkansas Chapter of American Atheists,
had designed manufactured and affixed a
new Center sign.
The staff of the American Atheist Television Forum had set up its temporary
studio in one of the hotel's attractive suites.
During all three days of the convention,
various atheist celebrities were interviewed
for the popular series. More than fifteen
individuals were "caught" by the camera.
Lex Stevens, the Forum's producer, artfully
managed to coordinate the tapings despite
the interviewees' reluctance to leave the
excitement of the convention hall.
The first day of the annual American
Atheist Convention was filled with business
meetings and informal get-to-gethers. At
noon, a luncheon was held for local media
representatives. There they had an opportunity to meet and question American Atheist officials,highlighted convention speakers,
and over twenty representatives of chapters
of American Atheists. Afterwards a Chapter
Directors' Meeting was held, and chapter
representatives had a chance to gather
June, 1985
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Meeting. This featured the Secretary's Annual Report as well as many questions about
and suggestions for organzational strategy
from the members-at -large. Also, Bob Bolger
reported on the recent formation of an
auxiliary group for the hearing impaired:
Deaf Atheist Materials News (DAMN).
Transcripts of many of the presentations
follow, as well as photos of the convention
activities.
Despite pre-convention fears that theists
would appear at the new convention site to
cause serious disruptions of the proceedings, only two minor "incidents" occurred.
Both were easily handled (plain-clothed Austin police were on duty all three days of the
meeting to make sure that all was in order),
and the pace of the convention was not
interrupted.
And an old trite saying sums it up best: "A
good time was had by all."
Awards
It has been the habit of American Atheists
to make an "Atheist of the Year" award to
litigants in state/church separation cases.
As the judicial doors close to Atheists it has
become necessary to find other criteria as
the basis of such award and, these not being
as yet defined, no award was given for 1984.
The Chapters and chapter workers, however, cleaned up: the Outstanding Chapter
award to Twin Cities, Minnesota Chapter,
for its exceptional promotional accomplishments and its team work; the Television
Forum Award to Alexander Stone for expanding the Forum to a dozen new outlets in
Minnesota; the Houston Chapter members
for their extra dedication in regularly driving
to Austin to assist in magazine production
and mailing; to Scott Kerns, Houston's
Director, the Most Hated Atheist award for
his gallant efforts against Gideon Bible distribution in Houston; to Ann Zindler for
being the most overworked Chapter Secretary (Ohio); to William J. Kweder (Austin)
and Arnold Via (Virginia) for extraordinary
efforts in re-roofing the American Atheist
Center; to Robert Melsha the Outstanding
Member Award for consistent and conscientious volunteer work at the American Atheist Center; and to Jon Ftergotis, the Boston
druggist, for supplying medication (needles,
alcohol swabs, insulin) to Dr. O'Hair, our
fearless leader.
All of these persons are shining lights in
the darkness of the Christian climate in our
nation. The heartfelt awards were given to
them from grateful American Atheists. Their
efforts are very sincerely appreciated. It is
hoped that many of you will try to emulate
them.
Photo Credits
Steve Streeter and James Steamer.
Page 15
John S. Jones
constitutional background.
New Zealand is a sovereign, independent
state with a population of approximately
3,200,000_ It is a parliamentary monarchy.
Its link with the mother country, Great
Britain, is that the Queen of Great Britain is
also the Queen of New Zealand as she is
Queen of Canada and Australia, While the
Queen is absent from New Zealand, the
function of Head of State is vested in the
Governor-GeneraL New Zealand is a unitary state with a single chamber legislature
of ninety-five members elected every three
years by universal adult suffrage at age
eighteen. The form of government is that of
a parliamentary democracy based on the
Westminster System. Like Great Britain we
have no written constitution, This means
that Parliament is absolutely sovereign and
there is no system of judicial review of
legislation as you have under your written
constitution. Although the judicature is separate and independent, the separation of
legislature and the executive is not nearly as
clearly defined as in the U-S_A
Church and State in New Zealand
Page 16
June, 1985
can take place between women, and conThese are entirely secular.
sequently lesbian practices are not illegal.
In the state primary schools "religious
This follows the British tradition. During the
education" may be carried out either by
reign of Queen Victoria her ministers, intendthose state teachers who volunteer to do so
ing to alter the Crimes Act to provide. or by outside volunteer instructors for up to
heavier penalties for homosexual acts, felt one hour a week. During this period the
themselves unable to explain to her just
school is deemed to be offically closed and
what lesbianism was and accordingly dropaccordingly parents have the right to opt out
ped it from the statute. A bill has recently
and to withdraw their children from this
been introduced seeking to decriminalise
indoctrination. There is no precise definition
homosexual relations. This has caused a . as to what "religious education" means and
storm of protest from the churches and the our interpretation of the statute is that it is
result is in doubt.
not confined to the Christian religion or any
6. The celebration of Christmas is en- sect thereof, and that if a sufficient majority
dorsed by the state and local authorities. At of parents were so inclined, Islam, Budthis season we have religious motifs on dhism, or any other religion could be taught
postage stamps and local authorities erect
in that one hour available. Apart from this
Christmas trees and crosses, all paid for out
one hour a week no religious ceremonies or
of the taxpayers' and ratepayers' funds, and observances are legally permitted, but I fear
without regard to the feelings of taxpayers
that the law is not observed and many
who have no religion or who may not be zealous teachers do subject the pupils to
Christians.
some form of religious observance. My
7. Parliament and many local government
Association has an ongoing case with the
councils commence their proceedings with Human Rights Commission and we have
prayer.
achieved some limited success.
8. The rules governing the setting up and
Secondary Education
tax status of charities are biased in favour of
religious objects and it is impossible for my
Association and others of similar objects to
The position in secondary schools is more
be classified as charities. This means that
complex. Every parent can demand that his
donations to my Association are not tax child be enrolled in a primary school serving
deductible as are donations to churches.
the area in which he resides and there are no
9. Access to television and radio is very conditions attaching to such enrollment.
difficult for non-Christians as well as non- Secondary schools are administered by their
believers and there is considerable press
own Boards of Governors elected by parents and they set the rules for admission.
bias.
10. The Sunday observance laws are not One is entitled to enroll a child in the high
as Draconian as they used to be. However,
school serving one's district or in any other
bars may not open and liquor may not be high school which willhave the child, but one
sold on a Sunday except in conjunction with must agree when enrolling to abide by the
a meal in specially licensed premises. Most school regulations. If those regulations include religious services or religious educashops have to remain closed on Sunday.
Cinemas are open and all sports and other
tion there is nothing that can be done about
activities can be freely carried out. No it. Parents may have their children excluded
advertising is permitted on TV and radio on from religious classes, but particularly durSundays. Many of us have no quarrel with ing the teenage years this can make life very
that.
difficult for the children.
The Catholic Church exercises a powerReligion and Education
ful influence on the state in educational
matters and for well over a hundred years
Perhaps I could now tell you something
now has operated its own primary and
about our education system. When New secondary schools outside the state system.
Historically these schools have been staffed
Zealand was first founded, and for many
years thereafter, education was expressed
by nuns and brothers and have been kept
to be free, secular, and compulsory. Unfor- running on the church's own resources and
tunately ail we can say today is that it is such contributions as could be extracted
compulsory.
from the parents. Around 1960, however,
It is compulsory from the age of seven to the system was about to break down and the
fifteen, although parents may enroll their church was, or said it was, facing bankchildren at state schools at the age of five ruptcy. Tremendous pressure was brought
and most children do start their education
on both the government of the day and the
then. Primary education covers the period
opposition to obtain state support. The rot
from age five to thirteen. There is a separate
set in when one government cravenly agreed
structure of secondary or high schools for to pay for textbooks in Catholic schools.
persons from age thirteen to seventeen or The next government paid the cost of the
eighteen. Tertiary education is carried out teachers' salaries (even though most of the
by the universities and technical colleges. teachers had taken vows of poverty, chasJune, 1985
Page 17
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
'CONFOR!1ITY'
Page 19
Page 20
June, 1985
John Henry Faulk, noted humorist and First Amendment advocate, presents "A Look at The First Amendment."
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Page 21
Page 22
Dr. Maurice M. LaBelle of Drake University offers "The Enlightenment Revisited: A Challenge to Contemporary Atheists."
June, 1985
WYNDHAM HOTEL
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Page23
Page 24
June, 1985
Page 26
Hi Sweetie!
How'd YOU
like to
"wine
and
dine"
a vice cop?
June, 1985
Chastity
Mary Baker Eddy: "Chastity is the cement
June, 1985
Frequency of Intercourse
Martin Luther:
"A week two
Is the woman's due.
Harms neither me nor you,
Make in a year, twice fifty-two."
Lust
Birth Control
Pope Pius XI in his encyclical "On Christian Marriage": ". -.. any use whatsoever of
matrimony exercised in such a way that the
act is deliberately frustrated in its natural
power to generate life is an offence against
the law of God and of nature, and those who
indulge in such are branded with the guilt of
a grave sin."
Margaret Sanger: "No woman can call her-
m__
I_DI_A_L_-_A_N_-_A_T_H_EI_S_T_I __
The telephone listings below are the various services where you may listen tc short comments on state/church separation
issues and viewpoints originated by the-Atheist community.
Tucson, Arizona
San Francisco, California
South Bay (San Jose), California
Denver, Colorado
South Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Northren Illinois
Des Moines, Iowa
Lexington, Kentucky
Boston, Massachusettes
Detroit, Michigan
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Page 28
(602)623-3861
(415)668-8085
(408)377-8485
(303)692-9395
(305)925-7167
(404)455-8860
(312)335-4648
(515)266-6133
(606)278-8333
(617)969-2682
(313) 721-6630
(612)566-3653
(505)884-7360
June, 1985
(518)346-1479
(702) 972-8203
(614) 294-0300
(405)677-4141
(503) 771-6208
(412) 734-0509
Austin, Texas-DIAL-THE-ATHEIST_(512)
Houston, Texas
Dial-A-Gay-Atheist
Salt Lake City, Utah
Northern Virginia
458-5731
(713)664-7678
(713)527-9255
(801)364-4939
(703) 280-4321
Maurice LaBelle
tern culture are difficult to exaggerate, but I perty, eliminating prayer in courts and in
have some reservations about his title for legislative bodies, etc. The list is shockingly
the period.
long.
The Enlightenment spread science, reI would like to focus on several examples
oriented much of Western thought away to demonstrate the point that our age is
from metaphysics and theology toward the "The Age of Faith."
pragmatic and the mundane. The EnlighWho controls our schools? The Atheist,
tened mind was concerned with the tyranny
the scientist, the rational mind? Hardly. Try
of throne and altar, the proper goals of the minister, priest, or rabbi. Their control is
education, and the construction of viable rarely overt, but I assure you that it is very
ethics.
real. Let me give you a few examples. First,
The Enlightenment crested with three let us think about a Superintendent of
events, the first of 'which was the Ency- Instruction who is about to appoint a princlopedie. This massive work of twenty-eight cipal to a high school. What would happen if
volumes represented a rewriting of much of the minister of the First Methodist Church
Western thought in terms of science. The objected to that appointment? Would a
second was a triptych: The Declaration of superintendent contest the power of a preIndependence of the United States of Amer- late? Ifyou were a betting person, you would
ica; the Constitution of the United States of bet that that person would not become the
America; and the Bill of Rights. All three principal.
blatantly asserted that people did not need a
A second example is over control of the
god to order their lives.
content of textbooks. How many publishers
It is misleading to refer to the period 1770- are going to resist the pressure to "sanitize"
1789 as the Age of the Enlightenment or the (that's the expression which is used profesEmpire of Reason; it was not. The vast sionally) grade school and high school textmajority of people blindly followed the robes books? How about a high school history
of priest and king; only an elite few were able textbook in which the author says that
to escape the intellectual millstones of altar "Some people have questioned whether
and throne. A similiar situation exists today. Jesus ever existed, but most people accept
To be certain, there are people who, as my His historicity." That is an accurate statefirst great professor used to say, "have a ment. Suppose Jerry Falwell were to teleteaspoon of intelligence" and can be rea- phone the publisher and note that the words
sonable, but our age is, in my view, fun- "Some people have questioned whether
damentally irrational. It is an "Age of Faith." Jesus ever existed" are offensive to him and
The achievements of the Enlightenment
thus the Moral Majority would contest any
overshadow the fact that the society was school board approving that textbook.
controlled by prelate and potentate. Who
But it does not take a national figure like
controls contemporary American society? I Jerry Falwell to cause a publisher to reign in
do not think it is a secret that Jerry Falwell, an author and "sanitize" a textbook. In fact,
Jimmy Swaggert, Jesse Helms, the Council
Jerry does not have to make that call at all.
of Bishops as well as other religious groups
May I now comment about the textbook
exert considerable control, especially when
trade?
integrated with the beliefs and position of
It is quintessential to understand that
Ronnie. Can anyone "with a teaspoon of there is big money in textbook publishing. It
intelligence" think that reason, logic, and is also important to understand that many
science characterize our age in light of the scholars spend several decades establishing
problems getting sex education for pre- their reputations and then turn to writing
pubescent children, free contraceptives, free textbooks because that is where the big
abortions on demand, obtaining the rights of money is. An interesting marriage ensues.
homosexuals, keeping prayer out of public
The textbook publisher does not want
schools, religious scenes from public pro- single-issue purchases, because they want
June, 1985
Page 29
Page 30
. June, 1985
the Enlightenment.
There is no way to escape the issue of
money. The vast majority of the titans of the
Enlightenment had no concern for money
-they were wealthy or they had rich friends
who became their patrons. For instance, the
Enlightenment in France was based on the
sa/on, a social institution in which people
were invited to a home on a rather regular
basis for dinner and conversation. Here
ideas were exchanged and minds stimulated. The sa/on ofthe Baron d'Holbach was
famous: He entertained on Tuesdays and
Thursdays; 16-20 people were invited; the
cuisine was lavish and the wine cellar su-
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Page 31
Henry Martin
STATE, CHURCH,
AND THE SUPREME COURT
Henry Martin, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, has been practicing law
in Nashville, Tennessee since 1975. He
is the attorney who presided over two
recent "wins" (O'Hair v. Hill and Tirmenstein v. Mississippi) where state
constitutions prevented Atheists from
holding either public of/ices or positions
of public trust.
In "State, Church, and the Supreme
Court," Mr. Martin discusses the history of legal appeals under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and using this history, attempts to
predict how the court will act on such
cases in the future. In this analysis, he
points to recent cases that show the
Justices abandoning previous precedent in favor of their own personal
views.
The purpose of this discussion will be to
identify what is going on with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in
the United States Supreme Court right now
and then by examining the history of the
Establishment Clause litigation in the Supreme Court, to try to determine whether
there are any trends or patterns evident by
which we can anticipate what will happen
with the Establishment Clause in the Supreme Court in the future.
On December 4, 1984, oral argument was
heard before the Supreme Court in the case
of Wallace v. Jaffree. Ishmael Jaffree, the
parent of three minor students in the public
schools of south Alabama, filed suit in the
United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama in 1982 claiming,
among other things, that two Alabama
"prayer statues" violated the Establishment
Clause of the First Amendment of the
United States Constitution. One of the
statues provided for the daily recitation, in
every institution of public education in the
State of Alabama, a prayer written by the
son of the then governor of Alabama, Fob
James:
Almighty God, You alone are our
God.
We acknowledge You as the Creator
and Supreme Judge of the world.
May Your justice, Your truth, and
Your peace abound this day
Page 32
of religion".A lawmay be one "respecting" the forbidden objective while falling short of its total realization. A law
"respecting" the proscribed result,
that is, the establishment of religion, is
not always easily identifiable as one
violative of the Clause. A given law
might not establish a state religion,
but nevertheless be one "respecting"
that end in the sense of being a step
that could lead to such establishment
and hence offend the First Amendment. (emphasis original)
Lemon u, Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602,
612
Thirteen years later, writing the majority
opinion in the Lynch case, Burger had a
more narrow opinion of the scope of the
First Amendment:
The court has scrutinized challenged
legislation or official conduct to determine whether, in reality, it establishes a religion or religious faith, or
tends to do so. (emphasis added) and
quotes Joseph Storey:
The real object of the [First] Amendment was ... to prevent any national
ecclesiastical establishment, which
should give to an hierarchy the exclusive patronage of the national government.
Page 34
June, 1985
KING-MAKERS, KING-BREAKERS
June, 1985
Page 35
On A Certain Day
In Search of Father
It is hardly surprising that a nation of
people who are conditioned from childhood
through fear and a belief in karmic inevitability so readily fallunder the spell of those who
appear to be sitting over a box of tricks, and
June, 1985
POETRY
METAMORPHOSE
The bitter taste of icy stone
is on my tongue,
stones of guilt lay heavy
in my belly.
Terror breathes its frigid life
through empty veins,
Pounding endlessly against aching eyes,
that scream away the tears,
lost in misty visions of the years.
I long for the touch of hot asphalt,
inhale sweet exhaust,
risk my retinas to caress the sun.
Leaving reason,
Ibloody my hands,
against ghostly bars.
Through the windows
of my fear Isee
my captorRoman Justice,
Damn the Romans.
MY DAY
Charles L. Carr
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Page 37
HENRY HETHERINGTON,
ENGLISH ATHEIST
When the first installment of a regularly scheduled, fifteen-minute, weekly American Atheist radio series on KTBC radio (a
station in Austin, Texas, owned by then president Lyndon Baines Johnson), hit the airwaves on June 3, 1968, the nation was
shocked. The programs had to be submitted weeks in advance and were heavily censored. The regular production of the
series ended on October 18, 1975, when no further funding was available.
The following is the text of American Atheist Radio Series program No. 150, first broadcast on July 5, 1971.
today I had never heard of Henry
and this is despite the
UntilHetherington,
fact that I have been attempting to reconstruct the history of western Atheism for
about five years now, working in a concentrated way.
Henry Hetherington was born in England
in 1792 and as a child was apprenticed to a
well-known printer of parliamentary reports.
When his apprenticeship was over, trade
was so slack that he was out of work for
about eighteen months, and therefore he
went to Belgium where work as a printer did
exist. He spent several years there before
returning to England. When he returned he
fell in with a group called "Freethinking
Christians" and stayed with them for some
time, until a Jew asked for admission into the
church. The Jew had been invited to attend
meetings and after some time had decided to
ask for admission into the church. The
members began to think they had been
indiscreet in inviting the Jew and wished to
be rid of him. An elder in the church was
asked to visit him, and the injunction given
by the members was "Rid us of this Jew."
The elder declined and a fight developed:
Hetherington defended the Jew and was
eventually cut off from the church. He
subsequently wrote a pamphlet concerning
the episode in which he "endeavoured to
dispel the delusion in which a credulous
public are held by a society of the most
skilful and consummate hypocrites of the
present day - the Freethinking Christians."
He then turned to organizing trade unions
of working men. This work resulted in the
formation of the National Union of the
Working Classes,
which eventually
merged into the Chartist Movement. Hetherington moved constantly across England
forming unions everywhere. He, at the same
time, ran Hetherington's Press. From this
press he issued a series of political publications, uniform in form, but having no
general title. Each number had on the front
Page 38
June, 1985
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
Page 39
ME TOO
"Me Too" is a feature designed to
showcase short essays written by readers in response to topics recently covered by the American Atheist or of
general interest to the atheist community.
Essays submitted to "Me Too" (P.O.
Box 2117, Austin, TX 78768-2117)
should be 600 to 800 words long.
to respond to Frank Zindler's article,
Iwish
"Ethics Without Gods." (February 1985
Page 40
June, 1985
J. Bitzer
BOOK REVIEWS
In God's Name
An Investigation into The Murder of
Pope John Paul I
is a 6Ytx 9Ythardback book which
Thiscovers
the life, thirty-three-day reign
Austin, Texas
June, 1985
BIBLE LESSONS
A READING FROM THE
NEW TESTAMENT
Page 41
New York
Irving Fierstein
Joseph Lassman
Francis Smith
Carmine Spatola
$10.00
25.00
10.00
10.00
Pennsylvania
In the February and April issues of the
American Atheist, this column featured an
appeal for aid to Rufo Baes of the Philippines. Weighted down with medical bills
following the death of his child, a sevenmonth-old daughter, Mr. Baes saw his home
and livelihood destroyed by the super typhoon "Undang" on November 5, 1984. He
asked that fellow Atheists might help him in
his time of need.
American Atheists initiated the "Rufo
Baes Fund" with $100.00. Since that time,
readers have added $945.05 to it, and
American Atheists has since contributed
another $100.
The April issue listed the contributors to
the fund up to press time. Subsequent
donors are:
California
Charles Amlim
Helen E. Johnson
Helen E. Johnson
F.E. Thompson
$5.00
5.00
5.00
10.00
Anonymous
Blair A. Moyer
$5.00
5.05
Texas
T.M. Henning
$5.00
We wish to thank each of these individuals for lending a helping nand to a fellow
Atheist.
If the amount previously raised - nearly
$1000 - is again provided by the Atheists of
the United States, the Baes family will be
completely clear of debt and ready to start a
new, proud life.
Rufo Baes has repeatedly written to say
that "some part of the aid will be shared
with my sisters who were victims of the
typhoon." If this individual can stop to help
others in his distress, surely the Atheists of
America - giving $5 here or $10 there can see him clear of his troubles.
The editor and staff
Connecticut
Richard Williams
$20.00
Delaware
Alice L. Dailey
$5.00
Illinois
William Ford
Arlene B. Nelson
$5.00
5.00
Kentucky
Milan Rafayko
$20.00
Massachusetts
Magnhild Erickson
Gerald F. Hayden
$5.00
10.00
Minnesota
Randy L. Holm
Rosemary Nagy
Page 42
$5.00
5.00
June, 1985
Jeff Wilson
California
Austin, Texas
no longer served the plans for white Christian domination. They called it "Manifest
Destiny," and they sent out the military to
eradicate any who would dare resist. This
racist philosophy was firmly rooted in the
book they brought with them called the Holy
Bible (e.g. Exodus 22:20, which says that
anyone who sacrifices to a god other than
Jehovah shall be destroyed). A Native American leader once stated: "The white man
made many promises, but kept only one: he
promised to take our land, and he took it."
Is President Reagan ignorant of these
facts? I don't think so. It's just that he's built
his political reputation solidly on the backs
of the white Christian majority, and this
maneuver has paid off handsomely by landing him two victorious presidential elections.
Naturally he would not want to say anything
that would put Christianity in a bad light.
Could it be that he actually believes what
he said? Maybe he's been watching too
many of his old cowboy movies. Folks like
him enjoy talking about "how the West was
won." Some of us know better. Some of us
know that it was lost.
Robert Bandonis
Pennsylvania
Congratulations, Gerry Tholen! Your column "Nature's Way" and the conclusion of
your April, 1985, article "Here Comes De
Judge" brings to mind one of the immutable
laws of nature, to wit: "Nature's Way ...
'only survivors can exist!' "
In my experience, regardless of politics,
economic systems, or philosophy, only survivors do exist. (For example, Mrs. O'Hair.)
Moreover, what proof do you offer that a
nation is ethically obligated to do anything
which would attempt to defeat these immutable laws that hold that only survivors
can exist?
It should be obvious from history and
intelligent efforts to defeat nature have always been doomed from the start. The only
effective intelligence is that which accommodates nature.
Personally, I cannot conceive of a better
utopian concept than a country club nation
filled to the brim only with survivors, can
you?
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AMENDMENTI
CONGRESS
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"The continued publication of Article 14, Section 265, of the Mississippi Constitution . . .
causes me and others who deny the existence of
a supreme being serious harm. It indicates to all
of society that I, and others who feel as I do, are
not even worthy of holding public office ... "
- Paul Tirmenstein
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