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T H E
A M E R I C A N
A T H E I S T
Volume] umber
March
97
19.877.2.
T h e g r ea t b r ig h t h o p e
Thi s i s s ue dedi c at ed t o
Thomas Al va Edi s on, Amer i c an At hei s t
1847-19 31
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In This Issue:
Page
Special. . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Car t oons. . . . . . . . . . 3
I s s ues . . . . . . . . . .
Di s s ent - Ot her At hei s t s . . . 8
Issues. . . . . . . . . . . 11
Amer i can At hei s t Cent er . . . 12
r Learn ...................... . 16
An At hei s t Says . . . . . 17
Wr i t e a Let t er . . . 19
Nut Mail ......... . .. 20
Anonymous Let t er . . . . . . . . . 21
As Seen F r om Her e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Radio Tape........ .. 23
Poetry. . . . . . . . . . .28
The Staff:
Editor - in - Chief Richard F. O'Hair
Assoeiate Editors Madalyn O'Hair
Contributing C P. Merr i
t t
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ar y Fur gal
Publisher:
American Atheists, Inc.
Printer:
The Gustav Broukal American Atheist Press, 4102 Sinclair Ave., Austin Texas 78756
THE AMERICAN ATHEiST, Richard's Reports, is published by American Atheists,
Inc., a non-profit, non-political, educational organization. Mailing address: P. O. Box
2117, Austin, Texas 78767
No subscription rate: distributed to those who contribute to the cause of separation
of state and church or to the cause of Atheism.
Ten copies of any single issue: $2.50 (Bulk rate only).
8/10/2019 American Atheist Magazine March 1971
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If**lf-~
p e c i l
Radi o s t at i on WI eR i n I ndi anapol i s i s donat i ng t i me f o r our
pr ogr am Amer i c an At hei s t Radi o Ser i es . The i mpr es s i ve t hi ng i s
t hat i t i s a c o l l ege whi c h i s af f i l i a t ed wi t h t he Uni t ed Met hodi s t
Chur ch. The s t at i o n manager W l l i am Byer s has s a i d t hat i t i s our
r i g ht t o be hear d.
We t ake t hi s oppor t uni t y t o t hank WI eR i n t he beha l f of many
m l l i o ns of At hei s t s who have been depr i ved a voi c e. We s al u t e t hem
f o r t hat .
The f o l l owi ng edi t o r i a l f r om WI eR i s s e l f - e xpl anat or y .
*
*
*
the educational radio service of south Indl~napoli~
4001
South Otterbein Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227
Mrs. MadalynMurr'ay
0
'Hair
C/O'The
SocietJTof '$eparcrt,lonists, Incorporated
,P.O;,Box2ll7
Ausi(in,.Texas 78767
Dea:i~Mrs~,0'Hair, '
, < tam
hapnv to Ray that we finally launched your pr-ogram,
,'f,he-'oe ayis exntaf.ned by- the 'enclosed copy of an editorial 'we
,felt, was necessary to explain our position to the cofLege,
We
have;
exper
tencee
no reaction as yet from the public or 'the college.
InanV,case we have firml~t allied' 'our-salves to your right to be,
, pea r d~ , ,
Sincerely,
/-,
?C/~4~ ~~
William Byers'
Manager,
W ICR-FM
F L ASH - -
Manager Byer s t e l ephoned i n m d- Aug us t
t o s ay t hat t he Pr es i dent o f t he c ol l ege,
Dr . Gene Seas e, had s t opped t he s er i e s on
t he ai r . However af t er s ome del ay and an
agr eement t hat eac h pr o gr am mus t have a
r es pons e by a c r i t i c , t he pr ogr am di d go
bac k on t he ai r agai n i n m d- Augus t .
The edi t or i a l , whi c h was r epudi at ed, i s
om t t ed her e at Mr . Byer s r eques t .
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
*
*
1
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2
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
Thes e ar e t he r adi o s t at i ons t hat ar e now car r y i ng t he Amer i c an
At hei s t Radi o Ser i e s on publ i c s er v i c e t i me ( donat ed t i me) . \ve as k
you t o pl eas e l i s t en t o t he one near es t t o you, wr i t e t o us and l et
us know how i t was r e c e i ved i n your c ommuni t y . Al s o i f y ou woul d
wr i t e t o t he r adi o s t at i on and t hank t hem f or t he oppo r t uni t y t o
hear a c ont r over s i a l , educ at i o nal pr ogr am
KFCA- f m
Phoeni x, Ar i z ona
91. 5 m c .
KVPC- f m
Fai r f i e l d, I owa
89. 5 m c .
may be ai r i ng pr ogr am or
j us t s po t s
KGLT - f m
Boz eman , Mont a n a
90. 1 m C.
WBGU- f m
Bowl i ng Gr een, Ohi o
88. 1 m c .
hear d on Sunday
TSA
San Ant oni o, Texas
550 k. c .
hear d on Sunday
W CR- f m
I ndi anapol i s , I n di a na
88. 7 m e
KUER - f m
Sal t L ake Ci t y , Ut ah
90. 1 m c . _
16 Sept ember - 4: 1 5pm wi l l begi n
WJ RS- f m
J ames t own, Kent ucky
1 03 . 1 m c .
Ti l i NC- f m
Gr eel ey , Col o r ado
91. 5 m c .
hear d on Thu r sday
WRUV- f m
Bur l i ngt on, Ver mont
90. 1 m c .
They re turning back anyone who
doesn t believe in God.
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Paddy, we can be thankln'
God that the agnostics
an d
atheists are gettin' along,
RTOONS
OFFICIAL DETECTIVE
Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth ... honest Injun?
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
Austin, Texas 78767
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Atheists
W in
Custody Battle
-UPf Telephototo The
Times-Union
.The John Burkes smile happily upon their adopted daughter, Eleanor Katherine
2, in their Carterville, Ill., home. '
TRENTON; N.J_ (UPI)-An
atheist couple won the legal
right to keep their 2-year-old
adopted daughter in a state
Supreme Court decision that
held that taking the child
away would be a violation of
separation of church and
state.
John Burke, 42, and his
wife, Cynthia, 33, said they
were pleased by the State Su-
preme Court ruling yesterday,
but wished the chief justice's
opinion had been the majority
opinion.
Chief Justice Joseph Wein-
traub, in a separate opinion,
commented on the other six
judges' contention that a cou-
ple could not be denied an
adopted child solely on the
basis of their lack of religious
faith.
He said religion and a liti-
gant's views upon it are not
the proper concern of a ter-
restrial judge.
The decision overturned a
ruling by Essex County Judge
William J. Camarata that the
child, Eleanor Katherine,
should 'be returned to the
adoption agency because the
adopting couple did not be-
lieve in a supreme being.
We do not believe that any
reasonable man no matter
how devout in his own beliefs,
would contend that morality
lies in the exclusive province
of one or all religions or reli-
giosity in general, the major-
ity opinion stated.
The Burkes have moved
from Newark, N.J., to Carter-
ville, Ill. , since the court bat-
tle 'began.
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
Austin, Texas 78767
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GRIT
18 Apr i l 1971
High
Court Refuses to Hear
Plea for Prayers in School
A plea from the school board in Netcong, N. J., to re-.
sume prayer reading in the schools will not be heard by.
the United States Supreme Court in Washington. The
board contended daily reading of prayers in its high school
was constitutional because students and teachers attended'
on a voluntary basis and the
state did not select the prayer
to be read. The prayers were
chosen from the Congressional
Record. NewJersey courts had
ruled the program violated the
First Amendment to the U. S.
Constitution.The high court re-
fused to hear' the appeal by a
7-2vote. In 1962,and 1963, the
court prohibited official prayer,
programs, includingthe saying
ofTheLord's Prayer and Bible
reading in the public schools.
Vincent Pagno, Netcong school
superintendent, said, he was
disappointed by the decision
but the law will be followed.
AND THEN WE FIND
In trying to think what prayer I
could leave with this very distin-
guished audience I was reminded of
one of the favorite stories from the
Old Testament. You will recall that
when King David died and when
Solomon ascended to the throne, God
came before him in a dream and
asked him what he wanted. Solomon
did not ask for power and he did not
ask for wealth. He said, Give Thy
servant an .understanding heart.
And so, let that be our prayer. Let
us have an understanding heart in
our relations with other nations, an
understanding heart in our relations
between races and religions and par-
ties and generations, and in our, re-
lations with each other.
If America can have' an under-
standing heart in the very best sense
of the word on that 200th birthday,
we will be very rich and very strong
- but more important we will be
truly a good country' and the hope
of the world still.
PRESIDEN T N IX O N
TH E EV AN GE lIC AL B EACON
P R E S I D E N T P R A Y S
THE AMERICANATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
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GRI T
18 Apr i l 1971
High Court Refuses to Hear
Plea for Prayers in School
A plea from the school board in Netcong, N.
J.,
to
re-.
sume prayer reading in the schools will not be heard by,
the United States Supreme Court in Washington. The
board contended daily reading of prayers in its high school
was constitutional because students and teachers attended'
on a voluntary basis and the
state did not select the prayer
to be read. The prayers were
chosen from the Congressional
Record. NewJersey courts had
ruled the program violated the
First Amendment to the U. S.
Constitution.The high court re-
fused to hear' the appeal by a
7-2vote. In 1962and 1963, the
court prohibited
officialprayer
programs, including' the saying
ofThe Lord's Prayer and Bible
reading in the public schools.
Vincent Pagno, Netcong school
superintendent, said. he was
disappointed by the decision
but the law will be followed.
AND THEN WE FINn .
In trying to think what prayer I
could leave with this very distin-
guished audience I was reminded of
one of the favorite stories from the
Old Testament, You will recall that
when King David died and when
Solomon ascended to the throne, God
came before him in a dream and
asked him what he wanted. Solomon
did not ask for power and he did not
ask for wealth. He said, Give Thy
servant an' understanding heart.
.And so, let that be our prayer. Let
us have an understanding heart in
our relations with other nations, an
understanding heart in our relations
between races and religions and par-
ties and generations, and in our, re-
lations with each other.
If America can have an under-
standing heart in the very best sense
of the word on that 200th birthday,
we will be very rich and very strong
- but more important we will be
truly a good country and the hope
of the world still.
PR ESIDENT N IX O N
T HE E VA NGELICAL BEACON
P R E S I D E N T P R A Y S
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST - Austin, Texas 78767
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H I G H C O U R T
8
T O
1,
F O R B I D S S T A T E S
T O R E I M B U R S E P A R O C H I A L S C H O O L S ;
B A C K S C O L L E G E L E V E L H E L P S T O
4
THE NEW YORK TIMES, TUESDA Y, JUNE 29, 1971
U . S . P L A N U P H E L D
F u n d f o r C o n s t r u c tin g
C a m p u s B u i l d in g s
W i n s A p p r o v a l
By FRE D P . GRA H A M
spec; to The New York Tim
WASHINGTON, June 28'
The Supreme Court declared
unconstitutional today state
programs that reimburse
Roman .Catholic and 'Other
church-relateq, schools for in-
struction in nonreligious sub-
jects.
With only one Justice -
Byron R. White - dissenting,
the Court's eight other Justices
ruled that direct financial aid
of this type involved exces-
sive entanglement between
Government and religion.
However, at the same time
the Court upheld by a 5-t0-4
vote the Federal Higher Educa-
tion Facilities Act of 1963, un-
der which $240-miIIion in Fed-
eral funds has been paid fo~
the construction of acadeinia
buildings on the campuses
of
private colleges - includiDI
church-related college;.
Provision Is Voided
The Court struck. down
o n l ) 1 ,
one minor feature ,of the United
States law-a psovision ttiat.
after 20 years the colleges could
use the buildings for any pUr~
poses, including religious on~
If such buildings were to be
converted into chapels or other
religious struotures, the orig-
inal Federal grant will in part
have the effect of advancing
.religion, the Court held.
6
today.
It therefore declared that However, the Americans phasis in cases on aid to church
feature of the law unconstitu- United for Separation of schools.
tional under the First Amend- Church and S~at~a group that Previously, the Court had em-
, . . . . has been active m court chal- phasized a child benefit
me~: s ~~Ohlblt on against an, lenges against these programs theory, which held that aid
official establishment of reli- -asserted in a statement that programs might be constitu-
gion. similar salary-supplement laws tional if they benefited primar-
Chief Justice Warren E. Bur- of Ohio, Connecticut, New Jer- ily the student in the paro-
ger wrote the majority opinion sey and Illinois will be struc,k chial school and not the
in the state-aid case and the ,do~n as a result of today s school. Since most aid pro-
T . . . th decision. grams basically assist the chil-
prevai m~ op~n~on In e Chief. Justice Burger took dren. aid programs tended to
Federal-aid deCISIOn. great pains to point out why proliferate.
Division in Voting the entanglemeny' between In 197Q, the Court hinted at
church and state In the state- a new approach, when it up-
The latter opiruon was aid program was enough to in- held the New York law that
joined by Justices John M. validate them, while the Fed- granted real estate tax exemp,
Harlan Potter Stewart and eral program could stand. tions to church property: Th~
Harry
A .
Blackmun but Justice A key point, he said, is that major rationale of the decision
. . ' '. pre-college church schools are wa that if church property
WhIte., who provided the fl,fth more involved in reliaious in- S I.
th
f I ~ were taxed, the church and
vote m favor of e law, Ied doctrination than colleges are. state might become embroiled
a separate concurring opinion. Noting the skepticism of the in battles over tax assessments,
The dissenters in the United college student, he held that and that excessive entangle-
States case were Justices Hugo th~re is substance to the con- ments were avoided by the
I I k Willi . 0 D I elusion that college students tax-exemption system.
LW'IB
I
,c 'J IBlam . Jou
g
as
d
, are less impressionable a~d less, This test was used in both
I lam . rennan r. an susceptible to relIgIOUS indoc- decisions toda .
Thurgood Marshall. tr ination than are elementary . Y
The decision on direct state and high school students. Justice White 5 View
aid to parochial schools, which He also found fewer entangle- Among t~e pote~tial ~n.
invalidated state laws in Rhode
l1
ents
~etwe~n ch~rch and state tanglemeI?-ts that Chief Justice
. In
the
one- tim e,
single-purpose Burger Cited were the com-
Island and. ~ennsylvama,.
c : o
esttuction grant than il1 prehensive, discriminating and
marked the first time that the continuing . salary supp.lement continuing state surveillance
Supreme Court had struck programs finally, he said, col~ of parochial schools that would
down a law on aid to church leg~s normally do not draw. be necessary to see that teach-
schools. major supJ?ort from one l~ea; ers receiving state funds were
I
. f d 0 that so that bitter state political not teaching religion or that
n a senes 0
ecisr
ns b tt lik 1
. a es are. -not e
y
to erupt the money was not otherwise
began In ~94?, the Court U?- over aid to colleges. being used to propagate a
held such indirect forms of aid A Shift in Emphasis faith: ' .
as the use of Government- 0 ..th . th h d . Justice White, the swing
n e 0 er an, a major . . --... ldi -. th Fe(}
owned buses to. transport
stu-
reason for the Court's ruling man
In upno mg .
e era
dents. to narochlal schools and against the.state laws -,was their law and. the .lone d~ssenter to
the lending of state-purchased divisive political potentia . the
state
ruling, said that he
books to parochial students. Mr. Burger's opinion noted that would uphold. them all on the
This encouraged 36 of the political pressures for increased theory thfat a d to fa. sepahrab~e
. state aid to hard-pressed naro- .secular unction 0 a c urc -
50 states to enact aid pro- hi I hi ld b
.I
t d related school was not uncon-
. h t b efit h I c ia sc
00
s cou e expec e
t
f
h I'grams t a en ... paroc ia to continue. stitutional. The . act t at .re I-
school students in various ways, The opinion stated that polit- g:ious intere~ts may subst~
ranging from busing and free ical division along religious tially benefit from he aid
lunches, books and counseling li~es was an evil tha~ the does not matter: he sal~. .
services to the direct salary First A,mendme~t was designed Although Justice White said
, .' to aVOId, and It left no.doubt that both the Rhode Island and
supplements of parochial school that the Supreme Curt hoped the Pennsylvania laws were
teaC'h~rs .that were deolared un- to put an end to .the spreading constitutional, he 'dissented
constitutional today. tendency toward political only to the Rhode Island de-
Further litigation will be re- battles in state legislatures over cision because of a quirk in the
quired to disclose how many aid to parochial schools. disposition of the appeal in the
of these programs will fall un- Both decisions today marked Pennsylvania- ease .
der the principles announced a shift in the high court's em-
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST . Austin, Texas 78767
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In it the Supreme Court re-
versed the Pennsylvania courts
because they had thrown out
the suit challenging the law
without a trial.
Justice White disagreed with
the Supreme Court's further
finding that the Pennsylvania
Jaw was unconstitutional, but
he did not dissent because he
felt that there should be a trial
to consider if the law operated
m
an unconstitutional way by
ullowing religious schools to
us e public funds for religious
purposes.
Justice Brennan, the only
Roman Catholic on the Court,
stated that all threelaws were
unconstitutional. He, deplored
what-he saw as the secularizing
impact of public assistance on
:hUTChschools.
By accepting Government
funds, Justice Brennan said,
Roman Catholic teachers sur-
J'f'llder their right to teach
religious courses and promise
not to inject religion into their
secular courses.
He insisted that church
schools and colleges properly
attempt to proselytize, and said
that there was no way to
separate out the religious and
secular functions. Thus, if a
school or college was found to
be
a
sectarian institution, he
would deny it any direct aid.
In a final dissent written by
Justice Douglas and signed by
Justices Black and Marshall, it
was argued that the only dif-
ference between the state laws,
which were struck down, and
the Federal program, which
'was not, was the theory that
small violations of the Firs.t
Amendment over a period of
years are unconstitutional while
a huge violation occurring only
once.is de minimus.
The Rhode Island law paid
up to 15 per cent of the salary
Pl eas e n o t e t hat t he Penns y l vani a
l aw gr an t e d 20- m l l i o n a year f r om
t axes on c i gar e t t es and hor s e r ac i ng
t o pay f or s al ar i es of t e a c h e r s , t ext
books and i ns t r uc t i onal mat er i al s
f or pa r o c hi a l s c hool s . L as t mont h
i n t he News l et t er we r epor t e d t hat
t he At t or ney Gener a l of Penns yl -
vani a , i n a publ i c dec l ar at i o n on
Na t i o nal Educ at i onal Te l ev i s i on,
r e a d over t he c r edi t s of t he f i l m,
Mada l yn s h own na t i onwi de on N. E. T .
t h a t no f unds f r om hor s e- r ac i ng wer e
gi v en t o par oc hi a l s c hool s and t h a t
Madal y n was a l i ar f or hav i ng s a i d
t hi s on her pr o g r am.
\ , 1 \ \ 0
1 1 5
,-oo\ol>
f1\sc
cel'ptS,r
o
II The language of the reli-
\ j:
gion clauses of the First
Amendment is at best opaque,
particularly when compared'
with other portions of the
amendment. Its authors did
not simply prohibit the es-
tablishment of a state church
or a state religion, an area
history shows they regarded
as very important and fraught
with great dangers. Instead
they commanded that there
should be no law respecting
an establishment of religion.
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
Austin, Texas 78767
of teachers 'in private schools,
provided the, teacher taught
only secular subjects. About
250 teachers in nonpublic
schools had applied for the
grants. All of them were in
Roman Catholic schools.
The Pennsylvania law
granted $20-million a year from
taxes on cigarettes and horse
racing to pay for salaries of
teachers, textbooks and instruc-
tional materials for courses in
mathematics, modern foreign
languages, physical sciences
and physical education.
The challenge to the Federal
law arose out of grants to four
Connecticut colleges
to bulld
libraries and science, arts and
language buildings. The col-
leges were Annhurst College in
Woodstock, Fairfield University
and Sacred Heart U~versity in
Fairfield and Albertus Magnus
College in New Haven.
Edward Bennett Williams of
Washington argued for the
Connecticut colleges and for the
Rhode Island plan. F. Michael
.Ahem, Assistant Attomey
General of Connecticut, argued
in behalf of the United States
law. Charles F. Cottam of the
Rhode Island Attorney Gen-
eral's office argued to uphold
his state's law. Daniel M. Fried-
man of the Solicitor General's
office
also
argued to uphold
the United States [aw.
William B. Bal] of Harrisburg
argued in support of the Penn-
sylvania law. Henry W. Sawyer
3d of Philadelphia argued for
the taxpayers who challenged
it. Leo Pfeffer of New York,
special counsel of the Amer-
ican Jewish Congress, argued
for the taxpapers who chal-
lenged the Federal statute and
the Rhode Island law,
Milton Stanzler of Providence
also argued against the con-
stitutionality of the Rhode Is-
land law.
The Uni t ed St at es Supr eme C o u r t ,
c o l umn t hr ee, par agr aph t wo, l i nes
t hr ee and f our above, s uppor t
Madal yn' s c omment s on t he t el ev i s i on
show.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thi s i s not s o i mp o r t ant as t he
s pec i o us r easoni ng i n t hi s c as e. The
br e a k i n t he wal l o f s ep a r at i on of
s t at e and c hur c h i s c l ear l y s hown
i n t he ac t u al l anguage of Chi e f
J us t i c e War r en E. Bur g e r who wr o t e
t he dec i s i on. We s adl y quot e t hes e
c omment s f r om hi s opi ni on:
Every analysis in this area
must begin with, considera-
tion of the cumulative cri-
teria developed by the Court
over many years. Three
such tests may be gleaned
from our cases. First the
statute must have a secular
legislative purpose; second,
its principal or primary ef-
fect must be one that neither
advances nor inhibits reli-
gion; finally, the statute
must not foster an exces-
sive Government entangle-
ment with religion. /I _
The 'dangers and corre-
sponding entanglements are
enhanced by
the
particular
form of aid that the Rhode
Island act provides. Our de-'
cisions have permitted the
states to provide church-
related schools with secular,
neutral or nonideological
services, facilities, or ma-'
terials. Bus transportation,
school lunches, public health
services and secular text-
books supplied in common
to all students were not
thought to offend the estab-
lishment clause. II
7
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DISSENT
ii
Let Me Be Disbeliever
ANYONE WHO CALLS himself a citizen: of this country will
agree that constitutionally ,we are guaranteed 'religious free-
dom; any red-blooded American would defend his fellow citi-
zen's right to his own belief. Few, however, would offer so vehe-
ment a defense of a person's right to disbelief.
To admit in this country that you are an atheist or an agnostic
results in an almost violent reaction from your fellow American.
You are supposed to accept his right to choose whatever reli-
gious calling he prefers but he will not allow you the same right
to disbelieve or to doubt.
The average man, or woman accepts God's existence out of
fear; he cannot stand to think that there is no heavenly reward
waiting for him out there beyond the horizon of life.
After all, why should man live if only to die; there must be
something else. Having arrived at belief in God fearfully, and
with little thought, Mr. Average takes a dim view of the non-be-
liever or doubter who admits that he hasn't got all the answers,
and that it may be humanly impossible for him to find them all
in one short lifetime.
Most people who admit to doubt have open minds. They are
searching honestly and earnestly for answers to life's questions.
Why should they. be discrimated against because they haven't
found them?
As an agnostic, I sometimes feel it would be easier to turn all
my problems over to some Superior Being. Instead, I must
muddle through them myself and find my own solutions. How
much easier it would be to accept belief in God simply because
my parents accepted it.
I don't advocate the removal of under God from the Pledge
of Allegiance or In God We Trust from our coins. That's the
way the majority thinks, and I'm all for majority representa-
tion. What I am saying is that it ought not be the custom in this
country to protest anyone's right to pray, anymore than it
should be the custom to damn anyone who doesn't pray. No one
who admits publicly that he is agnostic or atheistic should have
to wear the label of communist or nut or radical or whatever it
is they're calling people who .don't fall into the accepted slot
today.
I'm perfectly willing to grant you your right to believe. Just
don't deny me mine to disbelieve.
y M R Y N N E LY E
Mary Ann Belyea, a professional neuspaperuoman, lives
in Brighton, Mich.. u/bere she is news editor for the Brigh-
ton A rgus. She and her husband have a 17-vear-old son.
8
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
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Ar t hur C. Cl ar ke i s t he a u t hor of 2001 , as wel l as over 40
ot her books . He al s o does l ec t ur e t our s and t el ev i s i on appea ranc es
when he i s not l i v i ng i n Cey l on and wr i t i ng .
Dur i ng t he f i r s t week of J anuar y of t hi s y ear , he appear ed on
nat i onal t e l ev i s i on ( NBC, Channel 4, CAMERA 3) wher e he s t at ed pub-
i c a l l y t hat he i s an At hei s t .
We c ont ac t ed hi m i n r ef er e n c e t o a pr oj ec t o f Madal Yn' s . She
i s at t e mpt i ng t o get t oget her a gr oup of r es pons i bl e At hei s t s who
wi l l go t o a Senat e Comm t t e e ( D. C. ) and pr ot es t agai n s t t he s ec ond
c l as s c i t i z ens hi p of At he i s t s . ( At h ei s t s c an not adopt . At hei s t s
c an not have bl ank dog t ags i n t he Ar my . At hei s t s c an not j o i n t he
Masons Sc out s , V. F . W. wi t hout f i r s t l y i ng by t ak i ng an oat h of be-
l i e f i n God. At hei s t s ar e now exc l uded f r om Gove r nment empl OYment ,
unl es s t hey l i e . At he i s t s have di f f i c ul t y wi t h pas s por t s .
At he i s t s c an not even pur c has e t i me on mos t T. V. and r adi o s t a-
t i ons ) t he l i s t i s unendi ng .
F o l l owi ng t he appear anc e i n t he Senat e, t he gr oup woul d have
an appo i nt ment wi t h Pr es i dent Ni xon t o di s c us s t hi s wi t h hi m.
The f ol l owi ng not e was r ec ei ved by Madal Yn f r om Mr . Cl ar k e i n
r ef er e n ce t o her l et t er .
.J?~ ~
h . . . - t , / ~ ~Rc:efl\
~
~
~
~. 1:
o r )
~ . . , C c . . it-,
r
'~otk .
.~. .
-
~
. . .
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
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.
M IN N E S O T A T E S T IN G A N D R E S E A R C H C O U N C I L I N C .
688 EUCLID STREET, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, 55106
10
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
AN I NVI TATI ON FOR YOU TO J OI N THE F I GHT FOR CONSUMER PROTECTI ON
( ) 25 Sus t a i ni ng ( ) 10 Gener al ( ) 1 Under pr i v i l eged
I , , her eby appl y f or membe r s hi p i n t he
Mi nnes ot a Tes t i ng
Resear c h Counc i l , I nc . , a non- pr of i t c on-
s umer or gani z at i on, and enc l os e as my annual member s hi p
dues f or t he year 1971. I unde r s t and t hes e f unds wi l l be us ed
t o c er t i f y appr oved es t abl i s hment s and al s o f or l egal s e r v i c es
i n expos i ng f r aud, hoaxes and pr ac t i c es t hat v i c t i m z e t he c on-
s umer .
St r eet Addr es s
.Name Occupat i on _
Ci t y St at e Zi p Phone
----:--,;----:;: -
Send appl ec at i ons t o Mi nnes ot a Tes t i ng
Res ear c h Counc i l , I nc
688 Euc l i d s t . , s t . Paul , Mn. 55106
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* Hi gh s peed- l ow cos t t i mes har i ng or
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i c at i ons phone b i l l up t o 80%.
* Maj or c or po r a t i ons c an s ave hund-
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year .
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RE PO RT FRO M TH E l
J ul y 1971
o m p u l s o r y R e l i g i o n A r g u e d
f o r e U . S . C o u r t o f A p p e a l s
CAP ITAL
The ACLU' lawyer maintained that the
Pentagon's purpose could best be served
by some nonreligious means, such as a
course in comparative religion, ethics classes
or occasional representaative visits to re-
ligious services.
When the Government's spokesman be-
gan his presentation to the court, he was
asked if the Pentagon rested its case solely
on that stated earlier as a secular purpose
to train better officers by helping them to
understand how other men worship.
. This is the most important one, replied
Assistant U. S. Attorney Higgins, but we
regard the effect test as important also.
Judge Harold Leventhal, one. of the three
judges hearing the case, wondered why, if
this was the Pentagon's energizing purpose
in requiring compulsory attendance, it
would not be better for the men to attend
various churches each Sunday and to go to
churches other than these of the men's
particular religious commitment.
This prohibition against switching
churches is inconsistent, Judge Leventhal
observed. Continuing his questioning, Leven-
thal asked how this regulation could be
passed and maintained in view of the
military's stated primary purpose.
Higgins responded that the military took
this position because of parents' concern
. . . and so the academies would know
where the men are on Sunday morning.
Higgins contended further that the mili-
tary's requirement. of compulsory religion
at the academies rested on the undisputed
facts that this is a religious country . . .
that the military acts reasonably when it
says inductees can expect religious facilities
. . . and that in times of crises military
leaders must be capable of responding to
the religious needs of military men under
stress.
Leventhal pressed the question to Higgins
whether it is rational to expect regular
attendance. He observed that occasional
attendance would accomplish this facet of
the officer's training.
The Assistant U. S. Attorney admitted
to the court. that to require attendance at
worship services could be counter produc-
tive if the future officers, as some cadets
testified last year, are turned against re-
ligion. Even in the case of the under-
graduate being neutral toward religion,
Higgins said, military leaders still say the
effect of the required attendance regulation
is good.
In addition to Leventhal, the other two
judges hearing the case were David Bazelon,
Chief of the U. S. Court of Appeals here,
and George E. MacKinnon.
In a case before the U. S. Court of
Appeals here an Assistant U. S. Attorney
arguedthat compulsory attendance at church
or chapel services for men in the nation's:
military academies has no entanglements
whatsoever with religion.
Continuing its defense in a higher court
of requiring regular attendance at wo~s~ip
IerVicesas a part of the officer's training .
package, the Government's legal spokes-
man said that' the Department of Defense
had found no other way to accomplish
this particular part of an officer's training.
Robert 1. Higgins, Assistant U. S . Attor-
ney, presented the Pentagon's case in a one-
hour hearing before a three-judge Court of
Appeals.
The case, Anderson v. Laird, was brought
before the U. S. Court of Appeals here
by the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU). In it six midshipmen at the
U. S. Naval Academy and one West Point
cadet maintained that the military regula-
tion is in conflict with First Amendment
guarantees of freedom of religion.
In a three-day hearing last spring top
Pentagon officials testified before the U. S.
DistrictCourt here that required attendance
at worship services helped future officers to
understand the impact of religion on vari-
ous individuals.
In August of last year U. S. District
Court Judge Howard F. Corcoran upheld
the Pentagon's practice and agreed that the
purpose of compulsory chapel for future
militaryofflcersis purely secular and that
its primary effects is purely secular.
Arguing against the Government's posi-
tion, Warren K. Kaplan accused the Penta-
gon of developing a theory riddled with
logical flaws. Kaplan represented ACLU
in its appeal to the higher court.
Kaplan described as a contrivance the
Pentagon's testimony that the sole purpose
of compulsory attendance was to permit
future officers to observe how other men
worship . . . so that in future crises they
WOUld be able to understand religious
needs.
Reading from catalogues and manuals
governingthe military schools, Kaplan cited
a number of statements where, he said,
the real purpose ... is to inculcate future
offi::erswith religious faith because of the
Government's belief that (to do so) they
wIll develop better officers.
Even if the Pentagon's practice is for
secular purposes, Kaplan contended, it
would still be unconstitutional because it
would inhibit religion in general or enable
religion.
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
11
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TH E A M E R IC A
A TH E IS T
C E N TE R
Thi s i s a t ypi c a l f l oor pl an f or our c om ng
Amer i c an At hei s t Cent r e . We c an bui l d i t on
a ' one f l oor ' bas i s , or c ar r y i t up t o t went y
s t or i es , i f we des i r e t o do s o.
I t i s al s o a pr o t o t ype pl an f or any ' 1Amer i c an
At hei s t Chur ch as we get Poor Ri c har d' s Uni ver -
s al L i f e Chur c h f o r Amer i c an At hei s t s mov i ng i n
each s t a t e .
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
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2
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We need
an
Amer i c an At h e i s t Cent r e
of
t at ur e and i mpor t a n c e .
The Roman Cat hol i c s have t he Vat i c an. The Mus l i ms have
Mecca
The Uni t ed S t a t es has t he Whi t e Hou s e . Ot her s r ec ogni z e
t h i mpor t anc e of hav i ng a v i s i bl e s ymbol of power .
We need
a
s Ymbol
of
our s t r e ngt h
and
our det e r m nat i on.
We need t o have a bui l di ng whi c h wi l l r ef l ec t a phi l os ophy
of l i v i ng - a bui l di ng made of mat er i a l s i ndi genous t o t he l oc a l e
i n whi c h i t i s l o c at ed: s t one - - ear t h br i c ks - - nat ur al l umber s .
t needs t o have t he t ot a l gr ounds i n whi c h i t i s l oc at ed t o be
made a par t of t he whol e s t r uc t ur e, be i n g s pac i o us wi t h wi ndows.
I t needs t o be bui l t wi t h l ove.
Emer y Kanar i k , an At h ei s t ar c hi t ec t , des i gned i t wi t h l ove.
One day , t hes e k i nd of bui l di n gs wi l l pr o l i f e r at e t hr oughout
Amer i c a, as t he l i f e - f i l l ed phi l osophy of At hei s m s uppl ant s t he
ant i - l i f e phi l os ophy of t hei s m now abr oad i n our l and.
But , now we need t he f i r s t s t r u c t ur e - t he f i r s t uni t - t he
home f or our phi l os ophy - - as a phy s i c a l mani f es t at i on o f our
i deas f o r what c oul d be i n Amer i ca - and - what wi l l be.
We as k y ou al l - - pl eas e - - exer t y our s e l f i n e v e r y way t o
wor k f o r t he f ul f i l l ment of t hi s pl anni ng. Ra i s e f unds . Spr ead
t he wor d. Enc our age ev e r y one t o c ont r i but e i n ever y way po s s i bl e .
We need t o f i r s t buy t he l and - and - t hen - er ec t t he bu i l d-
i ng . How l ong i t t akes depends ent i r el y on your ef f or t and our s .
What we pr o j ec t
i s
t he s t r uc t ur e on t he next t wo pages .
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
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--
E MER V
K N RIK
14
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I TEe T
AMERICAN ATHEISTS
CENTER
AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
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~1ItEIST
P A T A M A T A V IJ A Y A W A D A 6
(A. P.)
Ph o n e :
86-330
I L RN
M Y
197 I
-GORA
A conference of fifty delegates was
arranged in a hall which could easily
squat two hundred persons. The convener
was artistically inclined. He planned
luxury arrangements-and the hall was one
of them.
Five carpets were spread in the hall
in a design. Long strips of green cloth,
two feet wide, were laid criss-cross,
especially along the whole length of the
four walls inside the hall. The colours of
the carpets and the green cloth matched
well and looked pleasmgiy beautiful.
I had a writing work to do before the
conference started at 9 ' A. M. SO I went
into the hall half-an-hour early to have
quiet time Ior myself. .The convener
precededme.
H e
was giving final touches
to the arrangements in the hall. I greeted
the convener, entered the hall and sat at Ii
place on the green cloth, leaning against
the wall in the Indian fashion of sitting
comfortably.
Presently, the convener walked up to
me and whispered, Please, the green
cloth is for the passage. Kindly sit on the
carpet. He explained briefly to me how
the pathways were arranged for the move-
merits of the delegates with the least
disturbance to the conference. I appreci-
ated the plan and shifted on to a carpet.
On1y the seats of the chairman and
of a few distinguished delegates were pro-
vided with cushions to lean upon. I had
to sit on the carpet with my back erect.
So with other delegates. Can we sit erect
for the five hours of the conference each
day without discomfort? As these
thoughts turned in my mind, two other
delegates entered the hall, discussing a
subject of the conference. Ignorant of
the arrangements, they too sat on the
green cloth leaning against the wall. The
convener politely requested them to sit
on the carpets. The two delegates were
so much absorbed in the conversation
that they did not seem to have understood
the convener's request. They replied,
Thank you. We are comfortable here,
and resumed their discussion. I noticed
the convener feeling puzzled. His
arrangements were upset and his artistic
tastes were outraged
Five minutes to nine. The delegates
poured in. I counted twenty-eight of
them sitting on the green cloth, leaning
aginst the well. The chairman and four
others were at the special seats. The
rest, like me, sat erect scattered on the
carpets.
Fine tastes failed to see real needs.
17 April, 7 1.
16
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14
THE INDEPENDENT BIGGAR SASK
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17 1971
n
theist says
THE GODTHEORY
B y
John M.Sarvas
First, we must realize that
god is only a theory and like
anyone that postulates a theory,
the burden of proof is uponthem.
The religious community, its
scholars, teachers and theolo-
gians, therefore are constantly
attempting to offer proof of their
proposition andtheory. Now,ifa
god really was, it would not be
necessary for them to do this.
From their definition of god, it
is obvious he wouldbe able to
offer this proof and not leave
it to their punyefforts. He does
not, of course, simply because
he does not exist.
The theories, however, are in-
teresting and although the re-
ligionists havebeen putting them
forth for thousands of years,
there are only six basic argu-
ments. If there were a god, his
existance would be argument
enough and why would anyone
need even six arguments?
This first group of proofshave
generally been abandoned by
theologians, although still used
by laymen.
1. Direct sensory experience-
someone says he has talked to
god, or. heard, seen, smelled or
touched him. The psychiatrist
would say he is havinghallucin-
ations. H~ve you seen god or
heard him? You can trust your
ownsenses if you are a normal
human being. Included in this
category are 'mystical insight'
and 'intuition' which tells you
there is a god. It is interesting
to note that all religions contend
that their super human entities
cannot be seen, heard, smelled,
tasted, felt or otherwisehumanly
experienced, therefore being dis-
tinctly beyond science. Because
these proofs are based on per-
sonal experience, withoutrefer-
ence to scientific principals they
are no longer considered valid.
2. Faith-your unquestioningac-
ceptance of someone else-having
talked with god, seen or other-
wise sensed him, or having in-
sight or intuition that tells him
there is a god. When a large
group of people share this de-
lusion it is popularly called re-
ligion. This argument has gen-
erally been abandoned because
of failure ofproof regarding the
direct sensory experience.
3. Acceptanceofauthority-there
are different kinds of authority
involved: that of an institution,
a book, an individual person. If
you accept the authority of an
institution, that is of a church:
The Moslem church, Hindu
church, pagan church, Roman
Catholic church or your par-
ticular protestant church. The
choice is yours, unless you live
in an era when choice is not
approved, then you have a cer-
tain religion rammed downyour
throat, whether you iike it or
not, by a powerful institution.
Acceptingthe authority of a book
could be: the Koran, the Veda,
the Old Testament, the NewTes-
tament, the Apocrypha,the upa-
nishades, the Torah. The auth-
ority of a person, again many
choices: Mohammed,Confucius,
Buddha, Moses, Fatima, Christ,
Quoxichochtle. Authority, who-
ever is in power, rules. That is
whythis argumenthasbeenaban-
doned.
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
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~ ~ s
Austin, Texas 78767
1 9
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N UT M l
itw .WRRA.y O HARA
A U S T I N T i X A S .
.- L H E A R l l :Y O U .. O N .TH E- JERRY -W ILLIAMS SHO N t--_ WH IC H W A S TH E MOST D ISGUBTIN G THINCL
.;~::,HAV~,:~, HEARD IN MY 71 YEARS O F LIFE . ,
, i l < A M
ENCIDS ING A BOO KLEr OF T E E MARYKNO LL SOCIE I'Y TO SHO W
W H E R E
THE M O N E t
T H E -CATHO LICS DO NA TE GOES. TH IS IS ooLY ONE OF THE MAN Y TH OUSA N D S M IS SIO NS .'
O F :
'ALI :,tmNmM :r:NATIO NS ,
W H E R E
PEOPLE DEDICATE THE IR LIVES , ENDURING
H A R D S h r r P
9 '
:AN l) EVEN. SA CRIFICE THE IR LIVES TO BE l'TER TH IS WO RLD .
.. ','W HAT'AR E
YO U AN D TH E REST
OF
TH E A TH EISTS D O ING A LO NG TH IS LINE,
( ) T H E R
~HANrT,~a.'- TO ' .TE ARO O llN TH E M ISS ION ARIE S WORK .' ,' .
. ,':l\$REIS ,SCWK IND OF A FRUSTATION IN YO UR LIFE CAUSIN G TO ACT, TH IS W AY .
r W H Y D ; t J ) i j1 T ;
I O V , T A K E UP M ED IC IN E O R SOME O YH ER HU1ITA UJ [email protected] ICE TO D O
,CONSTRUTIVE L W o t u r I N TH IS WORLD .
: . , : ~ O O R K r N D
O F
V iO RK Y OU WOUWEXPECT TO FIND IN RUS SIA AN D TH E R ES I'O F .
W H E , C O M M U N I S T I O COUNTRIES. _
; ; :V iA K E , u p :
W '
U
I M AY CA LL Y Olr-TH IS A FTER WHA T I HEARD O F
Y O U
O N TH E RA DIO .
i t O . i1 :SU~I/P.ID:,)ldt
A . C 1 f
l a I K E ONE . . , '.' , ',.,
,. ,I, AM
PRA .nNG FO R Y OU MID H OPES IDME D AY -Y OU WILL SEE TH E LIGH I',
.A I ID ~E
~QU.R AdriPi is. . .
~- - _.. , .1
Y O UR S TR ULY
WORRIED '
20 THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
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anonymoul
L e t t e r s
1vIr~. MadeLyn Mur r y 0 ' har e
Soc i et y of Separ at l o n i s t ~
Box 2117
AUf ' J t i n,Texa~
Phi l a . Pa.
Dear
vII's .
O' Ha r e :
I was pr i v i l oged t o hear you on t he J ac k
Mc Ki nney pr ogr ~~, bet ween 1 a. m and 2 a. m
l as t ni ght .
Al t hough, t he peopl e who phoned i n t o t he
pr ogr am dur i ng t hat hour t ook t he s t and t hat .
di . f . f e r edwi t h your s becaus e o. f what t hey . f e l t
wer e r el i gi ous bel i e . f s , I wi s h y ' J u t o know
t hat ot her s , l i }r e mys el f . a l s l D have r el i g i ous
c onv i c t i ons and have educat ed t hei r c hi l dr en
i n s i m l ar bel i e f s .
But ,
we al s o ar e f i r m
i n our bel i ef t hat pr ayer s houl d be kept out
of t he s chool . I t i s not a gover nment . f unc t i o n
or r es pons i bi l i t y , but t he des i r es of t he
par ent . I bel i eve t hat t ax dol l ar s shoul d be
s pent on publ i c s pons o r e d pr ogr ams , not
pr i vat el y endowed r e l i gi ous i ns t i t u t ~mns of any
ki nd.
The f ac t t hat you have' t he cour age of
your c onvi c t i o ns t o f i ght o~Bnl y . f or t hem,
and t h~t you ar e c onv~nced of t he t r ue pr i nc i -
pl es i nvol ved, has no bear ~i ng as f ar as I am
concer ned, as t o what your per s onal f eel i ngs
ar e t owar d r el i gi on.
I am enc l os i ng one dol l a r f or your us e
i n pur sui ng t hi s c aus e.
I wi s h you good heal t h and much s uc c es s
i n your c our - ageous s
t
and;
I wl s h
I
had t he
f ' o r t l t ude t o do t he s ame.
I am not pr oud about my noh phoni ng t he
s t a t i on- mys el f and s ay i ng Ghi s t o you' wher e
t he l i s t ener s of t he Mc Ki nney pr ogr am coul d
hear t hi s s ubs t ant i at i on of your bas i c bel i ef s .
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
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Q
In the old Ozzie and Harriet TV se-
ries, singer Ricky Nelson, like the rest
of his family, was presented as the personi-
fication of everything clean-cut and whole-
some. Was he really like that? - E.L.,
t.
Tulsa. ::..
A
Hardly. Ricky had his first sexual en-
counter at age 14 with a London prosti-
tute, he did poorly in high school, was once ar-
rested for stealing construction lamps, and be-
longed to a street gang. Today, at 31, he is op-
posed to the Vietnam war and thinks marijua-
na should be legalized. Brother David, 34,
dropped out of college at 21, is a chain-smoker
and, along with his wife, has consulted a psy-
chiatrist. Ozzie and Harriet, who were Mr. and
Mrs. Mid-America for years, follow suit: Har-
riet doesn't believe in formal religion or sex ed-
ucation and Ozzie is an atheist.
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST
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e f o l l owi ng i s a
c r i pt f r om a t ape of
Amer i c an At hei s t Radi o Ser i es
ca s t
OVaI'
KTBC i n Aus t i n on t he 26
th
of
y
1 9 7
I t i s f r om a s er i e s of t a l k s on Char l es
augh, t hi s one i s i nt i t l ed Char l es Br adl augh' s
ni t y s Gai n f r om Unbel i ef .
eni ng.
i s Madal yn Mur r ay O' Hai r ,
an At hei s t , bac k t o t a l k t o
i n.
s mont h I have been aCQuai n-
you wi t h one of t he f i r s t
t At hei s t s i n wes t er n c i v -
i on, Char l es ' Br adl augh, a
of t he par l i ament i n Eng-
We ar e s o bac kwar d i n our
e i n r espec t t o r el i g i on,
ome of hi s wr i t i ng s ounds as
y wer e wr i t t en her e and now,
r i c a t o day , i n s t e ad of Eng-
bout one hund r ed year s ago.
me ac quai nt you s pec i f i c a l -
h wbat he has had t o s ay
Humani t y ' s Gai n f r om Unbe-
uot e: As an unbel i ever , I
eave t o pl ead t hat humani t y
en a r eal gai ner f r om s c ept -
and t hat t he gr adual and
r ej ec t i on of Chr i s t i ani t y -
t he r ej e c t i on of t he f a i t h s
pr ec eded i t - - has i n f ac t ad-
and wi l l add, t o man' s hap-
and wel l - bei ng. I mai n t a i n
i n pbys i c s s c i enc e i s t he
Austin, Texas 78767
out c ome of s c ept i c i s m, and t hat
gener al pr ogr es s i s i mpos s i bl e
wi t hout s c ept i c i s m i n mat t er s of
r e l i g i on. I mean by r el i g i on
ever y f o r m of bel i ef whi c h ac c ept s
or a s s e r t s t he s uper nat ur al . I
wr i t e as a Moni s t , and us e t he
wor d ' Nat ur e as meani ng al l phen-
omena, ever y phenomenon, al l t hat
i s nec es s ar y f or t he happeni ng of
any and ever y phenomenon. Ever y
r el i g i on i s c ons t ant l y c hangi ng,
and at any gi ven t i me i s t he meas -
ur e of t he c i v i l i z at i on at t ai ned
by t he j us t e m l i eu of t hos e who
pr of es s i t . Eac h r el i g i on i s
s l owl y but c er t a i nl y modi f i ed i n
i t s dogma and pr ac t i c e by t he
g radual devel opment of t he pe opl es
agai ns t whom i t i s pr o f e s s ed. Eac h
di s cover y des t r oy s i n whol e or
pa r t s ome t her e t of or e c her i s hed
be l i ef . No r el i g i on i s s uddenl y
r ej e c t ed by any peopl e; i t i s
r a t her gr adua l l y out gr own. None
s ees a r el i g i on di e; dead r el i g -
i ons ar e l i ke dead l anguages and
obs ol et e c us t oms : t he decay i s a
l ong and- l i ke t he gl ac i e r mar c h -
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i s per c ept i bl e onl y t o t he c ar e-
f ul wat c her by c ompar i s ons ext e n-
di ng over l ong per i ods . A s uper -
s eded r e l i g i on may of t en be t r a -
c ed i n t he f es t i va l s c er emoni es ,
and dogmas of t he r e l i g i on whi c h
has r epl ac ed i t . T r a c es of obso-
l et e r e l i g i ons may of t en be f ound
i n popul ar c u s t oms , i n o l d wi ves '
s t or i es , and i n c hi l dr e n' s t a l es .
. . t he ame l i o r at i ng mar c h of t he
l as t f ew c ent ur i es has been i ni t -
i a t ed by t he h e r et i c s o f eac h
age, t hough I qui t e c onc ede t hat
t he men and women denounc ed and
per s ec ut ed as i nf i de l s by t he
pi ous of one c ent ur y ar e f r equen-
t l y c l a i med as s a i nt s by t he
pi ous of a l a t er gener at i on.
. . a gr ound f r equent l y t aken
by Chr i s t i an t heol ogi ans i s t hat
t he pr ogr es s and c i v i l i z a t i on of
t he wor l d ar e due t o Chr i s t i an-
i t y ; and t he di s c us s i on i s c om-
pl i c at ed by t he f ac t t hat many
em nent s er vant s of humani t y have
been nom nal Chr i s t i ans , o f one
or ot her of t he s ec t s . My a l l eg -
a t i on wi l l be t hat t he s pec i a l
s er v i c es r ender ed t o human pr o-
g r e s s by t hes e exc ept i o nal men
have not been i n c ons equenc e of
t h ei r adhes i on t o Chr i s t i ani t Y t
but i n s pi t e of i t , and t hat t he
s pec i f i c poi nt s of advant age t o
human k i nd have been i n r at i o o f
t he i r di r ec t oppos i t i on t o pr e-
c i s e Bi b l i c a l enac t ment s . .
Take one c l e ar ga i n t o human-
i t y c ons equent on unbel i e f , - - i . e .
t he abo l i t i on of s l aver y i n s ome
c ount r i es , i n t he abol i t i on of t he
s l ave t r ade i n mos t c i v i l i z e d
c ount r i es and i n t he t endenc y t o
i t s t ot a l abol i t i on. I am una-
war e of any r el i g i on i n t he wor l d
wh i c h i n t he pas t f or bade s l a ve-
r y . The pr o f e s s or s of Chr i s t i an-
i t y f or ages s uppor t ed i t ; t he
Ol d Tes t ament r epeat edl y s anc t -
i oned i t by s pec i a l l aws ; t he New
Tes t ament had no r epea l i ng de-
c l a r a t i on.
. . I t i s i mpos s i bl e f or any
wel l - i nf or med Chr i s t i an t o deny
t hat t he abo l i t i on movement i n
Nor t h Amer i c a was mos t s t ead i l y
and bi t t er l y opposed by t he r e l i -
g i ous bod i e s i n t he var i ous s t a -
t es .
The Bi b l e and pul p i t , t he
c hur c h and i t s gr e a t i nf l uenc e,
wer e us ed aga i ns t abo l i t i on and
i n f a vour of t he s l ave- owner .
F or s ome 1, 800 year s Chr i s t -
i ans kept s l aves , bought s l aves ,
s ol d s l aves , br ed s l aves , s t o l e
s l aves . P i ous Br i s t o l and godl y
L i ver poo l ( bot h of Engl and) open-
l y gr ew r i c h on t he t r a f f i c . I t
was a Chr i s t i an Ki ng , Char l es
and a Chr i s t i an f r i ar , who f o und-
ed i n Spani s hAmer i c a t he s l ave
t r ade bet ween t he Ol d Wor l d and
t he New. But pr i o r t o t hat dur -
i ng t he ni nt h c ent ur y Gr eek
Chr i s t i ans s o l d s l aves t o t h e '
Sar ac ens . I n t he e l event h c e n t -
ur y pr os t i t ut es wer e pub l i c l y
s o l d as s l aves i n Rome, and t he
pr of i t went t o t he Chur ch.
. . . When W l l i am L l oy d Ga r r i s on
t he pur e - m nded and mos t ear nes t
abo l i t i oni s t s i n Amer i c a , de l i v -
er ed hi s f i r s t ant i - s l aver y ad-
dr es s i n Bos t on, Mas s ac hus et t s ,
t he onl y bui l di ng he c oul d obt a i n
i n. wh i c h t o s peak was t he i nf i de l
ha l l owned by Abner Keenl and, t he
' i nf i del ' edi t or of t he Bos t on
I nves t i gat or , who had been s ent
t o ga
01
f o r bl as phemy . Ever y
Chr i s t i an s ec t had i n t ur n r e-
f us ed Mr . L l oy d Gar r i s on t he us e
of t he bui l di ngs t hey s ever a l l y
c ont r o l l ed. L l oy d Gar r i s on t o l d
24
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--
.--------------.
me h i ms el f how honour ed deacons
f a Chr i s t i a n Chur c h j o i ned i n
an ac t ual at t empt t o hang hi m
. . L ar g e numbe r s of c l e r g ymen
f near l y ever y denom nat i on wer e
f ound r eady t o def end t he i nf am-
ous ' F ugi t i ve Sl ave L aw' i n Nor t h
Amer i ca .
And, i n r es pec t t o s l aver y a
not abl e hi s t or i a n s ay s The men
wbo advoc at ed l i ber t y ( f or t he
s l aves i n any er a) wer e i mpr i son -
ed, r a c ked and bur ned, s o l ong as
t be Chur c h was s t r ong enough t o
be mer c i l es s.
I t i s not a l s o f a i r t o ur ge
t be gai n t o humani t y whi c h has
been appar ent i n t he wi s er t r eat -
J Dentof t he i nsane , c ons equent on
be unbel i ef i n t he Ch r i s t i a n
oc t r i ne t hat t hes e un f o r t un at e s
e r e e xampl es ei t her of demoni a-
a l pos ses s i on or of s pec i a l v i s -
t at i on of dei t y? F or c ent ur i es
der Chr i s t i a n i t y me nt al di s eas e
a s mos t i gnor ant l y t r e at e d. Ex-
c i s m, s haok l es , and t he whi p
r e t he pe nal t i es r at her t han
be c ur at i ves f or ment al ma l a -
1es . Ever y ga i n i n t he t r eat -
nt of t he i ns a ne , ever y s t ep
l us t r at es - t he mar c h of unbe-
ef .
Take t he ga i n t o humani t y i n
be unbel i ef - - not yet c ompl et e - -
ga i ns t t he dogma t hat s i c knes s ,
s t i l enc e, and f am ne wer e mani -
es t at i ons of di v i ne anger , t he
es ul t s o f whi c h c oul d ne i t her be
voi ded nor pr e vent ed. The Chr i s -
i an Chur ches have done l i t t l e or
ot bi ng t o des pel t hi s s uper i t i t -
on ( ed
t
s not e : r emember he was
i t i ng t hi s i n t he 188- s ) . The
f f i c i a l and aut hor i s ed pr ayer s
t he pr i noi pa l denom na t i o ns ,
day , a f f i r m i t . Moder n s t udy
t be l aws of heal t h, exper i -
AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767
ment s i n s ani t ar y i mpr ovemen t s ,
mor e ef f i c ac i ous i n pr even t i ng or
di m ni s hi ng pl agues and pe s t i l -
enc e t han has t he i nt er vent i on of
t he pr i es t or t he pr ac t i c e of
pr a y e r .
Take f ur t her t he ga i n t o hum~
ani t y c ons equent on t he unbel i ef -
i n wi t c hc r a f t and wi z ar dr y . Apa r t
f r om t he br ut a l i t y by Chr i s t i ans
t owar ds t hos e s us pec t ed of wi t c h-
c r a f t , t he hi ndr anc e t o s c i ent i -
f i c i ni t i a t i ve or exp e r i ment was
i nc a l c ul a bl e gr eat . The i nven-
t i ons of t he pas t t wo c ent ur i es ,
and es pec i a l l y t hos e of t he ei gh-
t e ent h c ent ur y , m ght have bene-
f i t ed mank i nd much ear l i er and
muc h mor e l ar gel y , but f or t he
f ool i s h bel i e f i n wi t chc r a f t and
t he s hoc k i ng f er oc i t y exhi bi t ed
agai ns t t hos e s us pec t ed A hi s t -
or i an on Sc ot l and al one s t at es :
The peopl e s eem t o have pas s ed
i n t o c r uel t y pr ec i s e l y as t hey
became mor e and mor e f anat i c a l ,
mor e and mor e devot ed t o t he i r
Chur c h, t i l l a f t er many gener a-
t i ons t he s l ow s pr ead of human
s c i e nc e began t o c ount er ac t t he
r avages of s uper s t i t i on, t he
c l e r gy r es i s t i ng r eas on and hum-
ani t y t o t he l as t .
I t i s c er t a i nl y a c l ear gai n
t o as t r onom c al s c i enc e t hat t he
Chur c h whi c h t r i ed t o c ompel
Gal i l eo t o uns ay t he t r ut h has
been over bor ne by t he gr owi ng un-
be l i ef of t he age, even t hough
our l i t t l e c hi l dr en ar e yet t au-
ght t hat J os hua made t he s un and
moon s t ar i d s t i l l , and t hat f o r
Hez ek i ah t he s un- di a l r ever s ed
i t s r ec or d.
As i n as t r onomy s o i n geol ogy ,
t he gai n of knowl edge t o humani t y
has been al mos t s ol e l y i n meas ur e
of t he r ej e c t i on of t he Chr i s t i an
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t heor y . A c ent ur y s i nc e i t was
a l mos t uni v er s a l l y he l d t hat t he
wor l d was c r eat ed 6, 000 year s ago
or at any r at e t hat by t he s i n of
t he f i r s t man, Adam, deat h c omm-
enc ed about t hat per i od.
W l l any one, s ave t he bi got -
ed, c ont end t hat i t i s not c er -
t a i n ga i n t o humani t y t o s pr ead
unbel i e f i n t he t er r i bl e doc t r i ne
t hat et er na l t or t ur e i s t he pr o -
babl e f at e of t he gr eat maj or i t y
o f t he human f a m l y ? I t i s not
ga i n t o have di m ni s hed t he f ai t h
t hat i t was t he dut y of t he wr et -
c hed and t he m s er abl e t o be c on-
t e n t wi t h t he l ot i n l i f e whi c h
pr ov i dence had awar ded t hem?
I f i t s t ood a l one i t woul d be
a l mos t s uf f i c i ent t o pl ead as
j us t i f i c a t i on f or her es y t he ap-
pr oac h t owar ds equa l i t y and l i b-
er t y f or t he u t t e r ance of a l l
opi ni ons ac hi eved bec aus e of gr o -
wi ng unbel i e f . At one per i od i n
Chr i s t endom eac h gover nment ac t ed
as t hough onl y one r e l i g i ous
f a i t h c oul d be t r ue, and as t ho-
ugh t he hol di ng , or at any r at e
t he mak i ng known, any ot her opi n-
i on was a c r i m na l ac t des er v i ng
puni s hment . Under t he one wor d
' i r i f i de l ' , even as l at e as L or d
Coke, wer e c l as s ed t oget her al l
who wer e not Ch r i s t i ans , even
t hough t hey wer e Mohammedans , Br a -
hm ns or J ews . Al l who di d not
ac c ept t he Chr i s t i an f ai t h wer e
s weepi n gl y denounc ed as i nf i de l s ,
and i n Eng l and t hi s mos t a f f e c t ed
t he J ew. Engl i s h hi s t or y f or
s ever a l c ent ur i es s hows how hab-
i t u a l l y and mos t at r oc i ous l y Chr -
i s t i an k i ngs , Chr i s t i an c our t s ,
and Chr i s t i an c hur c hes pe r s e c ut ed
and har a s sed t hes e i n f i de l J ews .
Ther e was a t i me i n Eng l and when
J ews wer e s uc h i nf i de l s t hat t hey
wer e not even a l l owed t o be ~Nor n
as wi t nes s es . I n 1740 a l e gac y
l e f t f or es t abl i s hi ng an as semb l y
f or t he r eadi ng of t he J ewi s h
s c r i pt ur es was he l d t o be vo i d
becaus e i t was for t he pr opaga-
t i on of t he J ewi s h l aw i n c ont r a-
di c t i on t o t he Ch r i s t i a n r el i g -
i on I t i s onl y i n ver y moder n
t i mes t hat muni c i pa l r i ght s have
be en ac c or ded i n Eng l and t o J ews .
I t i s bar e l y t hi r t y y ear s s i n c e
t hey have been al l owed t o s i t i l l
Par l i ament .
L or d Coke t r eat ed t he i nf i del
as one who i n l aw had no r i ght o f
any k i nd, wi t h whom no c o n t r ac t
need be kept , t o whom no debt was
payab l e. I n one s ol emn j udgement ,
L or k Coke s ays : Al l i nf i de l s
ar e i n l aw per pet ui i n i m c i ( per -
pet ua l l y an enemy ) : f o r bet ween
t hem, as wi t h t he dev i l whos e
s ubj ec t s t hey be, and t he Chr i s t -
i an, t her e i s per pet ual hos t i l -
i t y ' . Twent y y ear s ago t he l aw
of Engl and r equi r ed t he wr i t e r of
any per i odi c al publ i c at i on or
pamphl e t under s i x penc e i n pr i c e
t o g i ve s ur et i es f or 800 pound
aga i n s t t he pUbl i c at i on of bl as -
phemy . I wa s t he l as t per s on
per s ec ut ed i n 1868 f or non- c om-
pl i anc e wi t h t hat l aw, whi c h was
r epea l e d by Mr . Gl ads t one i n 1 869.
Up t i l l t he 23r d of Dec ember ,
1888, an i nf i de l i n Sc ot l and was
a l l owed t o enf or c e any l ega l
c l a i m i n c our t onl y on c ondi t i on
t hat i f c hal l enged, he deni ed hi s
i nf i de l i t y . I f he l i ed and s ai d
he was a Chr i s t i an, he was ac -
c ept ed, des pi t e hi s l y i ng . I f he
t o l d t he t r ut h and s a i d he was an
unbel i ever , t hen he was pr ac t i c -
a l l y an out l aw, i n compet ent t o
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pl a i ned of t oday i n I r el and i s
one of t he habi t s ur v i val s of t he
ol d bad t i me when Roman Cat hol i c s
wer e t hus by l aw exc l uded f r om
j u r y box.
End quot e. And t o s um i t up,
I r epeat hi s begi nni ng wor ds i n
r es pec t t o t hi s s ubj e c t , f or Cha-
r l e s Br adl augh s ai d, I s hal l t r y
t o make out t hat t he amel i or at i ng
mar c h of man of t he l a s t f ew c en-
t ur i es has been i ni t i at ed by t he
her et i c s of eac h age.
One of t he mos t power f ul book -
l et s whi c h Char l es Br adl augh
wr ot e was c ompl et ed i n 1860 and
was t i t l ed Who Was J es us C hr i s t
Onl y a par t of t hat i s avai l abl e
t o me now, and t hat i s a c hapt e r
t i t l ed: What Di d J es us Teac h .
I f any of you have any ol d
books on At hei sm or F r eet hought ,
we ar e now maki ng an ac c umul at i on
of t hem her e i n t he At hei s t Cen-
t r e of Amer i ca i n Aus t i n. Won' t
y ou pl eas e donat e t hem t o our
c o l l ec t i on known as t he Char l es
E. St evens Amer i c an At hei s t L i b-
r ar y and Ar c hi ves .
denc e f o r hi ms el f or f or
F or t unat el y a l l t hi s
ed by t he Royal as s ent
t ha Ac t of
24th
Dec ember ,
Baa not humani t y c l ear l y
l i t t l e i n t hi s s t r uggl e
unbe l i ef ?
i n t o humani t y by unbe-
t hat ' t eac hi ng of Chr i s t '
modi f i ed, enl ar ged, wi d -
humani s ed, and t hat t he
oe of a Chr i s t i an' i s i n
and qual i t y made f i t t e r
n pr ogr es s by t he ever -
addi t i on of knowl edge
l at e r and mor e her et i c a l
or e t han a cent ur y and a
e Roman Cat hol i c had i n
har s her meas ur e deal t
m by t he Engl i s h Pr ot es -
s t i an t han was even dur -
per i od t he f at e of t he
t he unbel i ever . I f t he
hol i c woul d not t ake t he
abj ur at i o n, whi c h t o a
omani s t was i mpos s i bl e,
i n ef f ec t an out l aw, and
pac ki ng' s o much c om-
Austin, Texas 78767
Small
SJlggestion
ROME - Prelates in'
the
Vatican
have been
~kedto
use
more modest cars.
Already four cardinals have:
swapped their Mercedes' for
Fiat
sedans.
The
idea is
thought to
have
come from the Pope.
27
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POETRY
OUT OF EARTH
By Kahi l Gi br an ( 1883- 1931)
Wr at hf ul l y and v i ol e nt l y ear t h c omes
out of ear t h;
And gr ac ef ul l y and maj e s t i c al l y ear t h
wal ks over ear t h.
Ear t h f r om ear t h, bui l ds pal ac es and
er ec t s t ower s and t empl es ,
And ear t h weaves on ear t h, l egends,
doc t r i nes , and l aws .
Then ear t h becomes t i r ed of t he deeds
of ear t h and wr ea t hes
F r om i t s hal o , dr eams and f ant as i es .
And ear t h' s eyes ar e t hen begui l ed by
ear t h' s s l umber s t o endur i ng r es t .
And ear t h c al l s unt o ear t h: I am t he
womb of t he s epul c hr e,
And I s hal l r emai n a womb and a
Sepul c hr e
Unt i l t he pl anet s exi s t no mor e
And t he s un t ur ns t o as hes .
I was not ;
I was bor n;
I was ;
I am no mor e.
That i s t he whol e .
I f any add t her et o,
He l i es ;
Ther e i s no f ut ur e f or t he s oul .
( f r om t he Gr eek)
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vko Osbavkov ................ $1.00
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ay , The Bi bl e and The Bal t i mor e Boar d
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11 Phi l os ophy of At he i s m
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.ENCH ..
pensee: thought
penser: to think
190ClETY OF 9EPARATIONISTSI
THE AIM S OF THE SOCIET Y
1. To stimulate and promote fr dom of thoug~t
and inquiry concerning religious beliefs, creeds,
dogmas, tenets, rituals and practices.
2. To collect and di sseminate information, data,
and literature on all religions and promote a more
thorough understanding of them, their origins and
histories.
3. To advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful
ways, the complete separation of Church and State;
the establishment and maintenance of a thoroughly
secular system of education available to all.
4. To encourage the development and public ac-
ceptance of a humane ethical system, stressing the
mutual sympathy, understanding and interdependence
of all people and the corresponding responsibility
of each individually in relation to society.
5. To develop and prop'lgate a social philosophy in
which man is the central figure, who alone must be
the source of strength, progress, and idealism for
the well being and happiness of humanity.
6. To promote the study of tne arts and sciences
and of all problems affecting the maintenance, per-
petuation and enrichment of human life.
1.
To engage in such social, educational, legal,
and cultural activity as wi II be useful and beneficial
to the members of this Society, and to society as
a whole.
The Atheist-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.
Freethought may be defined as the mental atti-
tude which unreservedly accepts the supremacy of
reason, and aims at establishing a system of phi-
losophy and ethics verifiable by experience, inde-
pendent of all arbitrary assumptions of authority or
creeds.
THE TRADITIONAL SYMBOL OF ATHEISM IS A PANSYl
LATIN .
peasare ; to weigh. or poncJer
Plant some in your yard ..
OUR NEW SYMBOL Represents AMERICAN ATHEISl\1 in
the
NUCLEAR AGE.
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