Freeing your mind from religion and theism is not the end of the story.
It’s only the beginning. Members of The Clergy Project know that letting go of god was the easy part. The real challenges come when you have h ave to tell spouses, children, and extended family. family. Couple this with the harsh reality of finding a job in the secular world, when all you’ve ever done is “God’s work.” The Clergy Project, Project , managed and operated by member volunteers, exists to help overcome these challenges. But you don’t need need to be a member to make make a difference today. today. The Job Board links members with employers looking for excellent interpersonal and program management skills. If you are looking to hire, write to us at jobs@mail. at jobs@mail. clergyproject.org. The Therapist Project, Project , operated by Recovering From Religion, helps members find professional emotional support from qualified psychologists, therapists, and counselors committed to a secular approach. If you’d like to be on the list of providers, go to SecularTherapy.org. Hardship and Education Grants help members transition to secular life. To make a contribution online, go to ClergyProject.org and see How Can I Contribute? right on the home page. Send a contribution by mail to: The Clergy Project c/o Freedom From Religion Foundation PO Box 750 Madison, WI 53701 The Clergy Project c/o The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science US 2776 South Arlington Mill Drive Box 815 Arlington, VA 22206 Contact us at
[email protected] at
[email protected] project.org
AMERICAN AMERI CAN ATHEIST ATHEIST A Journal of Atheist News and Thought
1st Quarter 2013 Vol.. 51, No.1 Vol
ISSN 0516-9623 (Pt) ISSN 1935-8369 (Ol)
Photo by John Welte EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Pamela Whissel
[email protected] LAYOUT AND GRAPHICS EDITOR Rick Wingrove
[email protected] COPY EDITOR AND PROOFREADER Karen Reilly AMERICAN ATHEIST PRESS MANAGING EDITOR Frank R. Zindler
[email protected] Published by American Atheists, Inc. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 158 Cranford NJ 07 07016 016 Phone: 908.27 908.276.7300 6.7300 FAX: 908.276.7 9 08.276.7402 402 www.atheists.org ©2013 Ac Atht Ic. All ght v. R Rct ct whl t wth t wt t hb t. A c Ath t x th Alt tv P Ix. A c Ath t gz gv f f ct t b f Ac Atht ct f th bh. Al Iv l Mbh wth bc t t f y f Ac Atht t gz: $35. Ol v ly: $20. Cl/Fly Mbh wth t tl l t gz : $35. Sg t www. tht.g/. Dct vlbl f ltl y bct: 10% f tw y, 20% f th y. A tl tg f f fg : C Mxc: $10/y. All th ct: $30/y. Dct f lb ttt: 50% ll gz bct bk ch. 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
Above: T Sq vw Sq vw f ft ft f Ac Ac Atht Atht bllb bllb
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In This Issue Pame amela la Whis Whisse sell 6 Seth Andrews is Deconverted | P Mich chae aell B. Pau aulko lkovic vichh 10 Through the Catholic Encyclopedia | Mi James mes Lu Luce ce Ages es of At Athe heism ism:: Part Two | Ja 12 Ag 14 The Power of Coming Out | J .T . Eberhard 16 God’s Work: Opus Dei and the Knights of Malta | W.E. Gutman Voic oices es of Re Reaso ason n Rally Rally:: Jam Jamila ila Bey 19 V Pau aull Loe Loebe be 20 David Petraeus, Spiritual Fitness Guru| P Americ rican an Ath Atheis eists ts Sue Suess the the IRS 23 Ame 24 Times Square Billboard 26 Science Interview: Dr. William Irons | Ce Atkins Phill Torr Torres es 28 God’s Non-Existence Makes Sense | Phi 30 Size Counts | Rick Wingrove Buck ckner ner 32 Paul Kurtz Remembered | Ed Bu David vid G. McAf McAfee ee 33 Religion and Grief | Da MBOO EZoo| La Larry rry Hi Hico cokk 38 Ten Commandments Removed from 0BL MB Americ rican an Ath Atheis eists ts Goe Goess Gre Green en 40 Ame 46 In Memoriam: Conrad Goeringer | Frank Zindler www. ww w.ath ath eists ei sts .or g | AME RICAN RI CAN ATH EIST EI ST | 3
Letter from the
Editor
O
y g I bg y ltt wth “Dg g th Htch .” Chth Htch h jt , I kw tht w h lt th qvlt f y th fght f chch/tt t cvl ght f blv. Svl tl tht v thgh thy h v t h, thy flt lk thy lt f bc vc thy h lt t ( I y lgly?) w g. Htch Htch w lbly bllt “Dg g th Htch ” w y w c t h tch blty wth w ly. H w l blltly lbl. Tht th w wg bll wll bc th bg h tht fllg th w tht wll g l w ll k , Wht wl Htch y? I ctlly ct w tht qt w th ch cfc. F tt, ythg tht cc t wl v b w wll. Wht W ht I c b cft bt, hwv, th w vc tht hv gc th g v th t y tht wll ct t b t f th gz.. Tk gz Tk T T McB, f xl. Wh Htch , h w tll th t f Mtht chch Fl. At th f Mch h c t Atht t tl cvt fw th lt bc Ac Atht’ blc lt ct. ct. Wh I tc h th lt , I tht f h h’t c lg, Ac Atht wl hv h t vt h. Bt I tht jt bc Ac Atht ’t gzt tht tht t vt vt bg wh t g g t b t. Rl l, wth l l t, fth , th gh. I h hw ght I w tl I h f Pl Lb. H’ H’ th w M l Mlty Dct Jt Gffth. H cl bg Atht Atht th lty (h’ (h’ ctly ly) ly) bt bt g g 20 wll b gl ft. ft. Lk T, h w tll th clt clt y g, bt lk h, h h th w th Atht—ywh. H’ll b tlkg bt tht ft f t cl. I l h th l th t y f wkg wth Sth Aw. A I w clg th R Rlly , I c c h v f th vt ThThkgAtht.c. ThThkgAtht.c. I w blw wy by hw h ct th f tht y, y, h gly llw t tcb f tht v f th gz. I’ l t ft h cg-t ty g 6. Bc f th th bf th wh w h th bv c t c t, T, T, Pl, Sth ll f cty t th th f th clt . Bt t th fllwh t thy f ghtflly v, lvg th ctv lg h c t c f ch f th. A bc thy tht c, th l, w h wl tll b th clt f t w’t f hg th t, wll flly lv th clt. It w l y g tht Ac Atht w l bkt f th ft t. Th h v b gz wth th w Atht th ttl t hlf th cty tl th. A w tht th , t ’t ty th f lg. It’ w llg t tw. It’ y h tht ft g th , Atht tll th clt t tht thy ’t hv t ty th f lg th. Pl W hl Pl gt@tht.g
4 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
1st QUARTER 2013
On August 20, American Atheists unveiled a logo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its founding by Madalyn Murray O’Hair. The design was chosen through a competition judged by select se lect staff members. Participant Participantss were we re challen challenged ged to address specific design elements, including use of the original American Atheists logo, while incorporating a forwardlooking stance as the organization moves ahead into the next fifty years and beyond. The winner, Carbon Red Designs, will receive $250 and an officia officiall introdu introduction ction by President David Silverman during the convention.
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www. ww w.ath ath eists ei sts .or g | AME RICAN RI CAN ATH EIST EI ST | 5
From Christian Broadcaster to Thinking Atheist
Seth Andrews is Deconverted by Pamela W hissel
O
klh, ccg t Sth Aw, kw f tw thg: t chch, th t t c. B t fly f x chl, h w by vtly lg t wh lv tght ltl Bbl. It w lf ck wth lg c c bt—bt v qt bt. I h w bk, Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason , h tlk bt th ft bt tk ly l jy f cg t. H h h ch f tht jy h wbt, ThThkgAtht. c, whch h ct h t h w “chlh ctt, th vwhlg wv f lg l g g g cty, c ty, th ctl thg wh k cl cl ktcl vc wth wg f tl tt. tt.”” O f th f American Atheist t b hbk f hw t c t blv, hw t hw hw l th wy t, t, hw t lv wth th Atht tg whl wkg t lt t f blc lf. Sth’ ty vlbl g g th hbk.
6 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org
Seth Andrews
1st QUARTER 2013
When you refer to your childhood indoctrination, it makes me think of an extremely fundamentalist upbringing. Was that the case?
My fth c f cvtv Lth bckg, bt lft tht t t bc wlvw tht, f I h t t w, w bbly clt t Btt. My th w th ct f th Ptctl chch, ght w t th blf “kg tg.” It w l , bt t gv lt ql tt f bth clt, th tg w ft f f t bt bt.. How did they decide which church to attend as a family?
W tt chch, bt t fly, t glly. My fth ff f f hg l, ttg chch fly t h wl t f 90 t wtht bg bl t h h w f th th . My t l h thck lg vcbly, t t chch ft g t fc xt f th t’ g. So you were essentially home-churched?
My blg I w tll cg t tt wh, f w ’t tht, th lttv w t f Sy g tlv ch f Rbt Schll t Kth Cl t th lcl t t Bt Av Mtht Chch Tl. It w hg-g f ct, bt y t w lly cl by, y t cct y “fl” “tbl” tchg cg t f th T V.
begin? g, thy ll t Tl Cht When did the doubt begin? Nt tl lth. Y , whl I w Schl Bk Aw, Oklh. It w twly cg t k qt, f ty vt ttt—wth “ttt” bg vy t w. Th y w fll t th w cf c ctt lck f th by f ct, th w w tly h f th gl. Th ly c fl tchg. Dbt w , cctbl cl w , wht bl. W t th vy lt, th whg f St y . W w ft tl th ty f Dbtg Th Jh 20, wth Th’ bt bg, f c, xl t fllw. I w t hg y “Fth kw bt” f thg ’t k . I c h cfc l ggt tht blv hl ltlly blk wy bt, bc blkg tt y t f thght cflctg wth G’ W. Th f gl v w thkbl. Th ft l f bt w lt y w lf ft th 1997 th f Cht gwt Rch Mll. A th ht f lg g hw KXOJ-FM Tl, I w chg y t f lt tht Mll h b t t f h J hbly kll th hghwy by cg tck. A I k w f cft t lt cll, I tggl t ccl th t tht th G f Mtthw 10, th wh c wth “ th y w,” wl g b th tkg f Mll’ thly lf ch tl, g . Why wl G l Rch Mll t th tlght ly t lg w tght ct fct, ght lg ll f f t g lv h hty, th, cc. Tht lc w fly f t gv v cl hv b ltlly “bh,” t w cltly ckt? A wl th fl v hv cy f Rch h ly b wg h lt f th t wl.
I was glued to the monitor as Christopher Hitchens fearlessly skewered the god I had been trained never to question. What about about school? school?
I w ll f blc chl ft th g bc I c h y tht y h wth y t wht I h l bt Nthl . S f fth
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F th ffth g thgh y j y f hgh chl, I tt Etw Btt Schl, l tffy, t vt chl, wh t cl 1985, I fh hgh chl bck th bh.
tblt? How did you come to be a Christian broadcaster?
I wt t wk th fl f Ct Cty y Cht Mc (CCM), 1990, I
www. ww w.ath ath eists ei sts .or g | AME RICAN RI CAN ATH EIST EI ST | 7
It took years for me to gain the courage to even challenge the Bible stories of my youth. l f c t t KXOJ qckly vc f t-t wk t b th g hw ht. I w wth th f c th j Cl Chl’ Tl l- f fw y. I wt w t t wk tht fl bc I lv th c, tt, th clt, th tht bct, I w hlg Cht ch l.
th lt t ll f fflct, I vtlly tbl t YTb ltcl tg, th ccl cl. v f Chth Htch. I w gl t I wtch l, lgly ct bt th t h flly kw th g I th w hly bk, glly hll t t h b t v t qt. I h v f th h- c xchg f ch lk h, lghtg f blg fv f bv. v tck h f bv, I f ylf I w fth hw chch t bl t tt kg qt ktg ch, tvg t lt th y w. F th ft f t t y lf, I t ttctv lt f cl clt th Bbl bjctvly wtht flt. It t c th ttc, c, w lk g ct ct f th ft f t t; th Did you do anything with that doubt at first? flc. ctc, th blh, th whl Nt t ft. Th c j vt ’t Ulttly, I bv tht human beings g ctcty lft wth h tl Stb 11, 2001. I hv w g ll f th wk, vkg G ht f qt. t cht vt t tht y y bt bvly fctg th c- bk, bt ffc f fc t t y tht y cgly ffct wl f h bl h Whom did you approach with these questions c w lt by th ty lt. Th l w g th and what kind of response did you get? g-k g th t f th fft flwy ch, g g, I c t t th qt fll tw, th w, th lg-w y, bt th ww g t th “xt” y w ccl, bt th t tht th cg w ly G’ ’t k th fct tht thy w g ll cl, lzy, ft ffv w wy f chtg bll t. I lk f th hvy lftg. G w’t th c-lt. I cv ly v fth f blf. t th th b, I ’t G G w’t v th vhcl. Th lgt chg t f G’ W ywh. ctlly ll tw Aft 9/11 h ttl y lttly t ty. Evy Seth Andrews and Tim Buckholtz at Reason Rally lg cg, y fth wt t lg chg wl bc k f t, t h. tty f t vt th Th gg f bt th bck f ft, t vfy th cl y h h lf t fllgt lgtt cc , bt I cttlz hty, vbly, th cl y qt kt th f Chtty vz th k f tl tg. Dbt wht-ht lght f cty. cty. w lwy th, bt I fc fc Ctly, thy h . th thg. Thy’ ttt t bg bck It w c-t, lly. t th fty f th fl wth I w kg th w f th t l f lgt Chtty, bt I ’t tt wy. Thy cl tht th chch y bc t ctfc cty w ly cl. I ll tc tl f St. Thy t bt tlty wth k f qt whch v tht ll bl, gl ttt: S, f l cl ft th ct ’t k , bt Nh’ k. Thy t lk ly G l. Nw lt’ tlk bt vythg f th Sh bt thg l. f T t Htl, t tcl bt th glgc cl bt hcy. A, f What brought the the full-on siren out out of mental storage? c, wh ll l fl, thy Bc f y ’ cl tht Chtty l ctv th chch bc thy c h “l I v bct xc.” c, I wt cflctg Htly,, t tk y f t Htly wth t. g th cg t v challenge I w t fc t th Bbl t f y yth. I
8 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org
1st QUARTER 2013
c t t htl tt cg t f ttt f gc tht h th lf t th tbl, t c cllg v lg-t c. I th v, th tgt g t t t th t t l ft wy tht wk f l, l, tly tly h xtc wkg t chv w l ttg. A fl t f b, gb th gl, v th y. Of ly gt th ky. v c, I lt th th f c, l lf, th lc. Egc qlty th th-lt tl I f c tk y, v wk, wth Did you ever doubt your own doubt? ft ct l. Th w fw th tt ft ly glly cc I tggl wth th f f hll f fw g g th cl, bt tly, th t vy t. Th wht gg y, qtly kg ylf, “Wht f I gt th I vt w vwhlg txt-ft tht, f lg lk f y. Achvg t wg? Thk bt th cqc!” y , ly w’t gg gt th lcty ft tk lt f t , y Fttly Fttly,, I ct t g f y ttt f y l. c, l tc f th tl c, I ct t ct ylf It’ l Atht ccl t y hv th tgth tgth t t y w. bt th bvly - t f hll, t tht tl wl ch th f w, w I fl f ttl l f thy w t lttl When did you eventually feel feel that strength? strength? lbt. My ch f th tth ct “cl,” ctt wth th ft A y bt c t ctcl , I ’t ’t ly, I’v lwy tht, f J v ll th t tlv fl. S j t xcl, “Hy! Th ll c!” hlf tw, I’ll blc lgy c wll b thck txt-v by I ttgz tht t ght b bt t tt wth fc y fft Cht’ bhlf. Bt cty cty,, bt I’ cvc tht y th qt, I tt t th t…wth y I’ t hlg y bth, cc h cl fclft. W hl b tg t. Obvly, ft vlly f l, v th ly tly tfcty w th t ltbl g bl t thy gt w t th vy l tggl I w y wly-f , I c’t g v -vvy c. I’ jt hbl v gg thgh tly wt t cwlg bck t th lg cc. c vt c f th, bt I thght c . I ’t y th w “Atht” I ght b bl t hv t lt btl ct. t th tl lt 2008, bt thy bbly w th t cg. The impact impact has been been more more than than subtle. subtle. I think What was their their reaction? reaction?
Of c, thy w— ct t b—htbk. I cltly t hw ffclt t t b f t t ch t y c g ttt t tct blv chl f hll. My t cfc ch t k th fth; t tk ch tc blc t gt th vl h t lth f y. Ev wh lg ’t t t ll, t’ th lht th . It ft lk th w k l th th ll tlk tht k th. You’ve also sacrificed sacrificed a great deal deal in order to be true to yourself.
I nc hard a cnfrnc ladr suggst that blivrs shuld litrally blink away dubts. Gd wasn’t thir c-pilt.
God wasn’t even in the vehicle.
I hv’t cfc ch c t y th wl, bt y ty h th lt fw y l gtlt f ffclt tt. It k y w ht ch t How did you come to establish The Thinking kw wht y t gg thgh, bt Atheist? I ’t bl ylf f th . I bl th I w tvt t tt th wbt tt tht h cvc y th [ThThkgAtht.c] f tw fth tht th blv t . O w t ct f th f tl tt chb g hycl lt I flt lvg Oklh, fth by th vy g thy gv llgc by Chtty. I wt t t. I bl th clt f lt tht kt cct l wth th -blv. hearing bt f v hearing bt Rch Dwk, Th th w t h f th Dl Dtt, D Bk, S H, Jy ft tht I h f hlfl th Cy, Dl Pth, y th. h f kg th jy t f tt Tht clt ly y t tct t f th. cc f c. I bl th hy-cly I wt t ty bg thg fh
you’ve nailed it.
Th Thkg Atht (TTA) v l YTb. Th wkly ct c gwg, wth th 310,000 wl Nvb, 400% c f th v y. A I’ hg t b f t f TTA bt th w jy tw . F-thk llyg tgth, chllgg ch th, tg th bcg gt fc f vy gl y h th Ut Stt. Rlg th ffv, bt th tc gwg. What made made you decide to write Deconverted ?
I’v b k lt f I wl v tll y ty tl, bk f. I g wh y l t th hwkg th w, I tlly t, bt I’v c t th ccl tht y ty c cg th wh ctly vgtg th h t f lg c ct lflg blv bt hw th chch t. I l tlk lt bt y t Cht c, tc whch t fct l. Deconverted Deconv erted tlly wlk th f th lg bbbl t bhth-c lk t Th Thkg Atht. I’ tly f t. If t hl jt t bc bt, t tt cty, t g cg t h, y, f f f tt, wll… tht’ wht t’ ll bt. Continued p. 35
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www. ww w.ath ath eists ei sts .or g | AME RICAN RI CAN ATH EIST EI ST | 9
Through the Catholic Encyclopedia by Michael Paulkovich
DOGMA WATCH
with a
Red Pen
Religion has had an enormous impact on the world. In this series Michael Paulkovich examines dogmas, myths, and religious notions, past and present, that are of interest.
T
h tl f Cht b wth “ “cl. cl.” I kw tht wtg f gz ch th - t th k f g ctttv th - I “chg t th ch.” Mcl ct f fct, tfct f gllbl . Plly, th ly cl I blv th wht c cyy wh I t x wth t.
If y h fc t th Catholic Encyclopedia , tk t tht th tw f th, qt lt. Th gl lt-vl wk (1907-1 (1907-1912) 912) v, v, lbl lbl,, gly ht gg Cht tct thght th g. Th 1986 t, f Th Nl Pblh ( CE-TN ) cll tlf “Rv Ut” Ut” bt fflt wth th gl , ch, l vl fll f
My guess is that Eden is locat located ed very near Jack’s beanstalk. beansta lk. Th gl c w hv f th Cht cl , f c, th Bbl, whlly lbl txt wth wt h g t t ll tlgy, tl gy, t t t lty. Bbl “fct” t ft wth hty, lgc, chlgy, hyc. 10 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
tt -cc. Th tt t f th Itct t th CE-TN t “bg ch w th hvt hvt f tth whch w hch v chg.” chg.” Lt harvest tth tht v chg. 1st QUARTER 2013
Superstition
fl, t y b bc y hv th ct Mthc txt. 1,2 O cl cctly cll th Cht Bbl The Big Book of It lkly y hv h th l h, lghtly lt Superstitions and Myths. I ff th fllwg fllw g f. by Cht wt, c Jh Jh 6:54 lgtclly tl f th Illness. It y w flt f y gt ck, cl J. Y hv ch l Mthc Myt. Cthlc tht th thtth , and you deserve it (Jh 5:11-14). Th Bbl l y ll cty flly ct v ytcl gcl ttt c f thg cll “th vl,” wh tll f th ct f c by vtg “tbttt” g y by wth cl cl l (Act 10:38). 10: 38). th Fth Lt Ccl 1215. 3 I th ct f hc-c, Magical Animal Encounters. Th Ol Ttt c f kbt Cht tght t blv tht th w b hyclly, Ftv-ty l tht th vct ly lk (N lclly, tlly tf t th by bl f 21:9). It ght b tht J g ( Jh 3:14). Lt t J. S tty ch lk cbl t . fgt bt tlkg k, tlkg ky, tlkg hbby, Ath fctg t gg c: P Ggy Jh lvg gt g t fh - f th y, y. y . I (c. 540 – 604 CE) cc Jw f bg “Cht kll” v y Prayers. Thy c chg ft vt, clg gtg lfh ct, Cht l cl tht Jw tb (.g. Mt 9:38; Mt 21:22) c tt tl c wf “t kll Cht.”4 B th l l, ct tht ll c wt (.g. 2 Ch 7:1, 2 Ch 32:20-21). Cht ly flt blgt t tlt by kllg th f Angels, Holy Water, Exorcism, Devils, Miracles, Crossing Oneself. Jw. F th 12th t th 15th cty, Jw w glly All f th cct tht v v th g bk th cvt t Chtty by fc tht f xct. 5, 6 ffl fll th ckty bll f yth. Th yt Exorcism. U th tt t, “vl” xll f t CE-TN gt ch f th tt c “” . Exc “t ly by t tt wtht vc lgy. y b xc ly wth f th bh Supernaturall Spirits. The CE-TN cl tht g gl Supernatura cc wth fl f th R Rtl…Cht ft H “glc ttv c f vy w w v vl by vg th f th,” th ct vl Nw Ttt v t (Mk 6:7)” (207). A y ly kw, l lg g thght
Bible “facts” do not fit with history, logic, archeology, or physics. (37). It t tt f wh th tc gl gt (hv? l? g-gc?), bt cl ’ gl “wtch v h, f h, hl y thght” (37). CE-TN cl Pl 91 proof tht y t vt ylf t y l chbc clt. Aft ll, wth y gl lg f th “y c fly t l t k, y, v tl th bth y ft” (P 91:13)! Communion. Th Cht gt f “c” - Cthlc wll Pttt - hl tht f y c J’ bl gt y wll lv fv. Atly tht’ bt ll t tk. Bt, t , t t Sy ft yg y f y cl l f J jc lv by t. Th CE-TN cl tht c th “ft x f th whl Cht lf” (198). I hv t w hw y Cht, t th fttc fount , th tg apex , jt wht thy tl: wllw th tl wf k gc g jc, lk ll th th h q. Nxt, ff t wtch ftbll ft th vc - ch true x ft f th Sbbth. Bt wt: th tcl tbttt cl c “ gl w cv f th ttl btc f b t th by th ttl btc f w t th bl f Cht, th xtl c ly g chg” (583). Th cct w lgz f vl ct lg. H g w hv gt. Ft, f Egyt blf: Sll 19 f th Book of the Dead ff, “A th hll b gv t h f k c f th g. Th hll y t t w twc; gt g t tct t.” Th bg vl ll bf Chtty. Y Y ght b fl wth th w: “H wh wll t t f y by k f y bl, tht h wll b wth I wth h, th hll t kw lvt.” If y fct
“vl” w ctl tl tt. Th wh tll ty b f tbl f tl c. Holy Water Water.. Th H2O “bl by t,” thby bcg “ ctl, by th fthfl t vk G’ blg” (270). A chl, ch l, I h h cl tht thg thg w “ blg ,” h w wht tht ctlly t. Atly t vlv ctl ct, “lcg thg th fv f G” (77). T th y I ’t gt t. It lc hc-c b f Bz-Ag tt, thg . Th f k ( did you know?) f hly wt, tgh “chfly” by th : ordinary, baptismal, Gregorian, and Easter. O w hw ch ch f th th f b-tclly b-tclly bl g g fftly wh bv lct cc. Multiple Mendacities Th CE-TN v ltt f tg flh tht
vbly t, tg ch f f qtbl vty. H bt fw. US Bill of Rights. Th CE-TN cl “th cct f whch thy t fth th Dcl Dclt t f Ic whch thy b th Cttt Ct tt Bll f Rght, Rght , tlly tlly lg l g cct - cct ht f Cht tt” (75). Th opposite t, I y w ll g; th Bll f R ght (thk g?) th tth f Cht tt. I fct, t answered and quelled Cht cttl g. Th CE-TN g t cl th Ft At “ c by ll t b th bc blt tht h bg q q f th kg f l lvt.” Salvation th Ft At? Mthk t. Wtht bt y fvt t t, gt wll: f from tt g, from tlgcl ll, Continued p. 34
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www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 11
“
Ages of At At heis heism m:
Why It’s Difficult To Be An Atheist From Day One To Death Death by J Lc
“
Studies have shown that the entire portion of the brain devoted to analytic thought actually shuts down completely while in a state of religious contemplation or ecstasy.
Part Two: School Daze
I th v f American Atheist , I xl xl why chl chl fqtl fqtlyy ly bc lv t lg l wht w lt Atht c bt ftg Ath th yg (Pt O: Chl Chlh). h). Th c c cc cc bl wth Ath ( th lt lt) ) tht cft cf t “t twt. t wt.”” A w ll cll cll,, bty tk wth th fcty f g th lg flly f y lk t f t-lct t-lct tht. I vy vy l , ll tg tg “b “b g” g” wh h h zy z y tc tct t vy v y t t f th th b, b , t. Rebels: And We Know the Cause
Utl fw h y g, th c f gwg w fcltt by g tl by th ctl xctt tht th tt wl b bf, th. Ufttly Ufttly,, chl ty fc lg, g jy cll th t y, ft ltg vl c y t f th wl. Sttg g twlv, chl tt lk bb bt xct t ct lk lt. Th chty flct th lct b, wk tll g. Th ftl ctx (th g tht llw t tlly l h) t yt ffctly vl t cttly qll th htc l f th hlly-v lbc yt. Alct cbl f , bt th blty t hbt by lv bhv. Mthclly, thy ft c’t h th clcl c v th ck ll. Thy hyclly t gh t lv h, bt c’t fclly ff t . Thy xlly t, bt xct t clbt. clbt. Th fttg hylgcl cl fct k t tg bl gt th t, cty gl, t g th. Bt th cky tblt lyg fl t v f 12 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
Athtc t c t lg . Th chl f y tv Cht wll lkly bl gt tl thty by tg vglcl Et fth th th jctg tght th blf bg. Alct bght wth qtg fth y vty f ct wll ct t ff f lg blf tht tgly b t th b. Rbll th f f whg lttv g t q y ftl chg hw lct’ b h b w chlh. Oc t bc lt, th g blty f vtg t th gl blf yt v bcg gtc Atht. Atht. O th th th h, th bll chl f Atht t jct tly th tlly-c tlly-c disbelief y g t cl c. Th chg q ftl wg f th t’ b c bc t f t v ltvly ht t. A lg - v Atht Atht - ght k t th t, Wht’ th h blf g, th t ty? I bf, wth y th l, blf bg vly ct vy c, vy t, v y ct bc, g 1st QUARTER 2013
y th , ch blf tt, ft bltt, y tg f c ffct. F xl, f c xc ct f btlty th g tht t w “G’ wll,” th th f ch t lt th bhv th ft. Of c, th y th vt t tht ctt cv f Ath t lg th th lct bll bchclly-c bwlt. Bt c f th cl fct wll b f t “Pt F: Utl Dth D U Dt” bc ch vt cc lt ly thght lt lv. Evolution vs. The Big Brain
O f th fw bhv tht h-w t th h b t bth tht ft blv vythg th t tll th. Ift ’t lwy by, bt thy lwy blv. Fttly, tht vlty c l lt Homo sapiens hvg th cgtv w t v bc vlty v c thy t bty. Alt ll l vlv tht th yg, clly th l, wl t f th t. Th lt f gtc t t vty wth y gv c. H thwt th vlty v bc b hv
L bt th c f cv f bth by g tw bk, by Cht wh cvt t Ath, th th by Atht wh cvt t Chtty Chtty.. Tw g c Why I Left the Ministry and Became an Atheist, by G. Vct Ry, Mere Christianity Christianity , , by C.S. Lw. Bg w wll v th tc, gv cy f ch bk t y wyw chl, ltv, f. If th y chc f vlg, th ctt f th bk wll tvt th t c wth y th fct tht l t cv f Ath. If thy cc, ch cvt hl b ly qtv -jgtl, lthgh y y b bl t g cg bt y cllct f th ’ l Ath. Ufttly, th v/vtl lty wl, g t f fh wth y yg l. Act w c tll vl. A A’ fbl f th th cb tllg h ffg t t wlk wy, l tll l by wtchg th bhv f th tht thy ct. Wh tg y ctg wth chty, lv, fbc wtht y v gc vct f v tvt, thy y g g tg tht g cy g t lg g ccfl lf.
As Th Thoma omass Paine sai said, d, “T “Too ar argue gue wit withh a per person son who has ren renounc ounced ed the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” vl lbt cl tct tht ly “tl.” I Th fft y g w y y cc. Bt th, Wt W t ct lk S, Itly Itly,, t f th ctt f h t’ t’ “g’ wll” ft ll? Th qt th g f “Pt Sth Ac, th c h g bk wth y chl, III, Dy f Wh B,” whch wll xl fg Ath clly l, tyg wth th t wll t th tht. lth gt htl wl… vg t f ylf Ev th Wt clt wh t hyclly wll. th chl ff t bg chl, xct th t gt jb htly thft (f t bf), fqtly v t f wy f Endnotes th ctl h t ly tt, th Wt wy t k 1. B.J. Cy, “Th Alct B,” Wll Wll Mcl Cllg f Cll chl ychlgclly v fclly t th Uvty Clf Ittt f Tchlgy, 2008, htt://www. t f twty thty y. cb.l.h.gv/c/tcl/PMC2475802/ Th ct lt tht t fc wth tg gw chl wh ltly bll yt lcttly t. 2. S, f xl, “Nw Cl Rwg Y B,” Today , Mch 28, 2012; th Pw F’ US Rlg Wht g Athtc t t wh w h fc wth gw g w chl Psychology Today , wh’ ly ytly ytly ch g v lgc? Lc Svy t htt://Rlg.PwF.g/Rt; Blg.SctfcAc.c/Bwv/2012/08/29/ThNcc-f-Tw Ncc-fTwty-Sthg ty-Sthg What We Can Can Be Done? S th y ttg y lvg , chttg wth f fly. Y cv tht y , ght, c, hw, 3. A ct xl th ct by Rblc R blc Rch Mck ghb’ tg h c Ath blv f I, th ft ct f US St. H tht wh c f g. Wht y ? w gt by t “t’ thg G t.” A Th P , “T g wth wh h c Htclly, w f th f xl f “btlty G’ wll” th f lk tg c t th .” Th g th Iqt th g. cct wll b xl fth xt ’ tcl, bt f w t ffct t t tht fth t tch by ct ttck. I, 4. R Ry’ y th bjct t htt://www.fl.g/ t hv hw tht th t t f th b vt t lby/htcl/vct_y/lft_ty.htl lytc thght ctlly ht w cltly whl tt f lg ctlt cty. Lgc, hwv, t f ’ w b t hv y ct. Jt lk th James Luce is the author of Chasing Davis, An Atheist’s hycl b tht k hfl clt chcl wy f th Guide to Morality Using Logic and Science . After four b, l th lg b hv ft-w t ttch years as a criminal investigator in the US Air Force c t cgtv hghwy. hghwy. Office of Special Investigations, he spent 25 years as a If gt ffctv fcbl tvt lbl, trial lawyer. Now retired, he lives in Spain. Read more hw c g Atht c? A lwy th c, ft b . by him at LucelySpeaking.com. 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 13
The
Power Coming of
Out
by JT Eberhard
It’s hard to come out of the closet. This is, of course, largely largely how Christianity maintains itself:
throug thr ough h fear. fe ar.
14 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
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I
lk gg bt g’ xtc. I thk t’ ctv , I h, I’v gtt tty ct t t v th y. Bt I ft gt l f l ltg th blty t ffctvly g, thy w wht thy c . Th lt f w t th qt, bc th bt gjll thg c t fth th Athtc c. Bt th thg y c whch, I thk, wfl th ll th th. C t f th clt. Th w, “I’ Atht,” th ght cctc, c b wfl gt th ythg I hv v wtt. Fc wth wh thk Atht thlgcl t th xt, t wll tk th bt bt t y f vlg th kll t gt tht t bg. Bt tht y t b bl t thk tht th w wck, th ght, th t, th f. Th why th cg-t vt f th LGBT cty h b ffctv. Wth gy l bg cg t c t f th clt, y Ac lzg (y f th ft t th lv) tht t ly thy know gy l, bt tht thy like , ftlove ft love , , gy l. Th w t lt tht vlbl v t Rch Dwk, bt whch ttlly t th h f wth f -blv. I kw, t’ h t c t f th clt. Blv , I kw. Th , f c, lgly hw Chtty t tlf: thgh f. Y c t ll lg Ac’ hghwy. Hw y bllb y g c f f hll ( thtg blv wth hll)? hll)? Lt. Hw Hw y y yg, “C t chch, w hv vc!”? N. Bt f t ly hw Chtty xt ctl v t w fllw, t l hw t xt ctl v Atht. F F f hll ’t ’t wk Atht,
bt f f cl cqc . fl cl tyg t. Bt t’ th tth. It ct tht y Athtc t Th l th wl, cl th lv tf f bg tcz f th y thk, wh wll lv y f wh y tly fl, f hvg th tt vk, v . W hv Atht ct tty f bg bt t f th h hl ch vy tw cty th cty th t cv tht thy t blv w. Cg Cg t y b ffclt, ff clt, bt h Ct Jw f th . Alt Mt.c tt Atht cfc; f ttt th wk lc, v t wll qckly bc t tht y wll tt, hl t c t lght tht thy t hv t fc th chc l. Th t h th yth th c- v l ttg xt t y th w wh wk. h y l, bt ’t hv th bvy It’ h t c t f th clt. I kw tht y hv t fc t. Thy wtg f y’ lkly l kly f f y fc wth th lk y t b th xl. chc. Y hl t. A, f y t f th clt, ’t Rlz tht t f th t h c y wk . Rch t t th f y tht gt bf y ty clt Atht y kw t th. qt. Wth vy Atht wh k th Th hw w chg . blf kw, lg l Th hw w chg th wl. fc t cft th gtv t f Atht tht hv b t th fc by th blv. Thk t ly f ylf, bt l f th yg l gwg ght w wh y y fc th cl cqc. D f th wht y wh wl hv b f y. Th wht y c t t vt. I th , th wht w wll hv t t g qlty th f th Ac. Y Y lf blg t y. Th cl t t y ftt tht y hg t wth th. If y lv th, t h l. If thy t lv you lv you , lt l t th lv y. Lt th lv by wh tt th wth th tth. I cl t w wth th y lv t th fllt f y blt f y , h v wy th ch cl t th fct tht Ath t ct l. Bt y, tc, ght b JT’s blog, What Would JT Do?, is bl t th I v cl. Th th at Patheos.com/Blogs/WWJTD. He w f hty, t c chg th wl. previously worked for the Secular I kw th y lt lg th lv f Student Alliance, where he was their lt f l. Bt f thy lv chct tht first high school organizer. He is the co y lyg f th, f thy lv founder of the Skepticon conference and wh ’t y, th tht lv ly . I served as the event’s lead organizer for kw tht’ hbl t h, t f its first three years.
If they are to love you,, let you let them lov love e you yo u .
If you are out of the closet,
don’t consider your work done. 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 15
God’s “Work”
Opus Dei and the Knights of Malta by W.E. Gutman
The Filice is an open chain with spikes pointing inward, worn under clothing by members of Opus Dei as a form of corporal mortification.
O
t t w ct ccl f fllw f, O D, “G’ Wk,”” h l Wk, tt, tly b. A fblly ch, ggvly ght-wg clk--gg Cthlc gzt, t wl w ftly gt th th gy th Chch cb t t fvt cgt: Jw, F, Sclt. Scl t. Aw Gly Gly,, th Ac Cthlc t, clgt, jlt, btllg th, cb t “ v, tctc, cty, -fct ttt, tly fh f blt th Chch qt bly vy cl w t hvg tht w.” Cllg th xclv g “ “tht tht w,” Gly w tht “O D xtly g gzt bc t l t th lv f ccy th w lt f ct k f lg lt. It y wll b th t wfl g th Chch ty. It cbl f g t f h. It ght t b fc t f th hw .” O D h bt ll b wlw. At lt 2,000 t. Wth th ttl cht f ct w, O D h ccflly tt tt
16 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
chl vt, bk, blhg f, tlv tt, gc, fl c. It h b cc f ctv ggv ctt ctc, clg “lv bbg,”
Opus Op us Dei
arms its members with wi th spe specia ciall and a nd far-reaching powers driven by the longing to cleanse the world of heretics. lbt yy hw f ffct by vl g tl f cct cv, wll tctg clbt b t f fh, tt cl
gthg, bt wtt t ttl cvt. Th c ct f O D “t hl h th wl Cthlc .” Hl cl clgy, ct f ty, hghkg lty ffc, gvt ffcl. Th g “c by ltcl ,” th Bth ly The Guardian t ctly. Th -tlthy gzt w f jt bf th Sh Cvl W bl th hlcy Cthlc y f El f El Caudillo , fct ctt Fcc Fc’ “c” gt th Rblc lft. Wh O D c t c th lt 1960, t w bc Fc’ cbt cl t b f Opusdeistas f Opusdeistas—t —t y t b th lt f ccc. O D, whch tv f fct f chch tt, t b wth cl f-chg w by th “G-v” lgg t cl th wl f htc lv fl, l, hty—by fc f cy—t Cht’ lvg . Nine Centuries of History
Bt O D l c w th th ltt Kght f Mlt, cl ftty f th R Cthlc Chch wh -
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t b ftly tctc. Th 900-y-l gzt w fly kw th Svg Mlty Htll O f th St Jh f Jl, Rh, Mlt. Ml ft ct g f l-k wh c “fl” (Ml, Jw, Cth), th Kght’ c tl “clct l f chvly cg, ltt t t t ll -Cht lg w.” Wth v 10,000 b 42 ct, th Kght fltl Vtc gt wth xtv t t ght-wg tllgc twk. Oglly t thl tctcl fght, lt tg fcly tct tc, th Kght w ttl th ct f th Ctl Itllgc Agcy. Thy l tk t US glbl “blck” (cvt) t. Th fg fth f th CIA, Wll “Wl Bll” Dv All Dll, th lgtvg CIA ct, w Kght, w
f Dv Dll th f th llg xt th R Ay— w Offc f Sttgc Svc tt chf blk by th y h h. h.”” Swtzl. Ghl h v th I ct f h wk, th Kght f vl OSS ffc wh w b f f Mlt w Ghl th hght th US Ct Pty. ct, th G C f Mt. (I 1988, A y lt lt,, Ghl w flw bck t Rl Rg cv th G C f Gy wh h h y wk, th h “vt t Cht cl.”) Pl t lcky f th US. H t y Ctl Ac tll b Rg gzt c f 350 f G th wh fl ll f tx ll tllgc ffc. Tht b vtlly t v g wh US-t th gw t 4,000. F y y, th “V-,” q h f th f Vertrauensmann—tt ) ct cvl. (V-mann or Vertrauensmann—tt thy w kw, w th y O f th Kght f Mlt’ Mlt’ h f th CIA Wt E th Svt f flc Lt Ac, wh fct Blc g th Cl W. Rct g c Nz w gv w wlc. wh h lttl clt, c , Th lt Chl tg Gl Agt bjctvty lgc bl, thy w Pcht, CIA tg cvct h ly t t vllc f ght vlt, w Kght. S cvl lt Gy cc Pv ctt, h-ght vlt ct. bzzl Albt Fj, Ac’ “ Ovll, th Ghl gzt’ L” tl h t 2005. S w th fc w t bt tg. O lt Agt t J P wh, , ccfl fltt ctly clf CIA ct ggt,
With over 10,00 10,000 0 members memb ers in 42 4 2 countri cou ntries, es, the t he Knights of Malta are influential Vatican surrogates with extensive ties to right-wing intelligence networks. y th CIA hchy, clg Jh F. Ky’ ct, Jh McC, Rl Rg’ ct, Wll Cy. McC hl g th 1973 lty c gt Chl’ ctclly lct t, Slv All. Accg t jlt Cl Bt, Cy gv P Jh Pl II lll cc t CIA tllgc, clg t y tllt fl tv. Th cllg vc tht th Kght f Mlt w lk t th “Rt R, R,”” th t-Wl W II gtwy t t th Ac by Nz t b th c “ctt” f ft Gy. Th thg w w tt cl ctl tht c f ct f c gt hty. O f th, Mj Gl Rh Ghl, Htl’ Et Ft tllgc chf, t th US Ay CtItllgc C 1945. Bc f h xc fl ctct th Svt U, h w f, w v f h ffc, xchg f th lg t gth tllgc f th Ut Stt. Flw t Whgt, Ghl wt t wk
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5,000 t-ct f Et E g t th Svt U t tllt. Th gt w t t fclty Obg, Gy, t f f Htl’ fvt v, th bgly t-Stc P Ply, whch tll f ty. Th gzt w vly c wh t w fltt by ct l— w th CIA th Bth MI6. O f th bl gt w th llt Hl “K” Phlby Phl by,, yxt wh v th ct c tl h th Mcw 1988. Ghl ly h f x-Nz, g th Al B, Alf Ech’ Ech’ ght-h c f th Dcy tt c P. B w bl f th lght f 140,000 Jw. H th h v b cf; h w blv t b tll lv 2007, h Sy wh h llg t hv fl lt 1954. Th CIA t bl y , wg t th xgc f th Cl W, v tk t f Ghl’ t. Rbt Wlf, ht t th US Ntl Achv wt, “US Ay tllgc cct Rh Ghl’ ff t fh
l Nz gl thgh th Vtc Bk by Bc Ab, whch cll 1982. Th Vtc Vtc Bk wly blv t hv hv chl chl cvt US f t Pl’ Slty t tf l y f th llgl l f t I t f th Ct Ncg. Th cl, “chctz by tt lcty t ccy,” wl t th US Cg t ccl tht “ cbl f zlt” (b f Rg’ cbt th ft Bh tt) tt) vlt th Hgh-Ry Act th Bl At by flg t f cgl tllgc ctt bt t cvt ct th Ml Et Ctl Ac. (P 1974, th Hgh-Ry Act q th t f th Ut Stt t t ll cvt t f th CIA t t lt Cgl ctt. Th Bl At w t t t ct btw 1982 1984 t ltg US tc t th CIA-fc Ct Ncg). Th th wh w t th y why Rl Rg w’t w’t ch why w’t Gg H. W. Bh ct f th vl f blck .
www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 17
The Catho Catholic lic Church C hurch no longer lon ger relies r elies on inquisitorial torture. It now engages in psychological extortion by exacting unconditional obedience from its crestfallen congregants. “Aft Wl W II,” wt R H. L. Mck f lg Cthlc th Py Lx People of “th llgcl blf th ccc f God, “th Vtc, th OSS, lt f th th bbl.” Ntzch vw t wth SS, v bch f th Svg gt fcty: “Rlg h b c Mlty O f Mlt j … t hl Nz t t wtg t kw wht t…. It w cl c….” Dct vl ff f th bbl.” Whl ccg tht Nw Yk Cl Fc Sll, t fgl ttl f g, I lg h f th Kght th US f th 1940 cl, vv, xcly t th 1960, w ctly vlv th tfc ctv t bft th 1954 ght-wg lty c Gtl thccy thccy.. Lk ctl, g whch t lt 200,000 g lg My w c whch th CIA vc yt v h ckwlg clcty. Sll w by ct t th l lk t gz c by h lg fttg f th ct vlvt wth Achbh Pl Mck q t th x f f Chcg, f h f th Vtc Bk ctv wk t. Lk ct th hghly c th f ctl, t fckl, P Jh Pl I th ft h lct. ctbl, bl t h . Th Losing Ground lbl Th Cthlc Chch lg l f Lt Ac’ , qtl tt chb auto-da- wh fth th hft fés.. It w gg ychlgcl xtt xc th ct fés by xctg ctl bc f t th lf, c b chctz ctfll cggt. tl t Gwg chtt wll hv cbl kt tht lg wfl htcl cqc f th ct ftll. F th, ch Vtc V tc’ ’ chc ylg t. tt cl Vlt t t ctv ght; f th , cty f th vc ttck f; g t hgc tt f fw. cl Jwh Ilc h-l wh Sic transit gloria mundi. th ftcl t-chc, t-gv, hhbc g cvg; fl t cct l blty f th ltcl W.E. Gutman is a veteran c ctt by th ght-wg g journalist and author. From t fv ll tt hw t 1994 to 2006 he reported tg th Chch h ty f lty. from Central America where W, W , ttt t z gt he covered politics, human lg by qtg t wth c rights, and other socioh h tg ffct th fthfl, economic issues. The foregoing clly th Lt Ac wh, is an excerpt from his autobiography, bb by y f cflct, A Paler Shade Of Red: Memoirs of lct, vt, hv a Radical , available in paperback t tly t wt w t th t’ t’ ltc (ISBN 978-1-927360-96-5) or as an f th cl cltch f vlg v lg fw. e-book (ISBN 1-927360-96-X).
18 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
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Voices Voic es of o f Reason Re ason Rall Rally y Our past coverage of the March 24, 2012, Reason Rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, has been a mere glimpse of that day. So for the next several issues, we will continue to feature the words that were spoken by some of today’s greatest voices of reason.
“
Jamila Bey “
Please bow your heads. Oh, wrong crowd.
W
h ’t t gt thg! Whv Whv Ac l t flly tk t th g xc, w j, w bl, w k t. W cl Ac hv t lg b wtht vc. Wth g g c, w’v b hg. Bt B t ty w c t t th lght f w y, “W’ h. Nw y wll h . W y ft, f t, Ac. Ac .”” W k f th th wh 16 ct ct f th t bt wh tll f t b tf. W th chl tght cc bc chl b cl t f f chch cty t jy th cty f chch/tt t. W w g tht b t b ltcl bttlfl. W w g W g tht tht hlth c c t b ctt ctt by th th wh wh t b bv t hb fth. W W th th wh hv b ct t f fl ct f g t qt th g bt t —t ltlly—bt t by th wh tch tht lv fg g wh wll tlly tt f w ’t lv h gh. W y ctt. W y ct. W W tt, ct, c, c. W y chl. W y f, y blg, w y cty. cty. W vt. vt. 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
Photo by John Welte
Ac, gt t tght. W y h, w y ft. W by th gt tt f th gt cty: th f t thk, th f t qt, th f t f. W lv th cty. W lv fllw h bg. W wt t th f kwlg th t f h l t c, t w, t lght. W ’t f th t f kwlg. (W W (W vl hyc tchq tht w cl t vy ktch!) W ’t f g. W f g. W f cl-. Bt w ’t f. O y w th bty tht l bf th bf . Bt tht ttl ll. It blck by h. It gl bg t b th jt hlt. It gy k. It t k. It b k. It l wh bl-b l wh t. It vy f . W th t—f th l, W l, by th l, f th l, th t vbl. Ech f ty t h f t t t ft. Ct . A k ctg bc w ly gg t ct t gw. Jl By jl jltt lvg Whgt, DC. H ft bk, bt th l f lg th lv f Afc-Ac w, t b clt th y. www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 19
From American Atheists’ Marine Liaison
Davi Da vid d Petraeus, Petraeus, Spiritual Spiritual Fitness Guru? Guru? by Paul Loebe
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Many Iraqis I encounte enc ountered red also belie believe ve the t he U.S. U .S. military is attempting Christian dominionism in their countr country. y. They T hey think we are a re crusaders crusaders.. t th lty tlf. W hv Cht tttg Cht th ct ft h ff wth h bgh y b Nvy vl vy ght v cty. Thy thk w c. w x. H lty t cc th lk, fc y t bt c Pct lty. , bt I cc tht h w j gt, tct lc tht hbt I h wth th xt gt th t f th Ay’ Stl Ft vl f g th lg whl wll b vt t clz th lty Tt, ct f th Chv f. Hwv, th lc f th tckg t bb tht w hv Sl Ft Ex. Wh th x w cvtly fgtt f b f th flhly w . O f th tc ll t 2010, th Ay h t $117 Cht fth, wh lk wh fxhl Atht t t lg ll ll t vlt, th wl b hl flly bl f y ct. fvt w lt y’ Rck By Blf tl ft t w q t b Y, Y , th jty jty f Ac , cl vt t Ft Bgg, Nth Cl. Ac tk by vy. Thk t th ctv by tt f fll htg t b, Cht. Atht’ lty ct Jt Gffth Ac Atht th Mlty Rlg Bt th t tht th gvt gz th vt t th Blly F Ft (MRFF), th tl th lty ttt y ty Gh Evgltc Act’ Rck th ft t w tl. f Cht l. Bt f y th t Ft cct 2010. Bt Rck By Blf I - c Tth-Ot.g, f th wl, tht th ct—whch, tk lc ly ft tw y f jg v MRFF f Mky Wt cll f c, ly bg l t th fc f y y,, y hl t Rck th lty tl ft “lttl th Ac Evglcl. Evglcl. Ft. g tt Tj h Th Cht f t’ f Evglcl Cht ftl lty g bc f th wth th US A Fc. I, t ct t f t. Aft t St Chb, lwfl v y th M, I hv c t by whch tl lt t tht ct lty. If g wth ct Cht zl. ht cty vw Cht lty O f th c ct f tl y t cvt th l t th ft tl lylty, bt c Cht t, th tht xctly wht wh w lg ftl w t y y ttt. tght hycy tlly xclv? Bt Dg y ft lyt Iq, I I g…” h - cvt wth Iq Pt, I c ly , tk th wh h b ct ft th Hth tt hlf. I l tht bc c. I w ftt tht y tg h flt tgly bt h w lg cl lg Iq Abc. My f cvct, lck thf, tht h flt w flt I w g gh t cl t h t th t Ay t t k bk v. t vy w hl t h Th Iq x gt tt why lg t. I v w f h w w h cty. O ly hl th t f h t. tlly t t, “W w tl t Nw I g… c h.” H ttt t k why Th Stl Ft Tt t Cht Ml fght. f ght. H ttt f th Ay’ fv-t Chv t k wht (Cht) bl Sl Ft x. Th tl ft Paul Loebe wth th (th Ml) w. W w w’t’t t y k t t hw tgly thz t k wth h w y g g wth ch ttt, ttt, h qt w jt ctlly tl h Rck By Blf 2 wll tk lc t whch t hv thg t wth t b qt. H ’t lt. H k wh C Plt S Dg t t t b vl’ blty t b l: “I w l blg Cht chch t. Dtl t RckByBlf. tl ,” ,” “My lf h ltg g,” Hth, c h tht th wh c. “I blv tht wy y lf clly cct th c w Ac I f t c t b wtg th cct t ll f hty,” “I ft f Cht w w ctg th th t tht Cht ftlt Dv cft y lg tl blf,” thty f th g. Sly, y th Iq Pt, th f c f fc I blv th f y lf. I ct l blv th US lty Afght, h g h t CIA Ac Atht Vc Pt Kthl
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With the fall f all of o f Petraeu Pe traeuss it would only make sens sense e that the fundame f undamentali ntalist st Christ C hristian ian policie p oliciess he suppo supported rted while in the th e military mil itary shoul should d follow fol low in i n his foots footsteps teps.. Jh, Ay vt f lty ct, w th qt vltly t hw h wl t. Sh wt bt t h blg t Atht.g: Atht.g: I basically answered the questions in the following way, which is the way a lot of Atheists would answer them. I am not a spiritual person, I don’t believe my life has a lasting meaning, I do not feel connected to all of humanity and the world, and I don’t believe my life has a defined purpose. What I do believe, and what’s not possible to address using this assessment, is that although there are no such things as spirits or spiritual connections and human lives have no preordained meaning, we can make meaning for ourselves which doesn’t require calling on anything spiritual. I also believe there is no such thing as being spiritually connected to humanity, but that it is possible to honor and respect humanity and all life, and that while there is no preordained preor dained purpose to my life other than what I create for myself, there is nothing wrong with that. Jt Gffth w q t tk th tt 2010. Lk Kthl, h—gly— c lw th tl ft t. H wt bt t h blg: I’m a bit furious about a mandatory survey that I just took. The survey, Soldier Fitness Tracker (SFT), measures individual soldier’s competency in four areas: emotional, social, family, and spiritual. As a foxhole atheist, atheist, I was a little annoyed at first, but I’ve learned that I’ve really got to pick my battles on some issues.
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This quickly turned into one of those issues. According to the SFT, I’m unfit to serve in the U.S. Army because I’m a non-believer. Here’s what the survey says about me: “Spiritual fitness is an area of possible difficulty for you. You may lack a sense of meaning and purpose in your life. At times, it is hard for you to make sense of what is happening to you and others around you. You may not feel connect connected ed to something larger than yourself. You may question your beliefs, principles, and values. Nevertheless, who you are and what you do matter. There are things to do to provide more meaning and purpose in your life. Improving your spiritual fitness should be an important goal. Change is possible, and the relevant self-development training modules will be helpful. If you need further help, please do not hesitate to seek out help from the people you care about and trust— strong people always do. Be patient in your development as it will take time to improve in this area. Still, persistencee is key and you will persistenc will improve improve here if you make this area a priority. Aftw, t gv h t f t clg yg ttg chch. It v ttt t cv th lgty f th tt gv cl ft f y t btt cct btttg th t “lg” f “tlty”: “Wh l thk f y, thy lkly t thk f ttg chch, klg flg th h, cvg z y t whchv gt w thy blv . Whl y cl lk th wy wy,, t t hv t. Py f ll vl, t hv t b t cfc tl bg lg fg,
t hv t b t t lg, t hv t b fl.” (R th t blg t t RckByBlf. c/2010/12/22.) I h - c, Mky Wt l wt bt wht h f whl g f th A Fc T y 2008. “I tbl f bk by Ay chl Lt. Cl. Wll McCy ttl Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personne Personnel.l. A wh gv th hg, vl t th bk’ bck cv? N th th th t c f th US fc Iq, Gl Dv Pt, wh tt, ‘Under ‘ Under Orders hl b vy ckck f th t wh Sl tl gy.’ U ct, th bk v tlf t b gtg chl c tg Cht lg cy whl l gtg th tgty f th 21% f Ac vcb wh f thlv tht hvg lg fc.” (R th t c t TthOt.g//t/12869.) Wth th fll f Pt Pt t wl ly k tht th ftlt Cht lc h t whl th lty hl fllw h ftt. Pt t t lt y, t’ w f t k t gt th wk h h . Th tll ch wk t b bhlf f Atht th lty, f t ct y c, t lt I c lv th vc wth th h f kwg I f th Cttt t ly f b bt bck h y cvl clth. Th ctt f th cl t y wy k bhlf f y t f th US gvt y ffcl ctxt. Pl Lb kg f l xc .
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American Atheists Files Suit Against the IRS Churches Chur ches receive receive preferential preferential treatment treat ment under IRS code for 501(c)(3)s Pht by Rck Wgv
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Dcb 20, Ac Atht fl lwt U.S. Dtct Ct th Et Dtct f Ktcky g tht th Itl Rv Svc (IRS) t gvg ftl ttt t chch lg gzt v th c f cvg -ft tx-xt tt th It Itl l Rv C (IRC) c ft. “Ac Atht cv tx-xt tt IRC 501(c) (3),” Pt Dv Slv, “bt bc th gzt t clf lg t ct Ac Atht, lg wth ll th cl -ft, gfctly y ch y t k tht tt. I th lwt, Ac Atht th th ltff g tht ll tx-xt gzt, clg th chctz lg by th IRS, hv th qt t chv tx-xt tt.” F xl, t qlfy f ft tx-xt tt, y lg cl gzt t tt t xt t bft th blc. Aft tht bc lt tblh, lg - ft lt lwy cl ttclly tx-xt th ct IRC l ft. Hwv, cl -ft fc lgthy lct f, whch c b hgh $850. Ntl Lgl Dct Ew Kg , “Rlg gzt 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
chch tt fftly f cl gzt. Th xt l wy tht ct lly th b f whth tty’ b x x blf ctc cct lg. Th IRS tt y gzt btt f y f blf tl ty.” Th lwt l cv cc hw cl lg gzt tt tg th tx-xt tt. Scl ft clt F 990 lly, whch tl ft bt fc, , vlt, l; th IRS tt t q 211 h t clt th F 99 0, whch th blc ft. Rlg ft xt f flg th F 990, th blc c bt th fc, , vlt, l. “Th IRS h lg gzt fg vtg,” Slv . “It t Ac Atht t gfct vtg wh t c t fg bc y Ac ch t t vl th Ath f f f jc jc ct.” Ac Atht t c-ltff kg th Ct t f f tht ch ty f ttt btw lg cl ft gzt ctttl, t q th IRS t k th tx-xt flg c f f ll ft gzt. T th t lwt, g t Atht.g/l/2012/ AcAtht_v_IRS.f. www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 23
Photo by Michael Dorian
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Times Square Billboard
From December 11 to January 10, American Atheists hung a billboard in Times Square encouraging closeted Atheists to shed she d their the ir religious re ligious baggage and truly enjoy the season. “We know that a large population of ‘Christians’ are actually Atheists who feel trapped in their family’s religion. You don’t don’ t have ha ve to t o lie in order orde r to t o have a festive holiday. You can be merry without the myth, and indeed, you should,” said President David Silverman. “If you don’t believe in god, tell your family—honesty is the greatest gift, and they deserve it.”
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Science interview SerieS Two of the aims and principles of American Atheists, Inc., are “to promote the study of the arts and sciences and of all problems affecting the maintenance, perpetuation, and enrichment of human (and other) life” and “to engage in such social, educational, legal, and cultural activity as will be useful and beneficial to member s of American Atheists and to society as a whole.” American Atheist supports these principles with this Science Interview Series, where some of the top scientists and thinkers in the world discuss their work with contributor Ce Atkins. In the previous issue, Atkins talked with Robert Trivers, author of The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life . Life . For this issue, he interviewed anthropologist William Irons.
It’s Never Simple There are as many ways to study the evolution of morality as there are ways for it to evolve. by Ce Atkins
Yomut Turkmen - Photos by b y William Irons
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vlt y thlgt Wll vlty Wll I f t t Nthwt Uvty f f th Evlty Athlgcl Scty. H l ly l gzg th H Bhv Evlt Scty 1988, v t t f 20012003. H y fl f ty cc th vlty fc tht h h cl bhv. H bg h c 1965 wth w th ch th Yt Yt Tk Tk f th th I. H thghc ghc t gth th t flt tt vl vlty hyth. H h l vl gl thtcl , ch th cltl--blgcl-cc hyth, whch tht h bg t t bhv wy tht xz th tt ft gt. S f h c b f h wbt, WllI.t. Thy cl “ The Intertwined Roles of Genes and Culture in Human Evolution , ,”” “How Did Morality Evolve?” “Religion as a Hard-to-Fake Sign of Commitment .” 26 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
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Dr. Irons, what is an evolutionary anthropologist? anthropologist?
A vlty thlgt, I’ tt th vlt f h cl bhv. Bt t’ b ctgy. Y c b vlty thlgt wh’ tt fl vc f th g f b-l, f xl. I hv t hv lbl t lt l kw wht I’ g, tht’ th I’v c wth. Th lbl t whlly cct; thy’ jt hy wy t thw ylf t tl bx. Is there a standard definition for “culture” in your field?
Alt thg h b tz thlgy thlgy.. Of c th l wh wl cl th tcl ft th t. Bt t’ cl. Th bclly tw ft f clt. Th I gw wth : vt tht th lt f blty t ybl, wh ybl vb, t lt thg t f th. W cq ft thgh yblc cct. Th cllctv by f tht ft clt. Th th ft f clt cl t ly th ft, bt l l th bhv tht lt f t. Bk Bk wl b c
ct wth th g. Th t bg g lct thgh th bck . H ’t th qt. I t t kt t, t, bc t w vy tv . Bt Dv Sl Wl, wh h wk h t vv th ty f g lct, h f lly tht f y hv th chv g ctg wth th, f th wll fct btt th th. Th ccfl g c c z hv th ttl t f t g. Th g tht ’t fct wll wll vtlly . Tht’ hw y gt g lct. Bt th th f f lct, clg k lct, hv’t b lt. If culture partly evolved because imitation is a faster means of learning—of information processing—than genetic or individual learning, would you then say that culture is, in part, an information technology in that it allows for a more rapid processing?
Tht’ w h I hv’t thght t thgh, bt t g (lgh). Bt t ’t jt tt. W ft th wy. A I’ lk t y tht gtc vlt th w t . Which came first, first, language or culture? Or Or does anyone really know?
I ’t thk y lly kw. It’ It’ k f h t g clt wtht k lgg. A t’ t’ h t kw wh k lgg ft vlv. All h lt hv th lgtc cblt. A ll lgg bclly qlly bl t cvy ft. You wrote wrote about the function function of morality and and religion in culture. What is the primary function?
Th y fct f bth lty lg t z t-g cflct t xz th blty t ct wth th g. Tht c f Rch Alx. I tk h tht w bl c, tht l l th lt f c, t t tht th ql w, th t tht l. Th wfl l f th cty t t hv flc th l f cty th th th y hv t tk tht t cct. I y tcl “Rlg H-t-Fk Sg f Ctt” [t WllI.t], I tk Rch Schllg’ f clt, thy’ ct f yblc bhv. Th tvw wl h-t-fk gl. Rlg ybl y c ly , c t’ b c c clt, clt, ccg ccg t th th c ft. Bt ccg gl f lylty tht’ h t fk. If gl y t fk, th y t th w ft ft, th tvw wl b c c’t ly t. Mt l bl t thgh fk gl. A ft ly. I g wth th w ft bc t’ lg lt, y wy, t lty bc lg lly ct c f lty. Bt w ’t wt t vlfy, bc t lytclly ly tclly.. th c f lty th blf f lg lwy t. In your review of no By Gs Alo: Ho culu tasfomd Pl gg chgg t clg tht thy’ t chgg wh thy . Huma eoluo by Peter Richerson and Robert Boyd, you wrote that their “theory states that culture became prominent in human evolution because it allowed relatively rapid adaptation to changing environments by means of imitation.” Do you agree?
I’ tht w fct. Hw tg t w, I ’t kw. I ’t thk t w th y . I hv fft thy. I thk th clt vlv w tht t llw l t f lg, chv cl g. For what purpose?
T ct wth th. I wt th vlt f lty, wh I ct Rch Alx’ bk The bk The Biology of Moral Systems.. I t, h g tht tg ctt w tt Systems lt h vlt, tht w vlv wth tt tht llw t f lg, chv g tht c ccflly
How does that sit with you? As things grew more complex, we added codes. We had moral codes, then religious, then we added legal codes because the Ten Commandments say nothing about parking meters.
Wll, th kg l wl b xt Wll, xt f “lv thy ghb, ghb,” cb wth h t tht y, “I ” (lgh). So legal codes are an extension of that ongoing attempt to generate group cohesion?
Y. A g, Y. g, l wfl th th th thy gt th ty t jggl th c th fv. Thy ’t c t t wht thy’ g. Thy y t’ f th g f cty. Th g lct ct bly l by th fct tht w t t y tht “t’ f th g f cty.” S Continued p. 36
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God’s Non-Existence Makes Sense The compelling compel ling evi evidence dence from logic, l ogic, evil, evil, and scriptu scripture re Exct f A f A Crisi P hill Torres Cr isiss of Fait Faith: h: Athe A theism ism,, Emerg Em erging ing Technolo Technologi gies, es, and the Futur Futuree of Human Humanit ityy by Phi
Photo from Wiki Commons Arrival and Orientation Ori entation by Lc Sgll
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y thk ty hl th “gt f vl” t b th t wfl Athtc gt . It bg wth tw l t. Th ft tht th wl fl flll f vl ff ffg; g; th tbl tbl fct. Th c tht g ( ttlly f) bvlt (fctly l) bg wh’ l ct tt. Th tht th tw t ctcty, th ctct v tg vc f g t xtg. Bclly, f g c ythg h wt, f h kw bt vy lt bt f gy, f h lly lly fct, th hw cl h t t th vl ffg tht vl ? I c y f ylf— lly fct bg—tht f I h th t f cc tc, I wl i f I didn’t? lt th tbl f th wl t. After all, what sort of person would I be if 28 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
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Th bt t th gt g fllw: wl whch h bg hv f wll btt wl th whch w ’t. Bt jt h bg gv f wll, w cq th blty t vl. Th, th vl ffg byct f f wll, whch by tlf g thg. It fllw tht g ’t wt th wl t b wh ffg; th jt th vbl ct f gvg f wll. I f th ct-g ct-gtt cvcg. Th ft bl tht t tl tht g’ blt lt, v thgh g f bg tt. Tht t y, th thg tht g c’t , ch gv f wll and t vl ffg. My thlg, fct, hv g tht tc hl b t th ccty t ythg tht lgclly bl. Th, t ’t ct gt g tht h c’t k ccl ( Ecl l) wh ccfc gt l th t th ccl’ t. Slly, t ’t ct gt g tht h c’t k ctl P tgl, c P tgl bl t k. My wy tht th t lgcl blty b lty v bv g. Tht , f th l f lgc ct g, th wh c wth th l th ft lc? Wh W h c tht lgc th wy tht t t th wy? Pbly, f g th ct f all thg, th h hl b bl t whtv h wt, v k ck t hvy f h t lft. A lg bl wth ct t g lty. I Pltc lg cll Euthyphro Euthyph ro , , Sct fly k whth thg because g lv t, whth g lv t because t . Bth
Bbl, vl ffg ’t t b vbl byct f f wll. C wht th Bbl y bt hv: G “wll w vy v y t f th y. Th w ll b th g cy g ” (Rvlt 21:4). Cht 22 f Rvlt k t cl tht wll xt ly t f hv. Yt t Cht blv tht l hv wll hv f wll—.., tht thy w’t b tt gflctg bf g f tty tty.. It fllw tht vl ffg cl b blh wtht cg f wll ft ll! Th, f g lly lly fct bg, th why h’t h th f Eth wll? Slly, f g gv l blt f wll, th h c’t c’t gt gt tht ct tt f ff wll w ll b lz th ft—tht , f th lzt f th tt f ff th f chc by h bg. Thlg t ct wth t ly hw lgcl blty chllg g’ w bt hw lgclly bl c wll. Flly, th vy g f thkg tht f wll ll. I th w f ctt S H, “Th ly ct f tl hycl ct tht llw f [th] f tht w hbtlly cl f f lv cb 2 t th.” O c fllw gl gl f f y g (whch hw w k ctct wth th xtl wl) thgh b bck t cl cl (whch wht w t tct wth th wl). Th gl tvl lg cctt f bk c, f t th xt. Sc th cct gl, t’ t ’ cl wh xctly f wll cl bly t th ct— thght bhv thg
hv h y Cht f fly b y tht g wll y ht f J t t t.. Bt thk bt th: wht c y tht y wll f f t c b flc by tl fc cll by h tt? If w hv blt f wll, th yg tht g wll chg ’ bhv tly ftl. ’ Fth, th Bbl tlf t vl tc wh g cch th f wll f vl th ct ccc wth h w l. Ex 10:1, f xl, tt, “Th th L t M, ‘G t Phh, f I hv h h ht th ht f h ffcl tht I y f th g f g th.’” Th t Ex 10:20, 10:27, 11:9-10. It’ l t cl tht Pt w xcg h f wll wh h J th t bf th t cw, jt J h ct. Th cl b f J; w h btyl f J fly ch ct, w t t f g’ ccv l t v hty f t ? I ft w chl whth St, “th g f th wl” (2 C. 4:4), h f wll. Th t vw tht St fly ch t bl gt g, tht th why g thw h t f hv. Th, St h f wll. Th bl wth th tht th Bk f Rvlt k y qt cfc ct bt wht St wll th ft— bt th tbl thg tht wll h lt. Th, f w ly kw wht St wll , th wht wht St lly f? Fth, f h’ t f t ll ft thg th th wht th Bk f Rvlt y h’ll , th wht
If we have absolute free will, then praying that god will change someone’s behavior
is entirely futile. w hghly bltc. F xl, th c t t c th c vgty f g, c t l tht “g b by th lw f lty t f bg th tblh.” 1 Ath bl wth th t bv tht, ccg t th
th th ct f ch ctvtg th ly clx twk f bbltc cct. A t h, y Cht thlv t hl tht f wll lly. F xl, lg l ft y tht g wll wy th ht f -blv. I
th tll bt g? It tl tht g t t llg tg t whch St ttch—t ggt tht St ’t hv ctl v ll h ct, c f th ct hv ly b t ( c Rvlt). Bf vg , w hl t tht Continued p. 37
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www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 29
COUNTS!
by Rick Wingrove
A
lt f ly lg l, ctt t lv cct, h-ct v, bl t lgly t t t th blty t th.
Of c thy c btct, yb v tll lgb, bt thy wflly lckg th tl cy t t th b tht cb th c. A lt, thy c’t bg t g th -bgglg ty f th v wht tht l f th ct g yth. It ftt f wht Jh All Pl wt bt h lghtg bk, Innumeracy.. Icy th thtcl Innumeracy qvlt f lltcy , lthgh y l jk bt th w blty t th, t ctlly h l, v ffct th blty t t th v tl . It It h l t wth w th blty t lg v th t h t wth th blty t t cl lgcl lth. A ctcl cqc tht tht th wh bl t jg, v thk bt,
30 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
cl lth y f thlv ly fl by ft cv by chlt. Lk tlvglt. If h tl tl f th vlt f cl, th lkly t blv lly t ht. A lt ct blf v ll, tt v, whch xt ly f vy tty g l tt t lc bv th cl bt blw th cy f t. S v thght th t cl b ch wth tll gh tw. S thght tht t w bl t fly t cl t th . S thght t w ttl ll th wy w. Bt vy thght th v ct w, l, t jt f . Tht hw , q wth th kwlg tchlgy w vlbl t , thght th v wk 3,000 y g.
I thk tht llg tht yth q ly gtl l bt th z f th v, qg thg th clclt f w. Millions and Billions
Ft, l l cl. A ll th llt ct th cc ytck. A ll, t , lly lt! T lltt, lt lk t ll f thg. Sthg y t t. Lk c. 1,000,000 ( ll) c = 11 y, 13 h, 46 , 40 c. Lt cll t 11.5 y f cvc cvc.. 1,000,000,000 ( bll) c = 11, 500 y 31.5 y! O bll b ll c g, Jy Swggt w tllg l tht th Bbl w th gtt cc bk v wtt. A bgg ttt L tl. Bt I g. Aywy, t…
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The Size of the Universe! Universe!
Lt’ lk t t t, th , bg yllw bch bll th ft t t.. W wll tt ll t f th. W th. If th w bch bll ttg th gl l t S Dvl St, th th wl b ty c f gvl 93 y wy (93 ll l). M wl b lttl g b lt 400 ft wy th t bh th gl t (142 ll l). Jt wl b bbll jt v qt-l wy (484 ll l). St wl b t bll bt hlfl wy (888 ll l). Plt, ll th , wl b h lt tw hlf l wy (3.67 bll l). BTW, t v t t Plt t 60 l h wl tk y 6,975 y. Aft tht, thg tt gttg bgg
v 12 bll y t gt th. If th w g f , th t glxy wl fll Olyc-z wg l. If glxy w g f , th glx wl fll vl Olycz wg l. From Where We Sit
F wh w t, w c wll v 100 bll glx by w. O vg, thy ch hv v 100 bll t th tff. A tht jt th tff w c f h. I ’t y t thk tht vythg ly t jt t tht glxy. S, y c , th v , ctfc t, fk’ hg! I thk tht lt f th tly lg hv tttlly t tly t lvl f gc gg t jt th z f th v, bt
S thught it was turtls
all the way down. hy. Th t t, Alh Ct t tc f 4.3 lght y, wl b lghtly ll bch bll, Syy, Atl, 12,440 l wy. wy. Dvg t t 60 6 0 l h: 47.6 ll y. If y w c lg, t wl tll tk y y hlf t v th. Th t l glxy, th lvly A, tw ll lght y wy wy.. Lk glxy, th Mlky Wy y,, A xtly 100,000 lght y t ct v 200 bll t. If th Mlky Wy w h, A wl b th h f ftbll fl wy. If y w vg t ll l h, t wl tk y x ll y t v c glxy 120 ll y t gt t th tkt f A. Th Mlky Wy f bt 20 glx lcl clt whch, t, t f th lcl clt whch ct th f glx. Th ftht bv glxy wl b th h 2,000 l wy. Dvg t th f lght, 186,000 l c 11 ll t th lt, t wl tk y 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
l ltv tc t. I lly t f ylf h by t; I f t th t fctg thg gbl. Perspective
Ic Av t thg ctv th ttl f h c-f vl The Stars Like Dust . Ev lkg lcl ghbh, th t , lc, thy lk lk hz. Bt Rll, h bk Why I Am Not A Christian , , y ( I hg) tht Christian flt f lf-tc lct th v c bt b c wth lttl ty ty.. Bt I thk P.W P.W.. Atk, kbl lttl bk cll, clly, Creation Revisited , Revisited , whl w ctv wh h cll th v “ lcl tcg f tt.” Tht th k f cl ctv whch hw th ct g-yth f wht thy tly : lcl tcg f lcy. Rck Wgv th lyt ghc t f th gz Ac Atht’ Vg tt tt ct. ct.
www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 31
Paul Kurtz December 21, 1925 –October 20, 2012 American Atheists’ Former President Remembers the Founder of the Council for Secular Humanism - by Ed Buckner
He felt deep compass compassion ion for the poor and the suffering, and not just for those hurt or destroyed by religion, much as that enraged him.
P
l Ktz w cbl : bllt, ctv, gtc wll t h clg y. H cclh f th y y . R h bty Times es (TyURL.c/ th New York Tim KtzNYTObt), ly h fvt w, th Washington Post (TyURL.c/ KtzObtWP) f g y f th bth b th th f wht h cc cclh lh t l f th gzt h t t tht ctg t ctbt t v f g, h, v vvl f c. I t kw Ktz ly wll th, bt I kw h f z y wk f h f bt th, I wt t wt f h f y l kwlg. H w by ll cct fct, bt th t th lc, th wll lkly v g b g t t g t ll tht. Sffc t t y tht t t c b bg whth c tt tt bv ctl tc kbl ttt t tl; tht gt tht t th t t b cclly t tt hlhcl tt c, wth ctv, b tt ly ffc bt ttgy. Bt hwv tt th flw f Pl Ktz, th wg, , gt g f th ly twgh th. Th f ftt t t wth h kw tht h ctc wht h ch vy tt wy. H cg f th w eupraxophy t t fl g hlhcl lbl, bt wht t f t h bc. H did ctc th g lf wth xbc, jy, l 32 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
Paul Kurtz
gty. H lh lf, wk lg h wth gt , jy g f, g cvt, tllg t, ctg, tg l . H Bffl, Nw Yk, th Bffl Bll, t t tt y f th g—bth t h th — h cl. H w cy lh tht, t. Oly Pl Ktz cl ff l l cl tht g h xl ht t f cl ht. Oly h cl cvl Sy g tg f cl ht, wh w xctg, h, y qt th tc f t, t wth tl f hw h f th Bffl Bll Bl l l h t ht t M Dlh ftbll g— M, zg hlf by g . Oly Ktz cl gv y ( th c) l bt h t, t f ct th wth gty bt f th “yth A. A .” H w t t —t w h wh tht h w “ tl g,” ct tht wl hv b lghbl l bt vg ttt f h. Bt wh kw h—f y—cl bly hv thght tht h hl hv b t. (S th w bt f y’ bt.) H flt c f th th ffg, t jt f th ht ty by lg, ch tht g h. H lt h c f h ltcl l . I w h, th fw t, ch t h ckt h tly bl tt flg y. H w ctly w gh, ktcl gh, t kw tht f
th ct y, , t hv v h ht. Bt h w wllg t tk th chc tht th tbl bf h ght fct gtly ll bt f hl. Pl bght bl l f l wh w wth h wh t w t t t k. Wh I v xctv ct f th Ccl f Scl H ( f th f gzt h ct), y w th t tht , t lt l, tht Ktz w gttg ch ff h gzt. I kw btt, kw tht h v w ly t lg h, ft -cl bt f h tvl. H l gv y—fqtly gly—t t th Ccl. I w chg f wtg th thk-y ltt, I ght t hv kw th, f h f t blc cgt f h fcl t. Wh I vt h t k k t Ac Ac Atht cfc cfc h tv Nwk, Nw Nw Jy,, I w’t h’ cct. I kw tht Jy h h kw Mly My O’H h wk wth h t lt b, bt I l kw f h (I v kw h) tht th lth h bf h w . Bt t ly h cct, h l gv Ac Atht g ctbt t t h wll-cv tltg tlk (t ll h lt w happy bt wht h ). qlly happy qlly H w flgly gc, ctly fct, f ct, t y wf , w h wf, Cl; h ght, A; h , Jth, I kw th w t f y th h kw. I lv th I h. Hty h tll; fttly, h wtg th y gzt h tt wll hl.
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Religion and
Grief
At f Dv G. McAf’ w w bk, bk, Mom, Mom, Dad, I’m and Atheist: The Guide to Coming Out as a Non-Believer , blh by Dg Lttl Bk
O
thtc bft f tlty th h f t, I t l lg. I h b -lg y ftlf. If y tly blv y’ll y lv whl lf. It v v v c y tht tht t cl hl t.” g hv, th gt c b tht th Hlly’ h f f wf tht t h b w lg ’ tlty v t f c ly vl. Cl wth th gtc fct, h wl’t wth th l. Hwv, th t h c wk v. Rgl f y vv. lg blf, y hl v tll g th tht t “Thy ff bt bc th w bltly w “G’ l.” F l, tht c b w th yg chc f h kg t, bt I ch t ct th gcy,” Hlly thg t ll. F -blv, th w tht t t cl . “My wf llw t c lt t h htbt lg c qt th t. A th wh l h ft I wt. I wt t k wht I h wth h lg I , f xl, ght t wh t h tht G tk h chl cl. Th t t t ly lb ywy wh I w lt x tht h ght h “gl” y. Sh bbly jt wt th lg, Eth wgh 1.9 . “Lkg bck t hw ty fl h w, l [ll] th lg h bck. Hlly Sl w fv th gt wh h h hb yth gttg t , I tt t thk bt wht thy cl wt t th htl f lt. Bt, h h , th tchlgt bly thk hv wl b lk f h. Thy ll wt t tll w ctg cly. cly. “Sh kt g tff v v, v,” Hlly hw thy w h w w hv hvg g ftlf, bt . “I k h wht w ht w wg, bt t w’t h jb t tll .” h th tl.” Hlly h hb lft th lt wtht bg tl y Pl tl Hlly y thg bt h xc, clly th cfc, bt thy w hy. Sh bg t cll vy h kw t tycl “cftg” ttt: “H’ btt lc w” w ” “It w tll th tht h b chl w by. Jt h w hgg th t f G’ l” tht G (f whtv ) “ Eth.” h ft gvg h th th g w, h xctt qckly Sh jt g th ttt t ft. Sh kw thy t wll. Tht ty t tl fw y lt, wh h gth thg thg t t bl w. w. Hlly gt th cll f h wf. wf . “Sh tl h w’t gg t k t. I tt cyg ttly,” tht Hlly cl’t g. Hlly . “I hv v flt ythg tht ft l bf. Ev y “Sh f t I w Atht -l . Sh h kw t ctll tl tht I h t blv hv bc I wt t y g. Sh Continued p. 36 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
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Catholic Encyclopedia (From p. 11) wll g f t blv. Ay c Wht fllw, f c, w ct f - yt f blf blf tht w t f Cht salvation th Cttt ttt ttt-l -l,, xlly ftt t Cht. . wh wl lt th ( lkly, Noah’ss Ark. I t “Dlg” tcl, CE- ll) f ct chl - th Theater of the Absurd Noah’ TN cl G t f fty y, f Cht ght ghtly y wth th Lk th Bbl, CE-TN bc, Chl cg “lt” (th w, t ) 305 CE ccltcl Elvl ct bg th Ltwg Dg c, “c wlw wlw fl. I t f hty, t f th tcl Cht vl. c,” wll , ght y, CE-TN t th f “ wlw Forgeries. Th cy hl hl, clly wh fl cvg th t th” h b Cht clc c y flt f t t t. H f th b (157). Scc! ct v th ct t gt th lghbl vt. Humanism. I ly c ylf Yt Y t CE-TN h ctv f tlf thty g ty wlth. CElt: G’ fl w “f x ltv TN v tcl th “Fl Dctl Ht. S I w tlly thll t vlty” “ll k h xct f P-I,” bt ttly c cv tht CE-TN v. It cl th th k f Nh c th c f gg th f th Dctl, th “ [c] f h... tht t h h t by th g” clg thy w “chfly ttck glct Cht vlt, g th (157). All Homo sapiens f Afc ct. th thty f th ” (155). cty f Cht’ c cg, Th h b v. Th CE-TN cl w Qt th t t: th Dctl w k v ly h w .” ll c f c ct (ly fg l ltt f th ghth cty; Atly, H l “ G A Ev) gtg Mt. th Chch ct th t cl th f lf wh G t ”
Salvation in the First Amendment? Methinks not. Without doubt my favorite amendment is a separation, a great wall. Th, CE-TN cl tht vlt t lt thty all matters, tt (277). Wh I cft wth th b ( “jt thy” - t yt v glbl lc v f “,” th evidence f g, I lwy hv vlt . . 7 v, ct g 202). t k, Which one? G’ f h , Dark Ages. Th tbl t w Short Prayers. Th t “jclt” k, bg c by thg l th CE-TN y y k? Th cl t w ccg t CE-TN th f ht “ht f th wck ft thy fl th f th v Cht ctl. “ffctv y” f fw w - .g., t t” “ f fg th f Shtly ft Chtty w cl “J, I lv Y” (184). A wht th ly lgl lg f th E th affective prayer? Wll, t cl “ f G” f ct (157). fth cty, lg tht b tl th intellectual tv” (25). bk by th ll. Rg w b, It tht lg y hv tllctl Absurd Edicts Th Chch h lg hty f ccltcl “wtch” w , R cty tv - h Mtthw ct f cl ly lt t by f l kwlgbl 21:22, “whtv y hll k y, tt g, ft wth h gg cc. Cht lw blvg , y hll cv. cv.”” Stck y, v gcl cqc. cty v c bthg, bg k t c y wh: th Cht cty Celibacy. CE-TN f t clbcy f “vty.”8 Th CE-TN , hwv, cl vg ch. Wht l f lf lfh h “ccltcl lw” (100). N tht “ Cthlc ccl th chlh bllht; I blv I hll tck wth y bc , th chch tly cll th ‘Ag f Fth’” (151). jclt jclt f th cl, blgcl t. fb “th hly ” t y, t Faith wl xl xl t darkness. Adam and Eve. A wk f Crusades. Th Cht jggt chlh, CE-TN lt tht w t gg xl ctvty. O t w why th th clgy cl gy ct G’ tlly cl tht th ly good kw wh th G f E w lct, G 1:28, t “b ftfl, ltly.” -Cht dead -Cht. “bt t lc wh lg th l l Ab, clly ctct ctctyy t h Th CE-TN cl th C w “ Eht Rv” (183). CE-TN ff t, y. Bt th w t lwy th j lty xt tk f vc f th t. My g tht c. Bf th fth cty, Cht xlt ,” lt tht thy E lct vy Jck’ btlk. l w llw t hv tc “fl t v Plt.” Hwv, thy Age of Enlightenment. Th CE-TN cl lth, xl tc ( gasp!), w g thg, thy “cg tvl tht th tc f th Elghtt w v y. Th Ccl f Elv (305 cc, b th tlk f “ f lgcl tht w tll CE) ft tht chch clc E,” “ft lg.” I k y, lt wth tht ly th f clbt. It th I fostering religion g thg? It ; cl tchg f th Chch c cbt ly ft whl, lt fgtt. J, Bh, B h, yb. Ch tty tty?? ffctvly” (190). Ig: Cthlc Th R, 386 CE, th Chch Accg t th CE-TN , t “w th tht g th w “lt.” Y’ ffclly ct tht x t g th Et ch tt th thk thy wl t cl f t. Pious Obstinacy. Th CE-TN tt (202) “lw.” Th CE-TN ct I Cth 7:32 tc f htcl tchg t th Wt” , wll Mtthw 19:11-12. (145-146). Tht’ ght, “htcl tchg” tht “...th thy f vlt... 34 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
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Seth Andrews Deconverted (From p. 9) theory. However, should proof be eventually produced, the teaching of Genesis and its inspired narrative would remain, for it tells that the world was created for human beings and that human beings themselves came from God...” Against its own self-righteous dogma, the same book also claims that “deliberate resistance to the known truth” is a sin against the Holy Spirit (555)! Conclusion
I completely understand how difficult it must be for a parent to spend so much time and so many resources in a genuine attempt to protect a beloved child from hell.
It is risible that this book calls itself an “encyclopedia.” Do Catholics really buy into this crap? Yes, even officially. The book bears the noble Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur seals of the Catholic Church. So it must hold nothing but infallible truths.
Seth Andrews and Jesus at Reason Rally
References
Catholic Encyclopedia , First Edition. The
Encyclopedia Press, 1907-1913. Gasquet, Amédée, Essai Sur le Culte et les Mystères de Mithra. Boston: Adamant Media, 2006. Haught, James A., Holy Horrors. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Prometheus Books, 2002. Marcus, Jacob Rader, and Marc Saperstein, The Jew in the Medieval World: A Source Book , 315-1791. Hebrew Union College Press, 1999. Mead, G.R.S., and Edward Clary, The Mysteries of Mithras. Sequim: Holmes, 2004. Pörtner, Rudolf, Mit dem Fahrstuhl in die Römerzeit . Munich: Knaur, 1967. Smith, David Whitten, and Elizabeth Geraldine Burr, Understanding World Religions: A Road Map for Justice and Peace.
Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007. Smith, Homer W., Man and His Gods. New York: Y ork: Grosset G rosset & Dunlap, D unlap, 1957. Endotes
1. Gasquet, 84-86. 2. Mead, 20. 3. Catholic Encyclopedia , 1907-1913, 1907-1913 , Canon I, “Exposition of the Catholic Faith and of the Dogma of Transubstantiation,” vol. 9, p. 18.
4. Haught, 43. 5. Marcus, 169. 6. David Whitten Smith, 63. 7. Catholic Encyclopedia , 1907-19 1907-1913, 13, vol. 5, 773-780. 8. Homer Smith, 228. Michael Paulkovich is an aerospace engineer who, in addition to authoring this series, contributes to Free Inquiry and The American Rationalist . Eschewing dogma and myth, his work is full of hope for the world to replace ancient cult beliefs with more and more freethought. 1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
is available as a paperback from BarnesAndNoble.com and Amazon and as a download on Nook and Kindle. Th e audio book is on Audible. Com and iTunes. The Thinking Atheist Atheis t Radio Podcast airs Tuesdays Tues days at 6:00 p.m., Central Time. Go to TheThinkingAtheist.com to hear the podcast, read Seth’s blog, watch his videos, and participate in the forum. Deconverted
www. ww w.ath ath eis ts. org | AME RIC AN ATH EIST EI ST | 35
Science Interview (From p. 27) c , ’t. A th th’ Rbt Tv’ tht w t t cv lv t btt cv th. S th Rblc wh g tht lw tx f th ch g f vyby lly blv wht thy’ yg.
Religion and Grief (From p. 33) You defin definee the evolut evolutionar ionaryy conce concept pt of misma mismatch tch as the “failure of evolved adaptations to deal effectively with environmental novelty.” Can you elabora elaborate? te?
Th lt f tch. Mtch wh y bh bhv v ct wy bc th t y ct g ctv We know that human behavior and culture vtg by bhvg tht wy. Bt bc rest on a biological foundation with varying th vt fft w, tht wy f degrees of latitude. That’s the sociobiology bh bhvg vg lg wk. Lt t t premise, but what about culture feeding back h bk by L Ck, That Complex on biology? Whole.. H w gt tt f wh Whole My wll t l, w t Rtg. H ty wth Tv bt I thk t . Clt ct ft J Jc c tht tht yl t t hwg hwg tht wh vt th gg t b fft btt c hv btt tg cc. lctv . I’ll tk th xl f It’ ct, tht’ t g. Stv Pk’ bk, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined. Declined . It appears that religion and its influence in Pk k f w vlv gtclly t b this country is waning, and we might need t. It’ w , wht tb, some cohesive agents. Would you care to th’ t lt f vc yttclly speculate on what might replace religion? gth t vlt t. Bt tht ’t I ’t kw wht ght lc t. Bt th t’ fl. I thk t’ lt ctly t. I tht y c’t b l f y’ t f ’t hw w cl g thgh th hg f g hg y t vl. I ’t thk tft vt wtht l wll ly l th l f thy chg lctv . A tht’ tht’ gg t blvg g. Y c b cc t b f th; w’ gg t b t. bt th wlf f th f th I wt t f t th “tlt fllcy” th bg cctbl t vbl wl. h. If w ct g tht, gv th Hw thy’ll flt wht thy’ g hty f th ct, t t w g qt. L k f hlh, I , thy tll ttl t th lvl f g. Nt th hvy hlhy thy tch gty w th ght bc hlhy cl. Th lt f ht thy, t, h bg. A tht y b g tht tyg t w tht qt tgh c. by yg c, W ’t blv lg, h’ wht w blv t tht What is the naturalistic fallacy? fallacy? tll hw t lv l hw t Bclly t’ th t tht th fct c wth lf’ lf’ bl. tht thg tl ’t tll y I th bk, Sacred and Secular , Rl ythg bt t l qlt. It c b Eglht P N bv tht l, l, tl—y jt ’t l bc l lg qlty f kw. Mlty c f l gg hlth v, vty cl, lf wth th ttt t wk t xctcy c. S f lg t thv c bt hw t bhv. A th c tht t hl t hv ck, , fght l y b th t ffctv hlg cty f tht thy’ gg t . A thy hv tgth y t b th tht cg t t bck t , cty by cty. It’ ll f th tl bhv. Bt t’ v th c t, bt I thk thy’ cct. clct th tht, bc y f A lv bc c, w fl tl tc cflct wth l f lg. Tht’ ychlgcl th. W W k f t th t w t h tht’ l. W ll vtlly bc t f cty. W , tht t . Bt I’ t tht tl tc whl cgg lg ll th wfl thg tht t th, bt th tht w ’t cl. g wy. Thy c g, wh thy , thy y b clly tctv, whch c w wl bbly cll th l. l. C Atk th ct t f PtGtc.c, whch th Did you like Robert Trivers’ The Folly of Fools ? vlt f cw, ct, Y, Y , bt th t t - - t g ggg vl-c, t-gtc c t lk t. If y t thk bt t, t’ tgt wth tchlgy t hl ttg bk. I kw h, h h fft vgt vgt th xtl c cltl wy f g g th wl h thg thg tht clxty lty gl. th l . Bt thy’ lly th. 36 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
y Ath w jt h,” Hlly cll. “Sh h th thg h t h ft . I cl’t hl bt thk tht t h b th 40 y c h lt h , vy y h’ t blv h gg t h hv. It h b ly fv y c I lt Eth, I v l cft y wt y. I fl lk -lg gvg c llw y t l wth th htly.” Hlly wt t l bt hw why th h t h . “I k th wf t xl t bt h cl,” Hlly . “I w cf I ’t blv tht h lly h chc. Thy tl th cc bh why h cl’t hv lv, bt hw hbl h lf wl hv b f h h.” h.” If ythg, th xc x c fc h Ath. Sh kw tht ll-lvg ll-wfl g wl llw th ty f jtc, t jt f h, bt f th ll l tt th wl. Hlly tht wth th clxt f lg tyl f ftlf, g -bth chl hv, th’ tllg whth t tht wl v b g thg. Wl h b ft hv? Wl h gw? Wh wl c f h? Wl h g t hll? Whl f tht t h, h, th ctfc hl h thgh th gf. I th , wht lly hl Hlly w th lgcl xlt f h ’ gtc blt, t th fl h tht lg ff.
Grief Beyond Belief l
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1st QUARTER 2013
God’s Non-Existence (From p. 29) th bl by vl th wl t c. Th wh t blv ly “Hw cl g llw any llw any tc f h b c ly, bc h h ffg?” bt “Hw cl g llw every t blv th f th ly ch tc? Tht t y, ch f th S f G.” Th, t ’t tt whth vl ffg th wl t b y’v , , , tt . tly gtt ( cy). C It ’t tt f y’ t ctt th thlgcl tct btw l bl f gc. All Al l tht tt tl vl. Th ft f t tt tht whth t y cly blv lt f ttl h ct. Evl J, t tht y’ , k f ch th Hlct, th lvt f fgv. If Htl h cly k J Afc, th l f ght t w t h ht bf yg, th h wl’v hxl ll fll th ctgy f b fgv tt t . l vl. Th xctly wht h t f th I ctt, th c ctgy cl cl ccf x t t J—h t vl f whch ttl l gt w v. bl. Ethqk, bth fct, Th qt tht’ tbl c b t ll “tl” c f h ffg.3 (Th why tl t cll “ct f G.”) Th hy t ch vt, t wl b b h t g tht bl wl wtht thqk, bth b th fct, b t wl b worse wl th ctl . Th, th t ffclt t f th gt f vl xlg hw bvlt G wh’ bth ct tt cl llw ch gratuitous ffg— lg t f whch c by h by ctl.
If the rules of logic constrain god, then who came up with these rules in the first place?
Is God Just?
y. (Obvly, (Obvly, th y l wh yg, th ’t hv ch t t c f thlv whch lg, f y, th t lg. Th fly f.) It’ l wth tg tht th Bbl tt unpardonable.. A J cl tht unpardonable th Gl f Mk, “Aly, I y t y, ll wll b fgv th f , whtv blh thy y tt; bt h wh blh gt th Hly St v h fgv, bt bjct t tl ct”” (3:22-30). Th ht h f ct bc wh I w 14 15 y l, I w thkg bt th bl f f vl — t kwg tht cg th Hly St bl—II c th Hly St. bl— Nw, l J t thg th th wht h ltlly ( t tht h ’t y qlfct t h cl— h ’t y tht th xct f t lct), I cl ff th blty f gg t hv f ylf lg g. Th why I tll Cht t t y f y l. Ev f I w t blv (c g) tht th Bbl th w f g, I tll wl’t gt thgh th ly gt. gt. I t ly fgv bt fgvbl. A Crisis of Faith vlbl t Az. c. F ft, g t ACOff Fth ACO FthThBk ThBk .c. Phl T h t’ g cc f B Uvty, ctly Afflt Aff lt Schl t th Ittt f Ethc Egg Tchlg. H’ blh tcl jl ch Erkenntnis, Metaphilosophy th Journal th Journal of Evolution and Technology. Technology.
Ath gt gt th xtc f g ( ttlly f4) cc th I w chl th: v jtc lly t f jtc tht g wll wl l wl jgt k f jtc t ll? It t b bth 5 y. Lt bg wth th qt: wht bty cc t ’t th t f th ftlf wht th t v thg t (lly kg) t ll, f hv hll? Accg t D’Sz ggt. Th bl w t th Cht lgt Dh D’Sz, ftl cl f jtc, ly tht hv hll bt cc jtc, th ht f c t ft th c, th ttlg f thly cct. Th jt th w f t ft f t th tht bc th ’t y jtc th lf, . I th w, th t b Endnotes proportionality ality btw ct 1. Mchl My Mchl w hv th ftlf t v thg t. Evl g f proportion Mchl R, “ An l lk Htl Stl bg hll cqc. Gvg t lf tc Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion fv ht f th hfc c f jywlkg ly fg f (Cbg Uvty P, 2008), . 247. gt hty. hty. Cc jtc v fl f jtc cly bc l l c l btt b tt t ght. th cqc tt t th 2. S SH H . .g g/bl /blg/ g/t t /th /th- -yt yty y-Th bl h tht g ’t ct. f-cc l t th “tl fl” bc f th Nt ly blf—clly l bhv Eth. E th. Tht t y, cosmic wh t’ c, y w c— 3. Obvly Obvly,, bth fct c justice isn’t divine justice. Rth, g— t tly tt t t, bt by h ct. Th t t tht lt th g f th Bbl— l t hll t tl whl lv h t. f cttg (wth xct c Eth t. Th hw cl ft blw) ly c: c : th c f ht ft w bly 4. Myb g ’t g, bt vl. Why t? blf. A Jh 1:12 y, “Bt t all wh b tl t wht’ ft hv cv h—th wh blv t f t? It ttly jt t 5. Althgh I’ I’ thkg thkg cfclly cfclly bt h —h h gv th ght t bc l t hv hll “f v Chtty h, th gt cl ly G’ chl” (tlc ). A Jh 3:18 v” (Rvlt 14:11) bc f wht jt wll t y th th lg. lg . tt, “Th wh blv H t thy blv ft ly (y) xty vty
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Stat Dirctr’s Sptlight
Photo by Joey Piscitelli
Rlasd fr th Z, ths Tn Candnts Hav a Chanc t Find thir Natural Habitat
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by Larr y Hicock, Hicock , California State Director
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th t tll lc. Th t h flly cl t cty ffcl wll t th z. Th ly ly h cv w f ty cty tty, wh cl ct S Ct c gg l t Tx tct th t th z. Rgl f lgl , th z tt v th t. Exctv Dct Jl Ptt tl th S Fcc Chcl tht th z h ctlly c bt t y g tht th lg t h lc th g tht thy h b lg t v t. Whth t th vl t w fll fllyy t ly bc f th tt l, whth t th cty’ tty w cct clg th t’ ctttlty, th btt l tht x-ft lb f gt, wth th th t lg, h b lt f gvt l. Th z’ ffcl f vg th T Ct w “t b tv t th cty,” “t b clv.” Ac Atht l th Okl Z’ bl , whch hw, c g, why chch/tt t th bt thg f vy. 1st QUARTER 2013
Nw Stat Dirctrs In Nebraska, New York, and Alabama
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ctt Svg, Alb tt ct, h v t Gg wll th tt ct t th. H lc lc Al Stfll, wh h g f l . W thk Al f h vc lk fw t g h xt bk. W l thk Ew Hly Ktcky f h tw y f vc. H t w tt ct t t lcl ctv th Lvll . Ctct Sctt Svg t SSvg@tht.g.
If y y kw wl lk t vlt tt gl ct, l ctct K Lk t KLk@tht.g.
1st QUARTE QUARTER R 2013
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AmeRICAN ATHeISTS GoeS GReeN
President David Silverman
George Watley Solar Array
A
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th blty t k tv chg wl l wth , t t tll fc f c ty. W tk tk th t tw btt ft wth gt ." T McB, Pblc Rlt Dct , "Ac Atht ct t th b f fthg fthght ht gzt gzt th wl. I kg th tt tt t l gy, h tht th wll fllw t t hl tct lt f gt t c." Ac c." Ac Atht bl t k th tt tt t cl gy lty thgh g gft f th th tt f Gg Wtly. Th y y bc t tl l -Nvb, -N vb, 2012. that
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LIFe
SILVeR
GoLD
PLATINUm
Bettye Gossard Harvey Gossard Raul Martinez Amita Sharma Sh arma Robert Wright III Emmy Johnston
Mary Fleming
Christopher Bohn
David Reichert
40 | AMERICAN ATHEIST | www.atheists.org www.atheists.org
1st QUARTER 2013
From the author of the Dogma Watch series in this magazine magazin e
Religion, especially Christianity, has enjoyed unwarranted respect for far too long. Jesus did say a few nice things, but he was no humble or wise prophet. How do we know?
It’s in the Bible.
Available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book
NoMeekMessiah.com
On the Shelf
At Barnes Barnes & Noble Noble in Cinci Cincinnati nnati,, Ohio Ohio
A
merican Atheist w th hlv f 200 B
Nbl t tw. Pl f y by b y t. Al, f y t t c cyy t, y t g t th ct vc k k k th t cy t. Th k th ft t th w ATHEIST th hlv f th gz ck, fcg t, f ll t . It wlll vl t th gz f th lcl ff wl fflt, lt, th lcl t, Ac Atht. W c ll c, hl t th Clgy Pjct, lgtcy t th vtt th whl. Th tk bg t cl v cl t lzt.
A PEACEFUL WORLD BEYOND RELIGION AWAITS YOU
Christianity comes from the myth of Mithra, a Persian savior god born to a virgin on December 25. The story of Moses comes from the Legends of Sargon I, King of Akkad. The extensive hieroglyph hieroglyph records of of ancient Egypt have no mention of Moses leading over 600,000 people away from Pharaoh’s army. Joseph Smith was convicted of fraud shortly after “capturing” the golden tablets. Learn about all this and more. Beyond All Religion , a new book by Sam Butler, is available at Amazon.com or by sending $9.95 to: Sam Butler, SB 197, POB 25292, Miami, FL, 33102.
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Am A m erican At h eists Af filiates For detailed information visit Atheists.org/Affiliates or contact Stuart Bechman at
[email protected]. ALASKA
ILLINOIS
NEW YORK
Alk Atht
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KENTUCKY
OKLAHOMA
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LOUISIANA
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ALABAMA
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Ak Scty f Fthk Fthk Ak-L-T Ak-LTx Fthk, Fthk, Atht, Atht, Agtc & Ht Ht ARIZONA
Tc Atht CALIFORNIA (North)
Atht Avct Avct f S Fcc Fcc Atht Oth Oth Fthk Fthk Ct Ct Atht & Fthk Et By Atht S Fcc Atht St Cz Atht CALIFORNIA (South)
Atht Clt Clt f S Dg Dg Bcky Sktc Ht Scty f St Bb Nw Atht f Et Cty Og Cty Atht COLORADO
Bl Atht Wt Cl Wt Cl Atht & Ft Fthk hk CONNECTICUT
Atht Ht Ht Scty f CT CT RI DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Whgt W hgt A A Scl Ht Ht FLORIDA Florida Atheists & Secular Humanists (FLASH)
Gt Fthght (UF) Rbth f R Scl Stt Act t Uv. f Ctl Fl St. Ptbg Atht Fthght G Tllh Atht T Ct Atht GEORGIA
Atlt Fthght Fthght Scty Scty Blck Nblv f Atlt Fytt Fthght Scty Kw Stt U. Stt Clt f Iqy Mc Atht & Scl Ht IOWA
Atht Ut Ut f Rtl Rtl Ac Iowa Atheists & Freethinkers
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OHIO
PENNSYLVANIA
MASSACHUSETTS
SOUTH CAROLINA
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MARYLAND
TENNESSEE
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Atht Cty Cty f At Dt Atht Fthk Act f Ctl Tx Fthght Fth ght O f All Gl Tgl Fthk Ht Atht Kgw Hbl Atcct Atht Lbbck Atht
MINNESOTA
Atht f H H Rght C Atht Sktc & H Ht t Minnesota Atheists MISSOURI
Blck Fthk Fthk f K Cty Clb Atht Jl Fthk Fthk Rtlt Scty f St. L Scl Stt Allc @ UCMO Sgfl Fth Fthk k St. Jh Sktc MISSISSIPPI
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A-Nw NORTH DAKOTA
R Rv Fth Fthk k NEBRASKA
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UTAH
Atht f Uth Uth Slt Lk Vlly Atht VIRGINIA
Bltwy Atht NOVA Atht WASHINGTON
Sttl Atht T-Cty Fthk WISCONSIN
Sth Wc FThk WEST VIRGINIA
Mgtw Atht US NATIONAL
Atht Nx Blck Atht f Ac Mlty Act f Atht & Fthk INTERNATIONAL / OVERSEAS INTERNATIONAL CONSOCIATES
Stht A Fthght Act, 379th AEW Phl Atht Agtc Scty
NEVADA
R Fthk 1st QUARTER 2013
State Directors
For detailed information visit Atheists.org/State-Directors Atheists.org/State-Directors or contact Ken Loukinen at
[email protected] DIRECTOR OF STATE OPER OPERATIONS ATIONS
K Lk (S. Fl Rg. D.) 7972 P Blv., #246743 Pbk P, FL 33024 954-907-7893 klk@tht.g MILITARY MILIT ARY DIRECTOR
Jt Gffth jgffth@tht.g MARINES LIAISON
Pl Lb PLb@tht.g ARIZONA
D Lcy P.O. Bx 1161 Vl, V l, AZ 85641 520-370-8420 lcy@tht.g CALIFORNIA
Ly Hck P.O. Bx 277 Pl, CA 94564 510-222-7580 lhck@tht.g CONNECTICUT
D Pl H 860-454-8301 h@tht.g
NEBRASKA
Wll Nw WNw@tht.g WNw@ tht.g NEW YORK
Mchl D MD@tht.g NORTH CAROLINA
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Et Pc c@tht.g RHODE ISLAND
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Rck Wgv 703-433-2464 wgv@tht.g WASHINGTON WASHING TON
Wy Btt Wy 12819 SE 38th St., St. 485 Bllv, WA 98006 425-269-9108 wbtt@tht.g wbtt@tht. g WEST VIRGINIA
Chl Pq P.O. Bx 7444 Chlt, WV 25356 304-776-5377 cq@tht.g
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Aim A imss an and d Pur Purpo pose sess A
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American Ame rican Ath Atheists eists is organize organized: d: •
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