############################################################ ############################################################ ______ / / / / / /__ __ / / ) (__ / / (__(__ __ |\ ( ) ) / / | \ | / / . _/_ . __ / . __ __ | \ | / / / / ) / ) / / ) __ ) / ) ) \| (__(__(___(__(__(___(__(__(__(__(__(__/ (__ =========================================================== *The*E-Zine*of*Atheistic*Secular*Humanism*and*Freethought** =========================================================== ############################################################ ###### Volume II, Number 7 ***A Collector's Item!***##### ################### ISSN 1201-0111 ####################### ####################### JUL 1995 ########################### ############################################################ nullifidian, n. & a. (Person) having no religious faith or belief. [f. med. L _nullifidius_ f. L _nullus_ none + _fides_ faith; see -IAN] Concise Oxford Dictionary The purpose of this magazine is to provide a source of articles dealing with many aspects of humanism. We are ATHEISTIC as we do not believe in the actual existence of any supernatural beings or any transcendental reality. We are SECULAR because the evidence of history and the daily horrors in the news show the pernicious and destructive consequences of allowing religions to be involved with politics or government. We are HUMANISTS and we focus on what is good for humanity, in the real world. We will not be put off with offers of pie in the sky, bye and bye. Re: navigation. Search for BEG to find the beginning of the next article. Search for the first few words of the title as given in the table of contents to find a specific article. I try to remember to copy the title from the text and then paste it into the ToC, so it should be exact. Search for "crass commercialism:" to see what's for sale. Subscription information, etc is at the end of the magazine, search for END OF TEXTS. ############################################################ ############################################################ ============================================================ /=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\ TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Book review: The Unredeemed Captive 2. The Necessity of Atheism, by Percy Bysshe Shelley Part II 3. Short letter from ron.reightler@maf.nasa.gov (Ron Reightler) 4. When I'm gone Phil Ochs 5. Speech to the Humanist Association of Canada, June 23, 1995, Dr Henry Morgentaler =========================================================== || BEGINNING OF ARTICLE || =========================================================== Book review: The Unredeemed Captive, A family Story from Early America, by John Demos, Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1994 ISBN: 0-394-55782-4 This is an illuminating book. I firmly believe that a well chosen, detailed and narrow focus can often be more illuminating than a broad examination of everything at once. This book is an illustration of that truth. It illuminates Puritan culture, colonial relations between Puritans and Catholics and between Europeans and Native Americans. The specifics contradict much of what you may think is true about these subjects. The incident which is the focus of the book is an Indian raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1703. That statement begins to show our limitations, as one of our faults is to consider that all Indians were essentially the same. In fact, each First Nation was unique, although some shared language and culture. The raiding party this day was under French command and consisted of about four dozen French soldiers and officers, plus 200 allied Indians. The Abenakis were interested in avenging an earlier English raid which had devastated half a dozen Abenaki towns. The Hurons and the Kahnawake Mohawks considered themselves allies of the Abenakis and dependent allies of the French. Back in Europe, England and France, and their allies, were fighting over the Spanish Succession, so this spilled over into the colonial hinterlands. The English were holding a French prisoner, a privateer known as Captain Baptiste. The French wanted to take an English prisoner equally valuable in order to arrange an exchange. They zeroed in on the Reverend John Williams of Deerfield, which says something about early 18th century Massachusetts society. On the night of Monday, February 28, 1703 the town of Deerfield went to sleep, worried about the possibilities of raids, but with no specific knowledge that across the river a virtual army is waiting to attack. Despite reinforcements, a palisade, and a watch (apparently asleep), the town was completely surprised by the attack. The French achieved their objectives. The Rev. Williams was captured, much of the town burned. Some townsfolk escaped, some were left behind. Generally, children and infants who were not considered likely to survive the forced march were killed outright. About 39 Deerfield residents were killed, the attackers lost about 40 killed and 40 wounded. 112 villagers were now captives. Some of the villagers did not complete the journey. In particular, John Williams's wife, recently delivered of a child, (their two youngest were killed during the attack) could not keep up. "in passing through the abovesaid river, she fell down and was plunged over head and ears in the water; after which she travelled not far, for at the foot of this mountain the cruel and bloodthirsty savage who took her slew her with his hatchet at one stroke." Fairly soon, negotiations began. The Massachusetts colony put up funds for ransoming captives. Many were redeemed fairly quickly. Where the French authorities had jurisdiction the negotiations were swift and businesslike. But to the Puritan's dismay, the French insisted on treating the savages as allies, and negotiating with them rather than ordering them to turn over hostages. There is not one Puritan reference to the Indians as other than "heathen salvages." As a matter of fact, virtually all of the First Nations in the area had been converted to Christianity long since; the problem for the Puritans was that they were Catholic. I felt a certain understanding as to why people living with such life and death uncertainty, as well as having to deal with the realities of abduction, torture and sudden death, might find relief in a fantasy world of a caring god and answered prayers. As interesting is that, whereas in the first few years, most captives were glad to return, the longer they stayed with the Kahnawake Mohawks, the more likely they were to remain there voluntarily. In particular, women were much more likely to decide to stay in Kahnawake than were the men. And specifically, the Unredeemed Captive of the title was the Reverend Williams' daughter. Esther Williams had been adopted into the Mohawk nation. After the passage of years, she was, like any adult Mohawk, free to go anywhere she wanted. But despite travelling on a few occasions to visit her Puritan relatives (although by that time she spoke nothing but Mohawk), she completely frustrated the people of Massachussetts by firmly and repeatedly choosing to remain a Mohawk and a Catholic. In a little sidelight illumination of history, there is a diary entry (from one of Reverend Williams's sons, who carried on the family profession) about hearing a powerful sermon by one Jonathan Edwards. This was one of the first deliveries of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." He liked it. ========================================================= || END OF ARTICLE || ========================================================= "The time appears to me to have come when it is the duty of all to make their dissent from religion known." [John Stuart Mill] =========================================================== || BEGINNING OF ARTICLE || =========================================================== The Necessity of Atheism, by Percy Bysshe Shelley, part II ON A FUTURE STATE It has been the persuasion of an immense majority of human beings in all ages and nations that we continue to live after death -- that apparent termination of all the functions of sensitive and intellectual existence. Nor has mankind been contented with supposing that species of existence which some philosophers have asserted; namely, the resolution of the component parts of the mechanism of a living being into its elements, and the impossibility of the minutest particle of these sustaining the smallest diminution. They have clung to the idea that sensibility and thought, which they have distinguished from the objects of it,under the several names of spirit and matter, is, in its own nature, less susceptible of division and decay, and that, when the body is resolved into its elements, the principle which animated it will remain perpetual and unchanged. Some philosophers -- and those to whom we are indebted for the most stupendous discoveries in physical science -- suppose, on the other hand, that intelligence is the mere result of certain combinations among the particles of its objects; and those among them who believe that we live after death, recur to the interposition of a supernatural power, which shall overcome the tendency inherent in all material combinations, to dissipate and be absorbed into other forms. Let us trace the reasoning which in one and the other have conducted to these two opinions, and endeavor to discover what we ought to think on a question of such momentous interest. Let us analyze the ideas and feelings which constitute the contending beliefs, and watchfully establish a discrimination between words and thoughts. Let us bring the question to the test of experience and fact; and ask ourselves, considering our nature in its entire extent, what light we derive from a sustained and comprehensive view of its component parts, which may enable us to assert, with certainty,, that we do or do not live after death. The examination of this subject requires that it should be stripped of all those accessory topics which adhere to it in the common opinion of men. The existence of a God, and a future state of rewards and punishments are totally foreign to the subject. If it be proved that the world is ruled by a Divine Power, no inference necessarily can be drawn from that circumstance in favor of a future state. It has been asserted, indeed, that as goodness and justice are to be numbered among the attributes of the Deity, he will undoubtedly compensate the virtuous who suffer during life, and that he will make every sensitive being, who does not deserve punishment, happy forever. But this view of the subject, which it would be tedious as well as superfluous to develop and expose, satisfies no person, and cuts the knot which we now seek to untie. Moreover, should it be proved, on the other hand, that the mysterious principle which regulates the proceedings of the universe, to neither intelligent nor sensitive, yet it is not an inconsistency to suppose at the same time, that the animating power survives the body which it has animated, by laws as independent of any supernatural agent as those through which it first became united with it. Nor, if a future state be clearly proved, does it follow that it will be a state of punishment or reward. By the word death, we express that condition in which natures resembling ourselves apparently cease to be that which they are. We no longer hear them speak, nor see them move. If they have sensations and apprehensions, we no longer participate in them. We know no more than that those external organs, and all that fine texture of material frame, without which we have no experience that life or thought can subsist, are dissolved and scattered abroad. The body is placed under the earth, and after a certain period there remains no vestige even of its form. This is that contemplation of inexhaustible melancholy, whose shadow eclipses the brightness of the world. The common observer is struck with dejection of the spectacle. He contends in vain against the persuasion of the grave, that the dead indeed cease to be. The corpse at his feet is prophetic of his own destiny. Those who have preceded him, and whose voice was delightful to his ear; whose touch met his like sweet and subtle fire: whose aspect spread a visionary light upon his path -- these he cannot meet again. The organs of sense are destroyed, and the intellectual operations dependent on them have perished with their sources. How can a corpse see or feel? its eyes are eaten out, and its heart is black and without motion. What intercourse can two heaps of putrid Clay and crumbling bones hold together? When you can discover where the fresh colors of the faded flower abide, or the music of the broken lyre seek life among the dead. Such are the anxious and fearful contemplations of the common observer, though the popular religion often prevents him from confessing them even to himself. The natural philosopher, in addition to the sensations common to all men inspired by the event of death, believes that he sees with more certainty that it is attended with the annihilation of sentiment and thought. He observes the mental powers increase and fade with those of the body, and even accommodate themselves to the most transitory changes of our physical nature. Sleep suspends many of the faculties of the vital and intellectual principle; drunkenness and disease will either temporarily or permanently derange them. Madness or idiocy may utterly extinguish the most excellent and delicate of those powers. In old age the mind gradually withers; and as it grew and was strengthened with the body, so does it together with the body sink into decrepitude. Assuredly these are convincing evidences that so soon as the organs of the body are subjected to the laws of inanimate matter, sensation, and perception, and apprehension, are at an end. It is probable that what we call thought is not an actual being, but no more than the relation between certain parts of that infinitely varied mass, of which the rest of the universe is composed, and which ceases to exist so soon as those parts change their position with regard to each other. Thus color, and sound, and taste, and odor exist only relatively. But let thought be considered only as some peculiar substance, which permeates, and is the cause of, the animation of living beings. Why should that substance be assumed to be something essentially distinct from all others, and exempt from subjection to those laws from which no other substance is exempt? It differs, indeed, from all other substances, as electricity, and light, and magnetism, and the constituent parts of air and earth, severally differ from all others. Each of these is subject to change and decay, and to conversion into other forms. Yet the difference between light and earth is scarcely greater than that which exists between life, or thought, and fire. The difference between the two former was never alleged as an argument for eternal permanence of either, in that form under which they first might offer themselves to our notice. Why should the difference between the two latter substances be an argument for the prolongation of the existence of one and not the other, when the existence of both has arrived at their apparent termination? To say that fire exists without manifesting any of the properties of fire, such as light, heat, etc., or that the Principle of life exists without consciousness, or memory, or desire, or motive, is to resign, by an awkward distortion of language, the affirmative of the dispute. To say that the principle of life may exist in distribution among various forms, is to assert what cannot be proved to be either true or false, but which, were it true, annihilates all hope of existence after death, in any sense in which that event can belong to the hopes and fears of men. Suppose, however, that the intellectual and vital principle differs in the most marked and essential manner from all other known substances; that they have all some resemblance between themselves which it in no degree participates. In what manner can this concession be made an argument for its imperishabillity? All that we see or know perishes and is changed. Life and thought differ indeed from everything else. But that it survives that period, beyond which we have no experience of its existence, such distinction and dissimilarity affords no shadow of proof, and nothing but our own desires could have led us to conjecture or imagine. Have we existed before birth? It is difficult to conceive the possibility of this. There is, in the generative principle of each animal and plant, a power which converts the substances homogeneous with itself. That is, the relations between certain elementary particles of matter undergo a change, and submit to new combinations. For when we use words: principle, power, cause, etc., we mean to express no real being, but only to class under those terms a certain series of coexisting phenomena; but let it be supposed that this principle is a certain substance which escapes the observation of the chemist and anatomist. It certainly may be; thought it is sufficiently unphilosophical to allege the possibility of an opinion as a proof of its truth. Does it see, hear, feel, before its combination with those organs on which sensation depends? Does it reason, imagine, apprehend, without those ideas which sensation alone can communicate? If we have not existed before birth; If, at the period when the parts of our nature on which thought and life depend, seem to be woven together; If there are no reasons to suppose that we have existed before that period at which our existence apparently commences, then there are no grounds for supposing that we shall continue to exist after our existence has apparently ceased. So far as thought and life is concerned, the same will take place with regard to us, individually considered, after death, as had taken place before our birth. It is said that it is possible that we should continue to exist in some mode totally inconceivable to us at present. This is a most unreasonable presumption. It casts on the adherents of annihilation the burden of proving the negative of a question, the affirmative of which is not supported by a single argument, and which, by its very nature, lies beyond the experience of the human understanding. It is sufficiently easy. indeed, to form any proposition, concerning which we are ignorant, just not so absurd as not to be contradictory in itself, and defy refutation. The possibility of whatever enters into the wildest imagination to conceive is thus triumphantly vindicated. But it is enough that such assertions should be either contradictory to the known laws of nature, or exceed the limits of our experience, that their fallacy or irrelevancy to our consideration should be demonstrated. They persuade, indeed, only those who desire to be persuaded. This desire to be forever as we are; the reluctance to a violent and unexperienced change, which is common to all the animated and inanimate combinations of the universe, is, indeed, the secret persuasion which has given birth to the opinions of a future state. **** **** Reproducible Electronic Publishing can defeat censorship. **** **** The Bank of Wisdom is a collection of the most thoughtful, scholarly and factual books. These computer books are reprints of suppressed books and will cover American and world history; the Biographies and writings of famous persons, and especially of our nations Founding Fathers. They will include philosophy and religion. all these subjects, and more, will be made available to the public in electronic form, easily copied and distributed, so that America can again become what its Founders intended -- The Free Market-Place of Ideas. The Bank of Wisdom is always looking for more of these old, hidden, suppressed and forgotten books that contain needed facts and information for today. If you have such books please contact us, we need to give them back to America. **** **** Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 15 ========================================================= || END OF ARTICLE || ========================================================= "Trying to find God is a good deal like looking for money one has lost in a dream." [Lemuel K. Washburn, _Is The Bible Worth Reading And Other Essays_] =========================================================== || BEGINNING OF ARTICLE || =========================================================== Short letter from ron.reightler@maf.nasa.gov (Ron Reightler) Hello, Mr. Erwin, I just recently ran across your wonderful magazine on the internet and I wanted to tell you congratulations on a terrific job. I have read every word. As an atheist/humanist I was very pleased to find some good information that I can use when confronted by the religious right down here in the DEEP South. I currently live on the Mississippi Gulf coast where the bible belt is pulled especially tight. Although I have been rather frank about my philosophical leanings over the years, I have only found one other person who can relate to the humanist way of life. All others are steeped in religion to some extent or another... . Do you know of any humanist/atheist groups in the south Mississippi or south Louisiana area? It would be a pleasure to be able to associate with some like minded individuals for a change. I would be surprised if there are any, but I figure I'd ask. Thank you for any information you can supply. I can be reached by e-mail at: ron.reightler@maf.nasa.gov Again, thank you and keep the Nullifidian in publication. The public needs this valuable resource. Ron Reightler Comment: I did send some phone numbers and addresses of what looked like contacts, but if anybody else knows some, contact our friend, as well. This kind of thing validates the psychological lab finding that partial reinforcement is often the strongest and most lasting behaviour modifier. If I get a letter every few months like this one, it's all I need to keep going. --Greg ========================================================= || END OF ARTICLE || ========================================================= They were allowed to stay there on one condition, and that is that they didn't eat of the tree of knowledge. That has been the condition of the Christian church from then until now. They haven't eaten as yet, as a rule they do not. -- Clarence Darrow =========================================================== || BEGINNING OF ARTICLE || =========================================================== When I'm gone Phil Ochs There's no place in this world where I'll belong When I'm gone And I won't know the right from the wrong When I'm gone And you won't find me singing on this song When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. And I won't feel the flowing of the time When I'm gone And all the pleasures of lovin will not be mine When I'm gone My pen won't pour a lyric line When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. And I won't breathe the bracin air When I'm gone And I can't even worry bout my cares When I'm gone I won't be asked to do my share When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. All my days won't be dances of delight When I'm gone And all the sands will be shifting from my sight When I'm gone Can't add my name into the fight When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. And I won't be runnin from the rain When I'm gone And I can't even suffer from the pain When I'm gone I can't say who's to praise and who's to blame When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. And I won't be laughing at the lies When I'm gone And I can't question how or where or why When I'm gone I can't live proud enough to die When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. There's no place in this world where I'll belong When I'm gone And I won't know the right from the wrong When I'm gone And you won't find me singing on this song When I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. --Words and Music by Phil Ochs (c) On the "Requiem" album (out of print) also, done by Kristin Lem available from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Madison, WI. ========================================================= || END OF ARTICLE || ========================================================= "Everywhere in the world there are ignorance and prejudice, but the greatest complex of these, with the most extensive prestige and the most intimate entanglement with traditional institutions, is the Roman Catholic Church.." [H.G. Wells] =========================================================== || BEGINNING OF ARTICLE || =========================================================== Speech to the Humanist Association of Canada, June 23, 1995, Dr Henry Morgentaler When I was invited to give the opening address to this meeting of H.A.C. I accepted with alacrity. Only later did I realize the enormous size of the task, but consoled myself that I need only to collect a few pearls of wisdom and present them in an acceptable form to my fellow Humanists in a personal way to express some of the ideas and values I have been immersed in over a lifetime. I believe Humanism to be a philosophy of life or a lifestance which is meaningful, positive and relevant to our present-day knowledge of ourselves and the world and as a framework of values to live by. It is a philosophy based on reality as perceived through our knowledge based on the scientific method and all of the information resulting from it. It permits us to transcend that reality by the realization of the enormous potential of humankind to be creative and to use this creativity to build a meaningful life for ourselves and society. It is clear to all those present here that Humanism is more than the absence of faith in the supernatural. To be an agnostic or an atheist only means that one does not believe in God or one does not know if God exists. Obviously, in a society where children are still brought up to believe in God and punished or ostracized if they express doubts or use their intelligence to ask probing questions, it is a process of liberation to throw away a system of beliefs not based on anything else but superstition, immaturity and a need to have a powerful father-figure (or mother-figure) in Heaven who will take care of us and protect us against the inevitable vicissitudes and dangers of life. In fact, what I reproach most (among many other things) about organized religion is that children are deprived of the full use of their intelligence when they are indoctrinated into particular beliefs, when they are forbidden to ask probing questions or when they are given answers that do not make sense to them. So, to reiterate: to be an agnostic or an atheist is a tremendous step forward for someone who has been brought up indoctrinated into a particular religion, and may be a tremendous step forward in personal development and in self-affirmation. However, it is not enough. I think it is a first step towards becoming a Humanist. The fact that I do not believe in God does not provide meaning to my life nor does it give me any ethical guidelines. We therefore need not only a good grounding in the scientific method and the adoption of an attitude of sceptical inquiry ("prove it") but also a framework of positive values which when practiced should have meaningful consequences in our personal lives and in the community at large. Much has been written already about this. We have seen many Humanist manifestos, with declarations of Humanist values appropriate to our times. They are remarkable documents and my be a source of information and inspiration. But just to read them is not enough. They have to be acted upon in order to have value in our lives. The same of Humanist ethics. We have a certain number of wonderful edicts and definitions of Humanist ethics. The ones that come to my mind immediately are: Bertrand Russell: "The good life is based on love guided by reason." Erich Fromm: "What is good is what increases human power, what is bad is what decreases human power." power in the sense of human potential to realize fully its possibilities to become mature and productive and be able to relate well to others and the universe. Or the Golden Rule: Do not do unto others what you would not like them to do to you. Humanists know that life after death is an illusion propagated by some religions without any evidence to support it. Consequently we know that this life is the only one we have and that it is subject to illness, handicap, loss and death. Humanists therefore have to figure out how to live life well, how to make it meaningful and enjoyable, how to live as fully as possible in spite of whatever handicaps are imposed on us by society, in spite of accidents of birth or illness or loss of loved ones. We do not deny that tragedy and loss exist; we accept the tragic dimension of life which can not be avoided, but we must aim towards the FULLNESS OF LIFE. HUMANISM AIMS AT THE FULLEST REALIZATION OF HUMAN POTENTIAL Easy to say -- hard to do! Each one of us was born with a certain genetic potential, into a family which was more or less functional, into an environment over which we had no control, subject to maternal and paternal influences which may have created and shaped our personality, further influenced by particular religions or dogmas, habits or beliefs, and subject to accidents, of loss of parents at an early age or other traumatic experiences. We know from data from psychology that all these factors have a profound and determining influence on our personality, especially with in the first few years of childhood when fundamental attitudes are laid down which may last a lifetime. Take the attachment theory of Winnicott and Guntrip which emphasizes then quality of mothering a baby receives, the attachment to the motherfigure and the love and the nurturing the baby is offered. It is clear that babies and children who are wanted, desired and offered love, affection and good nurturing are more likely to grow up emotionally stable and able to relate well, and mature to become responsible members of the community. Whereas babies and children not given good nurturing or abused or cruelly treated might grow up neurotic, enraged or handicapped in their emotional development. Much of modern psychology stresses the importance and the effect that the quality of nurturing a baby and a child receives, has on its future personality development. Notable among the psychologists who have described the bad effects of poor nurturing or cruelty or abuse is Alice Miller, as Swiss analyst, who has written a number of books on the subject which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the development of the human personality. Alice Miller describes how harmful ideas from Western religion have over the years played havoc with the development of children. She also explores the concept of "original sin," the idea that every person born is tainted with this affliction and that therefore babies are born "wicked and bad," and that it is up to parents and the educational system to inculcate virtue into them and keep them on the narrow virtuous path. Alice Miller points out how religious educators in Western Europe advocated corporal punishment and strict disciplining for every transgression made by a child. The result was that children would be deprived early of every ounce of spontaneity and joy and made into obedient robots to any authority, be it parental, ecclesiastic or of the state. Nowhere was this practiced more vigorously than in Germany and it is no wonder that many of Alice Miler's books have not found publishers in Germany. What she claims is that the natural spontaneity of the child, when repressed and stifled, becomes an inner rage that is unconscious and usually finds expression in later life in acts of aggression or hate against whatever target is at hand, in abuse of children or women or minorities. This kind of unconscious rage present in too many people can easily be mobilized against national or religious minorities. It is no wonder that Adolf Hitler could mobilize so much hatred against the Jews in Germany and use his power and willing accomplices in his country to destroy every Jewish man, woman and child his sadistic hordes could find in all the countries he had overrun. Alice Miller, in the book "For Your Own Good" has a biography of Hitler which I believe explains best his homicidal mania. Hitler was an abused child. His father used to beat him mercilessly. His rage against his father, which could not be expressed in the culture of his time, was diverted to hatred of all Jews. Hitler easily discovered that hatred of Jews was politically wise and could tap into the collective hatred of Jews in Germany and all across Europe where 2,000 years of Christian vilification of Jews had created a climate where Hitler's diatribes found fertile ground. Jews throughout the Christian era were the main religious dissenters. As such they were often persecuted and used as scapegoats for whatever went wrong, whether it was the plague or an epidemic, or famine due to a bad harvest or exorbitant taxes by feudal landlords. The Christian hatred of the Jews is based not only on the fact that Jews had resisted the blandishments of the new religion to convert. It was also based on deliberate slander of a Jewish conspiracy in the crucifixion of Jesus. For a logical person it is hard to understand why the events of the crucifixion and the supposed resurrection of Jesus -- which are the cornerstone of the Christian religion and manifestly willed by God the Father who presumably gave his son Jesus to the people of the world to atone for everybody's sins for generations to come -- why should Jewish people be blamed for events that brought about this sacrifice and its religious meaning since presumably God directed the whole show? The main Gospels of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written 30 to 110 years after the presumed birth of Jesus. In the Roman Empire where Christians wanted to convert Romans to their faith, it became expedient politically to blame the Jews for what happened to Jesus, not the Roman Governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, who thought that Jesus was a rebel against Roman rule and condemned him to be crucified as such, the preferred Roman brutal punishment to be meted out to criminals and rebels. When the Gospels were written and propagated it was necessary for Christians who adopted much from the Jewish religion to dissociate themselves from the Jews who had risen up against the Romans in bloody rebellion a few times and were mercilessly crushed. Thus, it was politically wise for Christians to denigrate Jews and to show Romans that they were in no way associated with rebels against Roman power. The anti-semitic passages in the Bible have been used for two millennia to fuel hatred against Jews as Christ-killers, people who could be singled out as scapegoats for whatever miseries the population suffered. I have always been fascinated by the influence on our lives by events that happened a long time ago, before we were even born. As a Jewish boy who grew up in Poland I experienced myself the ravages of anti-semitism propagated by the Polish Catholic church. On my way home from school occasionally I was surrounded and beaten by Polish boys who would accuse me of having killed Christ. To this day this accusation is still hurled against Jews. Up to 1946 French-Canadian Catholic texts for children referred to Jews as a "deicidistic" people (God- killing). I believe that without this kind of hate propaganda against Jews by the Catholic church and some Protestant churches (Martin Luther was similarly anti- semitic) the Holocaust would have met much more resistance among the people who had become accomplices to this wholesale organized and methodical genocide. Let's get back for a moment to the upbringing of children and what we know about it and draw some conclusions. For a child to grow up well, to fully develop its potential, to mature, to use his or her intelligence, to relate well to others, to be able to love and develop friendships, to work constructively, it is necessary that such a child be given good nurturing, be given love and affection, and a good home and respect for him or her individuality. It sounds like ideal conditions and maybe it is beyond the capabilities of most parents nowadays to provide all that. However, even if not all of these conditions exist, it would be better than the opposite, a child that is rejected or abused or cruelly treated. Hitler is not the only example. Stalin was also an abused and beaten child. What they both had in common (in spite of ideological differences) was that they did not care for others; they had no compassion for the millions of people for whose death and suffering they were responsible. This lack of compassion for others is true of many people who have been victims of abuse. After a certain amount of time being subjected to abuse, they thirst for revenge against society, or somebody they eventually come to blame for all the cruelty they have had to suffer themselves. When I was in jail about 20 years ago I received a letter from a warden of an American prison. In it he wrote an interesting analysis of the criminals he had watched for over 30 years. He said that what distinguished them from the general population is that they had lost the capacity to care for others and even for themselves. It is clear that if we want a better society it is important that we have more persons who are caring and responsible. It is therefore not accidental or fortuitous that Humanists have been active and sometimes in the forefront of the battle for responsible parenthood, family planning and the rights of women to abortion. It is not only because we want women to be able to utilize their potential as full human beings and not be slaves to their reproductive capabilities; not to be victims of illegal, clandestine or self-induced abortions; we want to give them and the men in their lives the means to plan their childbearing at a time when they can provide the best care for their children. Such care should be there not only in the sense of providing the material comforts of shelter, food and education, but also the emotional sustenance of love and affection which every child needs for its development. It is as a result of my Humanist convictions that I undertook the fight for legalized abortion in Canada in the name of the Humanist movement. Now that we have accomplished enormous gains in Canada for women's right to safe, legal abortion and to access to such across the country, it is proper to acknowledge the contribution of the Humanist movement towards achieving this goal. Women no longer die of clandestine abortions in Canada. Medical abortions have become the safest surgical procedure. Maternal mortality has become one of the lowest in the world at around 10 per 100,000 deliveries, and neonatal mortality is also one of the lowest in the world at 6 per 100,000. women in Canada no longer have to live in fear of unwanted pregnancies or of the consequences of illegal abortion. All these are real and great accomplishments. However, they are in danger of being eroded by a virulent opposition coming mainly from traditional fundamentalist religions. And here we have an issue that is clearly showing the difference between a Humanist attitude or Humanist philosophy of life, and that of traditional religions, notably the Catholic church. Humanists care for the welfare of people and are willing to base their positions on real knowledge of the facts. They can draw conclusions from these and can adopt positions which seem reasonable and would promote the welfare and well-being of people and permit them to utilize their full potential. The Catholic church, while professing high ideals of brotherly love, is so bound up in dogma and tradition that is has taken positions that are harmful to millions of people. The Catholic church has been in the forefront in the battle against legal abortion and effective contraception across the world. Only recently the Pope came out with a new encyclical "the Gospel of Life" which harshly condemns abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide. I just recently read this encyclical. It is interesting reading for a Humanist. The Pope bases his authority on the mythical Jesus (who never spoke out against abortion) and on biblical texts which by no means are specifically condemning abortion. He is not embarrassed by facts. According to the WHO, 100,000 to 200,000 women die every year in the world as a result of botched, illegal or self-induced abortions. The Pope is not swayed by this. He does not even mention it. While he admits that some women choose abortion because of difficulties in their life, this does not seem to be enough of a justification for their choice. He talks of "taking innocent human life" and the sanctity of human life from conception on as if an undifferentiated embryo could be considered already a child. He talks about abortion as murder and urges his followers to practice conscientious objection to abortion. While he does not advocate violence to stop abortion, he does not explicitly condemn it either. He continues to create a climate of opinion where, unfortunately, continued violence against abortion providers may be with us for quite some time. He has strengthened the hand of those fundamentalists and given moral legitimacy to religious fanatics like Randall Terry whose slogan is "If you think it is murder, act as if it is." The Pope declares that even when democratically elected Governments declare abortion legal this is not valid because it goes against the law of God as interpreted by him in his capacity as religious leader of all Catholics. We have here a good example of how dogma and tradition are harmful to the well-being of humanity. Nowhere in his encyclical does the Pope mention the dangers of overpopulation, such as pollution of the environment, increasing conflicts about resources resulting in wars or massacres etc.... He even mentions the Biblical injunction "be fruitful and multiply" with apparent approval as if such a recommendation valid maybe 3,000 years ago when life was precarious and short is still valid nowadays with an ever increasing world population, famine, poverty and social dislocation. Equally unforgiving and unrelenting is the Pope towards euthanasia or assisted suicide. For a Humanist the problem is quite clear. People who are suffering greatly from an incurable illness and wish to die with dignity should have the right to do so. Those who are unable to do so should be able to be assisted by doctors or others if they express such a wish. Most reasonable people, I think, would agree provided certain safeguards are put in place to eliminate the possibility of abuse. However, in the Pope's opinion, God gives life and therefore only God can take it away, even if some people have to suffer horribly for a long time against their own will. The Pope had identified what he calls the "Culture of Death" in our society, referring to abortion and euthanasia. I think he is completely mistaken and is using this as a well- sounding slogan for his reactionary policies. In fact, the "Culture of Death" has existed for centuries as a result of religious conflicts and religious persecutions and the Catholic church has been one of the main culprits and perpetrators. Remember the Holy Inquisition? How many millions of people died as heretics to the only faith? How many millions of women were burned in Europe as witches, condemned by the Inquisition? How many people died in the terrible religious wars that ravaged Europe for centuries? How about the Albigensians who were put to death, men, women and children, in order to save their souls and to preserve the purity of dogma of the holy Catholic church? It seems that the Holy Father has forgotten these shameful incidents of death inflicted in the name of his religion. How dare he talk about a "Culture of Death" when the aim of safe, legal medical abortion is to protect the lives of women? How dare he pass in silence the hundreds of thousands of women who are victims of laws against abortion enacted at the insistence of his own church in many countries!! Against the so-called "Culture of Death" the Pope proposes a "Culture of Life." What does he mean by that? He means that if a woman gets pregnant, regardless of the circumstances, she has to continue with that pregnancy. It does not matter whether she is too young, too old, too sick, too emotionally distraught or simply unwilling to become a mother at the time. She has to, against, her will, continue with her pregnancy. Here is a recipe for reproductive bondage for women, for being enslaved and at the mercy of a biological accident of sexual activity even when it was not engaged in for the purpose of procreation. Fortunately for all of us, Catholic doctrine is in decline among the more educated Catholics around the world and not many Catholics in Canada, the United States or Europe follow the Pope's edicts on sexuality, abortion or other ethical issues. I would venture to say that an enormous gulf has developed between the edicts of the Vatican and its conservative agenda and the majority of Catholics, and that the evolution of humankind does not favour the Vatican. Unfortunately the solution to many world problems might be delayed or temporarily scuttled by the attitude of the official Catholic church. Indeed it is the revival of fundamentalism in other religions which is equally dangerous to the world at the present time, e.g. fundamentalist Muslims with their oppression of women and of free thought, fundamentalist Jews in Israel who are the main obstacle to a peaceful settlement in the conflict with the Palestinians. In the Western world where we live, we have achieved a great deal of tolerance for differences of religion, philosophy and lifestyle. We as Humanists should strive to maintain an open society with freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and freedom from religion. We might have to work with liberal minded religious people to maintain and protect civil liberties against those fundamentalist who would like to impose their values on the whole community by laws or state interaction. In Canada we have achieved a lot but much remains to be done. It is a travesty of justice and an anachronism that to this day in Canada, in Quebec and Ontario, the State favours one religion over all the others by providing a Catholic school system out of general taxation. To this day religious institutions are exempt from paying taxes even when they engage in business activities with possible profit. Dr. Wendell Watters in his remarkable book, _Deadly Doctrine_ has documented well the harmful effects of religion on the emotional development of children and the lasting harmful effects on individuals and society. We have seen examples of wrong-doing by religious institutions against native people in residential schools. The time has come to call for taxation of all the churches and religious institutions. People who wish to practice their religion or philosophy should obviously be allowed to do so as their democratic right, but without being subsidized by the state and by people who do not share their dogmas or beliefs. Humanists should be in the forefront of a campaign to better the educational system, to remove from it authoritarianism and learning by rote and to encourage the teaching of the scientific method and the principle of free inquiry. There are many issues that Humanists can adopt as worthwhile in order to contribute to a better, more free and more tolerant society. We need to get better organized and to spread our message more widely. We have important things to say and we should be able to say them. Our voice should be heard. As for our personal lives we should all try to do our best to enjoy them as much as possible, to the best of our abilities and to lead constructive lives. Many of us may have difficulties in our personal lives due to past traumas, immaturities remaining from childhood or tragic experiences. I think it would be important and worthwhile to create communities of Humanist fellowship or friendship circles which would provide fellowship and community in a society where many people feel isolated, especially if they are non- believers and do not necessarily follow the crowd. Finally, I want to say a word about spirituality. Yes, this is the only life we have. Humanist spirituality to me means the full enjoyment of this life, the shared communion with others in love and joy. Let us give to each other the love we are capable of instead of reserving it for some illusory Deity which does not exist or a mythical Jesus or other such idol. We have to find meaning in this life, and possibly transcendence in working for a good cause with other people. ========================================================= || END OF ARTICLE || ========================================================= '...the Bible as we have it contains elements that are scientifically incorrect or even morally repugnant. No amount of "explaining away" can convince us that such passages are the product of Divine Wisdom.' -- Bernard J. Bamberger, _The Story of Judaism_ ========================================================== || END OF TEXTS || ========================================================== Atheism is the world of reality, it is reason, it is freedom, Atheism is human concern, and intellectual honesty to a degree that the religious mind cannot begin to understand. And yet it is more than this. Atheism is not an old religion, it is not a new and coming religion, in fact it is not, and never has been, a religion at all. The definition of Atheism is magnificent in its simplicity: Atheism is merely the bed-rock of sanity in a world of madness. ATHEISM: An Affirmative View, by Emmett F. Fields =><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><== || Begging portion of the Zine || ==><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><== There is no charge for receiving this, and there is no charge for distributing copies to any electronic medium. Nor is there a restriction on printing a copy for use in discussion. You may not charge to do so, and you may not do so without attributing it to the proper author and source. If you would like to support our efforts, and help us acquire better equipment to bring you more and better articles, you may send money to Greg Erwin at: 100, Terrasse Eardley / Aylmer, Qc / J9H 6B5 / CANADA. 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Occasionally I throw in one that is too long for a label, but which should be shared. Other stuff for sale: Certificate of Baptism Removal and Renunciation of Religion. Have your baptism removed, renounce religion, and have a neat 8" x 11" fancy certificate, on luxury paper, suitable for framing, to commemorate the event! Instant eligibility for excommunication! For the already baptism-free: Certificate of Freedom from Religion. An official atheistic secular humanist stamp of approval for only $10! Pamphlet on "how to get excommunicated" included FREE with purchase. Poster 8x11: WARNING! This is a religion free zone! All religious vows, codes, and commitments are null & void herein. Please refrain from contaminating the ideosphere with harmful memes through prayer, reverence, holy books, proselytizing, prophesying, faith, speaking in tongues or spirituality. Fight the menace of second-hand faith! Humanity sincerely thanks you! 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(Use international reply coupon, or get hold of US Stamps) TO: H.H Waldo, Bookseller P.O. Box 350 Rockton, IL 61072 or phone 1-800-66WALDO !!! tell 'im: "that nullifidian guy sent me!" Once again: ISSN: 1201-0111 The Nullifidian Volume Two, Number 7: JULY 1995. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The problem with religions that have all the answers is that they don't let you ask the questions. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- (*) There is no footnote, and certainly not an endnote. -- -- Greg Erwin, vice president, Humanist Association of Canada. 'I saw a person wearing a T-shirt that said "Question Authority", so I said to him, "Who are *you* to tell *me* what to do?"' --Marshall Deutsch