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FI FM 15.Indd SECULAR HUMANISM IS NOT A RELIGION! Tom Flynn, Ronald A. Lindsay, and Nicholas J. Little CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY February /March 2015 Vol. 35 No.2 TASLIMA NASRIN: WHY SECULARISM IS NECESSARY FOR WOMEN GRETA CHRISTINA | FAISAL SAEED AL MUTAR BEVERLY WINIKOFF | GEORGE A. WELLS CARRIE POPPY Investigates Crisis Pregnancy Centers 80%RYAN 1.5 BWR PD SHAFFER Profi les India’s Atheist Political Movement F/M 08 03 7725274 74957 Published by the Council for Secular Humanism CENTERS FOR INQUIRY | www.centerforinquiry.net/about/branches CFI–SAN FRANCISCO CFI IN POLAND (WARSAW) United States Coordinator: Leonard Tramiel Ex. Dir.: Andrzej Dominiczak CFI EXECUTIVE OFFICES Tel.: (415) 335-4618 01-876 Warszawa 1020 19th St. NW, Suite 425 Email: [email protected] ul. Broniewskiego 99/47 Washington, DC 20036 CFI–TALLAHASSEE Poland Tel.: (202) 629-2403 Coordinator: Warren Brackmann CFI IN ROMANIA (BUCHAREST) Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Gabriel Andreescu CFI–TRANSNATIONAL CFI–TAMPA BAY CFI IN RUSSIA (MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY) President and CEO: Ronald A. Lindsay Coordinator: Rick O’Keefe Ex. Dir.: Dr. Valerii A. Kuvakin PO Box 741 Tel.: (813) 443-2729 Moscow, Russia Amherst, NY 14226 Email: [email protected] CFI IN SPAIN (BILBOA) Tel.: (716) 636-4869 CFI–WASHINGTON, DC Ex. Dir.: Luis Alfonso Gámez Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Melody Hensley CFI IN UGANDA (KAMPALA) CFI–AUSTIN 1391 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, #427 Ex. Dir.: Deogratiasi Ssekitooleko Coordinator: Steve Bratteng Washington, DC 20003 CFI IN ZAMBIA (LUSAKA) Email: [email protected] Tel.: (202) 360-0608 Ex. Dir.: Wilfred Makayi CFI–FORT LAUDERDALE Email: [email protected] PO Box 310383 Coordinator: Jeanette Madea Chelston, Lusaka Tel.: (954) 345-1181 Zambia Email: [email protected] Transnational CFI IN CANADA CFI–HARLEM CFI IN BEIJING (CHINA) Ex. Dir.: Eric Adriaans Tel.: (646) 820-2344 Ex. Dir.: Ren Fujun 55 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 307 Email: [email protected] China Research Inst. for Science Popularization Toronto, Ontario M4P 1G8 CFI–INDIANA Beijing, China Canada Ex. Dir.: Reba Boyd Wooden CFI IN BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA) Email: [email protected] 350 Canal Walk, Suite A Ex. Dir.: Alejandro Borgo CFI–CALGARY (CANADA) Indianapolis, IN 46202 Buenos Aires, Argentina Email: [email protected] Tel.: (317) 423-0710 CFI IN CAIRO (EGYPT) CFI–EDMONTON (CANADA) Email: [email protected] Chairs: Prof. Mona Abousenna Email: [email protected] CFI–LONG ISLAND and Prof. Mourad Wahba CFI–HALIFAX (CANADA) Coordinator: Amy Frushour Kelly 44 Gol Gamal St., Agouza, Giza, Egypt Email: [email protected] Tel.: (631) 793-9382 CFI IN FRANCE (NICE) CFI–KELOWNA (CANADA) Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Dr. Henri Broch Email: [email protected] CFI–LOS ANGELES Universite of Nice, Faculté des Sciences CFI–MONTREAL (CANADA) Ex. Dir.: James Underdown Nice, France Email: [email protected] 4773 Hollywood Blvd. CFI IN GERMANY (ROSSDORF) CFI–OKANAGAN (CANADA) Hollywood, CA 90027 Ex. Dir.: Amardeo Sarma Email: [email protected] Kirchgasse 4, 64380 Tel.: (323) 666-9797 CFI–OTTAWA (CANADA) Rossdorf, Germany Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] CFI IN INDIA (HYDERABAD) CFI–MICHIGAN CFI–SASKATOON and REGINA (CANADA) Ex. Dir.: Dr. Jugal Kishore Ex. Dir.: Jeff Seaver Email: [email protected] 3777 44th Street SE 46 Masih Garh, New Friends Colony CFI–TORONTO (CANADA) Grand Rapids, MI 49512 New Delhi, India 110025 55 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 307 Tel.: (616) 698-2342 CFI IN JAPAN (TOKYO) Toronto, Ontario M4P 1G8 Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Erick Eck Canada CFI–NEW YORK CITY CFI IN KENYA (NAIROBI) Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: George Ongere CFI–VANCOUVER (CANADA) PO Box 4205-40103 CFI–NORTHEAST OHIO Email: [email protected] Coordinator: Monette Richards Kisumu, Kenya CFI–WEST KOOTENAYS (CANADA) PO Box 2379, Akron, OH 44309 CFI IN LONDON (U.K.) Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Provost: Dr. Stephen Law CFI–ORANGE COUNTY Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027 London WC1R 4RL, England Tel.: (323) 666-9797 CFI IN THE LOW COUNTRIES Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Bert Gasenbeek CFI–PITTSBURGH Universitiet, voor Humanistiek PO Box 19003, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Postbus 797 3500 AT Email: [email protected] Utrect, The Netherlands CFI–PORTLAND (OREGON) CFI IN PERÚ (LIMA) Coordinator: Kurt Johansen Ex. Dir.: Manuel A. Paz y Miño Tel.: (503) 877-2347 Lima, Peru Email: [email protected] The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. The Center for Inquiry is a supporting organization of the Council for Secular Humanism, publisher of FREE INQUIRY. February/March 2015 Vol. 35 No. 2 CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY 14 Why Secularism Is Necessary 28 Periyar and India’s Dravidian Movement: for Women A Strident Atheist in the Land of Religion Taslima Nasrin Ryan Shaffer 20 White Lies for Life: Crisis Pregnancy 31 Krishnasamy Veeramani: Continuing Centers in Los Angeles the Fight for Humanism Carrie Poppy Ryan Shaffer 23 Is One of These Things Not Just Like 33 Science and the the Other? Why Abortion Can’t Be Emancipation of Humankind Separated from Contraception Lorenzo Lazzerini Ospri Beverly Winikoff 37 Albert Schweitzer and The Quest of 26 War and the Religious State the Historical Jesus—One Hundred Years On Steve Sklar George A. Wells EDITORIAL 43 Humanist Soapbox 58 Life After Faith: The Case 4 Secular Humanism: Not a Religion A Better Name for Us for Secular Humanism, Tom Flynn, Ronald A. Lindsay Glade Ross by Philip Kitcher and Nicholas J. Little Reviewed by Wayne L. Trotta 50 The Faith I Left Behind OP-EDS Jump-Starting a Brain Frozen 62 Nature’s God: The Heretical Origins in the Cold War of the American Republic, 9 Remember Ebola? Constance Hoffman by Matthew Stewart Arthur L. Caplan Reviewed by Edd Doerr 53 Living Without Religion 11 Getting Atheists to Talk about Death When We Die POEM Greta Christina James Davenport 63 The Blessing of the Animals 12 Who Is Really Gross and Racist? 55 Humanism at Large Andrew Tonkovich Faisal Saeed Al Mutar Letter from the Serpent Robin Queen BOOKS IN BRIEF LETTERS 63 13 OBITUARY 65 Jean C. Millholland First Council for Secular Humanism DEPARTMENTS Executive Director, 1925–2014 41 Church-State Update Climate Change Is Real and Threatens Us All REVIEWS Edd Doerr 56 The Necessity of Secularism: Why God Can't Tell Us What to Do by Ronald A. Lindsay Reviewed by Derek C. Araujo Tom Flynn, Ronald A. Lindsay, and Nicholas J. Little Editorial Editor Thomas W. Flynn Managing Editor Andrea Szalanski Columnists Ophelia Benson, Russell Blackford, Arthur L. Caplan, Greta Christina, Edd Doerr, Shadia B. Drury, Nat Hentoff, Tibor R. Machan, Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, Mark Rubinstein Secular Humanism: Senior Editors Bill Cooke, Richard Dawkins, Edd Doerr, James A. Haught, Jim Herrick, Ronald A. Not a Religion Lindsay, Taslima Nasrin Contributing Editors Roy P. Fairfield, Charles Faulkner, Levi Fragell, Adolf Grünbaum, Marvin Kohl, Lee Nisbet Assistant Editors Julia Lavarnway itigation always carries risk—first Background of the Case Mo Madden of all, the risk of losing one’s case, Jason Michael Holden has been an in- Literary Editor Cheryl Quimba but also the risk that a court deci- mate at the Federal Correctional Institu- Permissions Editor Julia Lavarnway sion will bring unintended conse- L tion at Sheridan (FCI Sheridan), Oregon, Art Director Christopher S. Fix quences. The Freedom From Religion since 2010. A self-described Humanist Foundation discovered that in Hein Production Paul E. Loynes Sr. (apparently, his capitalization), Holden v. Freedom From Religion Foundation repeatedly sought permission to orga- (2007), a taxpayer suit challenging the Council for Secular Humanism nize a Humanist study group and was re- then-named White House Office of Chair Edward Tabash peatedly denied. Prison officials claimed Board of Directors R. Elisabeth Cornwell Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that humanism was not a religion. At Kendrick Frazier that resulted in a sweeping decision Barry A. Kosmin various times they characterized human- Hector Sierra sharply limiting the ability of taxpayers ism as a philosophy, not a religion, or Leonard Tramiel to bring future cases questioning exec- offered to allow Holden to organize an Judith Walker utive-branch spending decisions under Lawrence Krauss (Honorary) atheist or Unitarian Universalist study the establishment clause of the First group, neither of which reflected Hold- Chief Executive Officer Ronald A. Lindsay Amendment. On October 30, 2014, the en’s life stance. Holden was apparently Executive Director Thomas W. Flynn American Humanist Association (AHA) quite consistent in maintaining that he Director, Campus and had what may prove to be a simi- viewed Humanism as his religion and Community Programs (CFI) Debbie Goddard lar experience. In American Humanist that he sought to have his Humanism Director, Secular Organizations Association v. United States of America, accommodated in the same way the for Sobriety Jim Christopher a federal district court in Oregon ruled prison accommodated other religions, Director, African Americans for Humanism Debbie Goddard that a prisoner had a valid legal claim from Christianity to Adventists, Sikhs, and when he alleged that prison officials Director of Odinists. Development (CFI) Martina Fern refused to authorize a humanist study In April, 2014, the AHA joined Holden Director of Libraries (CFI) Timothy Binga group. So far, so good. However, in in filing suit against the United States, the Communications Director Paul Fidalgo reaching this conclusion, the court Federal Bureau of Prisoners, and other bizarrely ruled that secular humanism Database Manager (CFI) Jacalyn Mohr defendants. The defendants sought to is a religion, when the nature of secular have the suit dismissed; on October 30, Webmaster Matthew Licata humanism was never even an issue in United States District Judge Ancer L.
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