Update on the Shroud of Turin Joe Nickell SPRING 1985 ~In ISSN 0272-0701
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LmAA_____., Fir ( Spring 1985 E. O. Wilson on Sociobiology and Religion Parapsychology and Religion James Alcock, John Beloff The Legacy of Voltaire Paul Edwards The Origins of Christianity R. Joseph Hoffmann Plus: The New Witch-hunt Against Secular Humanism Leo Pfeffer, Paul Kurtz The Vatican's View of Sex Robert Francoeur Update on the Shroud of Turin joe Nickell SPRING 1985 ~In ISSN 0272-0701 VOL. 5, NO. 2 Contents 3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 4 EDITORIALS 8 ON THE BARRICADES ARTICLES 10 Update on the Shroud of Turin Joe Nickell 11 The Vatican's View of Sex: The Inaccurate Conception Robert T. Francoeur 15 An Interview with E. O. Wilson on Sociobiology and Religion Jeffrey Saver RELIGION AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY 25 Parapsychology: The "Spiritual" Science James E. Alcock 36 Science, Religion and the Paranormal John Beloff 42 The Legacy of Voltaire (Part I) Paul Edwards 50 The Origins of Christianity: A Guide to Answering Fundamentalists R. Joseph Hoffmann BOOKS 57 Humanist Solutions Vern Bullough 58 Doomsday Environmentalism and Cancer Rodger Pirnie Doyle 59 IN THE NAME OF GOD 62 CLASSIFIED Editor: Paul Kurtz Associate Editors: Gordon Stein, Lee Nisbet, Steven L. Mitchell, Doris Doyle Managing Editor: Andrea Szalanski Contributing Editors: Lionel Abel, author, critic, SUNY at Buffalo; Paul Beattie, president, Fellowship of Religious Humanists; Jo-Ann Boydston, director, Dewey Center; Laurence Briskman, lecturer, Edinburgh University, Scotland; Vern Bullough, historian, State University of New York College at Buffalo; Albert Ellis, director, Institute for Rational Living; Roy P. Fairfield, social scientist, Union Graduate School; Joseph Fletcher, theologian, University of Virginia Medical School; Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading University, England; Sidney Hook, professor emeritus of philosophy, NYU; Marvin Kohl, philosopher, State University of New York College at Fredonia; Jean Kotkin, executive director, American Ethical Union; Gerald Larne, professor emeritus of archaeology and biblical history, USC; Ernest Nagel, professor emeritus of philosophy, Columbia University; Howard Radest, director, Ethical Culture Schools; Ralph Raico, associate professor of history, State University College of New York at Buffalo; Robert Rimmer, author; William Ryan, free-lance reporter, novelist; Svetozar Stojanovic, professor of philosophy, University of Belgrade; Thomas Szasz, psychiatrist, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse; V. M. Tarkunde, Supreme Court Judge, India; Richard Taylor, professor of philosophy, University of Rochester; Sherwin Wine, founder, Society for Humanistic Judaism Editorial Associates: H. James Birx, James Martin-Diaz, Marvin Zimmerman Executive Director of CODESH, Inc.: Jean Millholland Book Review Editor: Victor Culotta Promotion: Barry L. Karr Systems Manager: Richard Seymour Typesetting: Paul E. Loynes Layout: Guy Burgstahler Staff: Jacqueline Livingston, Alfreda Pidgeon FREE INQUIRY (ISSN 0272-0701) is published quarterly by the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism (CODESH, Inc.), a nonprofit corporation, 3151 Bailey Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14215. Phone (716) 834-2921. Copyright ©1985 by CODESH, Inc. Second-class postage paid at Buffalo and at additional mailing offices. National distribution by International Periodicals Distributors, San Diego, California. Subscription rates: $15.00 for one year, $27.00 for two years, $35.00 for three years, $3.75 for single copies. Address subscription orders, changes of address, and advertising to: FREE INQUIRY, Central Park Station, Box 5, Buffalo, NY 14215. Manuscripts, letters and editorial inquiries should be addressed to: The Editor, FREE INQUIRY, Central Park Station, Box 5, Buffalo, N.Y. 14215. All manuscripts should be accompanied by two additional copies and a stamped, addressed envelope. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or publisher. 2 FREE INQUIRY positions, but as one who has studied this issue for many years, I'd like to contribute some further thoughts. The gravest pitfall that the rights advocates have fallen into is the one concerning what constitutes an animal? Anyone who advocates human rights means the entire human race. The animal rights advocates don't refer to all LETTERS TO THE EDITOR animals, just certain preferred ones. If you ask these people to list the animals they believe should have rights, the list would consist primarily of furry mammals with expressive eyes, pets, farm animals, and a few others—all of which, by the way, they can see. Trillions of animals—most in fact—cannot be seen by the naked eye. How would the rights advocates give rights to cockroaches? To tapeworms? To maggots? Educational Reforms Indeed, to the intelligent rats who may infest their homes? And how about the rights of I am indebted to Delos McKown ("Are accept the fact that their ignorance is the fleas on their pets? American Educational Reforms Doomed?" exceeded only by their determination to Emotionalism is the principal tool of FI, Winter 1984/85) for helping me to maintain that state. After reading McKown, these advocates, and its catalyst is anthropo- understand a phenomenon that I experienced I am now convinced that these people felt, morphization. While no one with their head as an ambitious, idealistic, and as I look perhaps intuitively, that my talk about screwed on right wants to see animals suffer back now, hopelessly naive school-board developing in the students the habit of cri- for the fun of it, the bottom line on the member. Some years back, I decided that tical and logical thinking somehow rights issue is that it is only rational to talk my contribution to society would be to work represented a real threat to their basic reli- about rights as human rights. in public education. I assumed that (1) most gious beliefs and attendant life-styles. of society's ills were traceable to a pervasive May I offer another reason why Frank Walters and continuing ignorance, and further that McKown's predictions will be realized. Portland, Ore. (2) most people recognized this and would Those who are most qualified ("the brightest welcome any serious efforts to improve those and the best") to initiate reforms by serving Morality and Religion institutions designed to eradicate igno- on school boards will continue to refuse to rance—specifically our public school sys- do so. There are very few knowledgeable 1 liked Vern Bullough's rational editorial on tems. I was elected to the governing board and competent people so highly motivated "Sexual Morality and Religion" (FI, Winter of a rapidly growing suburban school (or so naive) to take on a job that has long 1984/85). However, he's not quite accurate district. I learned very quickly that my first hours, no pay, and whose primary reward is in saying that rape "is not against biblical assumption was correct. The widespread to suffer public abuse for daring to criticize teachings." Deuteronomy 22:28-29 says that ignorance of people about their school sys- one of our cherished institutions. "if a man meets a virgin who is not tem was unbelievable. I was surprised and betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her," shocked, however, to find little or no evi- Dave Campbell then he must marry the girl and pay her dence to support my second assumption— Phoenix, Ariz. father "fifty shekels of silver." Moreover, "he that most people want change and improve- may not put her away all his days." In verses ment in their schools. As one of the many 25-27 of the same chapter we find that "if in "unchurched," I lacked insight into what Animal Rights the open country a man meets a young Professor McKown describes as the "canker woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes at the core of Christianity." Now, at last, 1 "Sentiment, Guilt and Reason in the her and lies with her, then only the man think I know what was going on and why Management of Wild Herds" by Garrett who lay with her shall die ... because .. my fight for reforms was an exercise in Hardin and "Animal Rights Re-evaluated" though the betrothed young woman cried futility. Accepting the fact that a great many by James Simpson (FI, Winter 1984/85 were for help there was no one to rescue her." people are ignorant was easy—but it took a breath of fresh air. Both authors gave eight years of getting kicked in the head to telling criticism of the so-called animal rights Richard L. Tierney Mason City, Iowa Vern Bullough replies: Conference Notice Richard J. Tierney has different ideas of FREE INQUIRY will sponsor a special conference on "Jesus what constitutes biblical prohibitions than I in History and Myth" on Friday and Saturday, April 19 do. The requirement that the rapist must marry his victim only punishes the woman. and 20, 1985, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, this custom still exists; a For details, turn to page 23. .I (Continued on p. 61) Spring 1985 3 but this is no assurance that some funda- mentalist parent might not bring such a suit. Editorials: The New Witch-hunt The Hatch measure, notwithstanding its patent unconstitutionality, must be taken seriously. There is a real danger that if Against Secular Humanism enacted it would result in considerable revi- sion of public school teaching, not merely The U.S. Department of Education recently proposed a rule that prohibits school in the South where the fundamentalists are districts from spending federal funds on any courses that a district determines particularly strong, but throughout the "teaches secular humanism. " It was offered to implement a law (ESSA, Title nation, at least in public school districts that Sec. 509) enacted without adequate debate by Congress in the summer of 1984. rely on federal aid for survival. Moreover, history has shown that notwithstanding the evolution decisions, publishers of textbooks Leo Pfeffer used throughout the nation have been water- ing down or even eliminating the subject of orne defenders of the Equal Access Act measure could not reach an agreement as to evolution lest its treatment result in loss of Sof 1984, which would allow prayer in what "secular humanism" does mean and sales.