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VOL. 144 WORLD’S OLDEST FREETHOUGHT PUBLICATION SEPT.–DEC. 2017 FOUNDED BY D.M. BENNETT IN 1873 the inquisi ion blasphemy is not racism the christian fallacy the bible and rape dinosaur follies the jesus myth ADAM GOPNIK JOYCE ARTHUR CHRIS FINAN JAMES HAUGHT PAUL MCGRANE VALERIE TARICO PAUL KRASSNER Worse than all other mean acts are those performed by hypocrites contents under the cloak of purity and virtue. BLASPHEMY IS NOT RACISM 4 –D.M. BENNETT JOYCE ARTHUR WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT RAPE AND RAPE BABIES 10 VALERIE TARICO OFFICIAL EMBLEM OF THE SPANISH INQUISITION; TRANSLATION: PSALM 73. ARISE, O GOD, TO DEFEND YOUR CAUSE. THE INQUISITION 14 JAMES A. HAUGHT DEAR READER, The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition has been Macdonald writes: Christianity stands convicted of the CHRISTIAN FALLACY: the real truth mythologized by generations of artists, writers, and film- most infamous cruelty towards its opponents and its own ABOUT JESUS AND EARLY makers. Catholic apologists, however, have downplayed dissenters, and it is impossible that a religion responsible CHRISTIANITY 20 the church’s role in the centuries-long institution, often for such deeds, the inspiring and instigating power which PAUL MCGRANE blaming the torture and burning of heretics on “secular” moved human beings to such revolting blood-thirstiness, officials. The actual number of victims and deaths will can be a true system. HISTORIC MEANS OF GRACE 26 probably never be determined. But the sadistic spirit of The Inquisition is also the subject of The New Yorker EUGENE M. MACDONALD the Inquisition will undoubtedly last forever. magazine contributor Adam Gopnik and West Virginia In the nineteenth century, D.M. Bennett recognized newspaper editor James A. Haught. THE SPANISH INQUISITION and challenged the inquisitorial inclination in the British author Paul McGrane introduces us to his revisited 30 censorship crusade of Anthony Comstock and new book The Christian Fallacy, which provides ADAM GOPNIK his Christian-sponsored New York Society a paradigm for the foundation of Christianity for the Suppression of Vice. The editor of and, according to his publisher, presents AA WIDENS THE GATEWAY FOR 40 the Truth Seeker condemned Comstock’s the “truth” about Jesus “that is stranger ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS grim work in print as “The American In- than you ever imagined.” CHRISTOPHER M. FINAN quisition.” It drove several victims to sui- We present an excerpt from our D.M. cide and probably hastened D.M. Ben- Bennett biography about the editor’s close THE JESUS MYTH 44 nett’s death. friendship with Stephen Pearl Andrews, DAVID FITZGERALD AND VALERIE TARICO Nearly a century and a half after D.M. the prolific anarchist author and speech- Bennett’s imprisonment, some inquisition writer for the first woman to run for president. DINOSAUR FOLLIES 48 scholars see a similarity in our ubiquitous sur- Counterculture icon Paul Krassner satirizes last PAUL KRASSNER veillance society and the “enhanced” interrogation year’s retrograde Republican presidential candidates’ This page D.M. BENNETT MONUMENT GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY techniques inflicted on alleged enemy combatants at anti-abortion platform. Canadian pro-choice activist THE PANTARCH 52 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and secret “black sites” Joyce Arthur defines the difference between blasphemy RODERICK BRADFORD around the world. and racism. Seattle psychologist Valerie Tarico takes on Cover “COURT OF THE INQUISITION” PAINTING BY the Bible’s promotion of rape and exposes the Jesus myth In this issue, we revisit the Roman Catholic church’s VICTOR MANZANO Y MEJORADA golden age of atrocity. Historic Means of Grace is about with author David Fitzgerald. (1831–1865) a visit to an exhibition of instruments of torture, held in In an exclusive excerpt from his latest book Drunks, New York City. The piece is presumably written by Truth Chris Finan writes about the founding of Alcoholics Seeker editor Eugene Macdonald, who published A Short Anonymous and acknowledges the significant role played History of the Inquisition. In the preface of the 1907 book, by atheists and agnostics. TS – RODERICK BRADFORD Editor and Publisher Roderick Bradford Creative Director and Designer Francesca M. Smith RODERICK BRADFORD | P.O. BOX 178213 | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92177 Visit our website www.thetruthseeker.net The Truth Seeker publication and TheTruthSeeker.net website are funded by the James Hervey Johnson Charitable Educational Trust. Copyright ©2017 Roderick Bradford Blasphemy is not Racism One of our key freedoms is the ability to use the tools of reason and science – as well as satire – to question traditional institutions and ideologies, including religion. Preface: I’m an atheist who firmly believes that religion is false and mostly harmful. I escaped from a Christian fundamentalist childhood, and that was my “oppression.” I spent many subsequent years researching, criticizing, and attacking Christianity, including the Bible, the Jesus story, and vari- ous doctrines. Does this mean I’m bigoted against Christians? Of course not. I was one myself. Many of my family members and a few friends are Christians, and I love them. Criticizing ideas is not bigotry. The following article calls out Islamic terrorism as primarily a product of Islamic religious doctrine. It’s over a year old, but I’ve been too afraid to pub- lish it. My past public comments on this topic have resulted in accusations of bigotry and racism — from my feminist and progressive “allies.” However, recent encouragement to publish this has come from friends, former Mus- lims I’ve met, and from reading articles by other atheists, and reformist and ex-Muslims. Just today, Armin Navabi, an ex-Muslim and founder of Atheist Republic, gave me further encouragement, and I thank him. This piece was originally written for my former monthly column at Rabble.ca in Jan 2015, a “progressive” political news site. They rejected it — the only sub- mission from me they ever rejected. (They did eventually publish a different ar- BY JOYCE ARTHUR ticle that mostly avoided mentioning Islamic terrorism.) This draft represents a revised version that tried to answer their objections, which they still rejected. The final paragraph was just added today. | 4 | THETRUTHSEEKER.net September - December 2017 | 5 | In the aftermath of the January 7, The French It seems the critics of Charlie Hebdo the various reasons individual wom- … it seems that main victims of radical Islam, by far, 2015 Paris massacre of staff at the were confusing satire of religion with en wear these garments today, their are other Muslims. A 2013 Pew Forum magazine Charlie Hebdo, many people magazine’s humour racism. But Islam is not a race — it’s a origin is patriarchal and their jus- many people don’t poll found that most Muslims don’t on the left slammed the publication for religion. Muslims are not a race either. tification comes from Islamic doc- support terrorism, but that substan- its “racist cartoons,” while few explained was frequently They are part of a religious community trine. The burka and niqab were understand the tial minorities in some countries DO how they arrived at that conclusion. The coarse and not and belong to every nationality and eth- designed to hide women so that difference, so they support it, while significant numbers French magazine’s humour was fre- nic group imaginable, including white men wouldn’t be tempted by their — majorities in many countries — be- quently coarse and not necessarily fun- necessarily funny. westerners. If Muslims are associated sexuality — especially non-Mus- equate criticism of lieve in the imposition of Sharia law ny. But that’s not a crime, it’s just part But that’s not a with Arabs, that’s a western bias (and lim men or foreign invaders. The Islam with bigotry and the death penalty for apostasy. of free speech. probably a racist one). The majority intended effect of these garments Christians and Jews have certainly I absorbed a great deal of media com- crime, it’s just part of Muslims actually live in South and is not only to invisibilize women, against Muslims and been guilty of terrible atrocities in the mentary on the tragedy, and it became of free speech. Southeast Asia, while only 20 per cent but also to put the onus on women call it “Islamophobia.” name of their faith too. But in the case clear that the intent and context of many live in the Middle East and North Afri- for controlling both their own and of Judaism, the worst of it occurred of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons were lost on people unfamil- ca. Silencing critiques of Islam with accusations of rac- men’s sexual behavior, and to send the message that over 2000 years ago (or at least was bragged about in an iar with French politics. The cartoons usually have mul- ism is itself racist, because it holds Muslims to a lower women are valued primarily for their modesty — which extensive catalogue — read the Old Testament book of tiple layers and meanings, combining two or three differ- standard than the rest of us — it defines them by their means that Islam is defining women by their sexuality Joshua if you can stomach it), while the Enlightenment ent issues at once. For example, the magazine frequently religion as if they can’t help themselves, and it assumes from a male perspective. These are factual observations put an end to most Christian violence like the Crusades skewers the racism and xenophobia of France’s right-wing that all Muslims are the same. It fails to acknowledge that have nothing to do with judging individual Muslim and the Inquisition. Yes, modern Israel is guilty of vio- party, the National Front, often taking the satire to absurd their diversity and humanity, and it abandons oppressed women for their choices, which are usually not about lence against Palestinians on the basis of religious enti- lengths such as equating the party with Boko Haram.

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