The Secular Gazette 

Supporting Science, Reason and the Separation of Church and State Issue #9 April 18, 2011

The Secular Gazette posts news on church and state issues, science news, skeptic news, and atheist articles and opinions. I’m happy to announce that our reader feedback has been one of great thanks to have the combination of topics included herein . It seems that those who hold Contents: reason in high regard and are aware of the religious dogma which infiltrates every party of humanity has a natural curiosity for issues included in this newsletter. I enjoy working on the Skeptics Secular Gazette – it’s somewhat of a second education, albeit one of confirmation bias. Corner

As a reminder - the Freethought Alliance conference is happening on May 15 in Irvine, CA – in Science News just 28 days. An array of secular speakers will inspire, educate and entertain you through the entire day. Make sure and reserve your seat before May 15 and receive the lower price of $89. Church & State Bruce Gleason, Editor Skeptoid.com Your painless micro-donation of only 99 cents will keep this new publication coming to your inbox twice a month. Please subscribe at http://www.freethoughtalliance.org Legal News

Born Atheist

Skeptoid

From Chuck

From the Editor Evo Education Is Belief a ‗Default‘ position by humans? Bible Study

By Bruce Gleason Backyard Skeptics March 6, 2011 Opinions It is said that humans have always believed in the supernatural to explain the unexplainable. Links Just 500 years ago we all would agree that God was responsible for earthquakes, Local Groups tsunamis and even rainbows. Now we know better. It‘s not that we were less intelligent than our forbearers, we just didn‘t have the But now we live in a world science to explain it any better. So, yes – the filled will science and technology. Is the default position has survived for over the ‗default‘ position of still believing still here? 150,000 years we‘ve been around as homo Some say it is. I would have also agreed up sapiens. until I read Phil Zuckerman‘s book ―Society Without God‘. Dr Zuckerman, a sociologist, 1

lives part time in Sweden and studies why living, all in correlation with how strongly they pious belief is so rare in all of the Scandinavian believe. countries. He writes that some citizens of these secular countries have a hard time admitting These statistics fly in the face of any religious that they believe in a God to their closest leader who spout their rhetoric that we need friends and family, something that atheist‘s religion to keep our country together. have the opposite in common here in America. Obviously the Scandinavian countries do fine If there is a default position, why is 85% or without one. Their countries do not fall apart more of these countries or atheist? The as the religionists say they will. answer lies in the secular culture and a non- believing family structure. There is no universal default position. We derive our beliefs from where we live and how If we look at how secular countries fair against we are raised: Monotheistic religions, multi- religious ones, we see that secular countries deity religions, God of the earth, sun and moon have less violence (Demark had only one or no God at all. murder in the entire year of 2010), better health, less abortions and teen pregnancy, a In a strange paradigmic twist – if one believes higher level of happiness and well being, in God, he is rewarding the most non-religious gender equality, infant mortality rates, lack of countries with a healthier society and punishing corruption, universal health care, free those countries who‘s citizens believe in a education, a high level of moral social order – supernatural supreme being. Maybe the all measurements of a healthy society are the United States could learn a lesson from those highest among secular countries. The reverse atheistic Scandinavian countries. ―In God We is true as well – those countries who are the Trust‖ has nothing to do with the well-being of most religious have the worst standard of our citizens.

Skeptic’s Corner

The 5 Worst Promoters of Nonsense

Written by Sadie Crabtree Friday, 01 April 2011 00:00 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.—The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) promotes critical thinking through grants for outstanding educators, scholarships to inspire skeptical students, and annual conferences showcasing the best of skeptical thought— but every April Fools Day, the organization honors the five worst offenders who are intentionally or unintentionally pulling the wool over the public's eyes.

Since 1997, the JREF‘s annual Pigasus Awards have been bestowed on the most deserving charlatans, swindlers, psychics, pseudo-scientists, and faith healers—and on their credulous enablers, too. The awards are named for both the mythical flying horse Pegasus of Greek mythology and the highly improbable flying pig of popular cliche. These are this year‘s ―winners .‖ * The Scientist Pigasus Award goes to NASA Engineer Richard B. Hoover, who recently announced for the third time in 14 years that he had found evidence of microscopic life in meteorites. Along with the crackpot Journal of 2

Cosmology—a now-defunct publication founded in 2009 to publish articles advancing the scientifically unsupported idea that life began before the first stars formed and was spread throughout the early universe on meteors—Hoover pitched his warmed-over ideas to Fox News, an outlet not known for their attention to facts. Predictably, Fox News ran with the story, convincing many people that NASA had discovered extraterrestrial life.

* The Funder Pigasus Award goes to CVS/pharmacy, for their work to support the manufacturers of scam ―homeopathic‖ medications who sell up to $870 million a year in quack remedies to U.S. consumers. Homeopathic remedies contain none of the active ingredient they claim, and homeopathy has been shown to be useless in randomized clinical trials. CVS/pharmacy sells these quack products in thousands of stores across the U.S., right alongside real medicine, with no warning to consumers. Instead of giving their customers the facts about homeopathy, CVS/pharmacy executives are cashing in themselves by offering their own store-brand of the popular homeopathic product oscillococcinum. Oscillococcinum is made by grinding up the liver of a duck, putting none of it onto tiny sugar pills—that‘s right, none of it—and then advertising the plain sugar pills as an effective treatment for flu symptoms. * The Media Pigasus Award goes to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has done such a disservice to his TV viewers by promoting quack medical practices that he is now the first person to win a Pigasus two years in a row. Dr. Oz is a Harvard-educated cardiac physician who, through his syndicated TV show, has promoted faith healing, "energy medicine," and other quack theories that have no scientific basis. Oz has appeared on ABC News to give legitimacy to the claims of Brazilian faith healer ―John of God,‖ who uses old carnival tricks to take money from the seriously ill. He's hosted Ayurvedic guru Yogi Cameron on his show to promote nonsense "tongue examination" as a way of diagnosing health problems. This year, he really went off the deep end. In March 2011, Dr. Oz endorsed "psychic" huckster and past Pigasus winner John Edward, who pretends to talk to dead people. Oz even suggested that bereaved families should visit psychic mediums to receive (faked) messages from their dead relatives as a form of grief counseling. * The Performer Pigasus Award—this year for ―Best Comeback‖—goes to televangelist Peter Popoff. Popoff made millions in the 1980s by pretending to heal the sick and receive information about audience members directly from god. He went bankrupt in 1987 after JREF founder James Randi exposed him for using a secret earpiece to receive information about audience members from his wife. Now he‘s back to prey on victims of the economic recession. In paid infomercials on BET, Popoff offers ―supernatural debt relief‖ in exchange for offerings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This business is so lucrative that according to recent IRS documents, Popoff took in $23.5 million and paid himself and his immediate family more than $1 million in one year alone. * The Refusal to Face Reality Award goes to Andrew Wakefield, the researcher who launched the modern anti-vaccine panic with unfounded statements linking the MMR vaccine with autism that were not borne out by any research, even his own. In 2010, The Lancet retracted his paper on the MMR vaccine, and this year the British medical journal BMJ called Wakefield‘s paper an outright fraud, finding ―clear evidence of falsification of data‖ and that ―he sought to exploit the ensuing MMR scare for financial gain,‖ taking more than $674,000 from lawyers who intended to sue vaccine manufacturers. Yet Wakefield continues to ask the public to believe he is the victim. In a recent article in NaturalNews, Wakefield called the American Academy of Pediatrics and The Lancet―instruments of a state that I don't really want to be associated with.‖

The James Randi Educational Foundation exposes charlatans and helps people defend themselves from paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. The JREF offers a still-unclaimed million-dollar reward for anyone who can produce evidence of paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. Through scholarships, workshops, and innovative resources for educators, the JREF works to inspire this investigative spirit in a new generation of critical thinkers. | www.randi.org

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Science News

(sciencenews.org). XENON100 fails to find dark matter

Experiment puts new indicates whether a particle of dark matter has been limits on properties of found. elusive material The new analysis puts the experiment in direct conflict with other experiments where evidence for relatively By Ron Cowen low-mass versions of dark matter particles called WIMPs, for weakly interacting massive particles, has been found (SN: 5/10/08, p. 12). The contradiction with other searches ―is a major outcome of the analysis,‖ notes XENON100 collaborator Rafael Lang of Columbia. XENON100, has also begun to place intriguing new limits on how strongly dark matter interacts with ordinary matter. If the interaction of dark matter particles is controlled by their association with another proposed particle, the long-sought Higgs boson, XENON100 is now sensitive enough to begin to probe that relationship and the presence of the Higgs, says Physicists lower the XENON100 experiment into position theorist Neal Weiner of New York University. 1,400 meters beneath a mountain outside of The XENON100 results are also likely to eliminate Rome.XENON100 collaboration some versions of the particle physics theory known as supersymmetry. According to supersymmetry, every A sensitive Italian experiment has found no sign of known particle has a heavier, unseen partner. ―This is dark matter in 100 days of searching for the invisible the beginning of people really diving into the range of material that is believed to account for 80 percent of supersymmetric models‖ to test ―whether or not there the mass of the cosmos. But even in the absence of a is anything there,‖ says Weiner. discovery, data collected by the XENON100 The XENON scientists viewed their experiment‘s experiment may shed light on fundamental physics, latest and most extensive results on April 4. Aprile team leader Elena Aprile of Columbia University and and her young collaborators gathered in a laboratory her collaborators say. on the 10th floor of Columbia‘s Pupin Hall while other The negative result, announcedonline April 13, members of the team watched in Zurich. Aprile‘s team doesn‘t mean that dark matter doesn‘t exist. It‘s just crowded around a computer screen as a software harder to detect than some researchers had program unveiled the analysis of 100.9 days of data imagined. recorded by XENON100 between January and June XENON100 is a tank filled with 161 kilograms of of 2010. chilled liquid xenon buried beneath 1,400 meters of ―It‘s like being at a wedding waiting for the bride,‖ one rock in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory in nervous team member said. In a few minutes, first Italy. Cosmic rays, which can mimic the action of dark one red dot appeared on the computer screen, then matter particles, can‘t easily penetrate to that depth another, and another, until there were six red dots in (SN: 8/28/10, p. 22). A dark matter particle striking all — six possible WIMPs. Aprile hugged and kissed a xenon nucleus causes it to recoil, prompting the her colleagues — along with two reporters. emission of light and ionization. The ratio of the amount of light emitted to the amount of ionization Read the rest of this article here

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More Science news: Until then, the world's space agencies will have to rely on Russia's space capsules for transit to the NASA awards $270 million in orbiting International Space Station. spaceship contracts

NASA pulls out of astrophysics missions

Europe now on its own for spacecraft to study black holes, gravitational waves

By Ron Cowen

The proposed International X-ray Observatory, a NASA- ESA collaboration that NASA on Monday announced it has awarded nearly 270 would have hunted for million dollars to four companies, including Boeing and supermassive black SpaceX, to help their pursuit of making a spacecraft to holes that formed replace the US space shuttle. early in the history of the universe, has fallen victim to NASA budget cuts. The Houston, Texas-based aviation giant Boeing Another mission to study gravitational waves from space received the biggest contract -- $92.3 million -- as part of is also out.NASA the second round of NASA commercial crew Two proposed space missions to study supermassive development program, or CCDev2. black holes and other high-energy phenomena have Sierra Nevada Corporation, a Colorado-based company fallen into NASA‘s gaping budget hole. Both missions that is at work on its DreamChaser shuttle, won the were collaborations between NASA and the European second largest sum at $80 million. Space Agency. When NASA recently determined that SpaceX, the California-based company that last year it could not come up with its share of funding for completed its first successful test of an unmanned space astrophysics research over the next few years, ESA decided it would have to scrap the projects as now capsule into orbit and back, won $75 million and Blue envisioned. A third mission, planned by NASA alone, Origin of Kent, Washington received $22 million. "These agreements are significant milestones in NASA's also appears to be in jeopardy. plans to take advantage of American ingenuity to get to One of the missions, known as LISA, short for Laser low-Earth orbit, so we can concentrate our resources on Interferometer Space Antenna, would have been the deep space exploration," said NASA administrator first dedicated space mission to search for Charles Bolden. gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime predicted by NASA awarded about $50 million in its first round of Einstein‘s theory of general relativity. LISA‘s design commercial crew contracts, CCDev1, which began in called for three identical spacecraft that would use 2009. lasers to detect minute movements of a 2-kilogram The US space shuttle program is winding down later this gold-platinum alloy cube inside each craft. The tiny year with final flights of Endeavour in April and Atlantis in motions would be evidence of the passage of a June, ending an era of American spaceflight that began gravitational wave generated by sources such as with the first space shuttle mission in 1981. merging supermassive black holes. Total cost of the When the shuttle program ends, the United States hopes mission is estimated at about $2.4 billion, of which that private industry will be able to fill the gap by creating NASA‘s share would have been $1.5 billion. the next generation of spacecraft to transport astronauts into space. 5

Church and State A short primer on separation of church and state in America Hugh Kramer April 4th, 2011 7:08 am PT It's part of American mythology that when the liberty of Pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock in conscience was 1620, they were looking for religious freedom. a natural right Like most myths this has some basis in fact but that people could the whole truth is a bit more complicated. The not cede to the control of others and which Pilgrims had already found religious freedom therefore must be protected from government when they left England to settle in Holland. The authority. truth is that they were fleeing from it. The term "separation of church and state" The Dutch were largely indifferent to how itself, first appears in a letter to the Danbury anyone worshiped and that didn't sit well with Baptists written by President Thomas Jefferson the Pilgrims. Religious freedom to them meant in 1802. It states, "Believing with you that the freedom to worship their way and they religion is a matter which lies solely between weren't particularly interested in extending that Man & his God, that he owes account to none freedom to anyone else. In fact, the main other for his faith or his worship, that the difference between them and the Church of legitimate powers of government reach actions England on this was in whose church ought to only, & not opinions, I contemplate with be on top. Government, in their view, was not sovereign reverence that act of the whole merely the protector of civil order; it was also American people which declared that their an instrument to promote the greater glory of legislature should 'make no law respecting an God and God's laws. establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free To be fair, almost no one thought differently. In exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of 1620, the first glimmerings of the humanist separation between church and state." principles of the Enlightenment were still James Madison, principle author of both the decades away. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, also used In America, the first advocate of separation of the term in an 1811 letter and additionally church and state (though he didn't call it that) stated, "Strongly guarded... is the separation was Roger Williams (1603-1683), who founded between religion and government in the a colony in Rhode Island after fleeing religious Constitution of the United States... the practical persecution in Massachusetts. The men of distinction between Religion and Civil Providence agreed to the principle of freedom Government is essential to the purity of both, of conscience in faith and obedience to the will and as guaranteed by the Constitution of the of the majority "only in civil things." In fact, United States." Roger Williams was the first to use the phrase Since the ratification of the Constitution, the "wall of separation" in describing the Supreme Court has referenced the separation relationship between church and state. of church and state metaphor twenty-five Philosophically, the credit for the idea is times. Each generation has interpreted it generally given to John Locke (1632-1704). He according to their own perceptions but the stated that there was a "social contract" essential idea has, so far, always been between people and government in which affirmed.

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Legal New . FFRF to seek en banc rehearing on National Day of Prayer ruling in 7th Circuit

April 14, 2011 A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago today ruled 3-0 that the Freedom From Religion Foundation and its plaintiffs do not have standing to continue their historic challenge of the 1952 congressional act declaring an annual National Day of Prayer and requiring the president to issue a proclamation exhorting citizens to pray.

FFRF announced immediately it will seek a rehearing by the entire Seventh Circuit (―en banc‖ review).

The appeals court overturned the district court‘s strong ruling in favor of FFRF‘s challenge, FFRF v. Obama, by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in April 2010. Crabb ruled the National Day of Prayer as enacted by Congress was unconstitutional: ―In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience.‖ Crabb added: "The same law that prohibits the government from declaring a National Day of Prayer also prohibits it from declaring a National Day of Blasphemy."

Crabb noted a National Day of Prayer was no more within the purview of government to declare than encouraging ―citizens to fast during the month of Ramadan, attend a synagogue, purify themselves in a sweat lodge or practice rune magic."

Foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor condemned the appeals court decision as cowardly. She said it is clear that had the appeals court panel ruled on the merits instead of throwing the case out on standing, FFRF would have won, as it did in federal district court.

―Our challenge is so strong, our claim is so correct. The First Amendment says, ‗Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.‘ ‗No law‘ should mean no law!‖ Gaylor said.

The National Day of Prayer was enacted by Congress in 1952 at the behest of Rev. Billy Graham and modified at the behest of Christian evangelicals in 1988. The law orders the president to set aside the first Thursday in May every year ―as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups and as individuals.‖

―Congress and the president of the United States have no business telling me or any other citizen to pray, ‗to turn to God in prayer at churches,‘ much less setting aside an entire day for prayer every year and even telling me what to pray about,‖ said Gaylor. She and Dan Barker, who co-directs FFRF, are two of six FFRF officers or board members who are individual plaintiffs in the historic lawsuit.

Barker said: ―The Seventh Circuit‘s decision today would seemingly allow Congress to declare a national religion as long as no one is forced to participate directly in the religion‘s practices!‖

―We are very troubled by the court‘s conclusion that congressionally mandated endorsements of religion by the president amount to no more than ‗hurt feelings,‘‖ commented Richard L. Bolton, FFRF‘s litigation attorney.

Read more here.

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Skeptoid.com

By Brian Dunning

nude women frolicking in intricately The Voynich Manuscript plumbed pools. Section 4 is the Cosmological section, featuring the The true history and meaning of history's most most impressive foldouts that appear to famous undeciphered book. be circular diagrams of some cosmic nature. The Today we're going to look at the most famous fifth section is Pharmaceutical, with over 100 undeciphered text of all time: A medieval book of drawings of herbs, roots, powders, tinctures, and science, full of beautiful illustrations and strange potions of undecipherable contents or use. The wisdom, and containing not a single word that last section, called Stars, is the most mysterious; anyone's been able to make heads or tails of: The it's 23 solid pages of text only, in short Voynich manuscript. paragraphs, each marked with a star. Some of the So let's get the big question out of the way right illustrations show Eastern influence, including a up front. The Voynich manuscript is an unsolved probable map of the circular city of Baghdad, the mystery, at least so far. According to the best center of Eastern knowledge. information we have now, we still don't know who A few hundred years later (we don't know exactly wrote it, what it says, or what its purpose was. when), a cover was added, but unfortunately it's We do have some theories, but there will be no blank. Also at some later date, the illustrations unveiling of a glorious answer today. However, the were colored, by someone less careful than the voyage of scientific exploration is always a original artist. fascinating one, and much of what we have The book was owned by the English astrologer learned is just as interesting as what we haven't. John Dee during the 16th century, who wrote his Somewhere in Europe, probably northern Italy, own page numbers in the upper right corner of sometime in the early 1400s, animals were each leaf. Dee sold it to Emperor Rudolph II of slaughtered (either sheep, calves, or goats) and Germany, with the understanding that it was the their skin turned into parchment. Probably very original work of Roger Bacon, a 13th century friar soon thereafter, someone, most likely two people, widely regarded as one of the fathers of the took a quill pen in hand and wrote a 38,000-word scientific method. From there the book passed to book using common ink, beginning to end, using one or two other owners, who wrote their names an alphabet and language that have defied all in it, and at one point it was presented to the identification. It's not a huge book, measuring scholar Athanasius Kircher in Rome along with a about 16 by 23 cm (about 6 by 9 in), and about 5 signed letter from a Johannes Marcus Marci cm (2 in) thick. There about 240 pages, most of expressing a hope that Kircher could translate it, them illustrated, the exact number depending on in 1666. Marci's letter is still preserved with the how you count pages that fold out into large book. The manuscript's history becomes unclear at diagrams or drawings, of which there are several. that point, until it was discovered by antique book The alphabet has between 23 and 40 distinct dealer Wilfrid Voynich in 1912 at the Jesuit characters, depending on how you classify some college at Villa Mondragone in Italy. Voynich which may be decorative versions of others or brought it to the attention of the world. After two-character combinations. several owners, the book was eventually donated The book has six sections, delineated by the types to its current home, the Beinecke Library at Yale of illustrations. Section 1 is the largest at 130 University, under its official name of MS 408. pages, and contains detailed drawings of 113 Since its discovery, hypotheses have abounded as plants and flowers that nobody has been able to to what the Voynich manuscript means. identify. It's called the Botanical section. Section 2 is 26 pages of Astrological drawings; lots of Read the rest of this article more HERE circular and concentric diagrams, and some signs of the zodiac. The third section is called the Biological section and contains mainly drawings of 8

What’s happening at Backyard Skeptics?

We‘re having several interesting events coming up – check them out, and if you‘re local to So Cal, come and visit – alternating on Wednesdays and Thursdays on the fourth week of the month. We are close to the 91 and 55 freeways in Orange County California.

See more at www.meetup.com/backyard-skeptics. Event Calendar: Backyard Skeptics News: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 6:30 PM Inland Empire Atheists, Agnostics & Skeptics : West Side Pub Night! Read more news HERE Rancho Cucamonga, CA 4/16/11 Stephen Uhl. Dr. Uhl is a former April 27th 7pm Backyard Skeptics Monthly Meetup, Villa Park, CA Catholic priest who left the Church and earned a Ph. D. in psychology "Inland Empire Atheist Lunch Bunch" When: Friday, 4/16/11 What can science say about April 29, 2011 11:30 AM Chilitos Mexican Grill atheism? April 30 - Come participate in Pasadena's Doo-Dah 4/16/11 The world tried to ignore Terry Parade with us We are going as the Cheesus Chrust Jones' "Koran trial"—until it incited deadly Pizza Company. 11am, lunch to follow riots. Sunday, May 8, 2011 10:00 AM Palm Springs Atheists 4/14/11 New abortion laws show Christian Get together for a fun evening of talk (May) Marie Right's continued power Callenders 69-830 Hwy. 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 4/14/11 Americans United Criticizes Appeals May 10 6pm Backyard Skeptics visits Matt's Calvary Court Ruling Dismissing Challenge To Church Youth Group called Living Room Discussions to National Day Of Prayer talk about how atheists and Christians are alike. 3/31/11 (LOCAL) Compass Bible Church ad May 14, 11am Join us for a special tour at JPL in banned in Aliso Viejo' Pasadena. Washington woman says Jesuit priest

May 14 7pm - Pub night - OCFA Warm-Up party - abuse 'every single day ... was a location to be announced soon nightmare'

May 15, Sunday OCFA 2011 The Second annual 4/13/2011 Florida Senate Judiciary Orange County Freethought Alliance approves repeal of church state Conference will be held at the Hilton Hotel across from John Wayne Airport. separation 4/12/2011 Sask. marriage commissioners must wed same-sex couples

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Bible Study

Pray in the Closet "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:5-6) The Religious Right wishes to put into law public prayer. How many Christians realize that the Biblical Jesus strongly opposed public prayer? The wall of separation between Church and State, actually protects the religious liberties for all of us in the United States and here we have Biblical justification for keeping prayer private. More Than One God "Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them." (Exodus 18:11) Here we have the Bible alluding to the existence of more than one god. Note that it does not say "the Lord is the only god" but rather that he "is greater than all gods." History records that the ancient people in the area of the Middle East, including the Hebrews, believed in many goddesses and gods. Yahweh served only as their god, a god among many others.

Slay Enemies (this is the editor’s favorite verse) "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." (Luke 19:27) Comment Although Jesus in one instance calls for the love of enemies, at the end of the parable of ten pounds, he orders to slay his enemies that would deny his reign (Luke 19:12-27). Despite the commandment not to kill, Jesus accepts the killing of humans here.

Believers try to escape this problem by claiming, "Well, it's just a parable." Of course when Jesus gives a parable about love or living, then the parable serves as an important lesson which the faithful should take seriously. So also must any of Jesus' parables. Nor can one escape by route of metaphorical excuse. The parable clearly connects the "nobleman" with Jesus (see verse 12) , and there occurs no other meaning for a metaphorical "slay" other than words like "kill," "slaughter," "massacre," etc.

Although there occurs scholarly debate as to whether Jesus meant verse 27 as part of the parable or as a non-parable conclusion, it has far more serious consequences if believed as a parable. Why? Because a parable instructs beyond the life-time of the parable's author. If the author of these words meant it only as an example during Jesus' alleged life on earth, then it would serve only as a request of Jesus during his life time. But as a parable, it lives through the followers of Jesus who believe that he still lives (in Heaven) and that they might follow his commands, even after his death-and- resurrection. As a parable then, slaying of enemies "before me" (in Jesus' spirit) instructs believers well past the alleged life of Jesus. If any one need Biblical justification to kill anyone who denies Jesus, or whom you believe acts as an enemy, you need only to believe this verse.

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the general population to be married, and more likely to Born Atheist live with a partner. However, if married, atheists are less likely than the religious population to divorce. Gays and A portion of each chapter is included here. See lesbians are more likely to be atheists than the http://bornatheist.com/index.html for other chapters heterosexual population.

Chapter 4. Who are those guys? The states with the largest number of nonreligious people are in the East and the West. The most religious

states are located in the Southeast, commonly called Who are those guys? Screenplay, Butch Cassidy and the the ―Bible belt.‖ Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Sundance Kid Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia are the

most religious states. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, “Agnostic” is but “Atheist” writ respectable and “Atheist” is Massachusetts, Alaska, Washington and Oregon are the only “Agnostic” writ aggressive. Edward Aveling least religious states.

Let us start by looking at a few statistics about American Contrary to the saying there are no atheists in foxholes, atheists. First, they are more likely to be guys, by a ratio nonbelievers comprise 21% of the active duty American of 70% male to 30% female. Second, they tend to be military. However, atheists are only .08% of the federal younger, 37% of atheists are under age 30 and 73% are prison population. under 50. Although atheists in the general population are younger, those who join atheist organizations tend to be Scientists seem to be the group with the largest number older. Perhaps older people have more time, perhaps of atheists. A 1996 study of U.S. scientists found only years of bearing with religious falsehoods spur them to 7% expressed belief in a personal god, while 72.2% action, or perhaps young people who are working their reported disbelief and 20.8% reported doubt or way up the career ladder are nervous about being agnosticism. The 1996 study updated one from 1914 identified as atheists. that found a 58% rate of disbelief or doubt in the

existence of god among all scientists and a 70% rate of The reason that the percentage of male atheists is larger than the percentage of males in the general population disbelief or doubt among top tier scientists. (70% of atheists are male, while 48% of the general Disbelief in the scientific community has a long history. population is male) is open to speculation. A similar trend is found among those with no religious affiliation, In summary of the statistical profile so far, if you find 59% of ―nones‖ are male and 41% are female. It is yourself a young, male, Asian, gay, scientist from the possible that women are more inclined to be religious East or West coast, you will most likely be dealing with because of some physical or cultural difference. It is also an atheist. possible that prejudice against atheists and the somewhat negative and confrontational nature of Looking at some of the political and social characteristics atheism in America today makes men more likely to say of atheists, only 13% would like to see abortion be illegal they are atheists. and only 14% disapprove of gays and lesbians, making atheists appear more liberal than the general population. The racial group with the highest proportion of atheists is Fifty percent of atheists label their political ideology Asians, followed by Whites. Blacks have the lowest ―liberal,‖ while only 14% call themselves ―conservative.‖ proportion, followed by Latinos. Oddly, 33% of the One study showed the greatest personality distinction people responding they had no religion in the 2008 between atheists and religionists is that atheists are American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS 2008) more open to new experiences and that atheists are a bit study claim Irish ancestry, even though they comprise less agreeable than religionists. Not surprisingly, 10% of the U.S. population. nonreligious people are more likely to have a nonreligious spouse and a nonreligious peer group. Atheists tend to have more education and higher income than the general population. Atheists are less likely than Read the rest of this article here. 11

The Second Annual Orange County Freethought Alliance Conference

Promoting Science, Reason and Critical Thinking

Theme: “The Hazards of Living in a Religious World”

Orange County Airport Hilton on May 15, 2011 This will be Orange County‘s second secular conference, where all freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, and church and state separatists can mingle with some of the most famous secular leaders of our time. Our speakers will inspire, educate and entertain you.

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Mr Deity Rebecca Watson Brian Dunning Eugenie Scott Sadie Crabtree himself Skepchick Skeptoid Podcast science educator from JREF

Vic Stenger Tim Callahan James Corbett Sean Faircloth Jim Underdown author and physicist Skeptics Magazine editor educator Secular Coalition CFI-WEST

Pre-registration admission $69 before March 15, after March 15: $89,

At-the-door $99, Student admission $25 (under 30 and with ID)

FreethoughtAlliance.org

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Evolution Education One in six Americans would ban books discussing evolution from school libraries, according to a new poll. Florida Today editorially denounces the antievolution bill in Florida. Most Americans Opposed to Banning Any Books Large majorities, including most African Americans, oppose changing 'nigger' to 'slave' in "Huckleberry Finn" NEW YORK, N.Y. - April 12, 2011 - Banning or differ on books that should be available to children censoring books has been debated for years. A new in school libraries. Strong majorities say that Harris Poll shows, however, that a majority of children should be able to get The Holy Bible (83%) Americans think no books should be banned and books that discuss evolution (76%) from school completely (56%) while fewer than one in five say libraries. Majorities also say so for other religious there are books which should be banned (18%); a texts such as the Torah or Talmud(59%) and quarter are not at all sure (26%). The older and less the Koran (57%), but approximately a quarter say educated people are, the more likely they are to these texts should not be available (24% and 28%, say that there are some books which should be respectively) to children in school libraries. Half or banned completely. Opinions on banning books are more say that children should be able to get books linked to political philosophy: almost three with vampires (57%), books with references to quarters of Liberals (73%) say no books should be drugs or alcohol (52%) and books with witchcraft or banned, compared to six in ten Moderates (60%) sorcery (50%) in school libraries, but between 34% but only two in five Conservatives (41%) who say and 41% say that each of these types of books no books should be banned. should not be available there. There is no consensus on books with references to sex (48% These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of say they should be available, 45% say they should 2,379 adults surveyed online between March 7 and not) and violence (44% say should, 48% say should 14, 2011 by Harris Interactive. not). A majority of Americans say, however, that Books in School Libraries books with explicit language should not be available to children in school libraries (62%). While few Americans think that there are books which should be banned completely, opinions

Read the rest of this article here: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/mid/1508/articleId/754/ctl/ReadCustom%2 0Default/Default.aspx

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From Chuck

By accepting God, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose

…or do I?

Charles L. Rulon Emeritus, Life & Health Sciences Long Beach City College ([email protected])

Pascal‘s Wager: ―How could I give up eternal salvation by choosing not to believe in God?‖ I‘ve been asked. ―By accepting God you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. It‘s a no-brainer.‖ Here‘s my response:

Which god? There are a great many different gods and religions worshiped today, each with different dogmas and beliefs regarding just about everything. Obviously they can‘t all be right. But since there‘s no rational way to determine which ones are wrong, if not all of them, how can I choose? What happens if I pick the wrong belief? Don‘t even think about it. Any omniscient god god? What happens if I choose a Hindu god, or Allah, or would see right through the deception. So now the biblical god and the real god turns out to be a what? How do I throw out decades of acquired jealous, vindictive Egyptian Sun God? Now I‘m really knowledge that devastates god beliefs, including much dammed to hell! of my entire scientific background and become a true believer? Which Christian sect? So suppose I flip a coin and it comes up ―Jesus is my Lord and Savior‖. I still have to Horrors! Suppose I ―miraculously‖ do become a true select from among the hundreds of different Christian believer, say in the god of the Christian Right and of the sects and denominations which disagree with each other Republican Party. Suppose I spend the rest of my life on all sorts of trivial things…like how to get to heaven, or worshiping this god and doing what I am told is his the time of ensoulment, or the morality of birth control, bidding. Then suppose I discover near the end of my life abortion, homosexuality, or woman‘s place, and so that this god was either the wrong god or never existed on. Why so many different sects? Partly because our in the first place. Horrors!! I‘ve just spent my life trashing Bible is filled with scientific absurdities, contradictions, large chunks of excellent, life-advancing science in this ambiguities and inconsistencies, thus making it a ―pick- god‘s name. n-choose‖ Bible. I‘ve spent my life trashing rational critical thought and humanistic compassion in favor of an intolerant medieval Faking is out. Also, you can‘t fake it. You have to really theocracy! I‘ve spent my one priceless life increasing believe in this medieval nonsense. Feigning the pain and suffering of gays and lesbians, and people 14

with terminal illnesses who just wanted to die in peace improve life on Earth instead of wallowing in endless and dignity. I spent my life trying to force untold num- superstitions. bers of desperate women with unwanted pregnancies to be unwilling embryo incubators! I‘ve even fought against Hell: If Christian fundamentalists are right and I‘m the survival of democracy in favor of a fascist theocracy! wrong, I could be going to Hell (I‘ve been told) for trying to destroy the faith of good, honest, God-fearing I‘ve squandered my precious time on Earth worshiping, Christians. (Mark 9:42). But consider: If the Jesus of the sacrificing to, and fighting for some evil deity or one that New Testament really did exist and, despite all evidence never existed in the first place! In fact I‘ve actually spent to the contrary, his words really were recorded my life working for the extinction of the entire human accurately in the Gospels, then those ―Christians‖ who species by preaching and supporting Armageddon End have not done their best to conform to his moral dictates Times beliefs! Horrors!! And Christians actually have the could also be joining me for an eternity of fire and temerity to tell me that I have everything to gain and brimstone. That could be a lot of Christians! nothing to lose by accepting their god!!!! After all, Jesus was very clear in his explicit admonition Here’s what I think. If an all-good, all-wise deity really for the wealthy to give all their money to the poor if they did exist—a deity responsible for all the laws of science, ever wanted to go to heaven (Matthew 19:16-26; including relativity and quantum mechanics—this deity Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-26). Yet, Christian Ameri- would certainly not want us to waste our time kissing His cans remain incredibly wealthy compared to the two ass and sending money to charlatans with bad hair billion people on our planet who live on less that $2 a pieces. Instead, He would want us to live lives of day. So the express train to Hell might very well be kindness, generosity and humanistic compassion. He stuffed with those who spent their extra money on would certainly not want us to follow the irrational, BMWs, Botox injections, Armani shoes and trips to destructive, intolerant, and self-serving dogmas of the Vegas instead of on poverty relief. Also in danger could Christian Right. be those men who committed adultery by marrying div- orced women, those who didn‘t turn the other cheek, and Also, since this deity saw to it that we had brains which those who spent their time judging and condemning could scientifically discover and explore the workings of homosexuals, secular humanists, Jews, and Janice His creation, He would regard the honest seeking of Jackson‘s wardrobe malfunction. truth as one of His highest virtues. He would want us to use our rational brains and the scientific method to

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Joke-of-the-Week

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist. " I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over. http://exapologist.blogspot.com/2011/04/emo-phillips-joke.html

National Secular Links

Here are several secular links to other organizations supporting secularism, science and skepticism around the world:

Americans United for Church and State Separation, National au.org American Humanist Assoc. americanhumanist.org Atheist Alliance International atheistalliance.org American Atheists atheists.org/ Military Assoc. of Atheists and Freethinkers atheists.org ACLU.org BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY www.users.drew.edu/~jlenz/brs.html CFI centerforinquiry.net camp-quest.org Freedom From Religion Foundation ffrf.org jennymccarthybodycount.com Meetup.com (search for humanist, agnostic, atheists or church and state in your area) National Center for Science Education ncse.com People for the American Way pfaw.org Richarddawkinsfoundation.org James Randi Educational Foundation randi.org/site Southern California Secular Humanist Conference.org (in San Diego) Whatstheharm.net

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FreethoughtAlliance.org

has one of the largest selections of secular DVDs available anywhere. Please visit our website to order yours now.

click to order: San Diego Secular Humanist Conference 2011 - Entertaining speakers, engaging insights and thought- "The God Question" - provoking lectures. 2 DVDs $45 Debate between Shermer & De'Souza $10

Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a spokesperson for human Bruce Gleason - "Why Am I Am Atheist" speech at rights and a proponent against female Calvary Church, Costa Mesa, CA $10 mutilation in Muslim countries. Her riveting personal story is told with the help a local Dan Barker 2 DVD set - Jesus Myth or Fiction? journalist, Jill Stewart. $10 and Why I Became An Atheist $20

Sean McDowell vs. BYS - Commonalities of Chris Mooney - The War on Science: What Have We Christians and Atheists Learned? CFI lecture $10 Sean visits Backyard Skeptics, then Bruce Gleason and Mark Smith visit Sean's church in John Shook - The God Theory is Dead CFI lecture San Juan Capistrano A 2-DVD set. $15 $10

Sarah Dunn - Atheists in Prison: How the law, Edward Tabash - America at the Crossroads $10 culture, psychology shape prison pPopulations $10 Sean Carroll - The Origin of the Universe and the Dave Richards - Exploring logical fallacies and how to Arrow of Time CFI lecture$10 identify them $10 Ross Blocher - Swaddling Cloth out of Whole Cloth: Eugenie Scott - Creationism, evolution, education, Problems with the Nativity Story CFI lecture $10 and politics, Taped at Chapman University, Orange CA $10 Nina Burleigh - Biblical Archaeology, the Limits of Science and the Borders of Belief CFI lecture $10 Orange County 2010 Freethought Alliance Conference 2- DVD set Ron Aronson - Living without God in America Enjoy 12 full-length seminars and an evening Today CFI lecture $10 discussion panel for only $30 See more HERE Does God of the Bible Exist? A 6- Person Panel Debate, December 2009 $20

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Local Southern California groups and links

Ateos Unidos: The group for Spanish speakers! 3rd Saturdays at 11 a.m. at the Center for Inquiry West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd. Contact Liliana at 323-466-4223.

Americans United Meets the third Sunday of the month at 1:30pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. Irvine, CA 92618 http://www.au-oc.org/

AU General Meeting: 4th Sundays, 11:00 a.m. at Center for Inquiry West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd. Presentation followed by lunch and afternoon activity. Board meets briefly at 10:30 a.m. for members’ concerns. Childcare is available. http://atheists.meetup.com/705/

Adopt-a-Highway: Help us keep our roads clean in the name of atheism! AU hosts the southbound strip of the Glendale Freeway, Hwy 2, south of the 210. Keeping the road clean allows us to keep our signage there. Good exercise, and fun company! Two Saturdays a month. Dates vary. Contact Steve 310-670-7131

BackyardSkeptics.com – meets once a month in Villa Park (Orange County) also see meetup.com/backyard-skeptics

Center for Inquiry -Lectures 1st and 3rd Sundays, 11a.m. 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. Free for members of CFI, $6 for non-members http://centerforinquiry.net/la

FreethoughtAllaince.org – sponsors debates and events in southern California

Free Thinkers for Liberty.org Freethinkers for Liberty is an organization of humanists and others who reject all superstition, in favor of rationality and critical thinking, who also respect the freedoms our forefathers described in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Freethinkers Toastmasters: Want to improve your speaking abilities in a fun and supportive group? Join FTTM on 2nd & 4th Saturdays at 2 p.m. at the Center for Inquiry West. More information: David: 310-479-6318. http://www.freethinkersclub.org

GALAH: Gay and Lesbian Atheists and Humanists- 2nd Sundays, 1 p.m., Center for Inquiry West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd. Contact Ken Wolverton 818-554-9858 or [email protected]

Generation Atheist: A meeting group for atheists in their 20s and 30s, 3rd Sundays, location changes monthly. http://atheists.meetup.com/724/Hollywood/East LA: 2nd Tuesdays, 7 p.m. at Atwater Village in Glendale .Contact Steven Gibson 562-900-2834. http://atheists.meetup.com/212/

Humanist Association of Orange County Meets the third Sunday of the month at 1:30pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. Irvine, CA 92618 http://www.meetup.com/OCHumanists

Humanist Association of Los Angeles: 2nd Sunday, 11:00 a.m., Colorado Center Community Room (same as Yahoo Center), 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica (near corner of 26th Avenue and Broadway); Contact: Larry Taylor 310-479-2236, [email protected]

Inland Empire: 1st Wednesday, 7 p.m., Riverside Unitarian Church 3657 Lemon St., Riverside Contact [email protected] 18

http://atheists. meetup.com/ 499/

Lancaster ―Antelope Valley Freethinkers‖ 4th Thurs., 7pm, Camille’s Garden Cafe, Lancaster http://atheists. meetup.com/ 615/

Long Beach: 3rd Fridays, 7 p.m., at Hometown Buffet, 290 E. 4th St. Meal cost is $16. Contact Rodney 562-437- 4370 or Hank Schultz, [email protected]. http://atheists.meetup.com/487/

Orange County Atheists, meets one a month at the IHOP across from OC Airport http://www.ocatheists.com/

Orange County Atheist United Chapter: 2nd Sundays, 10:30 a.m., Tee Room, 3100 Irvine Ave Newport Beach Contact Norman 310-408-8653 (cell).

San Fernando Valley: 3rd Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Kountry Folks Restaurant, on Sepulveda Blvd. and Chase St. Contact Henry at 818-988-2806, after 5:00 p.m. http://atheists.meetup.com/614/

Santa Clarita: 2nd Sundays, 11 a.m., at Greenhouse Café, 26586 Bouquet Cyn. Rd., Santa Clarita http://atheists.meetup.com/670/

South Bay/Torrance: 3rd Sundays, 7p.m., At Marie Callender’s, 2979 Artesia Blvd, Redondo Beach http://atheists.meetup.com/729/

Ventura: 4th Mondays, 7pm, E.P. Foster Library, 651 E Main Street, Ventura. Contact Brian Parra for info: 805-794-4714, [email protected]. http://atheists.meetup.com/494/

Ventura ―Freethought Parents Network‖: Kids playgroup meets every Tuesday at 11am, Locations subject to change http://www.meetup.com/freethoughtparents/

WestValley : Last Sundays, 2 p.m., Daphne’s Greek Café, 5780 Canoga Ave. Unit B, Woodland Hills, CA http://secularhumanism.meetup.com/17/

National Conferences and events:

American Atheists 2011 Convention in Des Moines April 22, 2011 http://www.atheists.org/events/National_Convention

May 15, 2011 The Orange County Freethought Alliance Conference, Irvine, CA http://freethoughtalliance.org/2011conf.html

West Coast Rapture RAM, May 21-22, 2011 Oakland, CA. http://www.meetup.com/atheists- 561/events/17159608/

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