THE INTERNATIONAL 4EULAR HUMANIIST MAGAZINE A UNIVERSE WITHOUT GOD t j ASTRONOMER ALAN HALE Co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp on the rich but ungoverned universe science reveals s and s VICTOR STENGER on New Age Physics Comq Haie-Bopp THE MORAL CASE FOR ABORTION t Henry Morgentaler j comments by Nat Hentoff Joan Kennedy Taylor Skipp Porteous and others Now published by the 62> NEW RELIGIOUS POLL 11 7 5 274 74957 7 ON WHAT AMERICANS BELIEV SUMMER 1996, VOL. 16, NO. 3 ISSN 0272-0701 !ree InIL-lu ~5y Editor: Paul Kurtz Executive Editor: Timothy J. Madigan Contents Managing Editor: Andrea Szalanski Senior Editors: Vern Bullough, Thomas W. Flynn, R. Joseph Hoffmann, Gerald Larue, Gordon Stein 3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Contributing Editors: Robert S. Alley, Joe E. Barnhart, David Berman, 4 The Unlimited Cosmos—A Personal Odyssey Alan Hale H. James Birx, Jo Ann Boydston, Paul Edwards, Albert Ellis, Roy P. Fairfield, Charles W. Faulkner, 7 New Age Physics: Has Science Found the Path Antony Flew, Levi Fragell, Adolf Grünbaum, Marvin Kohl, Jean Kotkin, Thelma Lavine, Tibor Machan, to the Ultimate? Victor J. Stenger Ronald A. Lindsay, Michael Martin, Delos B. McKown, Lee Nisbet, John Novak, Skipp Porteous, Howard Radest, Robert Rimmer, Michael Rockier, 12 "We Need a Miracle!" Art Buchwald Svetozar Stojanovié, Thomas Szasz, V. M. Tarkunde, Richard Taylor, Rob Tielman 12 Paul Cadmus: Artist-Humanist Warren Allen Smith Associate Editors: Molleen Matsumura, Lois Porter 14 In Honor of Bonnie Bullough Gerald A. Larue Editorial Associates: 15 Bonnie Bullough 1927-1996 Paul Kurtz Doris Doyle, Thomas Franczyk, Roger Greeley, James Martin-Diaz, Steven L. Mitchell, Warren 16 The Abortion Debate Vern L. Bullough Allen Smith Cartoonist: Don Addis 17 The Moral Case for Abortion Henry Morgentaler Council for Secular Humanism: 23 Secret Files Menace Doctors Skipp Porteous Chairman: Paul Kurtz Chief Operating Officer: Timothy J. Madigan 24 Abortion Is the Issue from Hell Foster Digby Executive Director: Matt Cherry Chief Development Officer: James Kimberly 28 What Do These Fetuses Want? Nat Hentoff Public Relations Director: Norm R. Allen, Jr. President, Academy of Humanism: Paul Kurtz 29 The Abortion Issue and Selecting a Executive Director, Secular Organizations for Criterion of "Life" Noel W Smith Sobriety: James Christopher Chief Data Officer: Richard Seymour 30 In Support of the Right to Choose Joan Kennedy Taylor Fulfillment Manager: Michael Cione 31 Defend Abortion, Not Just Choice Thomas W. Flynn Typesetting: Paul E. Loynes, Sr. Graphic Designer: Jacqueline Cooke Audio Technician: Vance Vigrass 34 Religious Belief in America: A New Poll Staff: Georgeia Locurcio, Anthony Nigro, Etienne Ríos, 40 It Is Hard to Believe Herbert Tonne Ranjit Sandhu 41 Religious Beliefs of Scientists: Executive Director Emeritus: Jean Millholland A Survey of the Research Gerald R. Bergman FREE INQUIRY (ISSN 0272-0701) is published quarterly by the Council for Secular Humanism, a nonprofit cor- poration, 3965 Rensch Road, Amherst, NY 14228-2713. 46 Religion and Crime: Phone (716) 636-7571. Fax (716) 636-1733. Copyright ©1996 by the Council for Secular Humanism. Second- Do They Go Together? Lisa Conyers and Philip D. Harvey class postage paid at Amherst, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices. National distribution by International Periodicals Distributors, Solana Beach, California. FREE POST-MARXISM AND HUMANISM INQUIRY is available from University Microfilms and is 49 indexed in Philosophers' Index. Printed in the United The Survival of Humankind Is the Basic Humanist Value: States. An Interview with Svetozar Stojanovic Paul Kurtz Subscription rates: $28.50 for one year, $47.50 for two 55 The Hard Course of Humanism in China Lei Yong-Sheng years, $64.50 for three years. $6.95 for single issues. Address subscription orders, changes of address, and advertising to FREE INQUIRY, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, 57 REVIEWS NY 14226-0664. God: A Life, Robert Gorham Davis / Books in Brief Postmaster: Send address changes to FREE INQUIRY„ P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664. Manuscripts, letters, and editorial inquiries should be addressed to The Editor, FREE INQUIRY, P.O. Box 664, Photo of Comet Hale-Bopp on cover and p. 6 by H. Weaver (Applied Research Corp.) and P. Feldman (John Hopkins Amherst, NY 14226-0664. Editorial submissions must University), NASA be on disk (PC: 3-1/2" or 5-1/4"; Mac: 3-1/2" only) and accompanied by a double-spaced hardcopy and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Acceptable file for- mats include any PC or Mac word processor, RTF, and ASCII. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or publisher. No one speaks on behalf of the Council for Secular Humanism unless expressly stated. Council for Secular Humanism World Wide Web Page, HTTP://www.codesh.org. in this? Who is the more moral: he who treats others fairly because he empathizes Letters to the Editor with their rights or he who does so for per- sonal gain (in order to be "properly rewarded" in Frame's words)? Do We Need God to Be Moral? Spring 1996.) This subject seems to be Joe B. Gilbert another example of, "If it ain't broke, Houston, Tex. John M. Frame, Christian apologist and don't fix it": Be content that the other per- theologian, is misinformed, arrogant, and son is moral, without worrying about why Why is it necessary to have such a heavy sadly mistaken in contending that he thinks that he should be. philosophical discussion about whether "Without God, Anything Is Permitted" people need God to be moral? Let us look ("Do We Need God to be Moral?"FI, John G. Fletcher at the practice. After all there have been Spring 1996). History, current events, and Livermore, Calif. quite a few atheists all through a large part our prison population refute this claim of recorded history—for instance the and show that incredibly evil and abhor- What the debate between John Frame and Confucians and the Buddhists. I may be rent actions also can be committed and Paul Kurtz did for me was to confirm missing something, but I am not aware justified by God believers. Evidently, Mr. once more that religion warps your mind. that their morals are any worse nor any Frame thinks that the Bible provides us Apparently Frame doesn't seem to under- better than those of mono- or polytheists with an absolute code of ethics for all stand that the Bible (from which he of whatever kind. time. We need to remember that the Bible derives both his God and his absolute eth- Or take a more recent example: The is a product of a primitive culture 2,000 to ical values) has been used throughout the Dutch crime statistics. Even after com- 3,000 years ago. While it contains wis- ages to justify everything from slavery to pensation for their somewhat lower edu- dom and inspiration, it also contains much genocide, misogyny to child abuse, and cational level and therefore somewhat in the name of God that is repugnant, bar- other delectable absolute Christian ethics. lower average income as compared with baric, vulgar, and dangerous... What is even worse—the biblical justifi- the unbelievers, the Christians are still Morals should be based on what is ben- cations are correct! .. overrepresented in our prison population. eficial and least hurtful to people in this I note with pleasure that the And our parole boards are not dominated life on Earth, not on obedience to the sup- Archbishop of Canterbury has recently by the Christians any more. posed commands of an imaginary, all- stated, "I don't believe you have to be Of course, not everybody in prison is powerful god because of rewards and religious or Christian to be good." In view necessarily immoral. Think of total objec- penalties in an imaginary afterlife. of the Archbishop's sudden enlighten- tors to military service; they are still ment, perhaps Mr. Frame should address jailed, although conscription has been Arthur Engvall his archaic views to him in the hopes of abolished. There is some time between the Cupertino, Calif. bringing him back into the fold of rejected objection and the actual convic- absolute Christian ethics. tion. Certainly not all people out of jail are By acknowledging that "atheists and examples of morality, but as a rough com- agnostics recognize moral standards" Dr. Eric T. Pengelley parison it is not all that bad. Just imagine Frame concedes that the answer to the Professor Emeritus what the believers would have made of debated question, "Do We Need God to be Evolution and Ecology DBS these statistics if the result would have Moral?," is no. (By also acknowledging University of California been the other way around! that theists are sometimes immoral, he Davis, Calif. concedes that God is insufficient, as well Marie P. Prins as unnecessary, for morality.) His argu- John M. Frame says "When people accept Oost—Souburg ment is devoted entirely to trying to con- moral principles without good reason, The Netherlands vince non-theists that the reasons that they they hold to them somewhat more loosely give for their morality are unsound (which than others who accept them upon a ratio- If, when we're young, we test the limits of could be construed as an effort to promote nal basis." (Frame's rational basis, by the and learn from experience what is right their immorality). In the same way his way, is God.) The presumption is that my and wrong, we have a solid foundation on opponents would argue (if the question convictions are not as strong as his which to base our adult life, our integra- had been raised) that the morality of the- because they are not based on his reasons.