EDWARD TABASH: Atheists Must Not Self-Censor CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY December 2013/January 2014 Vol. 34 No.1 THREE EVOCATIVE PAPERS FROM ‘WOMEN IN SECULARISM 2’ KATHA POLLITT | REBECCA GOLDSTEIN | SUSAN JACOBY RONALD A. LINDSAY: Faith—the Humanist Perspective THE SECULAR RIGHT AND ITS DISCONTENTS Joseph Ratzinger and the Nativity Legends | Cremation and Religiosity Ophelia80% 1.5 BWR Benson PD | Russell Blackford | Shadia B. Drury | Tibor Machan D/J 09 01 Published by the Council 7725274 74957 for Secular Humanism December 2013/January 2014 Vol. 34 No. 1 The Secular Right and Its Discontents 32 Why I Am Not a Liberal, CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY and You Shouldn’t Be Either Robert M. Price Highlights From ‘Women In Secularism 2’ 35 Progressive vs. Liberal 18 Women’s History: A Core Secular Issue Glade Ross Susan Jacoby 39 Why Secular Humanism and Libertarianism 22 Feminism, Religion, and ‘Mattering’ Are Incompatible Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Dan Davis 27 Sexism and Religion: 43 Joseph Ratzinger and the Nativity Legends Can the Knot Be Untied? Etienne Vermeersch Katha Pollitt Translated from the Dutch by Stuart Silvers 45 Cremation and Religiosity Richard G. Dumont DEPARTMENTS EDITORIAL 63 Life on the Brink: Environmentalists 4 Faith: The Humanist Perspective 52 Church-State Update Confront Overpopulation Ronald A. Lindsay Attack of the Education edited by Philip Cafaro and Eileen Crist, Pseudo-Reformers with a foreword by Paul Ehrlich OP-EDS Edd Doerr and Anne Ehrlich 7 Doctoring the Script Reviewed by Tom Flynn Ophelia Benson 54 Science and Religion Anti-Evolutionism: The Bible Is 64 The Way of Science: Finding Not the Main Issue 8 Do the Best Lack All Conviction? Truth and Meaning in Jason Rosenhouse Russell Blackford a Scientific Worldview by Dennis R. Trumble 56 Secularity and Society 9 The Strange Persistence of Faith Reviewed by Daniel M. Kane Tibor Machan Public Education Means Secular Education 65 Books in Brief 11 When the Devil Tells the Truth Wayne L. Trotta Shadia B. Dury 12 Atheists Must Not Self-Censor REVIEWS POEMS by William Doreski Edward Tabash 59 Bullspotting: Finding Facts in the Age of Misinformation, 53 Driving to Keene on Sunday by Loren Collins LETTERS Reviewed by William Harwood 55 No One’s Buying Art These Days 14 61 The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood by David Mont gomery Reviewed by Wayne L. Trotta Editor Thomas W. Flynn Associate Editor Lauren Becker Managing Editor Andrea Szalanski Ronald A. Lindsay Editorial Columnists Ophelia Benson, Russell Blackford, Arthur Caplan, Greta Christina, Edd Doerr, Shadia B. Drury, Nat Hentoff, Tibor R. Machan Senior Editors Bill Cooke, Richard Dawkins, Edd Doerr, James A. Haught, Jim Herrick, Gerald A. Larue, Ronald A. Lindsay, Taslima Nasrin Contributing Editors Roy P. Fairfield, Charles Faulkner, Levi Frage, Faith: The Humanist Perspective Adolf Grünbaum, Marvin Kohl, Lee Nisbet Literary Editor Austin MacRae Assistant Editors Julia Lavarnway Sean Lachut Permissions Editor Julia Lavarnway Art Director Christopher S. Fix Production Paul E. Loynes Sr. ope Francis has been in the news reality is that even if Francis were lately in stories both about his inclined to modify church doctrine, Chair Edward Tabash lifestyle and his pronouncements the institutional, ossified weight of the Board of Directors R. Elisabeth Cornwell on various topics. Many regard church would likely prevent him from Kendrick Frazier P Barry A. Kosmin him as someone who represents a doing so. Jonathan Tobert radical break with papal customs and In any event, in this editorial I’m not Leonard Tramiel Judith Walker Catholic traditions and doctrine. He has going to focus on the statements from Lawrence Krauss (Honorary) adopted a more simple, less insulated Francis that have caught everyone’s mode of living than his predecessors; Chief Executive Officer Ronald A. Lindsay attention. Instead, I am going to discuss he has urged his fellow Catholics not his first encyclical, Lumen Fidei, or The Executive Director Thomas W. Flynn to place too much emphasis on the Light of Faith, which he issued in early Associate Director Lauren Becker church’s teachings on issues such as July. This document has received rel- Director, Campus and contraception, abortion, and same-sex atively little attention because—well, Community Programs (CFI) Debbie Goddard marriage; he has even said a few kind it’s an encyclical, not something con- Director, Secular Organizations things about atheists. Much debate has sidered light reading. Furthermore, this for Sobriety Jim Christopher ensued over whether Pope Francis will encyclical largely restates what every- Director, African Americans bring about significant changes in the one knows already: that the Catholic for Humanism Debbie Goddard church’s doctrines and rules or whether Church, along with most other reli- Director of Development (CFI) Alan Kinniburgh his statements are no more than an gious bodies, believes faith is a virtue. Director of Libraries (CFI) Timothy Binga indication of a change in tone. On the Faith is something that supposedly can latter view, he is less hectoring than his give the believer special insight into Communications Director Paul Fidalgo predecessors, and he may have differ- dimensions of reality undiscoverable by Database Manager (CFI) Jacalyn Mohr ent priorities, but ultimately his beliefs reason or science. As suggested by the Webmaster Matthew Licata are not significantly different. title of the encyclical, faith is considered Staff Pat Beauchamp, Ed Beck, I lean toward the latter view. Among illuminating. Melissa Braun, Shirley other reasons, every time Francis has But precisely because the encyclical Brown, Cheryl Catania, Eric Chinchón, Matt made some statement that suggests does not constitute breaking news, it Cravatta, Roe Giambrone, a departure from prior church teach- merits attention. It confirms that the Jason Gross, Lisa Nolan, Paul Paulin, Anthony Santa ing, a clarification has quickly followed Catholic Church, like other religious Lucia, Diane Tobin, to assure the faithful that Francis is institutions, continues to claim a spe- Vance Vigrass not saying anything inconsistent with cial way of knowing that differs starkly Executive Director Emerita Jean Millholland established church teaching. The sad from secular methods of acquiring 4 FREE INQUIRY DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014 secularhumanism.org FREE INQUIRY (ISSN 0272-0701) is published bimonthly by knowledge. Regardless of any subtle unpersuasive. They combine specious the Council for Secular Humanism, a nonprofit educational shifts in the church’s position on var- reasoning and unsound analogies. For corporation, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664. Phone (716) 636-7571. Fax (716) 636-1733. Copyright ©2013 by ious ethical issues, it will continue to example, consider these remarkable the Council for Secular Humanism. All rights reserved. No part insist on the importance of faith. The assertions: “The light of faith is unique of this periodical may be reproduced without permission of the publisher. Periodicals postage paid at Buffalo, N.Y., and same can be said for other religious since it is capable of illuminating every at additional mailing offices. National distribution by Disticor. bodies, of course. 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