| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Levy Oates" |
| Date: |
18 Oct 2003 03:00:32 AM |
| Object: |
17 Oct, Newsline from the NSS |
NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY
NEWSLINE
17 October 2003
www.secularism.org.uk <http://www.secularism.org.uk>
Quote of the week:
"East European Catholics are fighting to have God included in the new EU
constitution, and ahead lies a major row about whether Europe is confined to
Christendom - keeping out the Islamic hordes of Turkey. But for many
non-religious EU citizens, the difference between the mullahs across the
Bosporous and the mullah in the Vatican might be hard to detect. What
matters is keeping private Gods out of the public realm."
(Polly Toynbee, Guardian)
"Catholicism's denial of one of humanity's greatest liberations, the
fearless enjoyment of sex, seems the mere asceticism of a sect. It is
disregarded by the majority of Catholics. The thesis that sexual pleasure
exists solely to encourage procreation and that procreation must be
unrestricted defies all modern experience. Yet, in countries where Catholic
doctrine holds politics in a vice, it forces poor women to endure unlimited
pregnancy and confines abortion (like divorce) to those who can pay to go
abroad. This is what I call intrinsically evil."
(Simon Jenkins, The Times)
Essays of the week:
Anglicans threaten schism over gays, pigeons, mildew
Satire on self-indulgent Anglican bigots
(Joey Sarajevo, Deadbrain,)
http://www.deadbrain.co.uk/news/article_2003_10_13_0114.php
<http://www.deadbrain.co.uk/news/article_2003_10_13_0114.php>
Islam vs. the world
The results of the Islamic Conference in Kuala Lumpur could affect us all
(Amir Taheri, Chron Watch)
http://www.chronwatch.com/featured/contentDisplay.asp?aid=4723
<http://www.chronwatch.com/featured/contentDisplay.asp?aid=4723>
All the latest thinking on "Brights"
(Michael Shermer, Skeptic)
http://www.skeptic.com/brightBrouhaha.html
<http://www.skeptic.com/brightBrouhaha.html>
Why not add your voice to the campaign against religious power-seeking?
Join the NSS at www.secularism.org.uk/join.htm
<http://www.secularism.org.uk/join.htm>
Or send a cheque (£15 individual, £23 joint, £9 unwaged) to NSS Membership,
25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4LR
Don't forget you can read a big selection of news and comment of interest to
secularists from all round the world at
www.secularism.org.uk/media.htm <http://www.secularism.org.uk/media.htm>
In this weeks edition:
NSS urges BBC to resist Catholic pressure
Church schools are top of the tables (what a surprise!)
Vatican shoots itself in the foot with a condom
Power of prayer is twaddle say scientists
American general says Bush is God's choice for White House
Canadian High Court rules against religious interveners
American religiosity and superstition confirmed in poll
NSS welcomes Michael Cashman as new honorary associate
Religious madness provokes murder and retribution
Composer says art is nothing without religion
Worries as Iraq rejects secularism, heads for theocracy
Scottish archbishop brought into line by Vatican
Letters / Vice President on Radio 2/ Mugs / News shorts/ Events
NSS URGES BBC TO RESIST CATHOLIC PRESSURE
The NSS has written to the Director of BBC News, Richard Sambrook, urging
him to resist the pressure being applied to the Corporation by the Catholic
Church, which is anxious to reduce the amount of criticism and increase the
amount of propaganda being broadcast.
The Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, had made a widely reported
speech last week accusing the BBC of prejudice against the Catholic Church
because it broadcast a Panorama programme on Sunday highlighting the
Church's dubious practice of telling people in the Third World that condoms
were not only useless as a barrier to HIV infection, but that they actually
promoted the infection.
Another programme, Kenyon Confronts, looked at the issue of child abuse
within the Catholic priesthood, something the Church is anxious to put
behind it. There is also to be a satirical cartoon, Popetown, which pokes
fun at the Vatican.
This week the Archbishop held a meeting with Richard Sambrook, at which he
complained about the tactics of some BBC journalists. After the meeting, the
Archbishop was reported as saying: "I was given an undertaking that due
consideration will be given to several points I raised about Kenyon
Confronts. Our discussions about this will continue over the next few days."
The Archbishop said that he was given "a full and impressive list" of
programmes that will mark Karol Wojtyla's 25 years in the job of leader of
the Catholic Church. All will be fawning and reverential. None of them will
describe it as the disaster that it has been for so many people throughout
the world.
In his letter to Mr Sambrook, NSS vice president Terry Sanderson said: "Our
concern is not that the BBC will institute some kind of policy restricting
criticism of the Catholic Church (or any other institution that tries to
intimidate it into giving special treatment) - we are confident that won't
happen - but that individual producers will feel constrained by the reaction
of the Church and impose a kind of self-censorship that makes them reluctant
to look at legitimate areas for investigation lest they be accused of
"bias".
We want to give our support to the decision to go ahead with these
programmes despite the attempt by the Archbishop to cause them to be
prejudged. And we hope that the BBC's journalistic integrity will ensure
that, if it becomes necessary, the spotlight will fall without fear or
favour on the misdeeds of the Church again."
See also review of the book 'Anti-Catholicism, the last remaining prejudice'
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/book_review.cgi?weekly
<http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/book_review.cgi?weekly>
CHURCH SCHOOLS ARE TOP OF THE TABLES (WHAT A SURPRISE!)
The 2002 primary school league tables show that in many London Boroughs,
"faith schools" account for most of the top ten achievers. In the London
Boroughs of Richmond, Lewisham and Islington, eight of the top ten
performers were "faith schools". All of those in Westminster and Barnet were
in the top ten.
At the same time, it was revealed that parents who want their children to go
to the Canon Slade Church of England secondary school in Bolton, have to
produce documentary evidence that they have attended church at least 48
times in the previous year. The head teacher, the Reverend Peter Shepherd,
said it was necessary because demand for the 1,600 places at the school far
outstripped availability. 130 local clergy have expressed their support for
this scandalous state of affairs. Mr Shepherd said: "We make the judgment
that the more committed someone is, the more they attend church. It is
measurable and can be counted. Motivated parents will jump through any hoops
to get their chosen school."
In London, the top-ranking Grey Coat Hospital School for girls, which is
closely linked with Westminster Abbey, will tell parents at its open day
this month that 80 per cent of applicants are ranked by "the family's weekly
attendance at church over the last three years."
Successful applicants to the Archbishop Tennyson School in Croydon must name
the church they have been attending for two years. The information is
checked with the vicar.
A spokesman for the right-wing Christian group Family and Youth Concern told
the Mail on Sunday: "There is now a phenomenon known as 'edu-Christian' -
where parents start to go to church because they want to get their children
into church schools. It is becoming much more intense."
The London Evening Standard reported: "Although many applaud the success of
Anglican, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim schools in maintaining high standards,
critics claim they are unfair because they can refuse to admit the children
of non-believers. The effect, say critics, is to leave non-believing parents
with a more limited choice for their children. The figures emerged in the
wake of comments by former speechwriter to Tony Blair, Andrew Neather. He
said he and his partner, who like the majority of Britons have no firm
religious beliefs, were having to move house because they could not find a
suitable non-denominational primary school for their two young children in
Lambeth."
Alan Carter of the Campaign for State Education said many parents were not
being given a fair choice. "Our members would rather see schools welcoming
children of all faiths rather than bringing them up where differences are
accentuated."
In London, denominational schools are permitted to set their own admissions
policies while getting 100% funding from public funds.
Tom Peryer, director of education for the Diocese of London was complacent
about the discrimination. "Faith school are generally oversubscribed," he
said. "There are plenty of non-faith schools for people to go to, so the
question parents have to ask is why they are less well-performing."
Of course, Mr Peryer knows perfectly well why faith schools outperform
non-denominational schools. As Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of
the NSS, wrote to the Daily Mail: "You report that "faith schools" account
for most of the top ten primaries in London Boroughs. Is this so surprising
given these schools being permitted to cream off the brightest and
best-supported pupils, through rigorous selection criteria? They alone are
able to interview both parents and pupils, and Church of England school
rolls include a materially lower proportion of children from poorer families
and of those with statements of special educational need. The head teacher
of one such school insists that parents attend church 48 times a year before
they can get a place. This means that these schools - even though all
running costs are met by the tax payer - are providing in effect a private
education to which Christians (and those prepared to pretend they are
Christians) are given preference. Given that one third of our schools are
church schools, the choice available to non-believers and non-Christians is
severely restricted. As the number of faith schools and the number of
non-believers are both increasing the imbalance is getting more pronounced.
Those of us who aren't Christians are forced to pay for an education system
to which we don't have full access. And that's a scandal."
Writing in the Guardian, Francis Beckett, called for the abolition of all
faith schools. "The bottom line is [in order to get in] parents have to be
of the faith," Mr Beckett wrote. "So ordinarily truthful people, as their
children reach the age of 11, get religion all of a sudden. You see them
hanging around the local church or synagogue, pathetically trying to look as
though they've been there every week of their lives. So, on the debit side,
faith schools turn communities against each other, and honest people into
liars... But if we are to have faith schools, let's be fair about it.
Atheists and humanists can live good lives, just as much as Christians or
Muslims - better, in fact, because we don't expect heavenly reward. Our
kindness if not a spiritual get-rich-quick policy, nor our honesty a means
of piling up celestial stock options."
Read Francis Beckett's article here:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1062196,00.html
<http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1062196,00.html>
VATICAN SHOOTS ITSELF IN THE FOOT WITH A CONDOM
The ongoing fight between the Vatican and the rest of the world regarding
the effectiveness of condoms took a new twist last week when a spokesman for
the Roman Catholic Church calling for health warnings on all condoms.
The Vatican sparked controversy on Sunday, when a high ranking official told
the BBC programme Panorama that condoms did not stop HIV transmission and
that he advises all Catholics to avoid using them.
Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, who heads the Pontifical Council for the Family said
Vatican scientists have proven that the HIV virus is too small to be stopped
by latex condoms, and even argued that the condoms could in fact lead to a
higher rate of transmission. He now believes that condoms should carry
health warnings in the same way that cigarette packages do. "I propose that
the ministries of health require the inclusion in condom packages and
advertisements, and in the apparatus or shelves where they are displayed, a
warning that the condom is not safe," Trujillo said. "This has been done
since some time ago with cigarettes, saying that the filter does not
guarantee protection."
Trujillo has also expressed his surprise over the reaction towards his
claims that condoms do not protect from HIV. "I imagined the subject was
better known. Instead, I am surprised with some of the reactions," he said.
"Among my concerns was my intention not to mislead people, especially the
youth, by making them think there is safety, where in fact safety is not
even proven," he added. "How many youths have taken the way toward
promiscuity, pushed by false hypotheses, and have fallen victims of this
pandemic?"
He said that "the distribution of condoms to children and adolescents" is "a
grave irresponsibility". He said only "an adequate orientation in sexuality"
and "an understanding of chastity" could overcome Aids "with certainty". The
Church, he said, "invites everyone to a formation in values, especially of
the youth, and the respect of the duties of the family, which are the only
true solutions to the problem".
The claims have been attacked by the World Health Organisation, which says
the statements are "false and dangerous". It says that condoms are the best
protection against HIV transmission, and has attacked the Vatican for using
the worldwide AIDS crisis as an opportunity to promote its
anti-contraception beliefs.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield Labour MP, Kali Mountford commented: "I am horrified
that crucial, life-saving education in the Third World is being undermined
by one of the world's big religions. This is beyond stupidity. It is
criminal."
Following the programme, the NSS has written to UN secretary-general Kofi
Annan, calling on him to strip the Vatican of its status of permanent
observer. In the letter, Keith Porteous Wood said:
"We write to draw your attention to the misinformed and malevolent stance of
the Vatican in relation to condoms and HIV/Aids. This was explored in a
recent BBC 1 programme entitled Sex and the Holy City, broadcast in the
Panorama series on 10 October 2003. (The transcript is on
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/programmes/panorama/transcripts/sexandtheholycity.txt).
"In view of the Vatican's policy of spreading disinformation about the
protection from disease afforded by condoms, and its attempt to prevent or
impede their distribution, sabotaging the fight against the disease in the
developing world, we are calling on you to strip the Vatican of its status
as a permanent observer at the United Nations.
"As you know, AIDS is now the principal cause of death in Africa. Yet the
United Nations' stated policy of fighting the Aids pandemic is being grossly
and deliberately undermined by the Vatican and its dogmatic refusal to
permit its followers the use of condoms. Restricted condom distribution and
false propaganda mean non-Catholics are also adversely affected. As a direct
result millions in Africa are dying long, drawn out and premature deaths. In
several countries an entire generation of wealth generators is being
decimated by this disease, reducing whole countries to poverty. There is no
doubt that the Vatican's actions are exacerbating this catastrophe.
"The "Holy See" has indicated on at least three occasions this year that it
intends to apply for full voting status at the UN. We wish to protest most
loudly against such a development.
"Until the Vatican stops its lethal anti-condom crusade, and reforms its
medieval attitudes to women's reproductive rights it does not deserve a
place at the UN table, where individual human rights should be paramount."
In another development, a poll of American Catholics conducted for the
Washington Post showed that nine out of ten consider condoms and birth
control pills morally acceptable. Only 40 per cent of them said that the
Pope had any influence over their religious beliefs or moral views. Three
quarters of those surveyed say the pope should have done more about priests
molesting minors and bishops covering up the problem.
NSS Honorary associate Polly Toynbee rains on the pope's parade
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1064740,00.html
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1064740,00.html>
And so does Simon Jenkins in The Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-857289,00.html
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-857289,00.html>
The Religious Right in the USA is also conducting a campaign against
condoms.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/15/opinion/15WED1.html?ex=1067290612&ei=1&en=146fc6b8776e0fda
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/15/opinion/15WED1.html?ex=1067290612&ei=1&en=146fc6b8776e0fda>
See also: Intellectual abstinence:
http://southend.wayne.edu/days/2003/October/10142003/oped/abstinence/abstinence.html
<http://southend.wayne.edu/days/2003/October/10142003/oped/abstinence/abstinence.html>
"POWER OF PRAYER" IS TWADDLE SAY SCIENTISTS
A three-year scientifically controlled study has failed to show that prayer
has any discernible effect on recovery from illness. The study, led by
cardiologists from Duke University Medical Centre in North Carolina,
involved 750 patients in nine hospitals and 12 prayer groups around the
world, from Christians in Manchester to Buddhists in Nepal. Prayers were
even emailed to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
An earlier, less extensive, research project had suggested that prayer could
significantly improve recovery rates in the sick.
Over three years, 750 patients awaiting angioplasty, a procedure to clear
obstructions from their arteries, were recruited for the experiment. Names
selected at random by a computer were sent to the prayer groups, who began
praying immediately for their recovery. Neither the hospital staff nor the
patients or their relatives knew who was being prayed for. An analysis of
the results found that there were no significant differences in the recovery
and health of the patients.
As soon as the results were announced, apologists began the campaign to
rubbish the results. The Rev Leslie Francis, professor of practical theology
at the University of Wales, said two major experiments in 1988 and 1999 had
found prayer to have a beneficial effect. "In medical research one expects
divergent results, so it is premature to affirm or dismiss the power of
prayer in healing. But if the pharmaceutical industry was getting these
sorts of results they would be investing a great deal of money in the
research."
The Bishop of Durham, the Rev Tom Wright said: "Prayer is not a
penny-in-the-slot machine. You can't just put a coin in and get chocolate.
This is like setting an exam for God to see whether God will pass or not."
Naturally when the previous - apparently successful - results were
announced, the churches were quick to hail them as proof that God was
listening.
However, the patchy results seemed to indicate that God favoured the health
of some over others; anything less than 100% success for prayer would
illustrate that God is capricious and selective, not to mention vindictive.
Everyman: Does Prayer Work? is on BBC2 on Thursday 23 October at 9pm.
NSS Vice president Terry Sanderson will be discussing this issue on BBC
Radio Scotland on the Gary Robertson show on Tuesday morning. Exact timings
have yet to be confirmed, but the show runs between 10-11.30am
AMERICAN GENERAL SAYS BUSH IS GOD'S CHOICE FOR WHITE HOUSE
Pentagon leaders have spoken up in support of a top general who has told
church audiences that the war on terrorism is a battle with Satan and that
Muslims worship idols.
Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin has made several speeches -- some in uniform
-- at evangelical Christian churches in which he described President Bush's
"war on terrorism" in religious terms. Boykin said of a 1993 battle with a
Muslim militia leader in Somalia: "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I
knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
General Boykin is also alleged to have told another gathering: "Why is this
man [Bush] in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for
him. He's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as
this."
Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said on Thursday he had not seen
Boykin's comments, but he praised the three-star general, who is the
Pentagon's deputy undersecretary of defence for intelligence. "He is an
officer that has an outstanding record in the United States armed forces,"
Rumsfeld said at a news conference.
Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he had
spoken in uniform at prayer breakfasts, adding he did not think Boykin broke
any military rules by giving talks at churches. "There is a very wide grey
area on what the rules permit," Myers said. "At first blush, it doesn't look
like any rules were broken."
But Senator Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island said he had not been aware of
Boykin's statements as reported in the news media, then added, "If that's
accurate, to me it's deplorable."
A Muslim civil rights group on Thursday called for Boykin to be reassigned.
"Putting a man with such extremist views in a critical policy-making
position sends entirely the wrong message to a Muslim world that is already
sceptical about America's motives and intentions," said Nihad Awad,
executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Awad's statement noted that a verse in the Quran says Muslims believe in the
same God as Jews and Christians.
Boykin's church speeches, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, cast the
war on terrorism as a religious battle between Christians and the forces of
evil. Appearing in dress uniform before a religious group in Oregon in June,
Boykin said Islamic extremists hate the United States "because we're a
Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian.
.... And the enemy is a guy named Satan."
Rumsfeld on Thursday repeated the Bush administration position that the war
on terrorism is not a war against Islam but against people "who have tried
to hijack a religion."
See also: Is George W. Bush God's president?
http://www.observer.com/pages/story.asp?ID=5333
<http://www.observer.com/pages/story.asp?ID=5333>
CANADA'S SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST ALLOWING RELIGIOUS INTERVENERS
from Ellen Ramsay, our Canada correspondent
On October 9 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against allowing two
religious coalitions to act as interveners in the gay marriage bill which
the court is considering. A five-judge panel rejected the application of the
Interfaith Coalition on Marriage and the Family, and the Association for
Marriage and the Family in Ontario to challenge the same-sex legislation
sitting before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is now expected to make
a decision by April on the three reference questions the government has
placed before it.
The first reference question put before the Supreme Court asks if the draft
legislation respects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The second
question asks for clarification of federal and provincial jurisdiction on
matters of marriage. The third question before the Court is the government's
concession to religious groups asking "Does the freedom of religion
guaranteed by the Charter protect religious officials from being compelled
to perform a marriage between two persons of the same sex that is contrary
to their religious beliefs?" The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada has stated "By expanding the definition of marriage to recognize the
union of same sex couples, we are recognizing that all Canadians have
equality rights under the Charter". The groups that sought to challenge the
draft bill in the Supreme Court included Focus on the Family Canada, REAL
Women of Canada and the Canadian Family Action Coalition.
Despite the apparent progress of the reference question before the Supreme
Court, the Liberal government of Jean Chretien has taken a slow route
towards the initiation of same sex marriage rights. As critics point out,
the bill could have been put to parliament without going to the Supreme
Court, and even now that it is before the Supreme Court there is nothing
preventing the government from introducing the bill to the legislature.
Secondly, rather than putting the bill to a free vote of parliament, the
bill could be passed as a regular bill and voted for along party lines. The
situation remains then that the bill could theoretically be passed fairly
soon if the government decided to proceed with the introduction of the
legislation. However, if the government waits until the Supreme Court
ruling, it could be delayed until next spring.
In the meantime, in British Columbia and Ontario there have been
approximately 1,000 gay marriages since these provincial jurisdictions
allowed them last spring. Many of the weddings took place at Toronto City
Hall, including those of some Americans visiting Canada for their nuptials.
Many gay advocates remain optimistic about the bill including Alex Munter of
Canadians for Equal Marriage, who stated "The Supreme Court of Canada has
ruled that the equality provisions of the Charter apply to ALL segments of
Canadian society."
useful websites:
www.equal-marriage.ca <http://www.equal-marriage.ca> (pro-gay marriage)
www.egale.ca <http://www.egale.ca> (pro)
www.samesexmarriage.ca <http://www.samesexmarriage.ca> (pro)
www.fotf.ca <http://www.fotf.ca> (anti)
www.familyaction.org <http://www.familyaction.org> (anti)
www.realwomenca.com <http://www.realwomenca.com> (anti)
See also: Church split over gay bishop
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3199156.stm
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3199156.stm>
AMERICAN RELIGIOSITY AND SUPERSTITION CONFIRMED IN POLL
Fox News in the USA has released the results of a survey just completed,
revealing that 92 percent of Americans say they believe in God, 85 percent
in heaven and 82 percent in miracles.
Though belief in God remained at the same level from earlier surveys, belief
in the devil increased from 63 percent in 1997 to 71 percent today. About a
third of Americans believe in ghosts (34 percent) and an equal number in
UFOs (34 percent), and about a quarter accept astrology (29 percent),
reincarnation (25 percent) and witches (24 percent).
An interesting gender gap was found on many of these topics. Women are more
likely than men to believe in miracles (12 percentage point higher), and
eight points more likely to believe in heaven. Not surprising to skeptics,
the significant gender difference exception was for belief in UFOs, at 39
percent of men compared to 30 percent of women.
Age also revealed differences, with 86 percent of adults between the ages of
18 to 34 believing in hell, which drops to 68 percent for those over age 70.
Similarly, 79 percent of 18 to 34 year olds believe in the devil compared to
67 percent of the over-70 age group.
Not surprising given the traditional split between conservatives and
liberals on so many social issues and attitudes, Republicans are more likely
than Democrats to say they believe in God (by eight percentage points), in
heaven (by 10 points), in hell (by 15 points), and considerably more likely
to believe in the devil (by 17 points).
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they believe in
reincarnation (by 14 percentage points), in astrology (by 14 points), in
ghosts (by eight points) and UFOs (by five points).
Equally distressing for nonbelievers, most Americans think religion plays
too small a role in people's lives today (69 percent), with only 15 percent
saying it plays too large a role and seven percent saying "about right." In
a related finding, over a third (37 percent) say they attend church,
synagogue or other place of worship at least once a week, 13 percent almost
every week, 12 percent about once a month and 19 percent seldom attend.
Three percent attend on holidays and 15 percent never attend.
INTERNATIONAL SURVEY SHOWS RELIGION STILL HAS IRON GRIP
Religious believers around the world are convinced that it is not their
religion that causes the violence and unrest that plagues them, but
politics.
The thousands of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims surveyed in
Israel, India, South Korea, the United States, and other areas, also said
they thought that a greater concentration on religion would improve their
countries.
"There is so much association of religion with strife in the news," said
William Green, a religion professor at the University of Rochester in New
York, and a leader of the study, which was published yesterday. This survey
indicates "we may be missing a broader dimension" of the picture, he said.
"The notion that people think the more religious society will help a country
certainly suggests that they're not afraid of religion," Green told a news
conference about the poll, conducted in eleven countries by the University
of Rochester and Zogby International.
In India, torn by frequent Hindu-Muslim violence, 65 percent of Muslims and
55 percent of Hindus said they disagreed that religion was the source of
trouble and unrest.
Read more of the Zogby survey here:
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=746
<http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=746>
RELIGIOUS MADNESS PROVOKES MURDER AND RETRIBUTION
A court in south eastern Iran has upheld the death sentence for a gang of
six men who confessed to killing five people in the name of "Islamic
morality", the Iranian Etemad newspaper said on Thursday.
The men, aged between 18 and 22, killed some of their victims last year by
tying them up and throwing them into a swimming pool or by stoning them to
death to "eliminate vice on the earth", the paper reported.
Earlier this year, a trial held behind closed doors sentenced the six to
death. But the case was sent to another court after they objected to the
sentence, saying the killings were religiously motivated. "The second court
said there was no evidence that the victims were in any way corrupt and
approved the first ruling," the paper said.
The killers earlier confessed to murdering the five people. They said they
committed the murders to fight against moral corruption and promote virtue.
The paper quoted an informed source as saying the men would be publicly
hanged.
NSS WELCOMES MICHAEL CASHMAN MEP AS HONORARY ASSOCIATE
Michael Cashman, MEP for the West Midlands and a member of the Labour
Party's National Executive, has accepted an invitation to become an honorary
association of the National Secular Society. Michael said he was "deeply
honoured" to be added to our impressive list of distinguished supporters.
Michael is a vigorous campaigner on a whole raft of progressive issues and
worked hard to try to ensure that the European Employment Directive was
fairly implemented. He is supporting unions and others in their challenges
to the wide-ranging religious exemptions granted in the British regulations.
You can read about Michael's work here
http://www.michaelcashmanmep.org.uk/aboutmichael.htm
<http://www.michaelcashmanmep.org.uk/aboutmichael.htm>
One of our other honorary associates, Evan Harris MP, was in the news this
week when he stepped down from his post as health spokesman for the Liberal
Democrats. Evan revealed that his girlfriend has been diagnosed with a brain
tumour, and he wanted to spend more time with her. He will continue on the
back benches and his commitment to the NSS is undiminished.
COMPOSER SAYS ART IS NOTHING WITHOUT RELIGION
The composer James MacMillan said last week that all the most influential
and successful composers of the past hundred years have been religious. Mr
MacMillan wrote in the Guardian that the combination of "progress" and
"atheism" have been resisted by modernist composers who have turned inward
for inspiration and have drawn on religious traditions, much to the chagrin
and annoyance of "Dawkins-esque fundamentalists". He says that Shostakovich,
Stravinsky, Henryk Górecki, Arvo Pärt and Giya Kancheli are all deeply
religious and reflect this in their music. He dismisses non-belief by
quoting the Australian poet Les Murray:
Snobs mind us off religion
nowadays, if they can.
***** them. I wish you God.
Mr MacMillan ends by saying of Richard Strauss - a self-declared
non-believer: "The atheist composer gives no hint of realisation that the
secular modernity he so assiduously craved has been up to its neck in the
major catastrophes of the 20th century. On the other hand, those artists
with profound religious sensibilities... have looked into the centre of this
abyss and seen it for what it was. In their dark nights of the soul, they
recognise the moral blindness at the heart of 'progress' and point with
their music to its redemption through spiritual renewal."
You can read the whole article here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1060454,00.html
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1060454,00.html>
WORRIES AS IRAQ REJECTS SECULARISM AND HEADS FOR THEOCRACY
As the new post-Saddam Iraqi government takes shape, there is growing
agreement among many in the administration that the country is much more
likely to become an Islamic than a secular democracy.
With the U.N. resolution moving forward - and the United States already
signalling a willingness to give Iraqis at least more symbolic autonomy -
attention will soon shift to drafting a constitution, which seems highly
unlikely to declare Iraq a secular democracy.
Conversations with various officials reveal that civilian administrator Paul
Bremer and State Department officials - who serve as his principal advisers
- are not planning to push for a clause in the new Iraqi constitution that
would guarantee a secular democracy. This, despite the disturbing rise in
notoriety - and possibly popularity - of Moktada al-Sadr, whom the New York
Times describes as a "radical, anti-American Shi'ite cleric."
State Department officials stressed that they would work to ensure that laws
guaranteeing religious freedom would be passed to supplement any
constitution that named Islam as Iraq's official religion. But, as many
critics of such an approach are quick to point out, laws tend to be much
more ephemeral and less permanent than constitutional provisions.
Even with legal protections, religious minorities such as Assyrian
Christians and the Yezidis (who are neither Muslim nor Christian nor Jewish)
have great reason to worry if Iraq becomes an Islamic state, given the
history of persecution experienced by religious minorities throughout the
Muslim world.
Drawing largely upon the advice and counsel of State Department officials -
who comprise the bulk of Mr. Bremer's support staff - the civilian
administrator placed a number of avowed Islamists on the IGC. When Secretary
of State Colin Powell ventured to Iraq last month, the only member of the
IGC he met with individually (apart from the secretary of state's
counterpart) was Islamist Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, spokesman in the 1990s for the
Dawa Party, which is responsible for the 1983 bombing of the embassy in
Kuwait that killed six and injured dozens.
At a hearing about whether or not the United States would insist that Iraq
become a secular democracy, Mr. Bremer said, "the Iraqis are writing this
constitution, not me." That prompted one frustrated administration official
to ask, "Who is Bremer referring to, the Islamists he stacked the council
with?"
The State Department has long been obsessed with stability and not
challenging conventional wisdom. With the apparent rise of Islamists - at
least that's the perception created by the media - the State Department is
more likely to accommodate them than to ward them off with even stronger
guarantees of secular governance in the constitution. And, the ever-present
violence - particularly the assassination of one of the 25 members of the
IGC-makes it much less likely that the secularists on the council will fight
vigorously for an Islam-free constitution. One administration official
warned: "We are heading down a very dangerous path."
See also: Iraqi cleric emerges as tricky enemy for US
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=454156
<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=454156>
SCOTTISH ARCHBISHOP BROUGHT INTO LINE BY THE VATICAN
Monsignor Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh and one of
the few outspoken liberals among cardinals recently appointed by the Pope,
has suddenly lurched to the right and begun agreeing with the orthodox line
on issues on which he had previously dissented - such as priestly celibacy
and homosexuality. His spokesman now says that previous pronouncements on
these issues were "taken out of context" and "misinterpreted".
He denied that the Vatican had forced him to recant.
Archbishop O'Brien was until now regarded as "open minded", and caused some
controversy when he attended a Vatican Synod in 1999 and questioned the
Church's ban on married or homosexual priests. He said at that time that
there could be no compromise on issues such as abortion. "But other matters
of church law - and celibacy by priests is one of those sorts of things -
can be discussed." He also said then that he was not opposed to homosexual
priests provided they led a celibate life.
A spokesman for the archbishop said there had been an attempt to make it
appear that he was opposed to Church policy. Now the archbishop has been
quoted as saying: "I accept and intend to defend the law on ecclesiastical
celibacy as proposed by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, I accept and
promise to defend the ecclesiastical teaching on the immorality of the
homosexual act, and I accept and promise to promulgate always and everywhere
what the Magisterium teaches on contraception".
A liberal pressure group, the Catholic Truth Society, said Archbishop
O'Brien had been forced to make the statement. But his spokesman, Peter
Kearney, insisted that there had been "no question whatsoever of external
pressure".
LETTERS TO NEWSLINE
Got something to share with other Newsline readers? Write to
<mailto:>
From Jennifer Hynes:
Whilst doing a spot of rummaging on the web, I came across this little gem
on the aol.co.uk "Mediaspace Guidelines" page
(http://www.aol.co.uk/mediaspace/guidelines/
<http://www.aol.co.uk/mediaspace/guidelines/> ), 'AOL may sell
advertisements to religious organizations to call attention to lectures,
meetings, or crusades.' Crusades?? One wonders if AOL UK have any Jewish or
Muslim customers at all with "guidelines" such as this. Any other readers
know of a crusade being planned? Anybody know where we can get tickets?
From: Ivan Galliano:
I have been following an unusual (to me) phenomenon. In any inward looking
or cut off community, where a siege mentality could be seen to prevail,
normal intelligent people undergo a strange metamorphosis when religion
makes its presence felt. All logic and common sense seems to disappear and
you end up with a motley group of pious worshippers with glazed eyes fixed
firmly on the heavens above. Perhaps the best way to start school children
on the road to atheism would be to incorporate Robert Green Ingersoll's
works into their religious studies, starting with his brilliantly clear,
concise (and still relevant) essay on The Gods (from his Lectures and
Essays), particularly the excerpt on God and Evil (Humanist Anthology 1995).
It certainly worked for me.
From Fiona Weir:
With regard to the correspondence about the wearing of veils and
headscarves, has anyone considered the health aspects of young girls
covering themselves from head to foot and blocking out the action of
sunlight on their skin - essential for the production of Vitamin D? It is a
medical fact that such vitamin deficiency can lead to osteoporosis.
Besides which, revealing to the world their "god-given" hair is not an
incitement to rape, and nor is the wearing of ordinary, non-provocative
clothes, such as those favoured by most women.
From Siremewan Ganepola:
I read with interest the arrogant and unrealistic attitude of the catholic
church towards condoms and the repercussions in HIV Aids. In the short term
it will lead to suffering and death among those who follow these rules. I
can't help feeling good that in the long term it will help enlighten people
and help them escape the clutches of the church. Either way the church is
signing its own death certificate.
From Barry Thorpe:
If the churches want a mention of Christianity in the EU constitution so
badly, why not oblige, with something like this:
"The European Union recognises the right of its citizens to practise their
respective religions provided that these practices do not conflict with the
universal declaration of human rights, and acknowledges the various roles
played by religious - particularly Christian - beliefs in the long bloody
history of Europe, beliefs which at different times and in different places
greatly affected cultural and artistic endeavour, and brought forth
belligerent and oppressive regimes. Since one of the purposes of the Union
is to ensure that the nations of Europe do not make war on each other ever
again, its governance must be secular, not subject to the divisive
influences of rival religious faiths. Furthermore, the nations of Europe are
no longer homogenously of one faith (however many varieties), and will
increasingly be less so. It is therefore all the more important that the
authorities of the EU shall be seen by people of any faith and of none as
being above partisan religious influences."
But then the churches' favourite dish always has been regurgitated gateau
LETTERS TO OTHER EDITORS
From John Haughey to Eureka Street (an Australian Jesuit magazine of liberal
leaning):
Recently the Vatican issued what has been aptly termed "a call to arms" to
all Catholics. Clearly the Vatican believes that homosexual activity is not
only wrong but also deserving of a public, Catholic condemnation.
This belief is at odds with its attitude to paedophile activity. Until the
secular press forced it to change its mind, the Vatican believed that some
paedophile activity deserved not public condemnation, but silence and a
cover-up. This inconsistency does not trouble the Vatican, but it troubles
many Catholics who, apparently, are expected by the Vatican to rally to the
call and add our condemnation to its own.
The Vatican, of course, would not have noticed it, but many Catholics are
still trying, day by day, to live down the shame of belonging to a Church
whose spiritual directors covered up for paedophiles and, when eventually
caught, tried to represent their part in that worldwide disaster as no more
than "an error of judgment".
So we are not in the mood for condemning homosexual activity or
partnerships. We have no desire to flourish the Vatican's condemnation in
public debate, for that would only add to our shame since it would leave us
open and without an answer to the charge of hypocrisy.
VICE PRESIDENT ON RADIO 2
Vice President Terry Sanderson was on the Jeremy Vine programme on Radio 2
on Wednesday, joining in the debate "Should the Church of England be
abolished". Terry did not mince his words, even though the wording of the
question was silly. He made the point that disestablishment was the least we
wanted, with the bishops out of the House of Lords and religion out of
schools.
When asked whether the Church of England was "out of date" Terry pointed to
the "summit" of bigots being held that day in Lambeth Palace and referred to
it as a "gay bashing jamboree".
NSS STORY APPEARS ON TOP LEGAL SITE
The NSS's intention to mount a legal challenge on the subject of
discriminatory school transport was reported this week by Butterworth's a
leading legal information website. Access Butterworth's here
http://lexisnexis.butterworths.co.uk/law/index.htm
<http://lexisnexis.butterworths.co.uk/law/index.htm>
The story, which appeared on the 15 October, may not still be available to
non-subscribers.
MUGS A GOGO
We continue with our popular feature Very Important Questions Concerning
Mugs (and other atheistic merchandise). This week a reader enquires: Are
they of excellent quality and lasting value?
Answer: We will try not to take offence at the suggestion that these
products are in any way inferior or cutpenny. You can be assured that when
you purchase these items they have been manufactured to the highest
specifications. Only the very best materials have been used. In fact our
materials are so superior that they have to be accompanied by at least one,
but more likely two, adjectives each. The clay from which our mugs are made,
for instance, is first-grade Italian. Our character portraits are
exquisitely detailed, our tea-towels are 100%, first grade cotton etc. etc.
The mugs are brilliantly evocative, romantic and, at the same time,
utilitarian. Although many people want to put them in their china cabinet,
and light them for subtle effect, others prefer to use them for their
intended purpose - i.e. for the quaffing of beverages. Unlike mugs that are
purchased from other outlets - particularly ecclesiastical tourist centres -
tea definitely tastes better from our mugs. A scientific test showed that
coffee, when drunk from souvenir mugs purchased in cathedrals, was six times
more likely to dribble and cause scalding and damage to clothing. Atheist
mugs, on the other hand, were ten times safer - and dishwasher proof with
it.
Our teatowels and notelets, too, knock those sold at National Trust
properties into a cocked hat. Who wants to take tea while gazing at a
stately home when you could be gazing intellectually at one of our Heroes of
Atheism?
Next week: Why can't I buy these from up-market outlets on Bond Street?
Now, rush to your handbag/ wallet, obtain your credit card and click here
for full particulars www.secularism.org.uk/merchant.htm
<http://www.secularism.org.uk/merchant.htm> (alternatively send cheque or
postal order with full particulars of your name and address and which
merchandise you require to NSS Merchandise, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R
4RL)
NEWS SHORTS
Simpsons to boost church-going. Not. A Scottish church is to run a course on
the Gospel according to The Simpsons in another doomed attempt to boost
congregations. Church leaders at Holburn West Church in Aberdeen say the
adventures of Homer and his family are an ideal way to explore moral and
religious dilemmas. The Rev George Cowie, spokesman for the Presbytery in
Aberdeen, said: "Despite its anarchic humour, The Simpsons is one of the few
television programmes which portrays a modern family who attend church
regularly. The course at Holburn West will endeavour to close the gap with
popular culture, and it is open to anyone who wishes to learn more about the
Christian faith." What Reverend Cowie seems to have overlooked is the fear
and contempt in which the Church is held by most of the Simpsons.
Christian secularist wants welcoming ceremony out of church. The deputy
mayor of Bollington, near Macclesfield, Cheshire, says that she wants the
annual civic service to be held in the civic centre rather than a church so
that people from ethnic minorities can attend. Councillor Shirley Socket, a
Liberal Democrat, said: "I am a Christian, but others are not. We have
people from other backgrounds." The town council's standing orders require
the welcoming service to be held in a church. Mrs Socket wants them amended
to "...or any other venue"
MEP launches God-in-constitution petition. Connaught/Ulster MEP and former
Eurovision Song Contest hopeful Dana Rosemary Scallon, has launched a
campaign to gather one million signatures tcalling for a reference to God
and Christianity to be inserted into the preamble of the EU constitution.
The MEP says the role of God is very much part of our European heritage.
Dana Scallon says a reference to God will offend nobody. The NSS disagrees.
More payouts to Church abuse victims. The Roman Catholic diocese of
Bridgeport, Connecticut, has reached a $21 million settlement involving 40
claims of sexual abuse. The diocese has agreed to pay the 40 people who
alleged that 16 priests abused them when they were children, lawyers said.
EVENTS
The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) is holding its annual
reunion lunch this year on 15 November in the heart of London's Soho. The
event is open to non-members and friends, who will be welcome to this
always-congenial event. Pre-booking is essential. The cost is £12 and the
event starts at 12.30pm. For more information please call GALHA's secretary,
George Broadhead on 01926 858450 or email
<mailto:>
TV RECOMMENDATIONS
Psychic Secrets Revealed (8.30pm tonight on Channel 5)
Last in the this fascinating series shows you how you can "psychically" bend
keys, just like Uri Geller (only you won't be using psychic powers - just
like Uri Geller doesn't). There's also expert instruction in firewalking and
telekinesis.
Conversations with Rowan Williams (7.30 Channel 4 tonight)
Stanley Unwin impersonator talks about the role of religious belief in the
world today. To kill people manly, we would think.
Add your voice to that of others who are alarmed at the resurgence of
religion in public life.
Join on-line at http://www.secularism.org.uk/join.htm
<http://www.secularism.org.uk/join.htm> - where you can also get a postal
application.
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To join the National Secular Society go to www.secularism.org.uk/join.htm
<http://www.secularism.org.uk/join.htm>
---------
Archdeacom Levy Oates
On behalf of the Prophet Eric Peabody (pbuh)
Basingstoke, England
http://www.angelfire.com/alt/bumblism/
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