Weekly news and views from Britain and around the world.
Previous Newslines can be found at:
http://www.secularism.org.uk/newsline.htm
NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY
NEWSLINE
8 August 2003
www.secularism.org.uk
Quotes of the week
"Throughout history, we have seen the effects of radical religious leaders
gaining control over their respective masses. People have proven religion
and politics make poor bedfellows. For Bush to think his personal beliefs
are what's best for every single individual is a dangerous and un-American
thought, at best"
(Dave Ring, Texas Tech University)
Essays of the week:
Religious zealotry and the crisis of American democracy.
(Khoren Arisian, Open Democracy)
http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article-3-77-1394.jsp
Why do Europe and the US have different attitudes to religion?
Fascinating attempt to get to the bottom of the divide.
(Sunspot.net)
http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.journal03aug03,0,5973247.column?coll=bal-nationworld-utility
Banning gay unions is a religious thing.
(O. Ricardo, Arizona Republic)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0805pimentel05.html
PLEASE PASS THIS ISSUE ON TO ANYONE YOU THINK MIGHT BE INTERESTED. THANKS.
LITTLE ENTHUSIASM FOR BLAIR'S MIX OF POLITICS AND RELIGION.
Picking up a story that Newsline readers had seen on 18 July, the Observer
revealed last week that Prime Minister Tony Blair has ordered the formation
of a "Working group" of ministers and religious leaders to ensure that
"faith communities" have an input on Government policy-making. The NSS waded
in to raise the alarm as widely as possible, but Graham Dale, Director of
the Christian Socialist Movement (of which Mr Blair is a leading member)
hailed the development as a "blow to secularism".
In a statement, Mr Dale said: "As the 2001 census revealed, four in every
five people in Britain align themselves with one of the majority faiths. The
Government is now willing to engage with people of faith in every area of
public life. It therefore represents a blow to secularism.
Mr Dale said the Working Group "raises to a new level the recognition of the
faith factor in Government consultation. It is a timely response to the
continuing vitality of faith in every area of public life and politics." Mr
Dale says the Group will not have a narrow focus and will range right across
Government.
But "Monsignor" Bruce Kent, the peace campaigner, worried about the
development for a different reason. He thinks it will result in religious
bodies becoming "answerable" for their actions to Government. "There are
already a myriad connections between the Government and the churches," he
said, "an awful lot is already rendered to Caesar. I am not saying that
Churches shouldn't work with the Government, but they have to be able to do
it on their own terms, rather than coming under the Government's thumb."
The news was greeted with outrage from many quarters and prompted NSS
honorary associate Alice Mahon, MP for Halifax, to write the following
letter to Mr Blair:
"I was deeply concerned to read the report by Kamal Ahmed in Sunday's
Observer about your intention to allow Christian organisations and other
'faith groups' a central role in policy making at the highest level of
Government.
"One of the huge strengths of our democracy has been the separation of
religion and politics and along with many other democrats I believe this is
a very dangerous path to take. Can I ask when this decision was taken, and
by whom? As this involvement in Labour policy making is not included in our
present manifesto, is there a proposal going to Annual Conference to ask the
Party to endorse this major change?
"On behalf of the taxpayer, can I also ask who will be funding the expenses
for what has been described as a 'new high powered ministerial grouping'? It
is stated in the article that religion will be injected across Whitehall,
would you spell out the implications of this statement?
"When Parliament returns on 8th September I believe it is vital that the PLP
are given a full explanation of this change of policy, Finally, as a member
of the National Secular Society I feel very strongly that any privileges
given to religious organisations are anti democratic.
"I would always defend the right for any believer of a religion to worship
freely and without fear of interference from the State. However, I also
demand the right to live in a free and democratic society free from the
value system of another's religion.
"This attempt to devolve our democratic process to unelected, often
unrepresentative, faith groups is irresponsible at best and downright
dangerous at worst."
The story created a lot of media interest, and the Executive Director
appeared on BBC News 24, LBC and several local radio stations around the
country. Here is a selection of the international print coverage:
And on the seventh day Blair created.a theocracy.
Observer takes up Newsline story.
(Kamel Ahmed, Observer, 3 August 2003)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1011460,00.html
A place for religion in Blair's politics.
NSS quoted.
(Straits Times, 4 August 2003)
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,203056,00.html
Evangelicals get Whitehall role.
NSS quoted.
(Paul Waugh, Independent, 4 August 2003)
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=430323
Heaven protect us from Labour's New Age posturing.
(Mick Hume, The Times, 4 August 2003)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-766366,00.html
Faith groups get bigger policy role
(BBCi, 4 August 2003)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3122615.stm
Britain mulls faith-based initiatives,
(Mike Wendling, CNSNews, 4 August 2003)
http://www.cnsnews.com/ForeignBureaus.asp
You can also hear NSS Executive Director Keith Porteous Wood talking on this
topic on BBC Radio Solent at 9.15 tomorrow morning (Saturday) and on BBC
Radio Gloucestershire on Sunday morning at 8.10am.
VATICAN ORDERED PRIESTS TO COVER UP SEX ABUSE.
A Vatican document written 40 years ago lays out a strict church policy that
calls for absolute secrecy over sexual abuse of children by priests.
The document, written in 1962 by a member of the curia, was stored in the
secret archives of the Vatican and presumably approved by Pope John XXIII .
It instructs all bishops to pursue cases of abuse and sexual misbehaviour
"in a most secretive way, restrained by a perpetual silence under the
penalty of excommunication"
It requires all parties, including the victim, to observe what is called the
secret of the holy office and gives the formula for taking that oath. A
person must "promise sacredly, vow and swear, to observe inviolably the
secret under the pain of excommunication."
Carmen Durso, a US attorney for abuse victims said: "I call it a blueprint
for obstruction of justice". Durso has asked the U.S. attorney general to
review the document with the hope that it can be used to criminally
prosecute church hierarchy. "If you have an ongoing conspiracy and the
conspiracy continues onto the present years - and we say it has - then
everybody who took part in the conspiracy can be prosecuted and the statute
of limitations does not become a problem in prosecuting the crime".
US Attorney Eric MacLeish, who also represents hundreds of clergy sex abuse
victims, said however that the document has to be put in perspective. He
said that since the '80s, some American bishops began implementing reforms
for dealing with the problem.
Durso believes the document has been study material for every seminarian.
"Anyone who can read the plain English here will come away with the
conclusion that this is a document that says when you hear about people
being sexually abused it's a secret, you hide the documents, in some
instances you even destroy the documents. That's wrong, and it's got to
stop," Durso said.
DISTRIBUTING POPE'S GAY DIATRIBE COULD CONSTITUTE A HATE CRIME
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties says it will prosecute any priests
found distributing or quoting the Pope's anti-gay document under hate crime
legislation.
Any clergy found handling the 12-page document, released last week as a
statement of the Catholic Church's response to gay marriages, will face
charges under the country's hatred legislation, reports suggest.
Although the document itself is not illegal, it could lead to an increase in
hatred, the Council said, and by stirring up hatred in the parish, the
clergy could face jail terms of six months.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Cardinal Ratzinger, the pope's
"enforcer" and the author of the document was a member of the Hitler Youth
in his home region of Bavaria. According to The Sunday Times, Ratzinger was
in the Hitler Youth Movement until 1945, when he suddenly decided that
Hitler was the "antichrist".
He was held as a prisoner of war by American forces, and after his release
made his way through Catholic ranks now to be head of the modern Inquisition
and enforcing strict Catholic doctrine on errant priests.
He also condemns other religions as false and says that the media has
exaggerated the extent of paedophilia in the Catholic Church.
Read a non-too-respectful biography of Cardinal Ratzinger (known, apparently
as the Panzerkardinal in Germany) here:
http://www.newint.org/issue327/worldbeaters.htm
THEOLOGY COURSES AXED: STUDENTS FIND GOD BORING.
The University of Gloucestershire - which was founded as a religious
institution - has axed a host of courses in theology and religious studies
because, it says, modern students "find God boring".
Resources from the axed courses will be ploughed into 15 more popular - and
useful - undergraduate courses including English language and journalism and
professional writing degrees. Local "faith leaders" are, naturally whingeing
about the cuts and are to lobby the University Council on September 19th.
According to the university's Vice Principal, Dr Peter Easy, "The number of
theology students nationally is dropping and we only have about 80 on the
course on all three years".
Thirty-five universities around the country waste time and money providing
courses in how to disseminate fairy stories - or theology and religious
studies as they prefer to call it - including Cambridge, Oxford and Durham."
See also: Pass notes: God (Guardian 8 August 2003)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1014400,00.html
FEATURE: RECONFIGURING GALILEO
MURIEL FRASER looks at the current attempts by Catholic propagandists to
rewrite history.
The tale of how the Church forced the aged Galileo - under threat of
torture - to deny the truth has always been a bit of an embarrassment to the
Vatican. In fact, the Catholic education site contains half a dozen
intriguingly different attempts to "reinterpret" this event.
Typical of the genre is The Galileo Affair by George Sim Johnston, a pat
little tract from Scepter Press, ("Your Source for books and videos about
Opus Dei"). Johnston calls the treatment of Galileo "one of the historical
bludgeons that are used to beat on the Church", and manages to imply that
the Church is the victim. He goes on to depict Galileo as a bully, "intent
on ramming Copernicus down the throat of Christendom" and the Inquisition -
excuse me, the "Holy Office" - as a benign body whose "threat of torture was
[a] pure formality". Johnston's conclusion is upbeat: "...It is striking how
modern physics is playing catch-up with Catholic dogma." (1)
It is also striking how closely another account adheres to the same party
line, even though it purports to be an impartial re-examination of the case.
This is Wade Rowland's glossy new book, Galileo's Mistake. Its refrain is
familiar: our scientific world view is badly in need of "moral ballast"
(from guess who) and, naturally, quantum theory and Gödel's theorem "lead us
right back in a loop to where the Church was in the seventeenth century...."
(2)
For Rowland the central question is: "Why did the Church formally and
vehemently reject Copernicanism, even though it harboured strong suspicions
of its validity?"
Well, let's see now - could it possibly have been because it wanted to hold
on to power? Rowland, however, argues that the far-sighted Church was
principally concerned to preserve us from godless materialism, lest it lead
to all our modern woes. (3) He feels that even our contemporary social
problems lead us right back in a loop to where the Church was in the
seventeenth century....
No one appears to have thought of asking a physicist to comment on Rowland's
interpretation of physics. Luckily, however, the book did get reviewed for
the New York Times by the award-winning investigative journalist and author,
Michael Massing, who is currently writing a book about the Protestant
Reformation. Massing noted tartly that Rowland "is, in essence, arguing for
a kinder, gentler Inquisition. He doesn't pull it off." Furthermore, Massing
has generously allowed his piece to be posted free of charge as a customer's
review on the Amazon site. He gives the book one star out of five. (4)
The disturbing thing about this book is that, unlike Johnston's little tract
which was strictly for the Faithful, Rowland's propaganda has successfully
made it into the mainstream. The book "skilfully weaves history, biography,
science writing, and philosophical overviews into the comfortable
familiarity of a travel narrative". (5)
Rowland is in a good position to create an attractive package, as he has
worked extensively in television, and he's in a good position to launch the
book, as he now holds a Canadian chair for something called "Ethics in
Communication". He also comes across as impressively clever because he has
mastered Postmodern, accent-free. Here is a sample:
Rowland: "We've lost the idea that we're constantly creating the world
around us, which means of course that we're part of it ...it is part of us
and ... we're part of it... We're all the one thing!"
Interviewer: "Absolutely!" (6)
A propagandist's ultimate aim is to be able to dispense with overt
proselytising and spread his doctrine as an aerosol, whose source cannot be
traced. His message is "in the air" and we simply take it for granted. This
is what is happening to Church propaganda against science.
In revising the story of Galileo, the Church is trying to lessen the
influence of science, both as a body of independent knowledge and as a
critical way of thinking. It knows full well that science sets us free.
Notes
1. http://catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0005.html Another
attempt to exonerate the Church and blame Galileo is sketched in a book
review by Wade Rowland on the same site.
(http://catholiceducation.org/articles/science/sc0044.html)
2. http://www.galileosmistake.com/media/interview-galileo-ciut.html
3. http://www.waderowland.com/galileo/galileo-chapt1c.html .also posted are
parts 1a.html and 1b.html
4.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1559706848/002-4518270-8120044
5. http://www.waderowland.com/reviews/reviews-galileo.html
6. http://www.galileosmistake.com/media/interview-galileo-ciut.html (Rowland
really wows 'em - in Canada, at any rate. (For descriptions of him as "a
mental force field", etc., etc.: http://www.waderowland.com/author.html)
Mel Gibson also reopens old wounds with his eccentric film about the
crucifixion of Jesus - the old wounds being among American Jews who see
sinister anti-Semitic undertones. More here:
http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/generic.cgi?template=articleprint.tmplh&ArticleId=104990
Newsline Comment:
THE LESSONS OF SALEM HAVE BEEN WELL LEARNED.
One can't help but be suspicious of the timing and nature of the accusations
of sexual misconduct against Gene Robinson, the new bishop of New Hampshire
(who also happens to be a 'practising' homosexual - we hope one day he'll be
quite skilled at it).
However, previous ruthless and underhand behaviour by evangelical Christians
has demonstrated that they will not balk at lying, cheating and dissembling
to get their way.
The investigation into the allegations came to a rapid conclusion because -
well, it turned out there wasn't anything to investigate. The findings of
those charged with looking into the claims show how feeble the accusations
actually were:
"The Vermont churchgoer whose email accusation sparked the inquiry
eventually decided not to make a formal complaint. David Lewis, a Harvard
graduate, told Bishop Scruton that Canon Robinson had placed one hand on his
arm and another on his back on two occasions while the pair spoke at the
church meeting several years ago. The gestures seemed over-familiar and had
made him uncomfortable, said Mr Lewis, but he conceded that they might be
seen as normal by some people. In the separate allegation, Bishop Scruton
said that Canon Robinson had not been associated with Outright, an
organisation for homosexual young people, since 1998. The organisation's
website, which had been found to have links with explicit homosexual web
pages, had not been started until 2000, and Robinson didn't even know of its
existence."
As in the witch hunting of old, once the accusation is made it is almost
impossible to prove it false. Except that the modern-day clergy of New
England didn't go along with the contemporary witch burners. Maybe the
lesson of Salem - just a few miles up the road from Robinson's home
diocese - has, we hope, been well learned.
ATHEISTS AND NON-ATHEISTS.
We'll let you know when public figures let it be known which side of the
fence they stand on.
This week: Jennie Bond, the BBC's soon-to-retire Royal Correspondent
revealed in the Mail on Sunday that: "I was brought up an Anglican, and went
to a Roman Catholic convent for 13 years, so religion was ever-present in my
life. I'm not religious now, which is a shame in many ways, but I'm too
logical to believe that God could exist and be so malevolent and do the
things that happen in this world."
Insiders tell us that after 14 years of covering the "Royal Family" she has
a healthy contempt for it, which she might reveal when she's no longer tied
to journalistic objectivity.
On the God-squad is Rod Liddle, ex-editor of the Today programme. He also
revealed in the same newspaper that he is an Anglican because: "The rather
wonderful thing about the Church of England is that its adherents, of which
I am one, don't have to believe in very much at all. Least of all God, it
sometimes seems. It is a substantially less rigorous and punishing belief
system than say, Islam, or Roman Catholicism or Hinduism."
If you want to, you can hear more about Mr Liddle's cake-and-eat-it beliefs
in a Channel 4 programme called "Some of my best friends are. Anglican" on
August 24.
IS TURKISH SECULARISM ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED?
The Turkish parliament passed laws last week dramatically reducing the
political role of the country's armed forces. Those laws will, according to
commentators, "revolutionize the conduct of Turkish politics".
Turkish armed forces have long been the country's main bastion for political
moderation and close relations with the United States and Israel: How will
the country fare without this steadying hand?
Last week's overhaul was carried out by the Justice and Development Party
(known in Turkish as AKP), an enigmatic group that has dominated Turkish
politics since its electoral victory in November. Since then, the key issue
of Turkish public life has been whether the AKP is, as feared, a militant
Islamic party with authoritarian tendencies and a hidden agenda of radical
change which it hides by trying to pass itself off as a secular party with
moderately conservative views.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the AKP leader and now Turkey's prime minister,
claimed before the election that the AKP is "not a religious-oriented party"
and insisted it has no intention of imposing Islamic law. The party made
soothing noises about putting off substantial changes until it had won the
electorate's trust.
It emphasized economic development and joining the European Union, not
issues guaranteed to please Islamists in the country.
Optimists surveyed Erdogan's record and concluded along with two leading
Turkish professors, Metin Heper and Sule Toktas, that he is "not
pro-political Islam." Others went further. The American journalist Robert
Kaplan proposed that the AKP could "usher in an Islamic version of the
Protestant Reformation," leading to a general turn toward liberalism in the
Middle East. Kaplan also raised the possibility that the AKP in power could
benefit Americans by widening popular Turkish support for alliance with the
United States.
But pessimists noted AKP's origins in two political parties subsequently
outlawed for their militant Islamic activism. "The people who control AKP
are much more extreme than they say," asserted one worried Turkish official.
The Turkish military are worried too; thus, Chief of Staff Hilmi Ozkok
reportedly warned the newly assembled Cabinet that "the Turkish armed forces
will continue to devote all of its attention to protecting secularism."
The optimism faded in March, when the Turkish parliament, voted against
permitting U.S. forces to be deployed in Turkey against Iraq, thereby
undermining decades of mutual confidence. Initial AKP attempts to hide
behind parliamentary inexperience wore thin when Erdogan later insisted his
party "never made any mistakes" on this vote.
The optimistic view further eroded when it became known that the Turkish
foreign minister, an AKP leader, had instructed Turkey's diplomatic missions
abroad to support a virulent militant Islamic group called Milli Gorus -
described by a Hamburg court as the "greatest danger" to a democratic order
in Germany. Nor did it help when an AKP-dominated parliamentary committee
voted to multiply nine-fold the number of new government-paid mosque
positions.
By May, General Ozkok expresses doubts about the motivation of the AKP and
warned it against engaging in "anti-secular activities." He even alluded to
the military possibly removing the AKP from power.
In this context, last week's vote represents a direct challenge by the AKP.
Ignoring the military's objections, it passed laws under the pretext of
preparing Turkey for European Union membership that heavily restrict the
generals' political influence.
The questions now arise: will the army accept this limitation or will it
carry out its threat. Or is this the first stage in the dismantling of
Turkey's 80 year record of secularism? Are we soon to see the Islamic
Republic of Turkey?
---------
Archdeacom Levy Oates
On behalf of the Prophet Eric Peabody (pbuh)
Basingstoke, England
http://www.angelfire.com/alt/bumblism/
.
|
