American Atheist Magazine (February 2008)

8/10/2019 American Atheist Magazine (February 2008)

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T h e G r ea t In f id e ls by R ob ert G .lngersol l stock# 5197 $7.00

How nonbelievers and Atheists have contributed to civilization and enriched our lives.

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A m er ic an A th e is t s E s s en tia l R ead in g L is t

Bookson this list have been selected to provide introductory information on topics of interest to Atheists. They address

a wide range of important subjects such as:the history of Atheist thought, the origins of modern religion, the role

religion plays in modern culture and politics, Atheist parenting, and the ongoing battle for the separation between

church and state. While these ti tles represent only a fraction of the books available from American Atheist Press,

col lectively they provide a broad overview of Atheist thought.

N a tu r al A t h e is m b y D av id E lle r stock# 5902 $18.00 352 pp. paperback

Our best-selling book. A great overview of Atheist philosophy from the perspective of a natural Atheist.

C hr is tia ni ty b ef or e C hr is t

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Christian doctrines are traced to their origins in older religions.

T he C as e A g ai ns t R el ig io n b y A lb ert E llis stock# 5096 $6.00 57 pp. stapled

A psychotherapist's view of the harmful aspects of religious belief.

L iv in g in th e L ig ht

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Subtitled Freeing Your Child from the Dark Ages, this book serves as a manual for Atheist parents.

O ur C on st i t ut io n : Th e W ay It W as by M adalyn O Hal r stock# 5400 $6.00 70 pp. stapled

American Atheist Radio Series episodes about the myth that our founding fathers created a Christian nation.

W hat o n Ear th Is a n A th eis t

by M adalyn O Ha ir stock# 5412 $18.00 288 pp. paperback

American Atheist Radio Series episodes on various topics of Atheist philosophy and history.

T he B ib le H an d bo o k

by G . W .Foo te , W.P.Ba l l,e ta l.

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A compilation of biblical absurdities, contradictions, atrocities, immoralities and obscenities.

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6 5 P r es s In t er v ie w s b y R o bert G . ln ge rso ll stock# 5589 $15.00 262 pp. paperback

Ingersoll's 19th-century newspaper interviews as a Freethinker and opponent of supersti tion.

A n A th eis t Pr im er

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A humorous look at god concepts will help children (and adults) have a clear view of religion.

A n A th eis t L oo ks at W om en & R e l i g i on by M ada lyn a Hai r stock# 5419 $10.00 42 pp. paperback

Why attempts to reconcile religion with civil rights for women are self-defeating.

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A search of ancient Jewish literature yields no evidence for the existence of any historical Jesus.

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The non-Christian origins of common Christmas customs are explored.

S ex M y t h o lo g y b y S ha R oc co

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A scholarly study explores the sexual origins of religious symbols including the Christian cross.

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Atheist leaders and philosophers give their views on godless ethics.

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F E B R U A R Y 2 00 8

Vol 46, No.2

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American Atheist Magazine

CONTENTS

4

From The President

A Tribute to D arw in , L inco ln an d W ash ing to n - A ll No n-Chr ist ians

by Ellen Johnson

Representing You

War-Torn Midd le East Seeks So lace In Rel ig ion

The On i on

6

8

Letter to the Editor

Char les Darwin And His Never-Ending Cont roversy

by

Conrad F.Goeringer

Abraham Lincoln: Freethinker , So ldier and Martyr

by

Joseph Lewis

Obituary

Ha n s K o st en

Beyond Bel ief :The Joy Of A Camp For Non-Bel ivers

by

Samantha Stein

Christ ian Rewri ting of History

Trading Fai th for Spir itual ity:

The Mystif ications of Sam Har ris

by

Meera Nanda

Bri tain's Nat ional Secular Society Prominent

at Windsor Castle Seminar

Atheists & Co.

B i ll T r e loa r

Dawn Of Animal Vision Discovered

Book Review

G od Is N ot G re at

by Gil Gaudia, Ph.D.

Atheist Singles

State Di rector List ing


4/36

A

Tribute to

Darwin, L inco ln and

W ashington - A ll Non-Christians

f rom the pres ident

Ellen Johnson

I

his issue of

American Atheist

Magazine we pay tribute to three

remarkable people, Presidents Washington, Lincoln and British

naturalist Charles Darwin.

President's Day is celebrated every year on the third

Monday in February because both Washington and Lincoln were

born in that month. They were born on February 22 and 12 respec-

tively. This year President's Day falls on the 19th.

Another great man Charles Darwin, like Abraham Lincoln,

was born on February 12 and many Atheists celebrate his birthday

in February as well.

Of course Christians want to claim Washington and Lincoln

as their own. To have these American heroes portrayed as Chris-

tians bolsters their revisionist history of America as being an official

Christian nation. Bogus quotes, which have these men promoting

prayer and calling on a god to protect our nation, have been attrib-

uted to both presidents and the religious establishment in America

makes sure that their followers are well versed in them. Here are two

questionable quotes attributed to them.

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God

and the Bible.

-George Washington

AMERICAN ATHflSf - FEBRUARY2008

>

The only assuranceof our nation ssafety is t o lay ourfoun-

dation in morality and religion.

-Abe Lincoln

This is why the Charles E. Stevens American Atheist Library

Archives is so important. It was established to preserve our history

so that Christian revisionists could not erase us from that history.

One wonderful book we have in the library is tided, ABRAHAM

LINCOLN Was He A Christian. It was written in 1893 by John

B. Remsburg and published by The Truth Seeker Company.

Tn

the

preface to the book, Mr. Remsburg wrote:

Almost immediately after the remains of America s most

illustrious son were laid to restat Springfield, one of his

biographersput forward the claim that he was a devout

believer in Christianity. The claim waspromptly denied

by the dead statesmans friends, but only to be renewed

again, and again denied And thus for a quarter of a

century the question ofAbraham Lincoln s religiousbelief

has been tossedlike a battledoorfrom side to side.

The author states that Abraham Lincoln was not a Christian

and cites newspaper articles, previously written books about Lincoln


5/36

nd interviews with personal friends of whom he noted, and when

e realize how rapidly those who lived and moved with him are pass-

ng away- that erelong none of them will remain to testify-the im-

ortance of this evidence can hardly be overestimated. The book is a

rvelous refutation of Lincoln being a Christian.

And what about George Washington? He, like Thomas Jef-

on, was a Deist. He thought that the universe was brought into

xistence by a god and that was the end of it. He did not accept

hat there was a personal god which was involved in the day-to-day

istence of humans.

There are many extant quotes from George Washington on

he subject of religion which sound very similar to those made by

nother Deist, Thomas Jefferson. I wrote my masters thesis on the

eligious philosophy of Thomas Jefferson and I am well versed on his

atements on the subject and from what I have read, George Wash-

ngton was as much a Deistas was Thomas Jefferson.

And last but not least we honor Charles Darwin with an ar-

icle by Conrad Goeringer. Next to me on my desk is a book from

he CESAALA titled, ''Autobiography of Charles Darwin. It is from

he Thinker's Library, No.7.

(With Two Appendices, Comprising A Chapter Of Reminis-

ences And A Statement Of Charles Darwin's Religious Views, By

is Son, Sir Francis Darwin (Fellow o f Christ's College, Cambridge).

t was published in London by Watts

&

Co. in 1929.

From this wonderful treasure I quote Mr. Darwin on the subject

religion, in a letter to a Dutch student written on April 2, 1873:

'It is imposs ib le to answer yo ur q ue st io n b ri ef ly; and I am

no t sure that I could do so even if I wrote at some length .

But I may say that th e imposs ibility of conceivin g th at this

gr and an d wondrous universe, w ith our con sc iou s s e lv e s,

arous e th rough chanc e, se em s to me th e chie f arg ument for

th e ex is tence of Go d; b ut w he ther th is is an argumen t o f re a l

va lu e, I have never b ee n a ble to d ec id e. I am aware that

if we adm it a F irst Cause, the m ind still cra ves to know

whence it cam e, and how it arose. Nor can I overloo k the

difficulty fto m the im mense am oun t ofsuffiring th rough the

world. I am , a lso , in duce d to defer to a ce rtain exten t to the

judgment of th e many abl e men who have fu lly believed in

God ; but here ag ain I see h ow poor an argument th is is. T he

s a fe s t conclusion seem s to me that the whole subj ect is be-

yo nd th e scope of m an's in tell ect; bu t man can do hi s duty.

At the CESAALA in the Ameri can Athe ist Center we have

y similar books and materials dating back to the

1700 s.

Mada-

yn O'Hair began to collect and preserve our written history thirty

ears ago, so that the truth about Atheists, Humanists, Rationalists,

reethinkers and other non-believers would never be forgotten. We

ve 21,000 books alone. I have applied for a grant so that we could

e this collection, but we were turned down. So we need your

elp to purchase computer software and hire a full time employee

o do this necessary and important work. Once it is catalogued we

ill know what all is on the shelves and where to locate it. This will

e it easy to find the right materials to do research. And knowing

at we havewill make it easier to add new titles to the collection. So

ease give gen~rously to Amer ica n Ath eists so that we may continue

collect, preserve and share our history.

*

T o s e e c omm entary b y E tten Jo hn so n on vid eo please visit

.org and click on th e video screen on the home page .

11 05 07 Ellen Johnson gave an interview to the Columbus

Dispatch newspaper on the decision by New Line

Cinema to edit out anti-Christian portions of the

movie/The Golden Compass.

11107107 AA Legal Director Edwin Kagin was a guest on the

The AI Rantel Radio Program on KABC.

11 09 07 AA President Ellen Johnson was a guest on the FOX

Network's FOX & Friends program to talk about the]

controversy over the movie The Golden Compass.

11 09 07 AA President Ellen Johnson was a guest on CNN's

Headline News to talk about The Golden Compass

movie.

11113107 Ellen Johnson appeared on CNN to discuss Georgia's

governors prayers for rain.

11113 07

Ellen Johnson gave an interview to the Family News

In Focus on American Atheists Utah Highway Cross

lawsuit.

11 14 07

Ellen Johnson gave an interview to Religion News

Service on the Golden Compass movie controversy.

11 14 07 Ellen Johnson gave a phone interview with a World

Religions class at Nikiski High School in Nikiski,

Alaska.

11116107

Ellen Johnson appearedon the Glen Beckprogram on

Headline News to discuss our Utah cross lawsuit.

11 16 07 Utah State Director Richard Andrews appeared on

the FOX Network's Hannity & Combs program to talk

about our Utah cross lawsuit.

11/16/07

AA Communications Director David Silverman gave

an interview to FoxNews.com about our Utah cross

case.

11 16 07 Our attorney in the Utah cross case Brian Barnard,

was a guesfon the Alan Combs radio program to talk

about the case.

11 15 07 Virginia State Director, RickWingrove, gave a talk on

Atheism to the Washington DC Freemasons Lodge

No.4

1111 5 07 The Salt Lake Tribune had an article about our Utah

Highway Crosscase decision.

11 16 07

FoxNews.com had an article about our Utah Highway

Cross case. AA Spokesman David Silverman and our

attorney in the lawsuit Brian Barnard were quoted in

the article.

11 20 07 The Deseret Morning News reported on our Utah

Highway Cross lawsuit.

11 22 07 Ellen Johnson appeared on the FOX Network's

America's Pulse program to talk about our Utah

cross lawsuit.

11 23 07

Ellen Johnson appeared on the CNN Headline News

Program to talk about the movie -TheGolden Compass

with Bill Donohoe from the Catholic League.

11 22 07 The Utah Daily Herald printed an article about our

Utah Crosscase decision.

11117107

Newsweek.com ran a story on out Utah cross case

decision.

r e p r e s e n t i n

YO

FEBRU AR Y 2008 - AMERIOW ATHEIST


6/36

War-Torn M i d d l e East

Seek s So lac e In Rel ig io n

by

the onion-www.theonion.com

(Humor)

JERUSALEM-As an uneasy truce between Israeland Hezbollah

continues, millions of average men and women in the Holy Land are

turning to the one simple comfort that hasalways seen them through

the darkest days of their troubled history: the steadfast guidance of

their religious faith.

I take solace in knowing that my faith is a sanctuary, an escape

from the bloodshed and turmoil, said Haifa resident Yigal Taheri, who

last week lost his wife and newborn daughter when a Fajr-3 long-

range rocket launched by Lebanese militants struck the synagogue

where his family was attending services. YHWH, Elohim, whatever you

wish to not call Him-His love comforts all those who are willing to

open their hearts to Him. Praisebe to G-d.

Religion is the one thing that has never let us down,Taheri

added over the low rumble of AK-47 fire emanating from the nearby

home of a radical Israeli rabbi.

Taheri is not alone. In a time of seemingly unending conflict be-

tween Israelisand Arabs,a growing number of Middle Easterners are

fervently embracing the unshakeable wisdom of Judaism and Islam.

Palestinian Omar Abdel-Malik, a resident of the GazaStrip town of

KhanYounis,credits his Islamic beliefs for preserving his sanity.

The Israelis have fired missile upon missile on my neighborhood,

but it hasonly made my trust in Allah that much stronger, Abdel-Ma-

lik said. 1cringe to think where the people of the Middle Eastwould be

right now if it weren't for our steadfast belief in one true, merciful, and

loving Supreme Being.

. Palestinian widow and mother of three Dareen Idriss agreed,

citing the healing power of prayer asa way to cope with the relentless

slaughter she and her family witness every day.When the children

cannot stop crying because of the bombs, we all gather our families

in the rubble of the mosque to pray for justice, Idriss said. During this

calm meditation, we also pray for the annihilation of the Hebrew race.

West Banksettler Ari Chayat, whose neighborhood has also been

L et ter to th e Ed i to r

Editor:

I respectfully request of the American Atheist journal that

unimportant words such as christianity or god or catholic not

be capitalized, against your better judgment, because these

words are certainly not deserving of any such reverence, nor will

they ever truly be. I thank the American Atheist organization for

standing up for me and who I truly am and just simply being

level headed, my search is finally over.

Cliff Hillington

Palm Springs,California.

O ur e dito ria l p olic y is to c apita lize th e n am es o f re lig io ns a nd

spe cific g od s b ut n ot th e g en eric wo rd g o d. W e c a pi ta lize Th e is t

a nd A th eis t a s w ell a s H um an is t, F r ee th i n ke r, Agnos t i c, S k ep tic a n d

R a tio na lis t b ec au se th ey a re a s m uc h p ro pe r n ou ns a s a re C h ris tia n,

P ro te s ta n t a n d C a th o lic. (Ed i to r )

AMERICAN ATHEIST - FEBRUARY2008

ravaged by violence, echoed this profound reliance on faith.The

world is so brutal and unfair, Chayat said.Many days, my uncompro-

mising belief in a vengeful creator is all that gets me out of bed in the

morning.

If it wasn't for my faith that the God of Abraham has given these

lands to Jews and Jewsalone by divine decree, I probably wouldn't

even be here today,Chayat added.

Lebanese militant Jawad Hamid, who recently lost his best friend

to an Israeli helicopter attack while the two men were on their way to

pick up a Katyusha rocket, said hisfaith in Allah was the only way he

could cope with the tragedy.

Every time I want to give up hope, I just open the Quran to my

favorite passage,Surah 2:194:'Whoever acts aggressively against you,

inflict injury on him: Hamid said.Whenever I read those words, I am

immediately filled with inspiration and a renewed sense of purpose.

Even political leaders have tapped into the public's reliance on

rel igion and used it asa way to encourage them to never give up.

In this time of strife, the only way to endure the unending suffer-

ing isthrough an unwavering, uncompromising faith in one's religious

beliefs, Israeli hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday. Hezbollah

leader Hassan Nasrallah went so far as to quote from the Quran in a

speech delivered to followers the same afternoon.

It's always frightening to be reminded of your own mortality, as

we all were this past Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sun-

day, Hezbollah commander Mahdi ai-Zaidi said.But rather than react

irrationally, I looked deep within my faith, consulted the Quran, and by

the mercy of Allah, I gained the resolve to oversee a massive airstrike

against the enemy.

We will get through this, solong as we have God on our side:' he

added. *

Reprinted with permission ofTHE ONION.

copyright by ONION,INC.

Identical Mistakes

by Lloyd Foster

You have probably never seen issues of religion or race in this

light before. Never looked at politics, corporate life or the

threat of terrorism from such a unique angle either. And just

in case you are thinking that this is a collection of boring es-

says by a disturbed academic ... This is a no ve l A mystery

novel, no less.A bona fide mystery that will keep you guessing

to the very last page.

Go out and grab a copy.

Youwill see.

Available on amazon.com

(Not available from Am erican A thei sts .)


7/36

T h e 3 4 t h A n n u a l N a t i o n a l C o n v e n t i o n

o f

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M a r c h 2 1 2 3 2 0 0 8

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e v e ry th in g f r o m s tu n n in g v ie w s t o m a g n i f ic e n t

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t o s p e c ta c u la r d e s tin a t io n s in c l u d in g T H E M A L L O F

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W e 'l l s e e y o u i n M i n n e a p o l i s

FEBRU ARY 2008 - AMER ICAN ATHEIST


8/36

Charles

D. .,...~

And His Never-

Ending Controversy

by Conrad F .Goeringer

Nea rly two ce ntu ries a ft er th e b ir th o f naturali st

Charl es D arw in, h i s d i scoveries about the orig in

o f li fe on o u r p la net remain at the cent er o f a

heated cul ture war debate to uchin g on the st atus

of sc ien ce an d re ligi on .. .

T

his February, 2008 will mark the

199th anniversary of the birth of

Charles Robert Darwin, the Brit-

ish naturalist whose scientific career

crystallized evolution and natural selection as the

unifying explanation for the development-and di-

versity-oflife. In a remarkable series of books, Darwin

established this complex process as the driving force behind

the spectacular abundance of different, but related, natural forms.

Despite his considerable corpus of evidence, though, and the

even weightier body of findings that scientists have uncovered since

his 1895 book On the Origin o f Spec ies, Darwin and Darwinism -

evolution through natural selection -remain centerpieces in centu-

ries-old debate over the intersection of religion and science. As this

issue of

The American Athei st M agaz ine

heads to press, for instance,

the PBS is airing its critically-acclaimed NOVA segment, JUDGE-

MENT DAY-Intelligent Design on Trial which probes the legal,

cultural and scientific aspects of teaching so-called alternatives to

evolution in the public schools. In a recent debate among candi-

dates for the U.S. presidency, White House hopefuls were grilled' as

to whether they believed in evolution. Equally disturbing are polls

which show that a near-majority of Americans believe creationism,

the religious doctrine that God created human beings and other life

in their present form within the past 10,000 years.

Charles Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire

England. His heritage was laced with religious nonconformists in-

cluding Unitarians and Freethinkers like his father, financier Robert

Darwin. Charles studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh,

Scotland, but-abandoned the prospect of a medical career and ended

up studying taxidermy from a freed black slave who regaled him with

tales of the South African rainforest. In 1827, he enrolled at Christ's

College, Cambridge where his interest in natural history continued

to thrive. It was here that he met botanist John Stevens Henslow

AMERICANATHEIST - FEBRUARY2008

. . .

. .

.

;

and expanded his interest in geology. Thanks to Henslow, Darwin

was recommended as resident naturalist for the voyage of the HMS

Beagle which was to spend two years charting the coastline and sur-

rounding waters of South America.

Despite the vicissitudes of a prolonged sea voyage (Darwin

frequently suffered from seasickness and fever), the young naturalist

managed to amass a considerable body of fossils and newly-discovered

living organisms many of which he shipped back to Cambridge along

with his observations. He had also gathered evidence to support his

thesis that creatures could evolve into different species when isolated,

a process of transmutation which he detailed in his Red Notebook.

Upon his return to England, Darwin was hailed for his revolutionary

findings. His name also became associated with the expansive debate

over what role, if any, god played in the fashioning of life on Earth.

He also set to work putting his theory on the transmutation ofliving

creatures to paper, first in a 230-page paper, and later in a series of

books which would ignite a controversy that even the famous natu-

ralist could not have anticipated.

God religion and Darwin

Many viewed the publication and growing acceptance of

Charles Darwin's ideas on the development of life as a threat to re-

ligious orthodoxy, and the account of human origins found in the

Old Testament. Evolution postulated deep time whereby a gradual


9/36

pm''' unfolded ow, million, and even tens of million, \ ~

far cry from the brief creation cycle described in Genes:~ It also

raised questions about divine agency. Darwin sropped short o~philo-

sophical speculation, or declaring that a First Cause did or did not

create the universe. Indeed, he remained a Theist throughout his

life despite his explicit critiques of Christianity and other religious

orthodoxy.

Following publication of

On th e Origin o f S pe cies b y M ean s of

Natural Selecti on

in 1859, Darwin was propelled to the center of re-

ligious controversy. Fueling this was the development of higher criti-

cism within the established churches, where theologians and clerics

were undertaking a critical examination of Biblical texts and claims. In

1860, for instance, a small coterie ofAnglican thinkers published Es-

s a y sand Revi ewswher e

they attacked biblical literalism, and expressed

support for Darwin's insights on the evolution of living forms.

Perhaps more significant than Origins was Darwin's 1871

opus, T he D es ce nt of

Man.

Here, among other topics including

the evolution of the human species, he argued his case for the origin

of religion and ethical sensibilities as useful, socially beneficial traits.

But he also argued against the suggestion that, somehow, belief in a

deity was an innate part of the human character.

There is no ev id en ce t ha t man was ab ori ginally endowed

with the ennoblin g

beliefin

th e ex is tence o f a n O m nip oten t

God. O n th e c on trary , there is a mpl e evidence de rived not

from has ty trav elers, but from men who have l o ng r es id ed

w it h sav ages, that numer ou s ra ce s ha ve exis ted, a nd still

ex ist , w ho have no idea of one or more go ds, and who have

no w ords i n th eir la ng ua ge to ex pr e ss such an idea . ..

His skepticism in a deity which guided the development of

life and presided over the most superficial events in a vast universe

continued to grow. Charles Darwin remained an Agnostic, though

never abandoning his fall-back belief in a first cause.

Formerly , I was led to th e firm conv ic tio n o f th e exist ence

of God and the immortality of the soul. In my Journal I

w ro te th at whi ls t st and ing in the m idst of the g randeur of

a B ra zilia n for est, 'it is n o t p o ss ible to give an ad equate

idea of the high fe el ings of w on de r, a dm ir atio n, and devo-

ti on , w hic h fill and ele va te th e m in d.' I w ell remem be r my

co nvic tio n th at th ere is more in man than the mere breath

of his body. But now the grandest sce ne s w o uld not cause

an y such co nv ic tio ns a nd feelings to rise in my mind. Ill

Darwin's most eloquent musings on religion, though, were

saved for a posthumous memoir he began in May of 1876 and ti-

ded Reco llec ti on s o f t he Dev elop ment of m y m ind and character. This

work-published after his death as The A utobiography of C harles

Darw in-was

heavily redacted by his wife, Emma, who held strong

religious convictions. The complete, unexpurgated text was not pub-

lished until 1958 when Darwin's granddaughter Nora Barnes pub-

lished a complete edition of the great naturalist's musings. A full

section is devoted to Darwin's opinions in respect to theology and his

gradual disillusionment with traditional Christianity.

'/ It the presen t day th e most usual argument for th e exi s-

te nce o f a n intelligen t God is drawn from the deep inward

conviction an d f ee lings whic h are experienced by m ost p er-

sons. B ut it cannot be do ubted tha t H in do os (s ic), M aho -

madans and others m ight argue in the same m anner and

w ith equal force in favor of the ex istence of one G od, or

of m any G ods, or as w ith the B uddhists of no G od ... Thi s

argum ent w ould be va lid one

if

all m en of a ll ra ce s ha d the

sam e inw ard conviction of the ex istence of one God ; bu t

we know that this is very fa r from being the case . There-

for e I cannot se e th at suc h inwar d con victions an d feelin gs

ar e of any weight as ev id ence o f what re all y ex ists . . . 12 1

Darwinism and the roots of the American culture wars

Darwin's writings on the evolution of species along with oth-

er findings abour deep time and the age of the universe won the

day in the scientific community. Liberal religionists made efforts to

reconcile their Biblical narrative with the growing body of evidence

that clearly pointed to different origins for life and universe. Atheists

and other Freethinkers could point to the corpus of Charles Darwin's

writings as evidence of a naturalistic view of how life began. Lib-

eral Christians chose to accept Darwinism as well, though, suggest-

ing that the biblical accounts of the Old and New Testaments were

symbolic, allegorical and products of their time while still conveying

a deeper message.

In America, the strongest expressions of anti-Darwinism be-

gan with a set of four volumes published by the Bible Institute of Los

Angeles in 1917 tided The Fundamen tals: A Test imony to the Trut h.

The project was the brainchild of two wealthy Protestant oil

tycoons, Lyman and Milton Stewerr.

The Fund amen tals

reaffirmed a

literal interpretation of the Bible as the immutable word of a god and,

it was hoped, would be an efficacious bulwark against the encroach-

ment of modernism. The volumes were to give fundamentalists

a defense against everything from Roman Catholicism to Atheism,

contemporary philosophy, political liberalism and, of course, evolu-

tionary accounts of human origins. Chapters were authored by the

leading voices of Protestant revanchism, and featured titles such as

The Fallacies of Higher Criticism, The Testimony of the Monu-

Th e X -Rated B ib le

by Ben Edward Akerley

Isthe Biblea dirty book? Is i ta

source of corruption filledwith

shocking and obscene tales?

This popular book is an analysis

of sexual behavior and practices

reported in the basic scriptures

which are held sacred by three

ofthe world's major religions. It

is thoroughly documented with

(KingJames) Biblepassages and

with references from secular and

religious sources. It isan astonishing,

informative book.

Christianity claimsthat the Bibleshould be a guide for morals;

that in it are some tales of love,forgiveness, kindness and

care.Atheists, however, find passages that are NOTlessons

inmorality and decency; they are simply part and parcel of a

disgusting religious book that should have been abandoned a

millennium ago Index. Paperback.428 pp.

$14.00 -

stock # 5000

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FEBRUARY2008 - AMERICANATHElST


10/36

ments to the Truth of the Scriptures, and Science and Christian

Faith. With its emphasis on biblical literalism and infallibility,

The

Fundamentals

set America's Protestant stalwarts against the growing

cultural and scientific consensus that accepted science-and Darwin's

important explanation-as the pre-eminent way of comprehending

how the universe, and life, operated.

Biblical literalism, though, remained a popular and entrenched

belief throughout much of the American South and Midwest, and in

a wider Protestant fundamentalist subculture. Numerous states had

laws that attempted to circumvent the teaching of evolution, includ-

ing Tennessee which enacted its statute in 1925. It declared:

... that it shall be unlawfol for any teacher in any of

the Universities, Normals and all otherpublic schoolsof

the State which are supported in whole or in part by the

public schoolfonds of the State, to teach any theory that

denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught

in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended

from a lowerorderof animals. [3J

lical literalism was rendered a quaint but irrelevant belief that was

vanishing from America's classrooms. The nation's natural history

museums openly displayed exhibits that illustrated the fact of evolu-

tion and the transmutation of species. For most, Darwin and Dar-

winism had carried the day.

Laws against evolution, though, lingered on the books for

decades. In 1987, the u.S. Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision (ED-

WARDS, GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA, ET AL. v.AGUILLARD

ET AL.) struck down a Louisiana statue that required creationism

taught in science classesalong with Darwinian evolution. Neverthe-

less the rise of the contemporary religious right saw a flurry of new

efforts throughout the country to promote an anti-evolution agenda.

Creationism morphed into Intelligent Design or 10, which used

the vernacular of the scientific enterprise but proposed a designer

who created entire species and presumably guided their development.

Creationists and 10 advocates promoted their cause as a legitimate

alternative to evolution. Several state education departments and

numerous local school boards passed regulations proposing dis-

claimer stickers on textbooks, while others called for revised stan-

dards for teaching science and even the use of 10 approved texts.

Charles Darwin and his findings have

remained topics of wide misunderstanding

ever since the brilliant naturalist first began

publicizing his research. His Theory of

Evolution is not a theory as much as es-

tablished fact which is constantly confirmed

by a growing body of empirical evidence.

Polls find that a near-majority of Americans,

though, reject the proposition that modern

humans and other creatures evolved from

earlier ancestors, and that a combination of

natural selection and mutation steers the de-

velopment of all life on Earth.

The controversy also retains its sharp

religious edge. The leading proponent

of Intelligent Design, the Seattle-based

Discovery Institute, has close ties to the

country's fundamentalist movement. Other

groups like the Center for Science and The-

ology vigorously attack evolution and in-

stead promote a comprehensive Christian

worldview,

In the public imagination, the trial of high school biology in-

structor John Scopes remains the symbol of the conflict between gov-

ernment-sponsored religious fundamentalism and modern science.

Scopes was charged on May 5, 1925 with violating the Tennessee

statute by teaching from a textbook citing contemporary evolution-

ary findings. The American Civil Liberties Union had sought an

opportunity to challenge the law.The subsequent trial pitted William

Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow against each other rendering

it one of the most spectacular, if not significant legal confrontations

of modern times. There was little Darrow could do to challenge the

basic facts of the indictment, that Scopes had indeed violated the

Tennessee anti-evolution

law.

Instead, he put the Book of Genesis

and biblical liFeralism on trial. Historian Edward J. Larson noted,

Like so many archetypal American events, the trial itself began as a

publicity

stunt.T

John Scopes was convicted, but to many-particularly in the

academic and scientific communities-the tide had turned, and bib-

AMERICAN ATHEISt - FEBRUARY2008

Science, faith and boundaries

The legal battle over how and what to teach in respect to hu-

man origins has also fueled the debate about the chasm separating

faith and science. Does evolution eliminate the need for divine cre-

ation and guidance? The religious and the scientific community re-

main divided. For most Atheists, Darwin's work and the rest of the

scientific enterprise steadily vanquish the need for any supernatural

entities or processes to explain how nature works. 1 6 1 Others at the

opposite end of this epistemological spectrum argue that science and

religion need not be in conflict. The late Stephen Jay Gould ar-

gued for what he described as nonoverlap ping Magisteria, but crit-

ics have attacked his views for failing to resolve basic theoretical and

factual dilernrnas.F'

Strangely, biblical literalism has not led fundamentalists-at

least in large numbers-to attack other areas of the scientific enter-

prise. There is no robust movement, for instance, to doubt Coperni-


11/36

can or Keplerian descriptions of the solar system. The Roman Catho-

lic Church has apologized for its persecution of Galileo, and one does

not hear complaints at school board meetings that a heliocentric solar

system diminishes the dignity of human beings. The Bible remains

a fertile and literal source for critiques of modern culture over is-

sues like gay rights or the status of women. The country's thriving

Christian evangelical and fundamentalist subculture remains silent

on much of modern science. Why then the continued acrimony over

Charles Darwin?

Perhaps it is because Darwin and the course of biological sci-

ences since his time deal with us. lt locates humans in a vast, inter-

connected web of life made possible through an almost infinitely-

complex matrix of chemical interactions. This process, in turn, is

now understood in an even wider and grander set of events touching

on the very existence and evolution of stars. We are, as Carl Sagan

often declared, star stuff. The metals and other complex constitu-

ent components of our bodies-and the rest of the universe-were

cooked in fantastic stellar furnaces which exploded and threw

these building blocks of life out into space. From there, gravity

took over. Clumps of matter accumulated, accretion disks formed,

matter compressed, planets took shape and-with a myriad of other

processes-the first constituent elements capable of self-replication

came to be.

lt is a process we only partly understand. Nearly two hundred

years after his birth, though, the discoveries and insights of Charles

Darwin remain a foundation stone in giving human beings insight

into how we came to be. Even without the need for a god, designer

or first cause, life and the universe remain fascinating and wondrous

objects of inquiry.

*

Notes

[I]

Darwin was frequently asked if the different variants of Theism were com-

patible with his findings in evolution. In 1879, for instance, he replied to

one correspondent that a man can be an ardent Theist and evolutionist,

but that he himself had never been an Atheist in the sense of denying

the existence of a God, and that an Agnostic would be a more correct

description of my state of mind ...

(2)

See Darwin, Charles (1958), N. Barlow, editor, The autob iogr aphy o f

Cha rle s D arw in 1809 -18 82. W ith the orig ina l omissions re st or e d; e d it ed

and w ith append ix and no te s by h is g ra nd-d au gh te r N ora Bar low , London,

England: Collins.

(3 ) The Tennessee law passed both houses of the state legislatute by impres-

sive margins, but was less than enthusiastically supported by Gov. Austin

Peay. He nevertheless signed the legislation on March 21,1925 declaring,

Probably the law will never be applied.

(4)

Scopes willingly incriminated himself and encouraged students to testify

that they had studied evolution from the class textbook and in classroom

discussions.

(5) See Larson, Edward J. , S um m er fo r the G od s: T he S cop es T rial a nd A meri-

ca 's C o ntin uin g D eb ate O ve r S cie nc e a nd R eligion, ( 1997) Basic Books.

(6)

Interestingly, most fundamentalists would conditionally agree with this

assertion, declaring that Darwinism supports a materialist or non-theis-

tic conception of the universe. .

(7 ) See http://www.stephenjaygould.orgllibrary/gould_noma.html. Gould's

essay,dedicated to Carl Sagan, first appeared in the journal Natural H is -

tory, March 1997.

C onrad G oeringer is a staff w riter for Am erican A th eist mag azine . He

is als o Ed it or of AANEWS, our ele ct ro ni c n ew sletter. M r. Goerin ge r is

a f orm er a nt iq ua ri an b ook dea le r, r ep or te r a nd fr eelan ce w ri te r. He can

b e r ea ch ed a t c ga st bo [email protected]

h

Folll\lIers

I - r l e n C i s

So many of you help American Atheists with donations

and other financial support-and we want to find a

way to say Thank You We are pleased to announce the

re-establishment of an American Atheist tradition-The

Founders' Friends, begun by the Murray O'Hair family.

Those contributing $50 or more to American Atheists

will have your name and amount entered in subsequent

issues of the AA Magazine. Just fill out the blue card with

the information requested, include your gift, and mail it

back to us in the enclosed envelope. Be sure to check the

appropriate box authorizing us to thank you by printing

your name and contribution amount in the Magazine.

Mailing addresses wil l not be mentioned.

This is our way of saying THANK YOU to an

extraordinary group of people-those of you who want

to do more and financially support the critical work of

American Atheists

American Atheists Thanks The Following Persons For

Their Generous Contributions To Our Cause.

Harold L.Saferstein, M.D., AZ - 2,000

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F EB RU ARY2 008 - A MER ICA N ATHElSf


12/36

R ad io a dd ress delivere d Feb . 24th 1957 ov er Radio Sta tio n WM IE ,

M iam i Florida . (R ep rin te d fr om C la ss ic Rad io A dd resses a nd o th er

wo rk s b y J o se ph Lew is, Late Presid en t o f the F reethin kers o f A m erica

MEMORIAL EDITION) courtesy of the C ha rle s E . S te vens Americ an

Atheist Library and A rchives.

G

ood evening Ladies and Gentlemen:

No one will deny the courage of the uniformed

soldier who goes forth to battle. Neither will anyone

withhold from him the credit and respect to which he is

entitled. But not all soldiers wear uniforms. Neither do all soldiers die

upon the battle-fields 'mid shot and shell.

There are soldiers, who do. not know how to operate a gun;

who do not go forth to battle amid the beating of drums, the waving

of flags or the cheering of people.

There are soldiers who fight, not upon the battle-fields, but

upon the field of thought. Upon the battle-field there is somewhat

of an equal contest. Man power can be met with man power and de-

structive explosives with devastating projectiles. But infinitely more

courage and superior ammunition are required to do battle in the

larger arena of human action.

The progress of mankind has been one bitter struggle against

the forces of reaction; a battle of Herculean effort against invisible

and deadly enemies.

On the battlefield; the roaring of guns and the bursting of

shells are a signal that the enemy is approaching and preparation is

made by the defending army to withstand the attack; but in the battle

for human progress, the enemy gives no such signs of approach.

Ignorance, Hatred, Bigotry and Superstition are the malig-

nant enemies of the human race, These vicious enemies do not fight

in open fields. They do not fight fairly. With them equal combat is

unknown. Their victories are won in the dark. Stealth and hypocrisy

are their weapons.

Thousands have died, millions have died in mortal combat

upon the battlefields in defense of their country, in defense of their

homes, on behalf of liberty.

And thousands, yes millions,- have died in that grand army

of human progress-soldiers in the army of Science, of Art of Medi-

AMERICANATHEISf - FEBRUARY2008

cine of Invention and Discovery and in the army of Justice and

Freedom.

The world is ever ready to do homage to the soldier upon

the battlefield. But in the realm of human progress it is lamentably

true that only too often does the gallant soldier receive rebuke and

calumny for his reward.

Seldom, in his own day, does the soldier who fights for liberty

taste the fruits of his victory.

Abraham Lincoln, the Soul ofAmerica, was a soldier in both o

these armies. He donned a uniform, shouldered a gun, and marched

to battle in defense of his country. He suffered the hardships and en

dured the trials of a soldier's life. As captain of a regiment in the Blac

Hawk War in 1832, Lincoln acquitted himself with honor. And upon

his return from battle he received the plaudits of his countrymen.

War brutalizes our natures and hardens our hearts; it warps

our thoughts and makes us callous to the sufferings of human life.

But Lincoln never permitted war to harden his heart nor stun

his feelings. He was possessed of a rare love for humanity. His kindli-

ness knew no bounds and his honesty was so widespread that he wa

affectionately known as Honest Abe. There were many who chided

him for his soft heartedness, but Lincoln was Lincoln and was no

to be swayed from his convictions.

Lincoln's soul was touched with the kinship of 'life by the

magic wand of a mother's love, To Lincoln his mother was his Star o

Hope, his Rainbow of Life, the myriad-colored arch that ever beck

oned him to carryon. Lucky indeed is the child whose mother in

spires him 'with humanitarian ideas and thoughts and with the urge

that he may so live that when he passes on the world will be better

for his having lived.

We have only pity for Lincoln's mother-Nancy Hanks-because

Lincoln never knew his real father. He got his name from his stepfa

ther. Lincoln was one of. the great Love Children of the world.

When became fully aware of the situation, it left a scar deep

upon his sensitive mentality, which became more poignant with the

years, and undoubtedly accounts for the deep channels of sorrow tha

lined his face.

He was often heard to sigh, My poor mother, my poor moth-

er.


13/36

Lincoln never forgot the lowliness from which he came and it

was the memory ofhis hardships which caused him never to abuse his

power except on the side of mercy.

You remember the case ofWilliam Scott? While Scott was on

sentry duty, after a strenuous day of fighting, and exhausted from the

wear and tear of battle, his strength failed him and he fell prostrate

upon the ground. When discovered by another soldier and awak-

ened, it was revealed that he was dreaming of his mother, and that she

had awakened him to remind him of his duty as a soldier

But in time of war, excuses for being asleep while on sentry

duty are not acceptable or valid, and Scott was taken to his superior

officer, tried by court-martial, convicted and condemned to be shot

The case was brought to Lincoln's attention. His heart was

touched. He could not make himself believe that the boy was a trai-

tor, and ordered his release. You know what followed: Scott died

fighting valiantly for the union cause

On another occasion, a woman went to the White House and

begged an audience with the President. Her husband had been cap-

tured, tried, convicted and was to be shot. Lincoln consented to see

her. She told her story and pleaded with the President to suspend judg-

ment. Lincoln asked her whether her husband was a good man and

whether he treated her children kindly. She replied that he was a good

husband and a good father and that the family could not livewithout

him. She said he was a fool about politics and if she ever got him home

he would do no more fighting for the South. Well, said Lincoln,

I will pardon your husband and turn him over to you for safe keep-

ing. The poor woman, overcome with joy, sobbed asthough her heart

would break. My dear woman, said Lincoln, if I had known how

badly it was going to make you feel , I never would have pardoned him.

Youdon't understand, cried the woman between her sobs. Youdon't

understand, Mr. Lincoln. Yes, yes, I do, answered the President,

and if you do not go away at once I shall be crying with you.

In our thoughts of Lincoln, let us not forget that he was a hu-

man being, born just as you and I were born, only that his hardships

were immeasurably greater than ours, his difficulties far more numer-

ous. He had to struggle for everything he possessed. He had no teach-

ers. He was self-taught. Tramping through the woods for six miles to

borrow a grammar book is an indication of his thirst for knowledge

and the obstacles he overcame to acquire it.

He had an unquenchable desire to learn. A burning urge to

accomplish. This urge prompted him to read every book he could

get. He was once asked what he was reading, and he replied: I'm not

reading-I'm studying. He was particularly fond of controversies. He

loved an argument. He was never satisfied unless the sparks flew in

the discussions. Hew to the block, let the chips flywhere they will,

was his motto. And fortunately this trait of Lincoln's broke down all

barriers and prejudice in seeking knowledge. He was carried' on the

wave of Rationalism which swept this country in the Forties. This

brought him in contact with the writings of Voltaire, Volney and

Thomas Paine. They were his intimates.

As a result of Lincoln's reading of the books of these great

Rationalists, he became a Freethinker.

He evenwrote a book against the inspiration of the Bible, and

questioned the legitimacy of the birth of Jesus Christ.

He never became a member of any church, and his wife testi-

fied that he w:s not a Christian believer. Abraham Lincoln belonged

to no sect; he professed no creed.

When he ran for Congress against the Rev. Peter Cartright he

was charged with being an infidel. Lincoln said he would not deny

the charge, because it could be easily proved.

It is an established fact, verified by indisputable evidence that

Lincoln wrote the original draft of his famous Gettysburg address,

with the words, under God left out.

These words were later inserted, at the suggestion of a reli

gionist, who wanted a copy, to be sold for the benefit of a church.

Lincoln accommodated him.

A similar incident accounts for the reference to a Deity in the

Emancipation Proclamation.

It isan historical fact, and noteworthy to us, that the 'Emancipa-

tion Proclamation, was written, and printed, by Lincoln BEFORE he

consulted the members of his cabinet. When he called them into con-

ference, he handed each member a copy, and asked for suggestions.

One member, the overly pious Salmon P. Chase-Secretary

of the Treasury-noticing that there was no reference to God in the

proclamation, suggested that some mention be made of it. Lincoln

replied, Won't you make a draft of what YOU think ought to be

inserted.

And this accounts for the reference' to God in this great docu-

ment.

However, they are not Lincoln's words, nor his convictions.

They are the pious and useless sentiments of a fanatical reli

gionist.

In every great crisis there are always religious fanatics, who

have spoken directly to God, and who are directed by God to de-

liver certain messages. The Civil War was no exception, and Lincoln

was not free from these religious cranks. It is said that Lincoln, more

than any other President, was constantly pestered by clergymen with

advice directly from God. He controlled his temper only because

of his sympathy for the mentally deranged. To indicate, his attitude

toward such people, I will quote his words of contempt for them:

'1 a m a pp roached w ith the most opposit e op inions and ad-

vice , and by religious m en who are cert a in they represen t

th e Divine Will. I hope, it w ill not be ir reveren t in m e to

sa y, th at if it is prob ab le th a t God wou ld reveal H is w ill to

o th ers, on a point so connected w it h my du ty , it m ight be

s up po se d He w ould rev eal it d ir ectly to 'm e.

We must not lose sight of the fact that Lincoln was the most

misunderstood and hated man of his day. There were conspirators in

every branch of the Government, and, it has been intimated, even in

his own cabinet. We must not judge him for what he permitted oth-

ers to do in order to accomplish his glorious undertaking, and if the

churches of his day were ready to strike him down on the slightest

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provocation, the over sentimental references to God in his messages

can be readily understood as of little importance.

When chided about his Thanksgiving Day messages as being

contrary to his known convictions on the subject, Lincoln said to

Judge James N. Nelson: Oh this is some of Seward's nonsense and

it pleases the fools Lincoln knew the power of the church's hostil-

ity, and was a compromiser in the sense that he believed in doing a

little harm for a great good, particularly so when the end meant the

liberation of thousands of human beings from the bondage of slavery.

To the church, it is more important to crush the infidel than to add

a step of progress to civilization and for that reason, while president,

Lincoln was reticent in public upon the question of religion. By this

act of discretion he carried the nation safely through the most trying

period of its history.

It is very curious, indeed, that if Lincoln were a Christian, as

some say, nowhere in any of his writings does there appear a single

mention of the name of the founder of Christianity.

With the cares of the Civil War hanging heavily upon his

shoulders, with the poignancy of the death of his son Tad, still sear-

ing his heart and mind, and with the thought that death might not

be too far distant, Lincoln wrote to his life long friend, Judge J. A.

Wakefield, this testament of his beliefs:

My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme

of salvation and the human origin of the Scriptures, have become

clearer, and stronger, with advancing year, and I see no reason for

thinking I shall ever change them,

It was utterly impossible for Lincoln to be a believer in the

Bible-with its sanction of slavery-and the author of the Emancipation

Proclamation.

Voltaire had shot his bolts at the caste system of Europe, and

the chains began to fall from the minds and bodies of men.

Thomas Paine was the first man on the American continent to

raise his voice in behalf of the Negro slaves.

Fired by these men with the love of Liberty and human rights

Abraham Lincoln entered the Army of Progress.

In retrospect, we see him on a flat boat navigating down the

Mississippi River. We see him arrive at New Orleans. We see him in

company with two friends come upon the market place. We see him

watch the sale of a Negro slave girl. We see him rebel at the revolting

scene. As the girl is examined by her bidders, her flesh pinched, her

form displayed, her nudity exposed, we see his sad face become more

sorrowful, we see him clench his fist, and with a quiver in his voice,

and an oath upon his lips, utter this statement: If I ever get a chance

to hit that thing (meaning slavery), I'll hit it hard. On his return to

Springfield we seehim enter the political arena with a short but crude

declaration only to be concluded by that everlasting monument to his

name, the Emancipation Proclamation. We now see him competing

for public office.We see him defeated, halted in his march. But defeat

and discouragement were words not to be found in Lincoln's vocabu-

lary. When questioned concerning his defeat he said he felt like the

boy who was too big to cry and too hurt to laugh. Determination was

the quality of Lincoln's character and he knew that the harder the

struggle the more glorious the triumph, and so we see him overcom-

ing the obstacles which had beset his path.

We now see him in his famous debate, with Douglas deter-

mining whether the nation can remain half slaves, and half free,

and whether

a

house divided against itself can stand.

And in this struggle let us not lose sight of the fact that Lin-

coln received the brunt of the battle. He was the most misunderstood

and hated man of his day.The people did not welcome the economic

AMERlCANATHElST - FEBRUARY2008

and social changes, which he advocated. The vilest of arguments were

used against him. Arguments now known to be utterly ludicrous. He

was vilified. He was slandered. The churches of his day opposed him

and bigotry supported their contention. Let us take a lesson from the

way Lincoln was treated and be not too ready to dismiss a new idea

or condemn a new proposal.

In his fight for human emancipation he met the bitterest f


15/36


16/36

The Joy O f A Cam p

F or

Non-Believers

by Samantha Stein

H

re am, staring

mournfully out

of the window,

feeling a distinct

sadness. Truth be told, the ex-

perience of Camp Quest 2007

was so fantastic that it has

made everything, including

opera, fried chicken, and even

provoking Jehovah 's Witnesses ,

seem dull and lifeless in com-

parison. This story was not al-

ways so rose tinted, however,

but because I do not wish to

put off generations of poten-

tial counsellors, I shall gloss

over the long hours of forced

slave labor in favour of stories

about invisible unicorns and

S'mores.

In

case you have been living in a foxhole for 11 years (although

I have it on good authority that the Atheist population of foxholes is

extremely small), Camp Quest is a non-profit organization that pro-

vides a residential summer camp for children of an Atheist, agnostic,

freethinking or humanist inclination. It is in fact the first summer

camp of its kind in North America, started in 1996 by the aforemen-

tioned Edwin and his lovely wife Helen, which came about partly as

a reaction to the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) pro-theist policy.

In

order for a person to be granted membership or a position of leader-

ship in the BSA, he must sign a Declaration of Religious Belief, in

which he must agree that only a person who acknowledges his duty

to God can be the best kind of citizen. It is not specified which God

they must believe in, be it Allah, Yahweh, or L. Ron Hubbard, but I

do wonder what their acceptance rate of Pastafarians is. I imagine it

would go down about as well as declaring your religion as Jedi on

the National Census.

Still, the camp for non-believers took off, and soon the origi-

nal camp in Ohio blossomed into five more across North Ameri-

ca, including the most recent addition set up and run by Leonard

Zanger: Camp Quest Michigan. It was here this August that I had the

honor of volunteering my ser

vices. But sitting on the plane

to Detroit, I certainly had my

doubts about exactly what

was getting myself into. To

all intents and purposes I had

just spent most of my worldly

money on a plane ticket to a

city about which I knew noth-

ing (other than that a lot o

people get shot there), to mee

a group of complete strangers

with whom I would work fo

a week. Throw in a multitude

of potentially uncontrollable

children, and you have one

very nervous Brit.

Upon meeting the oth-

er counsellors, my fears were

lifted. I was, without warning, thrown into a group of individuals,

united in a passion for education and reason. It offered me exactly

what Camp Quest is offering the campers - a retreat from the judge-

ment of others, and a chance to be around likeminded people. Many

of the campers were returning for a second year, but many newcom-

ers arrived just as unsure and wide eyed as I, burdened with the usua

camp fears added to the fact that everyone knows that Atheists ea

babies, and very occasionally, small children. They were to be left

for an entire week, with lunatics who think that learning about Fi

bonacci numbers is more fun than hurling rocks at each other. There

was naturally the inevitable homesickness, but once the camp routine

was established, their concerns settled down, and some of them even

began to - gasp - have a good time; (you know, despite the weather,

bugs and the lunatics .... I mean, counsellors.)

After a couple of days, the children began to open up, telling

horror stories from their schools. A common theme among them wa

how others reacted when they used the ''A'' word. A few had already

chosen to identify themselves as freethinkers instead of Atheists,

simply to avoid being stigmatized by the other children. It became

evident that for some of them it was the first time they were in a place

where it was okay to believe whatever they believed; to express their

AMERICANATHElSf - FEBRUARY2008


17/36

thoughts and ideas without fear of mockery or reprimands and to

question the supposed wisdom of authority.

I wholeheartedly shared those sentiments. Even living in the

UK, where religion is far less prominent in everyday life, being able

to speak my mind without fear of inadvertently offending someone's

religious sensibilities is a freedom I often miss. Not forgetting that

we are not fortunate to have an official separation between Church

and State, which means that the Church of England has a far greater

influence on government than many of us would like. Public schools

are obligated by law to have an act of collective worship that was

amended in 1988 to be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian

character, even though an estimated 80% of schools do not abide

by this. Over the last few years, faith schools in Britain have been

strongly encouraged by the government and are set to be on the rise,

causing many parents to switch religions. The reason they switch is

because certain faith schools are better schools, but their policy is

to take a certain number of students who comply to the religion of

the school (say 75%). So in order to get their children into a good

school, parents may often compromise their religious faith or lack

thereof, making notable appearances at church around the time of

the admissions procedure. The majority of faith schools in England

are Catholic/Protestant, with Islamic schools on the rise. I think offi-

cial secular schools are few and far between, if any exist at all. Yes,you

are reading correctly - to ensure their children a place at the school

of their choice, people are juggling their philosophies of life. I am

starting to think that establishing a Camp Quest UK has become a

matter of urgency.

Due to the difficulty in finding any school in the area that

does not ascribe to any religion, both my junior and senior schools

were Church of England. One of my favorite stories from my child-

hood (apart from the one about me calling strangers poo poos and

wee wees on a shaky bridge in Disneyland) was one particularly

well orchestrated day at school. During history, we learned about

the evolution of humans and drew pictures of ape men. All was well

until it was time for our scripture lesson in which we learned about

the creation story. Sure enough, we were being told by the same

teacher who had just told us that we evolved gradually from pri-

mordial goo that it was in fact God who created Adam and Eve,

the first humans. Needless to say, after that day at school I was a lot

more discerning about what I believed. I recently came across some

of my school work from that time, and while a lot of it claims to be

merely the Christian version of events, one handout we were given

declares this is a true story that took place a very long time ago.

It saddens me that such propaganda is being freely distributed in

schools even today.

The fact that I was a self-proclaimed Atheist back when I was

still hurling names at strangers on bridges, brings me back to the chil-

dren of Camp Quest, the Questlings, Questerians, or however

they prefer to be called. The most striking thing about these children

was their minds. With a combined IQ of about a jazillion, they stood

united on the fact that they had all rejected dogma and blatant lies in

order to embrace a critical, rational approach. Not that we supervised a

camp filled with Richard Dawkins clones, tweed jackets and all. They

are normal kids who enjoy sponge fights and soaking their counsellors

with stagnant, putrid, disgusting alligator tank water just as much as

the next child. They are living, breathing, crying, bleeding kids (don't

worry; we only bled them a little for the ceremonial sacrifice) - but I

truly believe these children are our future. They are set to become the

people that change the world: doctors, lawyers, presidents. Some of

them might even grow up to be Camp Quest counsellors.

Aside from bleeding and boring them to death by trying to be

educational, the camp took on a very relaxed, informal atmosphere.

The kids took part in high ropes courses, canoeing, archery, zip lines

and free swims in the lake. In the evenings we had campfires, discus-

sions about the existence of invisible unicorns (though certainly not

pink ones), astronomy lessons, talent shows, S'mores and near death

sugar highs from Edwin's peach cobbler surprise. It was bliss. On the

last two nights of camp, we were fortunate enough to be able to watch

the Perseid Meteor Shower from our camp fire ring. And staring up

at the stars, I am convinced I felt both more alive and more at peace

than any amount of religion or faith could make anyone. I whole-

heartedly echo Richard Feynrnan's sentiments: But I don't have to

know an answer. I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by

being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose

- which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn't

frighten me

The most important thing that I hope Camp Quest encour-

ages in the campers is for them to regularly employ the Camp Quest

Michigan 2007 slogan, How do you know? I do however hope

that they will take great pleasure in knowing that they do not have

to know everything; Pretty hard for a bunch of fantastic know-it-

ails.

*

To find out more about Camp

Quest please visit:

http://www.camp-quest.org/

and to find out about the upcoming

Camp Quest UK, visit:

http://www.camp-quest.org. uk/

Samantha Stein is a final

year psychology undergraduate at

York University, UK She can be

reached at samanthastein@yahoo.

co.uk

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Christian R ewriting

of History

Thefollowing is a transcriptfrom a tape of The American Atheist

Radio Series broadcastoverKI BC in Austin on the 17th ofFebruary,

1964. .

H

llohere,

This is Madalyn Mays O'Hair, American Athe-

ist, back to talk with you again.

Probably the single thing which angers Atheists

more than any other practice of Christianity is the insistence the reli-

gious community has in bending the facts of history to conform with

their dogmas.

Sherman Wakefield, who is married to Robert Ingersoll's

granddaughter, has undertaken a study of some of the specific in-

stances when such liberties have been taken with history itself.

He became particularly aroused at President Dwight Eisen-

hower at one point and wrote a short rebuttal to one of the president's

activities. I quote with Sherman's permission.

On Washington's Birthday, President and Mrs. Eisenhower

attended services in Christ Episcopal Church of Alexandria, Virginia,

where George Washington was a vestryman and occupied Pew No.

60. The service was conducted by the Reverend Braxton Bragg Com-

er Lile, the rector, who did not tell his congregation that Washington

refused to take communion and walked out of the church before each

communion service. When taken to task by the Reverend James Ab-

ercombie of Philadelphia for this conduct, Washington stayed away

from church entirely on communion Sundays. However, according

to tradition in. the parish church, the Reverend Mr. Lile read Wash-

ington's so-called 'prayer'.

Now, this prayer has been known to New Yorkers for some

years, as it is inscribed on a bronze tablet adjoining the Washington

pew in St. Paul's Chapel in that city. As a prayer this is a forgery. It

was made up from a circular letter which General Washington ad-

dressed to the governors of the 13 states upon his disbanding the

army, dated Newl:JUrg, 8 June 1783.

Forgery Done In God's Name

The prayer was manufactured from the last paragraph of

Washington's letter by omitting words in the original and replacing

them by words of divine petition. The letter was addressed to the

respective governors of the states, and not to god, and the original

you was changed to thou in the prayer. The text of the prayer

follows, with additions as I will note. First, the prayer:

Almighty God, we make our

earnest prayer that

Thou wilt keep

these United States

in

Thy holy

protection, that

Thou wilt

incline the

hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedi-

ence to government to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one

another and for their fellow citizens and the United States at large.

AMERICANATHEIST - FEBRUARv2008

And, finally that

Thou

wilt

most graciously be

pleased to dispose us all

to do justice, to love

mercy and to demean

ourselves with that

charity, humil-

ity and pacific

temper' of mind

which were the

characteristics of

the Divine Au-

thor of our blessed

religion and without

an humble imitation

of Whose example in

these things we can never

hope to be a happy na-

tion.

Grant our suppli-

cation, we beseech Thee,

through Jesus Christ our

Lord, Amen.

Now, I have

underlined

[ital-

ics}

in the text the

insertions which

were put into this

letter in order to

read into it an ac-

tual prayer to god.

Let me see how I

can explain this forg-

ery to you.

The original letter from

which this prayer was manufac-

tured is to be found in

We.

Ford's edition of Wash-

ington's

Writings

(VoL 10, pp. 254-265) and also in the

official govern ment edition of Washington's

Writings,

edited by].E. Fitzpatrick (VoL24, pp. 483-496).

Lifted From A Letter

The text of the last paragraph of the original letter follows, and

includes the words that the prayer-makers omitted. I think you will

see the difference immediately.

I now make it my

earnest prayer, that

God would haveyou and

the State over which you preside,

in his holy protection that he would

incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination


19/36

d obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and

ve for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at

, and particularly for thei r brethern w ho h av e s erv ed in - th e fi eld ,

d finally, that

he w ould

most graciously be pleased to dispose us all,

do justice, to love mercy, and to demand of ourselves with that

rity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the charac-

istics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an

mble imitation whose example in these things, we can never hope

be a happy nation.

J

have the honor to be, w ith much esteem and respec t, Si r, your

Excellenc y 's mos t obedien t and m ost hum ble servant, G eorg e W ash-

ington.

Now, the amount of material in this short paragraph

which has been omitted and changed to make the prayer

is about 33 percent of the whole, thus making the prayer

a real pious fraud. When Washington wrote the gover-

nors it was his earnest prayer - he meant, of course,

his earnest wish, and his use of the word prayer ac-

cording to the custom of his day does not justify

forging a letter into a prayer to a deity.

Washington never actually penned any of

the 13 letters to the governors, and they were

written by different aides on different days.

The copy written on 8 June 1783, as pub-

lished, was penned by David Cobb. Wash-

ington may have made the original dicta-

tion, or furnished the ideas expressed in

the letters, but they may also have been

piously embellished by those who wrote

them, after the custom of those times. In

any event, the last phrase of the prayer,

which is similar to the Episcopal Prayer

Book, is not in Washington's style and no-

where else in his writings does he mention

Jesus Christ by name.

The fact of this forgery has been point-

ed out to the officials of St. Paul's Chapel and

Trinity Church, many times in past years, but

the bronze tablet remains in the church and

in addition the prayer is inscribed in a large

framed background which rests in the Washing-

ton pew and is much easier to read than the tablet

itself. This is all in spite of the fact that in 1935 a

group of Atheists sued Trinity Church for capitalizing

on a fraud, during which suit the alteration was admitted

but was justified as making the quotation appropriate for

display and distribution in a place of religious worship.

This is by a leading representative of Christianity,

which claims to be the arbiter of our morality.

Sherman Wakefield spends much of his time

tracing down some of the forgeries in American history

which the churches have perpetuated and he gets more and

ore furious with each one he uncovers. And, so do we all.

He became quite incensed overAbraham Lincoln's.alleged let-

r to Mrs. Bixby. He began to trace the original letter and readily

und several facsimilies - only to discover that there were several

tions in the handwriting, discrepancies in the formation of single

ters, entire words between the two. Mr. Wakefield has facsimilies

three of these letters, all with differences in handwriting and test,

d he queries:

If facsimilies from a supposed original document do not

agree among themselves, which one, if any, is correct?

The two most famous copies stemmed one from Michael F.

Tobin, a dealer in pictures and prints of New York City, who applied

to the Librarian of Congress for a copyright on a facsimilie on 25

April 1891. This was about 30 years after the letter was written. Later

in the same year, Humber's Museum which dealt in a collection of

freaks and fakes of various kinds started to exhibit a document which

was claimed to be the original. The letter was supposed to have been

written on 21 November 1864, and sent directly to Adjutant General

Schouler in Boston, who delivered it in person to Mrs. Bixby on 25

November.

Mrs. Bixby is said to have lost five sons in the Civil War.

Yet strangely a search of the records reveals that two were

killed in battle (Charles and Oliver), one was honorably discharged

(Henry), and two deserted to the enemy (Edward and George) .

The Bixby letter is much quoted because in it, Lincoln, who

was known as a non-believer in religion, was purportedly to have

said, I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of

your bereavement.

The battle over these letters has been long and enduring and

the authenticity of the three quite different facsimilies of the original

letter has not been a barrier to the Christian communities' intent

endeavors to authenticate this as a true Lincoln letter, and after its

having found its way into a number of Lincoln's collected works the

stamp of authority is now upon the letter.

Completely ignored are three rather striking documents.

One written by Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, a president of

Columbia University, in which was recounted a story giving the au-

thorship of this letter to a Lincoln secretary, John Hay.

The second document is a letter from Rev. Gildart Arthur

Jackson, in which it is recounted that Lincoln had instructed Hay to

write a suitable letter of condolence and that Hay had done so.

Herndon, a friend and one-time law partner of Lincoln, re-

counts that Lincoln once made him erase the word god from a

speech which he had written because the language indicated a person

known as god, whereas Lincoln insisted no such personality ever

existed. In the original drafts of the Gettysburg Address, twice Lin-

coln wrote out that speech without mention of this nation under

God, an insertion later suggested by Simon P. Chase, a member of

Lincoln's cabinet.

We wish our Christian brothers would be more honest and

permit us our heroes. We do not deny them thei

American Atheist Magazine (February 2008)

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