American Atheist Magazine Jan 1971

8/10/2019 American Atheist Magazine Jan 1971

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T H E

M E R I N

T H E I S T

POOR RICHARD'S REPORTS

Volume] 'lumber 1

January 1971

T W E IS T

C l l L L E N G E SF O R

T H

N W Y R


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In This Issue:

Page

Greetings by Madalyn Murray O'Hair ................. 1Letter s to the Editor ............................. 2

Comments ........................................ 51971-Atheist Challenge for the New Year .............. 7This month's write-a-letter-campaign ............. 19As Seen from Here ........................... 21 Nut Mail'l .............. 22Anonymous Letters 23

Transcript of Radio Tape ........................ 24Poems .......................................... 2 8

The Staff:

Editor - in -Chief.............................. Richard F. O'Hair

A880CiateEditors Madalyn O'Hair, ..................... Lynn Thompson

Contributing ........................ C P. Me .l'I't t

Publisher: American Atheists, Inc.

Printer: The Gustav Broukal American Atheist Press, 4102 Sinclair Ave ., Austin Texas 78756

THE AMERICAN ATHEIST, Richard's Reports, is published by American Atheists,Inc., a non-profit, non-political, educational organization. Mailing address: P. O. Box2117, Austin, Texas 78767

No subscription rate: distributed to those who contribute to the cause of separationof state and church or to the cause of Atheism.


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THE AM ERICA N ATH E IS T A us tin , Tex as 78 7 6 7

L TT RS T O TH ITOR

To: Mada l yn Murr ay O' ~ai rP.O. Box . 2117Aus t i n, Te xas 7876 7

Thi s l et t er i s no t s o s pec i el orur gent but w i t h t he vol ume ofma i l you get I wan t ed t o dos omet hi ng t o ge t i t t o your

at t ent i on n a hur r y ev en a f t ert he de l ay of a coup l e of mont hsbef or e f i n i s hi ng i t . Maybe t hat ' sal l t he mo r e r eas on t o r us h i t .

f r om J ames F r ank l i nRR 1 80 x 96Kul a Maui , Hawai i 96790

When I was a c hi l d we wer e t aught n publ i c s c hool about t hepr i nc i pl e of s epar at i on of c hur ch an d s t a t e . Then t hey mar chedus i nt o as s embl y and r ead t he bi bl e a nd s u c h pr ayer f ul t hi ngs .And I knew t hi s was wr ong t h a t t hi s was not s epar at i on ofchur ch and s t at e.

My body and my cour age wer e ye t chi l d- s i z e and I s at s i l ent l y s ai d not hi ng di d n ot hi ng. But my non- chi l d m nd l ea r ned by t hi sand many mor e, t h a t i gnor ance a nd hy poc r ac y r ul e t he wor l d.

Year s l a t e r I hea rd t he news t ha t s ome woman, who s e name I soonf or go t , had t a ken t hi s i s s ue t o t he bi gr nBt cour t of our l and and won And whe t he r won or l os t wi t h t hi s and f e w mor e , Il e arned t he j oy of not bei ng a l one wi t h an i dea t he hope f orr a t i ona l i t y bor n of knowi ng t hat s ome do t hi nk and t r y .

Mor e y ea r s l at er , as Amer i ca a i med a ves s el a t t h e moon , s ee med t o me a mod er n day pyr a m d anot h e r s t r uc t ur e o f t het yr ant r ul e r s pa i d f or by t he s t o l en l ab or of ot her s . Di ff e r en tt han py r am ds t ho , I t hought n ot a mon umen t t o t he wor s h i p ofde a t h, not a hous i ng f or a ve s s el t o bea r a Phar a oh t o t hel and of deat h bu t t hi s t i me a us e o f man ' s i nt e l l e c t a s anexpr es s i on of man' s l i f e a v es s el t o car r y men s eeki ng i nt ot he r e al i t y of wha t s

Then ca me t he voi ce ac r os s a quar t e r m l l i on m l es of s pa ce , - -I n t he beg i nni ng The go ver nment wa s r e adi ng t he bi bl eag ai n . s t i l l put t i ng f o r t h t he p ray e r f u l wor ds t o t he a s s emb l y;t h i s t i me t o pr obabl y t he b i gges t a s s emb l y of l i s t ene r s t hewor l d had e ver kno wn. The deat h wor s h i ppe r s wer e s t i l l at t hehel m

And i n t he next days headl i nes t her e was new s of t hi s womanagai n. I not ed t he name t h i s t i me an d wr ot e t o l et y ou knowof my j oy at l ear ni ng t hat at l eas t on e per s on who woul d behear d had s poken out .

I t i s my nat ur e t hat I woul d r at her hav e t he conc ur r ence andP age 2


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THE A MERICAN ATHEIST A u stin , Texas 78767

r e s pec t o f one i nt el l i gent and r at i on a l per s on t han t he c heer sof a m l l i o n bungl e - br ai ned j ack- as s es who mak e up t he mas s es .

I ment i on t hes e t hi ngs above, s o you may know i n s mal l par tho w muc h i t mean t t o me t o r ec ei v e your J ul y 1 l et t er t o me.And, f ee l i ng t he c ompan i ons h i p and common s pi r i t i t r eve a l s ,

I am p r e s s e d wi t h a gr eat des i r e t o t a l k wi t h you at l eas t byl e t t e r ( a nd t he t houg ht out wor ds of a l e t t er ar e undoub t ed l ybe t t er t h o I s ur e h ave been l ong i n pu t t i ng t hem t og e t he r )t o c onv e y my conce r n f or t he gi ant and l on e l y i nt el l ect . .b a t t e r ed and br ui s ed i t s eemed t o me , but s t i l l goi ng on . . whos e s t r uggl e i s r ev e al ed ( at l eas t t o me) mor e t han yo u mayhave r eal i z ed i n your J ul y News l et t er .

Have you s et your s el f an i mpo s s i bl e t a s k?

I ndi vi dual i t y c an not be mobi l i z ed and or gani z ed youc an n ot ma ke a mas s movement of r eas on and t r ut h

I ndi vi dua l i t y . r e as on t r ut h t hes e ar e a way o fl i v i ng a me t h o d a nd not a g oal . They l ac k t be r i g i d i t y~nd f i a a l i t y of a doc t r i ne . And t her e mus t be a f i na laut hor i t a r i an ' t r ut h \ or al l egi enc e t o a l ea de r - ma s t e r i nor der t o hav e an or ga ni z at i on or movement or any f or mof ' g r oupi s m .

I f you s uc ceed at wha t you ar e t r yi ng t o do, you wi l lha ve f a i l e d.

Don' t gi ve a s ec ond t hought t o t hos e who a cc us e you of be i nga one man band f l You ar e a o ne man band . a nd your mus i c i sswee t t o t he ea r of r eason y ou ar e a one man b a nd . bepr ou d of i t l No i ndi vi dual i s t can be ot her wi s e and n o onebut an i nd i vi dual i s t can t hi nk c l ear t hought s and ach i ev egr ea t go a l s .

I wonder i f you woul d not acc ompl i s h mo r e o f what you wa nt , i fyou s pent no ef f or t on t r yi ng t o f or m and hol d t oget her a nor ga n i z at i o n l oos e t ho i t may be a nd das si . pa t e d n one ofyour e a r ni ngs f or appear anc es on t he mai nt enenc e of ano r ga ni z a t i on and a c ent er . A news l e t t e r or magaz i ne t oea r n mon ey , ~ t o mai nt a i n cont ac t wi t h t hos e who s up por tyour vi ews a nd want t o know what you and ot her s ar e do i ng.Sel l your books t h r u your news l et t e r and t hos e of ot her s t oo . .and t a pes of your pr ogr ams f o r t hos e who woul d t r y t o get t hemon t h e i r l oc al s t a t i ons . And as k t hos e who c heer a g i ven cour tba t t l e t o c hi p i n on t he cos t o f t hat s pec i f i c one .

I t hi nk anyt h i ng wor t h doi ng i s wor t h doi ng at a p r of i t . F ori f you do not s ur vi ve ec onom c a l l y i f you don ' t eat . . youar en ' t go i ng t o s t ay a l i ve t o a cc ompl i s h any t hi ng.

I t hur t s me t o s ee yo u pl eadi ng f or s uppor t . Per hdps I j udget oo muc h b y my own nat ur e but i t s eems t o mo t hat t hi s mus tgr at e on you and t ear at you i ns i de.

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THE AMERICAN ATHEIST A ustin , T exas 7 87 6 7

Woul d not a gr eat n umber of t he 30, DOD who ha ve c on t a c t e o Y ~;;;pay $1 2 a ye ar o r at l eas t $6 t o keep i n t ou ch . t o l ear nwhat i s goi ng on . t o r ead what you wr i t e a bo ut what you t hi n k771Per haps I am t he dr eamer now , but i t s t i l l s ee ms t o me t ha twoul d l i kel y have mor e s ucces s t han con t r i but i o~ and a no rg ani z a t i on . Or am I j udgi ng t r omuc h by mys e l f what ot h e r sm ght do?Thos e who ha ve be en t h e c r ea t or s and s pr eade r s of ne w ordi f ~er ent con ce pt s have a l ways been os t r ac i ze d a nd cond emnedby t he mas s of peopl e . So, i ndi vi dual s l i ke you a nd I ha ve t oexpect t ha t t o e xpect t h e hos t i l i t y of t he a ut h or i t a r i ans i npower . I f we poi nt t he way t o s omet h i ng be t t er t h e r e j ec t i onof t he i dea j us t beacus e i t s di f f er ent and t h e conde mna t i on oft he per s on who pr opagat es i t c an be vi ewed a s pr s di c at ab l e andneces s ar y. ( neces s ar y i n t he s ens e t hat t ha t i s a l ways t he wayof aut ho r i t y and t he obedi ent f ol l ower s. )

But what bot her s me i s whet her we ar e f o re r unner s or among t h el as t handf ul of per s ons f i ght i ng of f t he dea t h of f r ee d om andi ndi vi dual i t y. Pe~haps we ar e bot h a co nne c t i ng l i nk bet we e nyes t er day and t omor r ow keepi ng a l i ve t he i de a of s eek i ng

t r ut h of bei nq r at i ona l .You wi l l no t e t hat t hi s l e t t er has no dat e. Tha t ' s b ec a us e Is t a r t e d i t t wo mon t h s ag o wi t h par t s t y ped out i n r ough andmor e par t s a nd pi ece s s c r at ched on s c r aps of paper .

I had pl a nned t o c ont i nue t h e f i r s t pa r t of t hi s l et t er wi t hr e f er e nce t o my ad di t i onal pl eas ur e at d i scov er i ng ( t hank yous o muc h ~or s e ndi ng me a c opy of your appeal t o F i f t h Ci r c u i t )your a t t ack on t he bas i c ma t t er of s t acki ng cour t s wi t h ~udgeswho dec l ar e t he i r al l egi ence t o God by So hel p me God oat hs we l l t aken we l l t a ke n.

The c on s t i t ut i onal b r each caus e d by r e l i gi on i n our cour t s ha s

bee n anot her of my l ong he l d l one s ome vi ews a n d her e wasMadal yn agai n per cei vi ng and f i ght i ng.

I r oa r ed wi t h l a ughi ng appr ova l a t y our compl ai nt s o pe ni ngl i ne . i n t he headi ng, t hat i s - - Compl ai nt and Pr ayer ( excus et he expr es s i on) Such s l a s hi ng i r r ever an ce s o poi nt edl yl ayi ng open t o t he cour t i t s own hi s t or i cal t i e s t o chur ch andaut hor i t ar i ani s mAnd s o I was s pur r ed t o s t ar t t hi s l et t er , f i r s t by your J ul yNews l et t er and t hen agai n when I s aw a s t o r y n t he pa pert hat your appeal had been t hr own o ut and t he c ou r t had des c r i bedyour r ai s i ng of t he que s t i on of r el i gi ous oat hs f or j ud ges asappro a c hi ng a bs ur d i t y .

The a bsur di t y i s t hat i t has gone on s o l on g wi t h no oneque s t i oni ng and op~os i ng i t .

So~ I t yped and s c r i bbl ed . and made not es of my t hou ght s .But t h e bus ynes s of many t hi ngs has kept t hem s i t t i ng onmy de s k wai t i ng f or when I woul d have t i me t o put t oget herand e xpa nd i nt o t hi s l et t er s ome of what I want ed t o s ay t oyou ma dal yn one of t he r ar es t per s ons who wal ks t oday ont hi s ear t h.

Nov . 29, 1970J a mes f r ankl i n Page 4

I I


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_ _ _ _ . _THE A M ERIC AN A THEIST A u sti n , T ex a s 78 767

- Open L et t er t o J ame s F r ank l i n and t he At hei s t s of Ame r i c a-

My dec i ~i on t o publ i sh t he l et t e r of Mr . F r ank l i n i s bas ed on t he s en-s i t i vi t y and i ns i ght he c o nvey s . He i s t al k i ng about a phi l o s ophy whi chout of nec es s i t y mus t have s ome f r a mewor k of or gani z at i o n i n or de r t o i n-f or m t he p ubl i c and our a s s oc i a t es o f our ac t i vi t i es an d t o r ai s e money s o

ha t we c an c ont i nue o ur f i ght f or s e pa r a t i on of s t at e and c hu r c h . He k nows ,as we do, t hat t o o r ga ni ze i ndi v i dual s s uc h a s At hei s t s i s hi gh l y un f e as -

bl e. The ver y move t o or gani z e i s t o pl ant t he s e e d of deat h .Rel i gi on i s hi ghl y or ga ni z ed but s houl d be a pr i vat e mat t e r be t ween a n

ndi vi dual and . hi s god a nd t he r e f o r e no gover nment , g over nmen t a ge nc y,c our t , pol i t i c an or e van ga l i s t h a s t he r i ght t o i nf r i nge upon t hat pr i vac yby ma ki ng l aws , r e gul at i ons , or dema nds upo n t he p ubl i c by t he g r o s s as s um-pt i on t hat Amer i ca i s 1 00% Chr i s t i a n . The r e l i g i ous l e ade r s of Amer i c aha ve no bus i nes s e xe r t i ng t he i r f ant a s t i c powe r upon t he el e c t ed and non-el ec t e d gove r n men t of f i c i a l s t o pas s r ul es t hat go v e r n us a l l . The F i r s tAme ndmen t t o t h e U. S. Cons t i t ut i on guar a nt ee s i t s peo pl e t hat f r e ed om a ndf or bi ds t h e gover nme nt t o pas s l aws es t abl i s hi ng or supp or t i n g a r e l i gi on.Si nc e t h i s ba s i c r i ght has be e n vi ol at ~ d f r om t h e Supr eme Cour t , t he Pr e s -

de nt a nd on down t o s ome l oc al s c h ool boa r ds ' , dec i s i on t o r e- es t a bl i s hpr ayer i n s c hoo l s , Amer i c ans have be c ome i nc r eas i ngl y bl as e about t h e s e i n-

r i ngement s .

The SOS has di s s i pat ed i t s el f a nd i t s ' f unds out of nec es s i t y t o s t a ya l i ve and ke e p f unc t i oni ng day t o day . Wer e t hat our magaz i ne was s e l fs uppo r t i ng i t woul d hel p our e xpens e s . We ma i nt ai n a n of f i c e her e i nAus t i n and a s t a f f of t wo gi r l s wor k i ng par t t i me bec aus e t her e i s not t h emoney f or f ul l t i me empl o ye es .

Ap a r t f r om t he bas i c e xpen s es of mai nt ai ni ng a wor k i ng of f i c e we havenot t he means t o hi r e a l awyer and f i ght t he gover nment i n t he c our t s and

he pol i t i c ans wher e al l t he d ec i s i ons f or r el i gi on ar e bei ng made. Th i smeans par ac h oi d, oat hs t o get a pas s p o r t , t he Roman Ca t hol i c s ' pr es ent at t -e mpt s t o r e i ns t at e pr ayer i n s c h ool s , and our at t empt s t o get t he gove r n-ment t o t ax c h ur c hes , pl us many ot he r s .

We have t r i e d t o get g r ant s but as ye t t o no avai l . We mus t r e l y uponour as s o ci at es a nd ot her peopl e s ympat het i c t o our c aus e .

So we c ont i nue as bes t we c an wi t h wh at we have an d t hi s l ar gel y meanshe unr ent l es s ef f or t s o f Madal yn, her per s onal appear anc es , her i nt el l -genc e and wi t . She i s l i ke a s el f - wi ndi ng wat c h t hat per pet uat es i t s el f

by c ont i nous mot i on.I end by quot i ng t he f i nal s e nt enc e of yo ur l et t er . . . Madal yn . . . one of

he r ar es t per s ons who wal k s t oday on t hi s ear t h .

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THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 78767

T I l E 1 S TC W L L E N G E SF O RT I IE

N E W Y E R


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THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 7876 .7

IFCC

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One of our ma ny pr oj ec t s f or t he New Year was begun l a s tDec ember . We c ompos ed t he t wo page l et t er , pr i nt ed on t he ne xtpages , and wi t h a l i s t i ng of 128 t apes avai l abl e f r om t he Amer i -c an At hei s t Radi o Ser i es , ( one of whi c h you wi l l f i nd pr i nt ed o npage 24) , we began t o s end t hem out t o s ome 6, 000 r adi o s t at i onsi n Amer i c a. Cur r ent l y we have mai l ed mor e t han 1, 500 and r ec e i v-ed appr oxi mat el y 200 ans wer s .

The r es ul t s have been f avor abl e as c ompar ed t o f our year sago when t he ans wer s wer e negat i ve. Rangi ng f r om wi l l i ngnes s t odonat e f r ee t i me, i nvi t at i ons t o appear on t al k s hows , r eas onabl e

$10 per pr o g r a m r a t e s , $110 per pr ogr am and hos t i l e no' s .Some s t a t i ons s h ow a r el uc t ance t o agr ee and wi s h t o a udi t

t he t ap e s f or que s t i ona bl e mat e r i al or f l at l y s t a t e t hat t hey ar enot awar e of any i nt er es t i n t he i r a r e a f or s uc h a pr ogr am

Sus pr i s i ngl y enough, i t i s t he s mal l t own t hat i s mor e l i b-er a l and wi l l i ng t o s el l , whi l e t he l ar ger mor e ur ban a r eas s howa c o ns e r vat i v e a t t i t ude . As we e xpec t ed, h e avy r e l i gi ous ar easar e l es s f r i e ndl y a nd t he wes t er n Uni t ed St a t e s i s s howi ng t h egr eat es t i nt er es t i n ai r i ng our pr ogr am

As we c ompI l e t h i s i nf or mat i on wi t h t he mo ni t or i ng our a s s o -c i at es have do ne of r el i gi on on t v and r adi o , we f i nd c er t ai nf ac t s t hat bes peak t he i nf l u e nc e of or gani z e d r el i gi on. Ver y f ewa ns wer s bac k f r o m Cal i f or ni a and a bi g l ac k of i nt er es t f r om Mar y-l and . Net wor ks al s o emer ge i nt o a pat t er n. CBS s c hedul es mo r er e l i gi on t han any ot her and t hei r af f i l i at es ha ve i n t ur n s en ti n mor e r ef us al s . Secon d wi t h r el i gi ous pr ogr am n g i s NBC whi c hha s al s o s en t i n many r e f us al s . ABC, wi t h t h e l eas t r el i gi on,has been mor e ac c ept i ng of our pr ogr am MBS, inde pe nde nt n e t -

wor ks and s t at i ons wi t h no af f i l i at i o n mos t of t en s ay ' y e s ' .A r ec en t r ul i ng of J anuar y 1971 by t he F CC s a ys t h at al l

r adi o s t at i ons mus t devot e 30 m nut e s ea c h eveni ng o f pr i me t i met o c ont r over s i al i s s ues . Si n c e t he F CC and mos t r a di o s t at i onsha ve dec l ar ed t ha t r e l i gi on i s not a c on t r o v e r s i a l i ss ue , we ho pet h i s wi l l open ne w i nr oads f or us .

We bel i eve t h at 1971 wi l l be a good year f or us a nd we wi l la c hi e ve i mpor t ant b r e a k t h r o ughs i n Amer i c a

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THE A ME RIC AN ATHEIST Aus ti n Texas 78767

S O C I E T Y O F S E P I I R I I T I O N/ S T I NP it O ON 7

lillstill re~J( r t I11 l 7 61

Dear Si r :

The Soc i et y of Separ at i oni s t s , I nc . , f ounded by ~l adal ynMur r ay O' Hai r , r epr es ent s t he At hei s t i c poi nt of vi ew i n Amer i c a.As r epr es ent at i ves of t hi s m nor i t y, but never t hel es s c ont r over -s i a l , poi nt of vi ew, we ar e r eques t i ng s uf f i c i ent t i me on your s t a -t i on t o expr es s our opi n i o ns i n c ont r as t t o r el i gi ous pr ogr a mm ng.

I n t he ' Sc ot t Dec i s i on' ( F . C. C. 3 P F - Rad i o. Reg.259, 1946) i t i s not ed . . . f r eedom of s peec h mea ns f r eedom t o ex -pr es s di s bel i ef s as wel l as bel i ef s . I f f r eedom of s peec h i s t ohave any meani ng , i t c an not be pr edi c at ed on t he mer e p opul ar i t yof publ i c ac c ept anc e of t he i dea s o ught t o be advanc ed. I t mus tbe ext ended as r eadi l y t o i deas whi ch we di s appr ove or abhor ast o i deas whi c h we appr ove. 11 The Sc ot t Dec i s i on deal t wi t h At hei s m

The communi c at i ons me di a i s bec om ng mor e awar e andappr ec i at i ve of t he s t r i v i ng f or et hni c i de~t i t y by member s ofm nor i t y gr oups . The need f or c ompl et e as s i m l at i on i nt o t he dom-i nant c ul t ur e i s no l onger r ec ogni z ed as bei ng abs ol ut el y es s ent i alt o bei ng a ' Good Amer i c an' , ( Buddhi s t - J apanes e- Amer i c an Ci t i z ens

League)

The pr ac t i c e of gl vl ng c ompl et e dom nance of t he ai r -ways t o t he J udeo- Chr i s t i an r el i gi on t hr eat ens t he r el i gi ous l i b-er t y of 74, 037, 000 who have di s dai ned t o af f i l i at e wi t h any r e-l i gi ous gr oup. Thi s pr ac t i c e i s par t i c ul ar l y r epugnant t o t heAmer i c an c onc ept of f ai r pl ay and t o t he Cons t i t ut i onal l y pr ot ec t -

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THE AMERICAN ATHEIST A ust in , Texas 78767

ed f r eedom of e xpr es s i on i n t h at i t pl ac es a pr em um on bel i ef asagai ns t non- bel i ef and su b .je c t s f r ee dom of c ons c i enc e t o t he r ul eof t he ma j o r i t y,

Under t he F . C, C, ' F ai r ne s s Doc t r i ne' as i nc or por at ed i n-

t o t he Communi c at i ons Ac t of 1934 At ~~i s m , as a ' oont r over s i al i s s ue 'of publ i c i mpor t anc e des er ve s t o have equal t i me t o c ount er t he

- - - - -s at ur at i o n of t he medi a wi t h r e l i gi on ever ~vher e p r ac t i c ed.

The Nat i onal As s oc i at i on of Br oadc as t er s ' Cr eed c l ear l ypoi nt s out t hat r adi o br oadc as t i ng i n t he Uni t ed St at es of Ame r i c ai s a l i vi ng s ymbol of democ r ac y~ a s i gni f i c ant and nec es s ar y i ns t r u -

me nt f or ma i nt a i ni ng f r eedom of expr es s i on? as es t abl i s hed b y t heF i r s t Amendme nt t o t he Cons t i t ut i o n of t he Uni t ed St at e s . Thi ss a me c r ee d pr ovi des f or t he f ai r di s c us s i on of mat t er o f gen er alpubl i c concer n,

On t he b a s i s o f t he s e pr omul gat i on s we de ma nd s u f f i c i entt i me t o pr es ent At hei s t vi ews ? ma ny of whi c h wer e c onc e i ved by t hewor l ds ' gr e at e s t m n ds .

Our mat e r i al t i t l e d f l Amer i canAt hei s t Radi o Ser i es con-s i s t s of f i f t e en m nut e onc e- a- we ek pr ogr ams , F i r s t ai r ed ove rKTBC r a di o i n Aus t i n? Te xas? t he s e r i es ? now i n i t s t hi r d yea r , hasbeen wi d e l y ac c e pt e d i n t he c ommu n i t y as a s t o c k f eat ur e of t ha ts t a t i on? whi c h i s owne d by t he f am l y of f or me r Pr es i den t Lyndo~ B.J ohns on, A s e l e c t i on of pr ogr amm n g may b e had a nd t he a t t a c h e dl i st gi ves ove r a hundr ed t i t l e s , Qua l i t y t apes wi l l be t i me l yf ur ni s he d wi t hout c os t ,

We ar e a l s o pr ep a r ed t o pur c ha s e t i me i f t hi s be c omes ma nd-a t o r y t o pr es e nt o ur phi l osoph y a nd i f t he r e l i g i ous pr ogr a ms whi c hyou c a r r y a l so pay .

F O' H: me moenc l os ur e s

SOCI ETY OF SEPARATI ONISTS, I nc . bl

I , . ::; ;t l . i j.il . / : h I t/ L~ n. (\' '/0' cJ : (; 0 t . .L t..C,I .-

. Ri c har d F. O' Hai r - - P r es i de nt

Page 1 1


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IP R0 C WIAID T_HE_A_ME_R_ICA_N_A_TH_EI_ST_A_us_tin_ T_T 78767

Page 12


15/32

}ly WILLIAM J . WAU GH 'The National Education Asso-WASHI NGTON (A P) - The ciation, spokesman for nearly 2

million teachers, and the Amen-low o f public funds t o church- can Fe deration of reacherselated school s is accelerat ing

have historically opposed use ofand bringing a vigorou s legalounter attack from groups that public money in private schools.ontend America's historic wall These groups insist tha t pub -etween church and state has lie schoo ls are not adequately

been breach ed. funded now an d the situationThirty-six of the 50 states pro- would 'Worsen if tax mone y is

vide some sort of aid to private made available ', to private

c hools. Federal assistance, alschools .most nil before 1965, has For '23 'years , Americans Uni t amounted to an estimated $250 ed for Separat ion of Church andmillion in the last f ive years . State, a Silver Sprin g, Md., non-:

And now , supported b y such profit organizat ion, has been apower ful allies as Presiden t national watchdog on leg islationNixon, a drive is surf acing to that wo uld give publ ic assist -give e ven greater public aid to ance to church related schools.private s chools , which enrol l Parochia id-the use of publicmore than six million children funds for parochial schoolsand which, like their public - destroys religious liberty andcounterparts , are feeling a Ii - violates freedom of worshipnancial pinch . Americans United contend .

Meanwhile , the Supreme One of the group's leaders,Court is preparing to hear argu ~ }aston D . Cogdell , adds:ments this fall on a Pennsylva- Since tax funds are e xtract-nia case whi ch could pro vide a ed by compulsion by govern -landma rk ruling on t he church - ment ... tax aid for a parochialstate question. school is coerced publ ic support ,

Principal b eneficiary of the of a chu rch, of a church ac tiv i- public aid is the Roman Catho- ty. of a church in stitution andIic school system, with nearly 'violates the religious fr eedom offive milli on students en rolled in al l citizens.

more than 10,000 e lementary Catholic leaders, of course,schoo ls and 2,200 high scho ols. Dr. Edwa rd R.disagree .

Major .,breakthrough for pri- D' Ales sio coordinator of g ov-vate schools came wi th passage 'err.mentai progra~s ', for th eof the Elem entary-Second~r y U,S. Catholic conferenc e's ele-Educa tion ~ ~t of 1965 , W~lCh, mentary and secondary educa-funnel led mi llions of dollar s into. 1 tion division , states :parochial schools through feder- Qu ite apart from its spiritualal programs . ' dimension the Catholic or non -

Wherev er state-level assist- puQIic' s~~ool performs a five -ance goes bey ond tran sporta- fol d function in our p luralistiction, milk and s chool lunch pro society; exercise o f a paren talgrams, such legi slation usually right of option; public ser vice;is attacked in the courts. About substantial savings to the pub -30 cas es are on fil e throughout :lie: diversity, and competition . the country involv ing church - In his education messag e last ,state separation. Maron , Nixon said private ,

The Pennsylv ania case now schools w ere closing att he ratebefore theSupremeCourt is 'of one a day. H e added: Thisappeal from a three-judge fe~- governm ent cann ot be indiff er-eral court's decision uph olding a ent to the potential collapse ofstate law that permits assist - s u c h (private- parochial)ante to, non-public s chools - 'schools.

'through purchase of services. '. , In, April, the Preside nt ap-: Another federal .co~rt J . I I pointed four educat ors from thei Rhode ~sla?d held a similar law privat e sector to study th ei unconstitutional. p light of non-public elem entary; Oppo sition to use ~ f public ta x and se condary schools a nd de-:money in non-public or para- termine how the government:chial schools s~ems from many might hel p:.sources an d IS generated by r. n roll men t in Catholic[many different reasons -ou~- I ne

I ... . ... ti-C tholicism t o gen. SChools has dropped ne ar y 0116 ; ~ an I a sistartoe million from the peak years of ,luine fear that such as 1 1 the mid.1960s and is exp ectedt eventually would wr eck, th e pu to declineeve~ further. B etweentlic school system . ,

THE A MERIC A N AT H E IST A u st in , T exas 78767

Opponen ts to parochiaidmaintain that it is impossible toseparate religion and the secu-

one-half and three/ourths of allCatholic children now attend

.public schoo ls.The second larg est parochial

school system is operated by theLuthera ns with an enrollment ofabout 200,000. The third largest,the Seventh Day Adventists withabout 65,000 students , opposesany type of go vernmen t assis t-

ance .Jewish, Bapt ists and otherprotestant schools are div ided intheir posit ions on governme ntaid.

There is even division wi thinCatholic ranks. Monsigno r'Ray,

mond A . Lucker :'chief ~pokes-man for the Roman Ca tholicBishops in the United States o nthe subject of Catholic educa-tion, concedes that there is a minori ty that feel s too much 'of

the church's resources arebeing diverted t o' the elementa-ry-seco ndary scnools . and tha tmore could be rrccomplished inot her areas of Catholic .educa-tlon.

He added, however, that Weare still committed in pol icyann, in fact to the CatholicSchools .

An a rgument o ften used insupport of parochia id is that ifCatholic sch ools were shut down

it would cost th e public schoolsystem 4 billion m ore annu allyto operate.

1 \0 responsible Catholic offieial wO ti,W predict a whole saleclosing of . Catholic s chools:

Ho~~~er, Rep . Roman C . Pu-cinski, D vlll., chairman of theHouse education subcommittee,said privat e schools are caughtin a wage- price sq ueeze andfaced with mass shu tdowns. II

We can't ig nore the plight of

these sc hools, h e added in aninterview.

What d o Catholic schools want.in the wa y of public aid?

Msgr. Lucker answered thatquestion this way:

Th e Catholic schools want tobe regard ed as a p artner in thetotal American educational en-terprise . .. We do not w ant anyaid for religious instructi on ...We b elieve that we h ave a ti tlein justice to state and fed eral

aid for school hinches , buses, 'secular textbooks and the pur -'chase of secular se rvices . I I

lar subj ects in the paroc hialschool.

Edd Doerr, educat ion direc torfor Americans United, contendsthat r eligious knowledge is de-veloped i n Catholic schools notonly by means of formal reli-gion classes at every grade lev-el but also through the permea -tion of the en tire school pr o-gram with a sectarian point ofview.

There are othe r questionsbeing ra ised in the de bate.

For example , if parochi alschools were ' reimbursed thefull of amoun t of secular sub-jects -such as ma th and science-which they taug ht wo uld theybe ob ligated to admit anyo ne

who applied , regardl ess of the irrelig ion?

They should not, Msgr.Lucke r said. Parochial schoolshave to have the right to deter -mine the children who would beenrolled. H e added tlr at a Cath-olic student would be givenpreference over a no n-Catholic in the event only one vacancyexisted.

The quest ions aside , one of

the ma jor roadblocks for stat e

aid to private schools are stateconstitutions prohib iting the useof tax mone y in non - public

schools .California's const itution, for

instance, sta tes: No public money shall ever

be appropr iated for the suppor tof any secta rian or denom ina-tional school, or any school no tunder the exclusive control ofthe officers of the public

schools ...

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THE AMERICAN A THEIST Austin . Texas 7876 7

I~GO~R~A IGor a has bee n t he head of t h e At hei s t movement i n I ndi a f o r

t he l as t t hi r t y yea r s . He was a c onf i dent of Mahat ma Gandhi ,a nd wi l l s oon publ i s h hi s book about hi s r el a t i ons hi p wi t h hi mGor a was on a r ound- t hewor l d t r i p of about s i x mo nt hs dur at i ont o c ont ac t At hei s t s ever ywher e. I n 1971 he i s hos t i ng a Wor l dAt hei s t Meet ( W M. ) i n I ndi a. Cur r ent l y he i s publ i s hi nga magaz i ne The At hei s t i n whi c h he wr i t es a c ol umn I Lear n oThe f o l l owi ng exc er pt i s t aken f r om t he November , 1969, i s s ue.

I L E R N

An experience with a friend pro videdme w ith a test for atheism.

His explana tion revealed his mind.lie visited the temple in the c ompany ofhis friends. He followed the crow d indonating his hair. He tried to please meby saying that his hair would grow up in a

few week s.

Tirupati (Balaji) is a famous place ofHindu p ilgrimage. The muni cipal town

lies at the foot of a range of hills whi lethe temple is sit uated at the top of a hill .

Thousands of pilgrims from far andnear visit the te mple everyday and thedevotees are kn own for two religi ouspractice s. First , they make all-out do na-tions of c ash and gol d to the god andsecond, they donate to the god t heir hairtoo. The refore clean sh aven heads of men,women and chil dren symbolize visit to thetemple at Tirupati .

I attended a three-day po litical conf e-rence at the municipal town o f Tirupati .A friend who called him self an atheist wasalso a delegate to the conference. He satby m e on the fir st day at the co nference.He was absent on the foren oon of thesecond d ay. The after noon he came again;but, to my surpri se, with h is head shavedin the manner of donating hair to the godof Tirupati .

There were quite a few deleg ates whotook the opportunity of the conference for

a visit to the temple and for donat ing theirhair. That this atheist also should dothe same was an astonishment .

The essence o f atheism is the fightagainst this soft ness of the mind, a slav ishobedience to a cus tom or to the cr owd.Millions of devotees donate hair . o godof Tiru pati, out of religious Iaith ortheis tic convent ion. An' '.st, tn beworth the name, oug h t f v: dist both thefaith and the convention and take up afirm, rati onal stand. But to fall in linewith the crowd is as ba d as putting forththe plea of di vine will or fate's decree for

acts of omiss ion or of commi ssion. It isworse when t he culpr it is an atheist .

Evidently, my fr iend was not anatheist; he was an opportuni st who de siredto combine advantages by soft com-promises.

8 O c t. , 6 9 . GORA


17/32

THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Texas 787 67

I N ASAl

Thursday, Dec. 17, 1970

O H a ir F ilesPrayer Suit

With CourtMadalyn Murray O 'Hair is

taking . her case agains t prayersn space . to the United Sta tes

Supreme Court, she reported,The petit ion'. requesting .'.the

Supreme Court to review thedecision of the Fifth CircuitCourt of Appeal s - whichdismissed her or iginal suit :....,..was f iled Wednes day.

The p etition for revie wcont ends that U .S. DistrictJudge Ja ck Robe rts dismis sedthe ori ginal complaint withouthaving a t rial on the facts.

The petition also contendsthat Fifth Court of AppealsJudge s Wal ter P. Gewin, Irvi ngL. Goldberg and David W. Dye rupheld th e decision of JudgeRober ts witho ut proper revie wof the case.

T he single-judge DistrictCourt held in dismissing thecomplaint that plaintiffs had notstated a claim upon which reliefcould be granted. This hoidingpresupposes a thoroughexamination of the complaint;accepting 'all well pleadedallegations of fact as true and

in the light most favorable tothe plaintiffs, the petitionreads.

. petitioners (Mrs . RichardO'Hair and the Society ofSeparationists, Inc.) claim thatsuch thorough examination 'wasnot given .

In his opinion, .Judge Robertssaid: The plaintiffs havealleged .' .their right offreedom of religion ' has- beenabridged. . This Court hassearched the pleadings in vainto find any , allegat ion . ofcoerci on. The plaintiffs haveneither been forced to, do.anything nor prohibited fromdoing anything.

The pet ition conte nds that, inits legal r esponse to the Di strictCourt the Na tional Aeronauticsand Spac e Admi nistrationadmitt ed such cont entions of th eplaintiffs as: the U.S.Governmen t attempted by theApollo 8 flight to establish theChrist ian rel igion as the officialreligion of the Un ited States'that it violated a 196 7 UiiitedNations treaty, signed by theUnited States, g overning theactivities of states i n theexplorat ion .and us e of outerspace; and that a religious(Roman Catholic) flag .wasplanted on the moon .

The government's contentionthat the actions of the

astronauts were personal wasnot accepted by Judge . Roberts,the petition cites.

The U. S. Supr eme Cour t i n aunani mous dec i s i on on Mar c h 12 ,1971, r ef us ed t o r evi ew t heNASA c as e whi c h t he Soc i et y ofSepar at i oni s t s had begun t os t op Bi bl e r eadi ng and pr ayerr ec i t a t i on i n s pac e.

I t al s o, unani mous l y, r ef us -ed t o r evi ew as an al l i edi s s ue t he r eques t of SOS t opr o hi bi t mandat o r y af f i r mat i onof bel i ef i n God f or al l f ed-er al empl oyees of f i c e hol d-e r s .

The U. S. Supr eme Cour t ,t her ef or e, af f i r med t he dec i s -i on of t he 5T h U. S. Cir c ui tCour t of Appeal s of Loui s i ana.

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IPR A Y E R SIN S Cb jOQ L ITHE A ME RICA N A T HEIS T Au stin, T e x as 7 8 76 7

Religion l\lakes Com eback

Quietly in Many U.S. SchoolsSchool Prayer an

ay be Tested

New Jersey Scho ol LatestAren a for Prayer Battle

Pr aye r a nd Bi bl e r eadi ng i n publ i c s chool s i s once agai n a pr obl emCont r ar y t o t he 1962 Supr eme Cour t 8-1 r ul i ng on Mur r ay v. Bal t i mor e SchoolBoar d, s chool boar ds and gr oups of c i t i z ens have f ound ques t i onabl e met hodsof c i r cumve nt i ng t he l aw. The mos t exp e di ent met hod s o f ar has been r ead-i ng f r om t he Congr e s s i o nal Recor d whi ch Qont ai ns pr ayer s of f er ed by t heChapl a i n of t he U. S. Senat e or Hous e of Repr es ent at i ves o

.. ~

Opponent says Sen. Goreagainst prayer in schoo l

P a ge 16

.L ~


19/32

'mE AMERI C AN ATHEIST A u stin, Te x as 7 8 76 7

N etcong takes prayer case to

By NANCY JAFFER

The Netcong Board of Edu -cation asked the U.S . Su-preme Court yesterday tohear argumen ts for allowingthe dist rict 1 to reins titute avolunt ary school pra yer pro-gram that was banned lastyear by NeWJerse y courts.

Board attorn ey Ste phen

Carton ex plained the Stateof New Je rsey has 30 daysto file an answer to the Net-cong briefs and within tw oweeks afte r that the courtshoul d render a deci sion onwhether it will hear the c ase.

Carton said that in his opin -ion the earlier high court

course is favoring agnosti c-ism, and therefore in viola-

tion of the co urt's ruling thatthere ca n be no preferen cefor an y group.

Ironicall y, becaus e theschool system is c omplyingwith the injuncti on, it fac esanother suit fr om a group ofesidents who w ant studentsto be allowed to c onduct a 15minute preschool service ina classroom.

Stracchio will n ot grant therequest because he thinks itviolates the court order.

Jersey City att orney Eu-gene Kenny, wh o is hand lingthe matter for the citizens,explained he be lieves his

u s

~ecisions left the prayer mat-ter unsettled , since manysides issues brought up werenot clari fied.

In 1969 ,the board approveda resolution allowing preclassprayer sessions in the schoolgym, where attendance o fboth teachers and studentswas on a pu rely volunt arybasis.

However, Superior CourtJudge Joseph Stamler or-dered the board to halt thepractice, and sin ce last Feb -ruary th e district h as beenunder an injuncti on to thateffect, according to JosephStracchio, sup erintendent ofschools.

client s' requ est WIll not vio -late the law , since the ses-

sions wou ld be unsupervisedby scho ol admini strators.He said the prayers read

t the originial s essions wereread over by administratorsto make sure t hey' did notviolate the spirit of the schoo lboard resolution but that, ineffect, was official sanctionof the program.

However, Carton said herequested Kenny to hold thesuit until the Supreme courthas decided whether it willtake the Net cong ca se. Kennysaid h emigh t very well dothat, and will discuss thematter with Carton.

Supreme ou rt

The case was appealed tothe State .Supreme Court,which in November upheldStamler's decision ; based onthe U.S. Supreme Court rul-ings on school prayer.

The latest appeal is basedCarton's , belief the orig inaldecision was intended onlyto ban offic ially sanctionedprayer during school hours ,

and that preschoo l sessionsshould not be in violation.He - also argue s that the

school prayer decision in ef-fect p roduced results contraryto the express ion of the court- excisi ng God from schooland in large me asure frompublic li fe. Carton said this

Bi bl e r eadi ng and pr a yer

has bec ome a pol i t i c al i s -s u e f o r c ampai gn s peec hesand a mor a l ques t i on. Somei r a t e c i t i z e ns c l ai m l ac kof s pi r i t ual t r a i ni ng i ns c hool s has b e en t he maj orc ont r i bu t or t o c r i me , por no-gr aphy, dr ugs , a nd pr om s -c ui t y . So ma ny peopl e get

wound u p i n c au s es t he yf ai l t o s ee t he pr i nc i pl eof an i s s u e .

The pr i nc i pl e her e i sver y s i mpl e- f i r s t , i t i s avi ol at i on of s t at e andc hur c h. Se c ond, i t i s an i n-f r i ngement of t h e F i r s t A-

mendment , not t o ment i ont hat s i nc e 1962 i t h as be e ni l l egal .

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T HE AMERICAN ATHEIST

l-i lN G O D W E ~ T = R U ~ ST ~ JlIAustin , Texas 78767

ourt rejects In Go d We Tr u st ch allengeSAN F R ANC ISCO -T h e 9th U.S . C irc ui t Co urt of App eal s tu rn -ed do w n a c h a ll en ge to r ul eag ain st th e con stitut ion a lit y ofth e national motto , In Go d W eT rust , and its u se on th e n a-ti o n' s c o ins an d curr ency .

St e fan R ay Ar ano w o f Wood-land , Calif ., wa s told by th e a p-p e llat e court it would uphold a1968 ruling by U .S. Distri c tCourt Judg e Llo y d Burke .

Th e deci sio n sta ted th a t itis quite ob v ious that the na tional

m otto and s log an , 'In Go d WeTr ust , ' on coinag e an d c urr enc yhas no th in g w h atsoeve r t o dow it h t h e e s tabl ishm e nt of r e li-g ion . Its u se i s of a p a triotic o rc erem on ia l ch arac ter and b ea rsn o tru e rese m b lanc e to a g ove rn-m ental spo n so rs hip of a re ligiousexe rc ise .

Th e c ourt di d not rnl e onA ranow s right t o su e. It lim itedits ru lin g to th e co nst itutionality ofth e mot to, a nd whe ther it violate ssepa rati on o f churc h and state.

....

..I n a b ul l e t i n r el eas ed on Augus t 15, 1935 by t he Depar t mentof t he Tr eas ur y i n Was hi ng t on, D. C. , i t annou nc e s pr oduc t i onof a new o ne dol l ar Si l ver Cer t i f i c a t e .

Among t h e i mpor t a nt c hang es dea l i ng wi t h pr i nt i ng and des i gnwas t he dec i s i on t o us e t he Gr ea t Se a l of t he Uni t e d St a t e s f ort he f i r s t t i me on a ny mone y i s s ued by t he Uni t e d St a t e s .

The r e ve r s e s i de of t he ' Gr eat Seal ~ u s e d f or t he f i r s t t i meon money , s hows an unf i n i s hed pyr a m d, s u r moun t e d by a n ey e i n at r i angul ar gl or y. The pyr am d b e a r s i n Roma n nume r a l s t h e yea rof t he De c l ar a t i on of I nde pen de nc e , 17 76. Above t he ey e i s t h e

Lat i n mot t o , ' Annuit

Coe pt i s , ' r en de r e d as ' He ( God) f avor e d ourunde r t a k i ngs . ' I lH } mot t o at t h e bot t om i s ' Nev us Or do Sec l o r u ma nd i s t r a ns l at ed as t~ ~ew o r der of t he a ge s . ' The e ye a nd t r i -angul a r gl or y s ymbo l i z e a n al l - see i ng De i t y . The pyr am d i s t hes ymbo l . of s t r e ngt h a nd i t ~ . unf i ni s he d c ondi t i on de no t es t he be-l i ef of t he d es i gne r s of t he Gr ea t Seal t h a t t he r e wa s s t i l l wor kt o be done.

The f i r s t c omm t t ee on t he Gr e a t Sea l was f or med on J ul y 4,1776, wi t h s uc h i l l us t r i ous pe opl e as F r ank l i n and J ef f er s on. Apr i va t e c i t i z en W l l i a m Ba r t o n l a rg e l y r es pons i b l e f or t h e adop-t i on of t he Gre at Seal on J une 20, 17 82 expl a i ned: Th e pyr am don t he r ev e r se s i gni f i es s t r engt h and dur at i on. The eye over i t ,wi t h t he mot t o I Annui t Coept i s ' ( P r o s per our Endea vor s , al l udest o t he ma ny s i gnal i nt er po s i t i ons of Pr ovi denc e i n f avor of t heAme r i c a n Ca use. The dat e under neat h i s t hat of t he Dec l ar at i onof I nde pendenc e and t he wor ds und e r i t s i gni f y t he begi nni ng oft he new Amer i can Er a, whi c h c omme nc e d f r om t hat da t e.

The i nt e nt i on of t hi s f i r s t c omm t t ee was n ot t o put God orr ef er enc e t o a De i t y on t he Grea t Seal a s i ns i nua t ed by t he 1935i n t e r p e t a t i on.

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~ ~ s

..Page 19


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T HE A MER ICAN A THEIST A ust in , Te xa s 78767

The i mpor t anc e of t hi s a r t i c l e , apar t f r om i t s c l ear a ndc onc i s e def i ni t i on , i s t ha t J ohn Sar vas wr i t es t hes e a r t i c l esand- buys t he s pac e i n t h e pape r . Thi s i s i mpor t ant f or r eac hi ngot her At hei s t s and al s o e s t abl i s hi ng s ome communi c a t i on wi t h t he

bel i ever s . Mr . Sa r vas r epo r t s t hat he has r e c ei ved ma ny f avor -abl e c omment s on hi s c ol umn t ha t r uns e ver y t wo weeks . Ou rhear t y c ongr a t ul at i o ns t o Mr . Mrs . Sar vas f or t hei r i d ea a ndi t s s uc c es s .

WEDNESDAY JANUA RY 6 97

4 TH E INDEPENDENT BIG G AR SASK.

n theis t says What is a theis t ?

By John M Sarvas

First, he is not an agnos tic,

realist, deist , rationalist, secu-larist, humanist, heretic, icono-clast, infidel, objec tivist, ethica lculturist , unitarian nor anyothe rfancy name behind which manynon-be lievers fee l they musthideto function succe ssfully and beaccep ted in our societ y.

An A theist does not believethere is a Godor any God, per-sonal or in nature or manifest-ing itself in any way ; that the reis such places as heaven , hell,

perdit ion, purga tory or any ofthe stages inbetween;or life afterdeath , miracles , angels , or pro-phets and he does not accept anyholy book of any kind , any sa-viors, the popes or uy orac les,self appointed or appointed byother persons , the efficacy ofprayer said either by himself ,a priest, rabbi or mini ster.

As adults we mu st face thatthis is silly. W e no longer needto cling t o these ancient fable s

and ide as borne of ma n's ignor-ance. It is an insult t o ourintelligence, common se nse andexperience whichwe have gainedfrom living.

An Athei st loves his fellowman instead of g od,believingthatheave n is som ething for which

we shouldwork for now, het e onearth, for all men to enjoy to-gether; that he can get no helpthrough prayer. only fin ding inhimself the str ength a nd innerconviction to meet lif e, grapplewith it, subdue it a nd enjoy it .That o nlyin a knowl edge,Qfhim-self and hi s fellow ma n can hefind the und erstanding' that willhelp to a life of -fulfill ment. Heseeks to- know himself and hisfellow man rather than to know

a god. Hebelieves that a hospitalshould be built instea d of achurch , a deed done inste ad of aprayer said,' striving for involve-ment in life and not escape intodeath; he wants disease con-quered, pover ty vanished, wareliminated , man to understandand 'lov e man, and an ethica l wayof life. Hebelieves that wecannotrely on a god or channel actioninto prayer, nor hop e for an endof troubles in a hereafter. He

believes that weare our brothers 'keepers. But mo re impor tantkeepers of our ownlives; that weare responsible pers ons, the jobis here and the time is now .

Page 20


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The Cleveland Press, W .ednesday, January 20, 1971

Press State Service

COLUMBUS - Johnnie Ra y Dupler , who hadenrolled as a freshman at Ohio State Universityand petitioned to change his name to Jesus Christ,has been committed to Columbus State ' Hospital for90 days .

He was committed yesterday after 'a hearing 11 1Franklin County Probate Court in action broughtby Dupler 's father who last week asked his son becommitted for treatment,

A court spokesman , said the hearing for thename change which had been scheduled after Feb .8, would be delayed until after Dupler is released .from the state institution .

Youth who wantednameo f h rist is con fined

Pa~e 21


24/32

THE AMERICAN ATHEIST Austin, Tex a s 78767

NUT MAIL

Page 22


25/32

THE MERI N THE S .T Austin, Texas 78767

anonym ou l

J5~ ~ / ~

_ ~~~~lyr~J~ ~~-~ V /~ /

~I u ~ ~ ~

~ ~ Jf[ ,O G~ ~r~ ~~ /t t; / t rrY V ~1 .-- 0

,Page 23


26/32

A D / O

T HE AM E RICAN A THEI S T A ust in , Texas 78767

'I'he f ol l owi ng i s a t r ans c r i pt f r om a t a pe of The Ame r i can At h e i s tRadi o Ser i es br o a dc as t ov e r KTBC i n Aus t i n on t he 19 t h of J a nuar y1970. I t i s t he s e c ond of t wo t a l ks on Char l e s Br adl a ugh t h i s one i si nt i t l ed Char l es Br adl augh ' s P l ea f or At he i s m . '

Go od E ve ni ng,Thi s i s Madal yn Mur r ay O' Hair ,

Amer i c an At hei s t , bac k t o t al k t oyou agai n .

Thi s mont h we ar e di s c us s i ngChar l e s Br adl augh, t ha t e x t r a or di n-ar y Engl i sh At he i s t who r an f orPar l i a ment - openl y , a s an At he i s t -who made t h at of f i ce f or ma ny s uc -c es s i ve year s - and who, put hi ss t amp on Wes t e r n At he i s m f or gooda nd al l t i mes . He l i ved f r om 18 33t o near t he end of t ha t c e nt ur y be-f or e our s , and you l e ar ne d a l i t t l eabout hi s l i f e l a s t week i n ourbr oa d c a s t .

Toni ght I woul d l i k e t o r ead t oyou f r om hi s bookl e t , a P l ea f o rAt hei s m I n des c r i bi ng t hi s , hi s

daug ht er h a d t h i s t o s ay : The wor k At hei s t ha s a l way ' Sbeen us ed a s a t er m of obl oquy byChr i s t i ans , ev e n by educ a t ed Chr i s -t i a ns who hav e not t he exc us e ofi gnor an c e. Mi s app r eh e ns i on andde l i ber a t e m s r e pr es ent a t i on ofAt he i s m ha ve bee n c ons t ant , and Ln dee d a r e not unk nown at t h e pr e s e ntday. I n t he l at e s e ve nt i e s of l a s tc e nt ur y my f at her wr o t e ' A Pl e a f orAt hei s m , a br i e f but c ar ef ul exam-i na t i on of what At hei s m r eal l y i s

and wh a t i t i s not . He wr ot e t hi s ,he s ai d , i n t he hope of r e movi ngs ome of t he many pr ej ud i c e s ag ai ns tAt hei s t s . - - - a nd i ndeed, t hat i show t he b ook l et s t ar t s : I r ead nowf r o m Br a dl augh' s wr i t i ngs .

Quot e: Thi s es s ay i s i s s ued i nt hat h ope t hat i t may s uc c eed i n

_ .

r e movi ng s ome of t he many pr e j ud-i c es pr e val e nt , not o nl y a ga i ns tt he ac t ual hol der s of At hei s t i copl nl ons , but a l s o agai ns t t hos ewr ongl y s us pec t ed of At he i s m Menwho ha ve bee n f amous f or dep t h oft hought , f or exc el l ent wi t , orgr eat geni us , have be e n r ec k l e s s l yas s ai l ed as At hei s t s by t hos e whol ac k t he hi gh qual i f i c at i ons a ga i n-s t whi c h t he mal i c e of t he c al u mni -a t o r s was di r ec t ed. Thus , not onl yhave Vol t ai r e and Pai ne be e n, wi t h-out gr ound, ac c us e d of At hei s m b utBac on, Loc ke, and Bi s hop Be r k e l e yhi ms e l f , ha ve , a mongst ot her s , b eendeno unc e d by t hought l e s s o r uns c r u-pul ous pi e t i s t s a s i nc l i ned t o

At he i s m t he gr ound f or t h e a ccus a-t i on bei ng t ha t t hey mani f e s t ed ani nc l i nat i on t o pus h human t hought al i t t l e i n advanc e of t he ag e i nwh i ch t hey l i ved.

I t i s t oo of t e n t he f as hi on wi t hpe r s o n s of pi ous r eput at i on t os peak i n unme as u r ed l anguage ofAt hei s m as f avou r i n g i mmor al i t y,and of At hei s t s as men whos e c on-duc t i s nec es s ar i l y vi c i ous , i mmor -al and pr of l i gat e c ompani ons , l i c -e nt i ous l i v i ng, and t he l i ke.

An Engl i s h Doc t or of Di v i n i t ywr i t i ng i n a book I ns t r uc t i ons onChr i s t i an The ol ogy, goe s s o f a r ast o de c l ar e t hat ne a r l y a l l t heAt hes i t s u pon r e c or d have be en me nof ex t r e me l y deba uc hed a nd vi l econduc t . Suc h l anguage f r o m t heChr i s t i an advoc a t e i s not s u r pr i s -

P age 2 4


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i ng, but t her e ar e ot her s who whi l epr o f es s i ng gr eat des i r e f or t hes pr e a d of F r eet hought and hav i ngpr e t en s i ons t o r an k amongs t ac ut eand l i be r a l t hi nker s , dec l ar e At he -

i s m i np rac t i c abl e, and i t s t eac hi ngsc ol d, bar r en and negat i ve. Exc ept -i ng t o eac h of t hes e al l egat i ons , Imai nt ai n t hat t hought f ul At hei s maf f or ds gr eat er pos s i bi l i t y f orhuman happi nes s t han any s ys t em yetbas ed on, or pos s i bl e t o be f oundedon Thes i m and t hat t he l i ves oft r ue At hei s t s mus t be mor e vi r t uous- - bec aus e mor e human- - t han t hos e oft he bel i ever s i n Dei t s , t he human-i t y of t he devout bel i ever s of t enf i ndi ng i t s e l f ne u t r a l i zed by af ai t h wi t h whi ch t ha t huma ni t y i snec es s ar i l y i n c ons t ant c ol l i s i on.The devot ee pi l i ng f ag go t s a t t heaut o da f e; of a her et i c , and t hather et i c hi s s on, m ght not wi t h-s t andi ng b e a goo d f a t h e r i n e ver yot h e r r espect . He r es y , i n t h e eyesof t he bel i ever , i s hi ghes t c r i m -nal i t y , and out wei ghs al l c l ai ms off a m l y or af f ec t i on .

At hei s m pr oper l y u nder s t ood, i sno mer e d i s be l i e f : i s no wi s e c ol d,bar r en negat i ve; i t i s , on t he c on-t r ar y , a hear t y, f r ui t f ul af f i r ma -t i on of al l t r ut h, and i nvol ves t hepodi t i ve as s e r t i on of ac t i on ofhi ghes t humani t y .

' Let At hei s m be f ai r l y exam ned,and nei t her c ondemned- - - i t s def e nc eunhear d- - - on t he ex par t e s l ander sof s ome of t he pr of e s s i onal pr e ac h-er s of f as hi onabl e or t hodoxy, whos ec our age i s bol d enough whi l e t hepul pi t pr ot ec t s t he s er mon, butwhos e val our bec omes t emper ed wi t hdi s c r et i on when a f r ee pl at f or m i saf f or ded and di s c us s i on c l ai med;nor m s j udged bec aus e i t has been

he c us t om t o r egar d At hei s m i s s ounpopul ar as t o r ender i t s advoc ac y

mpol i t i c . The bes t pol i c y agai ns tal l pr ej udi c e i s t o f i r m y a dv oc at ehe t r u t h . The At hei s t does not s ay ,


Ther e i s no God, but he s ays : Ido not k now what you mean b y God; Iam wi t ho ut i dea of God; t he wor d' God' i s t o me a s ound c onveyi ng noc l ear or di s t i nc t af f i r mat i on. I do

not deny God, becaus e I c annot den yt hat of whi ch I have no c onc e pt i on,and t he c onc ept i on of whi c h, b y i t saf f i r mer , i s s o i mper f ec t t hat he i sunabl e t o def i ne i t f or me. I f ,however , ' God' c an be def i ned t omean an exi s t enc e ot her t han t heexi s t enc e of whi c h I am a mode , t h e nI deny ' God' and af f i r m t hat i t i si mpos s i bl e s uc h ' God' c an be . Thati s , I af f i r m one exi s t enc e , and de nyt hat t her e c an be mor e t han one .The pan t hei s t a l s o af f i r ms on e exi ~s t ence , and' d e ni es t hat t h er e can bemor e t ha n one ; but t he di s t i nc t i onbe t we en t h e pant he i s t a nd t he At he-i s t i s , t hat t h e pa nt hei s t af f i r msi n f i n i te a t t r i but e s f or e xi s t enc e ,whi l e t he At hei s t ma i nt ai ns t bata t t r i but es ar e t h e c har a c t e r i s t i c sof mode- - - i . e. t he di ver s i t i e s en-abl i ng t he condi t i oni ng i n t hough t .

When t he t hei s t af f i r ms t h a t hi s

God i s an ex i s t enc e o t he r t han, ands epar at e f r om t he s o - c a l l ed mat er -i a l uni v er s e, and whe n he i nves t st hi s s e pa r a t e , hypot he t i c al exi s -t enc e wi t h t he s ever a l a t t r i bu t e sof per s onal i t y , omni s c i enc e , omni -pr e sence , omni pot ence , et er ni t y , i nf i ni t y, i mmut abi l i t y and per f ec tgoodnes s , t hen t he At hei s t i n r epl ysays : I deny t he ex i s t enc e of s u c ha bei ng ; and he i s ent i t l ed t o s ayt hi s bec aus e t hi s t hei s t i c def i ni -t i on i s s el f c ont r adi c t or y, as wel las c ont r adi c t or y of ever y- day e x-per i enc e.

. . . The exi s t enc e of evi l i s at er r i bl e s t umbl i ng - bl ock t o t het hei s t . Pai n , m s er y, c r i me, pov-er t y c onf r ont t he advoc at e of et er -nal goodnes s , and c hal l enge wi t h unans wer abl e pot en c y hi s dec l a r at i onof Dei t y as al l - good, al l - wi s e andal l - power f ul . . . . Evi l i s ei t her

Page 25


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c aus ed by God , or exi s t s i ndep e n-dent l y ; but i t c an not be c a us ed by

God, as i n t hat c a s e he wou l d notbe al l - good; nor c an i t exi s t hos -t i l e l y , as i n t ha t c a s e he wou l dnot be al l - power f ul . I f al l - goodhe woul d des i r e t o an ni hi l a t e evi l ,and c ont i nued evi l c ont r adi c t sei t her God' s des i r e , or God' s ab l i -i t y, t o pr e ve nt i t . Evi l mus tei t h e r have ha d a begi nni ng or i tmus t ha ve bee n et er nal ; but , ac c or -di ng t o t h e t hei s t , i t c annot beet er nal , b ec a us e God al one i s et er -

na l . Nor c an i t ha ve had a be gi nn-i ng, f or i f i t had i t mus t ei t herhave or gi ni at ed i n God, or out s i deof God; but ac c or di ng t o t he t he i s t ,i t c ann ot have or i gi na t ed i n Godf or he i s al l - good, a nd o ut of a l l -goodnes s evi l c annot o r i gi na t e ; norc an evi l have or i gi nat ed out s i de Godf or , ac c or di ng t o t h e t hei s t , Godi s i nf i ni t e, and i t i s i mpos s i bl et o go out s i de of or beyond i nf i ni t y .

To t he At hei s t t hi s ques t i on of

evi l as s umes an ent i r el y d i f f e r e n tas pec t . He dec l ar ed t hat eac h evi li s a r es ul t , but no t a r es ul t f r omGod or Devi l . He af f i r ms t hat c on-duc t f ounded on knowl edge of t hel a ws o exi s t e nc e may amel i or a t eea c h p r e s ent f o r m of evi l , and, asour knowl edge i nc r eas es , pr es enti t s f ut ur e r e c u r r e n c e .

Some dec l ar e t hat t he bel i e f i nGod i s ne c e s s a r y as a c hec k t oc r i me. The y al l ege t hat t he At hei ~t

may c omm t mur der , l i e, or s t ealwi t hout f e a r of any c ons equenc es .To t r y t he ac t ual val ue of t hi sa r gument , i t i s not unf ai r t o as k:Do t hei s t s eve r s t eal ? I f yes , t heni n eac h s uc h t he f t t he bel i ef i nGod and hi s power t o puni s h hasbeen i ns uf f i c i ent as a pr ev e nt i veof t he c r i me. Do t hei s t s ever l i eor mur der ? I f yes , t he s ame r emar khas aga i n f or c e- - - Thei s m f a i l i nga ga i ns t t h e l e s s e r as agai ns t t he

gr eat er c r i me . Thos e who us e s uc h

THE AMERI C AN ATHEIST Austin, Tex a s 7876 7

an a r gument ove r l ook t hat al l me ns e e k hap pi ne s s , t h ough i n ve r y di v-

e r s e f a s h i ons . I gnor ant and m s -e duc a t ed men o f t e n m s t ake t he t r u ep a t h t o h appi nes s , and c omm t c r i mei n t h e e nde a vour t o obt a i n i t .At hei s t s hol d t ha t by t ea c hi ng man-ki nd t he r e al r oa d t o huma n ha ppi -ness i t i s p os s i bl e t o k ee p t hemf r om t he by- ways of c r i m na l i t y ander r or . At hei s t s woul d t eac h men t obe mo r al now, not bec aus e God of f er sas an i nduce ment r ewar d by and by ,bu t bec ause i n t he vi r t uo us ac t i t -

s e l f i mme di a t e g ood i s i ns u r e d t ot h e doe r and t h e c i r c l e s ur r oundi nghi m. At hei s m woul d pr es e r ve ma nf r om l y i ng, s t ea l i ng, mur der i ng , notf r om f ear of a n et e r nal agony af t e rdea t h , but be c aus e t he s e c r i me smake t h i s l i f e i t s el f a c our se o fm s er y .

Whi l e Thei s m, a s s e r t i ng God asc r e at o r an d go ve r nor o f t he uni ve r -s e , hi nder s and c hec ks man' s ef f o r t sby de c l ar i ng God' s wi l l t o be t h e

s ol e di r ec t i ng and c ont r ol l i ngpower , At h ei s m, b y dec l a r i ng al lev e nt s t o be i n a c c or da nc e wi t hna t u r a l l a ws - - t ha t i s , happ e ni ng i nc e r t a i n as cer t ai nabl e s equenc es - - - -s t i mul at es man t o di s c over t he bes tc ondi t i ons of l i f e, a nd of f e r s hi mt he mo s t powe r f ul i nduc e ment s t omor a l i t y. Whi le t h e t hei s t pr ov i desf ut u r e ha ppi nes s f or a s c oun dr elr e pe nt a nt o n hi s deat h- bed, At hei s maf f i r ms pr es e nt and c er t a . i nhappi -

ne s s f or t he man who does hi s bes tt o l i ve her e s o we l l as t o hav el i t t l e c aus e f or r epent i ng her e-a f t e r .

Thei s m dec l ar es t hat God di s pen-s es heal t h and i nf l i c t s di s eas e, ands i c knes s and i l l nes s ar e r egar dedbe t he t hei s t as vi s t at i o ns f r om ananger ed Dei t y, t o be bor ne wi t hmee knes s and c o nt ent . At hei s m de -c l ar es t hat phys i Ol ogi c al knowl edgemay pr es er ve us f r om di s eas e by

pr event i ng us f r om i n f r i ngi ng t he

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aw of he al t h, and t ha t s i c knes se s u l t s not as t he or di n anc e o f

of f ende d Dei t y , but f r om i l l - ve nt -l a t ed dwel l i ngs and wo r ks hops , ba dnd i ns uf f i c i ent f ood, exc es s i v e

t oi l , ment a l s uf f e r i ng, expos ur e t oi nc l e me nt we at he r , and t he l i ke , - - - t hat pr ay e r s and pi e t y af f or d nop r o t e c t i on a gai ns t f ev er , a nd t h a ti f t he huma n bei n g be kep t wi t houtf ood he wi l l s t ar v e as q ui c kl y whe-t her he be t hei s t or At hei s t , t heo-l ogy bei ng no s ubs t i t ut e f or br ea d.

A nd i f t h e uni ver se o wes i t sexi s t e nc e t o God' s r e a s on and wi l l ,God mus t , pr i or . t o c r eat i on, hav et hought upo n t he ma t t er unt i l heul t i mat e l y det e r med t o c r e a t e ; but ,i f t he c r eat i on wer e wi s e a nd good ,i t woul d nev er ha ve b ee n de l ayedwhi l e t he i nf i ni t el y wi se and goodr ea s oned ab out i t , and i f t he c r e a -t i on wer e not wi s e an d good, t he i n-f i ni t el y wi se a nd good woul d neverha ve c omme nc e d i t .

. I t i s har d t o under s t and howwhol e na t i ons have been l ef t byt h ei r i nf i ni t e l y wi s e, power f ul , and

good gover nor , how many men havebeen l e f t by t hei r i n f i ni t el y wi s e,power f ul , and good gover nor , w i t ho utany knowl edge of hi ms el f .


Ever y t hei s t mus t ad m t t h a t i fa God e xi s t s , he c oul d have s o c on -vi nce d al l men of t he f ac t of hi se xi s t enc e t hat doubt , di s agr e ementor di s bel i ef woul d be i mpos s i bl e:

I f he c oul d not do t hi s he woul dnot b e God. Ever y t hei s t mus t al s oagr e e t h at , i f a God exi s t s , he wou l dwi s h a l l men t o have s uc h a c l earc ons c i ous nes s of hi s exi s t enc e anda t t r i bu t es t hat doubt , di s agr eement ,or di s bel i e f on t hi s s ubj ec t woul dbe i mpos s i bl e . And, t hi s i f f or ' noot her r eas o n, be c aus e t ha t our ofdoubt s a nd di s a gr eement s - on r el i g-i on ha ve t oo of t e n r es ul t ed c e nt u r -i e s of pe r s ecut i on, s t r i f e, andm s er y, whi c h a good God woul d des -i r e t o pr ev e nt .

But a s man y men have dou bt s ,a s a l ar ge ma j or i t y of ma r ~i nd ha vedi s agr e eme nt s , and as s o me men ha vedi s be l i ef s as t o God' s ex i s t e nc ea nd a t t r i bu t e s , i t mus t f ol l ow t hatGod does not exi s t , or t ha t he i snot al l - wi s e, or t hat he i s not a l l -power f ul , or t hat he i s not al l -good.

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TH A M ER IC A N AT HE IST A us tin . Texas 7 8767

Po etr y ...

FRI E NDSHIP

T h e gli tte ring s he en of s il v e r bright

T h at d a zzel s huma n e y e s

W ill dull wh ile T im e goe s o n a n d on

A s it i s oxi diz ed.

Ou r fea th ere d Friends in r o bes so g ay

Sin g out wit h e cs tas y,

A h so o n to c or ne, th e ir fa te is s ad , -

'I'h e y a re n o mor e t o be.

Th e flower s that bloom wi th br illi ant hu e s

Tom or row fade and di e.

What , th e n , in dures th e test of Tim e;

On what may we rely?

Friendship - alone , endures the test:

Friendship-though ba th ed in tear s

Let Friendship's luster brighter glow

Throughout the corning y e ars

by Gl e n Marsh

Page 2 8


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BILL MURRA1 ~.TIlE 8lIJLEANI

11IE JJ AI.TIJIOREBO AR/OF EDl CA110N.

An Atheist Epic: Bill Murray, The Bible and

The Baltimore Board of Education

by Madalyn Murray 0 'Hair

Who is she? Where did she come from? Whatdoes she stand for and against? . How far has theChristian religion really become an accepted partof American education? Many people want answersto these and other questions about America's mostfamous Atheist. Her most r e c en t boo k AnAtheist ' E pic: Bill Murray, The Bible and TheBaltimore Board of Educatdon , explains how shecame t:o challange prayer and Bible reading in

public s c h 001 sin Amez-Ic 'a r Madalyn MurrayO'Hair speaks frankly in this 316 page book abouther persecution by neighbors and the generalpublic. This is her personal story of how she tookher arguments to the Supreme Court and won avictory for separation of church and state.

American Atheist Press-1970 $2.95

For the fir st time in print the complete texts

of fifty-two radio programs presenting theAtheist point of view by Madalyn Murray 0 'Hair.The programs reveal the wealth held by organ-ized r e 1i g ion the historical background 0 f

Atheism, the history of Bible scholar ship-allfrequently misunderstood. This is a book forall Atheists wishing confirmation of their views,as well as for all church members who will havea better understanding after reading it of Whaton Earth is an Atheist .

What on Earth is An Atheist

by Madalyn Murray O ''Ha i

American Atheist Press-19 ,69 $10.00

uvr ON b ARl Il

IS

AN A 11lEIST


32/32

I S O C I E T Y O F . PA R AT IO N 16T SITH E AIM S O F TH E S O C IETY

1. To stimu late and promote freedom of thoug~tn .d inquiry concerning relig ious beliefs, creeds,

ogmas, tenets, rituals and practices.

. To collect and disseminate i n formation , data,nd literature on al l religions a n d . promote a more

horough understanding of them, their origins and

istories.

. To advocate, labor for, and promote in . all lawfulways, the complete separation of Church and State;he establishment and maintenance of a thoroughly

ecular system of education available t~ 0.1 1 .

. To encourage the development and public ac-eptance of a humane ethical system, stressing the

mutual sympathy, understanding and interdependencef all peaple and the corresponding responsibilityf each individually in relation to society . .

. To develop and propagate a social philosophy in

hich man is the central figure, who alone must bee source of strength, progress, and idealism fore well being and happiness of humanity.

6. To promote the study of the arts and sciences

and of all problems affecting the maintenance, per-

petuation and enrichment of human life.

7. To engage in such social, educational, legal,and cultural activity as will be useful and beneficialto the members of this Society, and t .o society as

a whole.

The Atheist-materialist philosophy declares thatthe cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purpose;that it is governed by its own inherent, immutable

and impersonal law; that there is no supernaturalinterference in human life; that man finding hisresources within himself, can and must create hisown destiny; and that his potential for good andhigher development is for all practical purposesunlimited.

Freethought may be defined as the mental atti-tude which unreservedly accepts the suprfHnacy ofreason, and aims at establishing a system of phi-losophy and ethics verifiable by experience, inde-pendent of all arbitrary assumptions of authority orcreeds.

THE ~ TRADITIONAL SYMBOL OF ATHEISM IS A PANSYl 1

}

American Atheist Magazine Jan 1971

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