Newsline 15th April 2005
In this week's issue:
Quotes of the week
Essay of the week
ELECTION NEWS
DON’T FORGET TO SHARE YOUR ELECTION NEWS
£1.3 MILLION IN PUBLIC MONEY GIVEN TO PROSELYTISING CHRISTIAN GROUPS
GOVERNMENT PUSH THROUGH NEW CofE ACADEMY IN LEICESTER
ISLAMIC SCHOOL BRAINWASHING KIDS WITH RELIGION
BRIGHTON CHURCH CULL
ISLAMISTS TRYING TO SILENCE CRITICS AT UN
“SECULARISM TEST” FOR IMMIGRANTS TO FRANCE
LET’S COMMEMORATE THE POPE WITH A WITCH HUNT, SAYS ARCHBISHOP
GREEK BAN ON CARTOON CHALLENGED
$25 MILLION “CREATION SCIENCE” MUSEUM SLATED FOR KENTUCKY
AND NOW THE OTHER ELECTION
NSS SPEAKS OUT
NEW DVD TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM
NEWS SHORTS
LETTERS TO NEWSLINE
Quotes of the week
“The attachment of the church and state in this country is long our of date; it needs to be abolished”
(Editorial, The Independent)
“It worries me more when religious discourse becomes the language of politics”
(Salman Rushdie)
“So what was all that about? A week on from the Pope’s funeral, it already seems strange that his death should have so enthralled the world. It seems unlikely to have been about a popular revival of the Catholic Church. Days after millions went to Rome and many more watched on television, the churches of Italy remain half-empty and there are still only a handful of trainee priests in Ireland, which once staffed the global Church. Many who agreed that John Paul II was a great man also said that they disagreed with his beliefs on birth control, abortion or celibate priests. That is, they thought he was great, apart from the small matter of his Catholicism.”
(Mick Hume, The Times)
Essay of the week
Faith Invaders
ELECTION NEWS
Labour has announced in its manifesto that it intends to re-introduce its incitement to religious hatred proposals. The relevant section in the manifesto reads: “It remains our firm and clear intention to give people of all faiths the same protection against incitement to hatred on the basis of their religion. We will legislate to outlaw it and will continue the dialogue we have started with faith groups from all backgrounds about how best to balance protection, tolerance and free speech.”
Manifesto commitments are not generally opposed in the House of Lords, so if Labour is returned with another unassailable majority, this will almost certainly become law. The only glimmer of hope is that they promise to “continue the dialogue with faith groups” to try to balance protection with free speech. This may mean it may be re-introduced in a different, less dangerous form next time. Several evangelical large evangelical Christian groups have opposed the law.
In a letter to mosques sent on Tuesday, Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, tried to make political capital out of the commitment. He told religious leaders, “The reason we cannot pass this legislation is because both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have blocked the legislation in Parliament. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives made it clear that they were not willing to see this measure become law. They bear full responsibility for blocking this part of the Bill.”
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Terrorism and Community Relations said last week that the clause had raised unrealistic expectations among Muslims, and that, while Muslim leaders understood the limits of the proposed law on incitement, their community did not. “It is vitally important not to raise unrealisable expectations in minority communities,” the committee warned. Britain was already “further down the road” than other European countries in accepting that people of all faiths and none had a part to play in society. “But experience shows that to reach this goal will require active leadership at all levels: crossing our fingers and hoping for the best will not work,” the report says. The Government must engage Britain’s 1.5 million Muslims in its anti-terrorist strategy, it says.
You can read the whole Labour manifesto here:
http://www.labour.org.uk/manifesto.html
The Conservative Party has outlined policies to allow state support for faith schools so long as they accept OFSTED inspection, deliver the National Curriculum and admit a minimum of 10 per cent of pupils from other faith or no faith backgrounds.
The Conservative Party Education spokesman Tim Collins said that the Tories would create “not hundreds, but thousands” of new religious schools. “Faith schools — Catholic, Church of England, Jewish and Islamic alike — consistently offer higher academic standards and a stronger ethos than purely secular schools. They are more likely to provide clear moral guidance and are more insistent upon school uniform and effective discipline – and for all these reasons are far more likely to be oversubscribed by parents eager and indeed anxious to get their children in.”
Mr Collins also said that children needed to be indoctrinated with religion. “Churches and faith groups have indicated that they are willing and able to take on responsibility for more schools. They understand that providing a sense of worth and values to children is their highest calling and noblest purpose. In recent weeks there has been much debate about the ingredients of school meals. Important though that is, there are even more significant areas where quality matters in terms of what we put into children. If we can give the next generation a real sense of direction, of enlightenment, and of faith we will have done ourselves and our country a huge service. Let us celebrate today not just what this school has done, or what all existing Catholic and faith schools have achieved – but what so many more young people could find themselves capable of doing if they had that chance and that glimpse of the Light.”
See full statement here:
http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.press.release.page&obj_id=121737
Read the Conservative Manifesto here:
http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=manifesto.index.page
The Liberal Democrats are also promising more and yet more religious schools. See the relevant speech from their education spokesman, Phil Willis, here:
http://www.libdems.org.uk/education/feature.html?id=8142
Here is what the Lib Dems say about the Incitement to Religious Hatred law: “We share the Government’s intent but believe that their current proposal is badly flawed. We believe the Government’s current proposal would outlaw not just promotion of hatred against a group of people because of their religion, but also legitimate criticism of religions. Liberal Democrat spokesman David Heath proposed an amendment (which had cross-party support) which would have dealt with this, but the Government blocked it. We want to ensure that evil racist people are prevented from spreading their hatred. At the same time, we want to be absolutely clear that professing one’s faith, even if that faith involves, as many faiths do, criticism of other faiths, is not an incitement to hatred but exercising the rights to religious freedoms that we have long held dear.”
The Lib Dems also promise to end the exemptions in the UK’s implementation of the European Directive that allow religious organisations to sack, demote or fail to hire employees in non-proselytising posts on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Read the Lib Dem manifesto here:
http://www.libdems.org.uk/party/policy/manifesto.html
Crackpot Catholic group threaten hell-fire for dissidents. The Catholic Action Group has issued a voters guide for Catholics. The guide is supposedly non-partisan, but is ‘unequivocally pro-life’. It warns Catholics that they may incur ‘Eternal Hell Fire’ if they deliberately vote against Church teaching on the five non-negotiables and remain unrepentant. This will make it difficult for members of Catholic Action Group to vote at all as none of the main parties are offering anything approaching what they want. You can read this pathetic document at: www.catholic-action.com .
See also: Labour faces Muslim backlash:
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=109511&Sn=WORL&IssueID=28026
DON’T FORGET TO SHARE YOUR ELECTION NEWS
Remember, you can share and obtain information about where prospective parliamentary candidates stand on issues related to religion and secularism by going to:
http://1.my freebulletinboard.com/uksecularelecti.html
This potentially very useful resource will only work if we use it. It depends on users posting any information they can glean from their candidates. If you’re questioning your prospective candidates about their opinions on faith schools, religious incitement, faith-based welfare or anything else that would be relevant to NSS members, please share it on this dedicated website.
Also on the site are suggested letters that you can download and then send to your candidates from all parties and independents. This superb resource has been created by Peter Steele and is an excellent campaigning tool. If we all sent the letters to our candidates, they would realise that there was a force out there that needs to be taken into consideration. You can be sure that religionists will be hard at it on the hustings.
You can also find out how your MP voted on “moral” issues at the Christian Institute website. They have introduced a very useful tool that should tell you a lot – at least about the people who were your MPs last.
http://www.christian.org.uk/mpvotes.php
You can check our MPs voting records on specifically gay issues here:
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/stonewall/current_campaigns/election_2005.html?CFID=1082078&CFTOKEN=77541764#2
£1.3 MILLION IN PUBLIC MONEY GIVEN TO PROSELYTISING CHRISTIAN GROUPS
The Government has made grants of £1.3 million to evangelical Christian groups whose stated aim is to proselytise and convert young people to Christianity. The cash for evangelical groups comes on top of about £1.3m given to non-evangelical Christian groups.
Organisations such as the Crusaders have been given grants by the Department for Education to run courses for children and teenagers and run youth support groups. Part of the Crusaders “ethos statement” reads: “Crusaders believes that our ethos emerges from a desire and motivation to teach young people about the Lord Jesus Christ as presented in the Bible with a view to developing a personal faith in Christ and an effective Christian life of service (as outlined in our Constitutional objectives supported by the Basis of Faith).
Figures released by the Government show Youth for Christ, which supports abstinence programmes for young people and whose aim is “taking good news relevantly to every young person in Britain” received £235,461 to support its work in young offenders institutions.
The Message Trust, which proclaims it “has a vision to give every young person in the Greater Manchester region repeated and relevant opportunities to accept Jesus” gained £168,201 for a joint venture with Project Caleb, which works with young people released from prison.
But black leaders questioned why evangelical groups have received so much cash while youth groups working with disaffected young people in rundown black areas have not been supported. Muslim organisations, with the exception of the Muslim youth helpline which received £150,000, gained hardly any of the £21m youth work grants despite the Government’s stated wish to promote the inclusion of Muslim young people.
“Given the fact that there are so many challenges in black areas, particularly with black youth, it is particularly disappointing these revenues are not being afforded to the many groups working in these areas,” said Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote. “There should be an audit of how these decisions have been made or a review of how the money has been allocated.”
Joel Edwards, general director of the Evangelical Alliance said he “understood the concern” that government-funded youth projects could be used as a route to convert young people but urged “secularists ... to calm down a bit and become less cynical,” reports the Independent newspaper. “We understand the concern but it is not borne out of any sort of fact. Churches do this work out of a world view influenced by the scriptures. We will talk about coming together through Christ but they also have to give us credit for non-evangelistic activities for the rejuvenation of society,” Edwards said. “We are not preying on vulnerability.”
The Baptist Union of Great Britain received £317,866, the African & Caribbean Evangelical Alliance £150,000 and the Crusaders £294,258. But the Woodcraft group, a secular youth organisation linked to the peace movement which supported the anti-Iraq war demonstrations, had its grant cut.
In response to this story, NSS vice president Terry Sanderson wrote the following letter to the Independent, (which it published today in edited form): “Why have no conditions been put on the granting of this money? Why is it not ring-fenced to ensure that it is used only for the provision of services and not for religious proselytising? Why is there no proviso that there must be no religious conditions applied before services can be accessed? In the United States, religious groups have used public funds to demand that prospective clients engage in prayer and Bible study before they can access services. No doubt we will soon be seeing similar incidents here.
“The Evangelical Alliance tells secularists to ‘calm down’, but there are many people out there who will be furious that their taxes are being used to fund sectarian organisations with an aggressive, right-wing Christian agenda. And it will take more than a dismissive comment from Joel Edwards, the leader of the Evangelical Alliance, to reassure me that this money will in all cases be properly spent to help the disadvantaged and not to bring them (sometimes unwillingly) into the fold.”
GOVERNMENT PUSH THROUGH NEW CofE ACADEMY IN LEICESTER
By Allan Hayes, Leicester Secular Society and NSS member
The government has approved the proposal for a Church of England Academy in Leicester. The final step was in keeping with the way the project been progressed: by pressure of money, church privilege, sham consultation, and the implied threat of an imposed decision:
- On 17 March we had a letter from the DfES stating that “Plans for an Academy in Leicester are still at an early stage, and consultation with the local community will be ongoing”.
- In the April issue of the city council news sheet, Leicester Link, we were told that a decision was expected in about three months.
- On 7 April approval of the Academy was announced.
This is the second time in two years that a Church of England school has been imposed on a neighbourhood in Leicester that did not ask for a church school. The diocese is putting up a mere £250k; a food manufacturer is adding £1.5m – for which he gets a school curriculum with a food theme. Both schools have a prominent church included which will function as the parish church; one and maybe both will have a priest on site.
The Bishop has got away with saying that the Church would not be involved in a project that was not inclusive while he knows that it is blatantly giving preference to church-going families at other schools in Leicester.
Councillors who have privately and even publicly expressed opposition have not stood up when the crunch came. Clearly the government has to be targeted on this – we are working to make it an election topic.
Abbey Wood academy moves a step closer.
A huge local campaign by parents against the creation of a Catholic-sponsored Academy in Abbey Wood, south east London, has been over-ruled and building work on the new school will go ahead despite the protests.
The local School Organisation Committee voted against the academy, but their decision has been overturned by the schools adjudicator.
ISLAMIC SCHOOL BRAINWASHING KIDS WITH RELIGION
The school inspectors, Ofsted, have criticised a privately-run Islamic school for an over-emphasis on religion to the detriment of other subjects.
The Institute of Islamic Education in West Yorkshire was criticised for inadequate delivery of the national curriculum and poor assessment of pupils. Inspectors said: “Methods employed, such as the memorisation of text, are better suited to the madrassah [Islamic] curriculum.”
The report said: “Teachers showed limited understanding of pupils’ aptitudes, needs and prior attainments. Pupils’ books are rarely marked. This contributes to overall poor public examination results at the age of 16.” The inspectors, who visited the school in Dewsbury last month, said that the over-emphasis on religion meant that secular studies were neglected.
Muhammed Mulk, head of the school’s secular section, blamed poor pupil motivation. He told the Times Educational Supplement: “Parents send their children here for an Islamic education. They don’t want their sons to take exams. Out teachers tell them that education is important but the boys do not bring books or pens to lessons and their attitude is very negative.”
The school failed to meet requirements for registration as a private school. It must now draw up an action plan for meeting these requirements.
We’ll give them one suggestion for action: close the school.
BRIGHTON CHURCH CULL
The Church of England has announced that it intends to close a fifth of its churches in Brighton, including the parish church. Similar cost-cutting exercises are planned for the rest of Sussex, according to the Brighton and Hove Argus.
Only 1.7 per cent of the population of Brighton attends services at Anglican churches and the CofE says there is little point in keeping the churches open. Six churches in Brighton and four in Hove would close with some being sold to private developers who could put them to more practical use. The fate of another 11 churches hangs in the balance.
ISLAMISTS TRYING TO SILENCE CRITICS AT UN
At the behest of a coalition of Arab countries, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights this week passed a resolution condemning the “defamation of religion”.
The resolution, titled Combating Defamation of Religions, expresses “deep concern that Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism.”
Five days before the vote, the International Humanist and Ethical Union sent an appeal to delegations of the 53 member states. The IHEU asked the delegates not to accept the draft resolution without inserting a paragraph calling upon the international community “to condemn all who defame religion by claiming to kill in the name of their religion or God.” IHEU’s appeal clearly made a difference: 16 votes approved the motion (a higher number than opposed a similar motion in 1994) and 5 abstained, but 31 voted in favour. The resolution was sponsored by Pakistan on behalf of the 57 states belonging to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Last week, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan criticised the political use of the Human Rights Commission by states with bad human rights records, saying that the “Commission’s declining credibility has cast a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole.”
“The irony of the OIC calling for tolerance and respect for all religions and their value systems appears to have escaped most of the states voting for this resolution,” said Roy Brown, president of the IHEU. “The Islamic states would do well to practise tolerance and respect for diversity at home before preaching about it at the UN.”
Mr Brown said that “attempting to silence criticism of Islamic abuse of human rights while failing to condemn those who kill in the name of Islam speaks volumes for what this issue is really about.”
“There is a disturbing trend around the world of using the pretext of ‘tolerance for religion or belief’ to outlaw criticism of religious beliefs,” said Matt Cherry, executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies and president of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the UN in New York City. “Restricting the right to discuss and criticise religious beliefs is actually a violation of freedom of religion or belief. True tolerance includes letting your critics speak, even if it offends your most cherished convictions.”
“SECULARISM TEST” FOR IMMIGRANTS TO FRANCE
A guide for new immigrants to France says that anyone applying for French citizenship will have to take a “secularism test” before being naturalised. The exam is recommended by a new Guide for Rights and Duties of French Citizenship, which has been drawn up by the Ministry of Integration.
“It outlines the values that shaped up our country,” the Minister of Integration Nelly Olin told Le Monde magazine on Tuesday.
The guide, unveiled by Olin Monday, says applicants should — as well as mastering the French language — provide clear answers to questions like “can the French display religious symbols at their workplace?, “Do you consider men and women equal?” and “What are the colours of the French flag?”
Booklets on the French culture and the three basic values of liberty, equality and fraternity are available for applicants before answering the questions. They provide thorough information about the history of secularism in France and controversial issues that made headlines recently.
Some 99,000 immigrants were granted French citizenship in 2004 against around 66,000 in 2002.
LET’S COMMEMORATE THE POPE WITH A WITCH HUNT, SAYS ARCHBISHOP
Another senior figure in the UK Catholic Church has called for a ban on ‘active’ gay teachers in religious schools, arguing that the “gay lifestyle” goes against biblical teachings. The Archbishop of Cardiff, Peter Smith, says lesbian and gay people in relationships should not be allowed to teach in Catholic schools, since they go against the religion’s “ethos”.
Speaking last week after the death of the pope, Smith said the Church needs to maintain the former leader’s stance on homosexuality. “Someone living a life in manifest contradiction to the church’s doctrine would not, in my view, be suitable to be employed by the Catholic Church,” he said, adding that it “would not give the right example to staff or pupils”.
“When it comes to Catholic teaching, we expect teachers in all our schools to uphold the Catholic ethos.”
The comments come after senior Catholic leaders made similar points claims in Scotland. Bishop Joseph Devine said last month that gay teachers should be barred from religious schools because of their sexuality, while those already employed should be blocked from promotion and effectively weeded out. The comments were slammed by Scotland’s Catholic Archbishop, who said sexuality was a “private” matter for teachers.
Smith says he would allow lesbian and gay people who are celibate to continue to teach. “We would have to distinguish between someone who has a homosexual orientation and somebody who is actively living a homosexual life or someone living in a union which involves a sexual relationship,” he said. “If a homosexual is living an ‘active’ life, or on a casual basis, that would cause us difficulty as it goes against the whole Catholic ethos. We would have grave difficulty with that as we expect teachers to give a good example.”
The Archbishop omitted to mention who would police the sex lives of “celibate homosexuals” to ensure they did not fall off the wagon. The comments have been criticised by teaching unions and gay groups as “ridiculous”.
* Meanwhile, the state of Kansas has become the 18th American state to amend its constitution to forbid gay marriage. The amendment was urged on by the local Catholic Bishops conference which told voters to approve the amendment “for the good of marriage, family life and our society” and “to protect our state from the possibility of a future court redefining marriage”. Some 70 per cent agreed with them, as did Kansas Evangelicals. Revd Terry Fox of Wichita’s Immanuel Baptist Church said the poll “showed what can happen when all denominations… come together for a cause.”
* In Canada a “pastoral letter on gay marriage” by Catholic Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary has become subject of a complaint to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. The complainant, Carol Johnson, said she believed “the publication of the letter is likely to expose homosexuals to hatred or contempt” particularly as it came from a person “in a position of trust or authority.” The pastoral letter, released in January, called on the Government to “use coercive power to proscribe or curtail” practices which the church deems detrimental to family life, including homosexuality, adultery and prostitution. The Bishop has three weeks to respond to the complaint after which the conciliation process will begin. But Bishop Henry was defiant, saying: “I will not be intimidated or silenced by this nuisance allegation.”
GREEK BAN ON CARTOON CHALLENGED
An Austrian cartoonist launched a challenge to a ban on his book “The Life of Jesus” in Greece this week. Gerard Haderer, whose book portrays Jesus as a pot-smoking hippie surfer, was found guilty by a Greek court of “malicious public blasphemy” this year and received a six-month suspended prison sentence – but he can only be detained if he comes to Greece. The book went on sale in Greece briefly in 2002, but the Orthodox Church was outraged and succeeded in having it immediately withdrawn through a provisional court order.
“This should never have happened if we were living in a real democratic society,” said Athina Kouri of the book’s Greek publishers Oxy. “Our position is that there should be no obstacle to the freedom of speech.”
Haderer’s lawyer Maria Mazioti filed an objection to the ruling on Wednesday on the grounds that another European Union member, Austria, refused to charge the cartoonist after complaints in his home country regarding the same book. If he loses his appeal next month, his sentence could be increased to two years.
Dozens of top Greek cartoonists are backing their colleague, saying the decision has harmed the image of their country. A 1,000-signature petition, signed by international artists, including 2004 Nobel Literature Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek, demanded the immediate lifting of the ban.
“This campaign is crucial for the future freedom of international artists. Haderer is unique and situations like this will inhibit his artistic style,” said the poet Gerhard Ruiss, while the Austrian comedian Hubert Kramar, who is next week due to star in a new satirical play about Christ, turned up to the press conference dressed as Jesus. “We are supposed to be living in a democratic society. Greece is in Europe and the whole idea of the European Union is that everything is supposed to be more open. But what happened to Haderer is scaring artists like me,” he said.
$25 MILLION “CREATION SCIENCE” MUSEUM SLATED FOR KENTUCKY
By Ellen Ramsay
In 1987 in the United States the Supreme Court ruled that creation science was a form of religion and could not be taught in school classrooms. Since then, however, religious extremists in the United States have been finding ways to get around the legal ruling, to introduce religion into the schools and to discredit science classes.
At the moment there are 17 states in the country where there are court challenges to the ruling. In some states, such as Kentucky, the religionists have been so vociferous in their attacks on teachers, that teachers are being intimidated into not teaching evolution and report that students are coming into science classes armed with bibles, citing the New Testament as their source of “history”.
Eugenie Scott who is Chair of the National Centre for Science Education, an organisation which defends the teaching of evolution, said on Public Television that tensions are so high that many teachers across the nation are simply avoiding evolution altogether, especially where there is community pressure against it. A related attack by religionists, disguised as a “scientific” viewpoint, comes from the proponents of “intelligent design”. This assault is being advocated by the Discovery Institute, based in Seattle, Washington. They avoid speaking of God, but are advocating that evolution is a theory and that the origins of life should be taught as a controversy.
These attempts are now ending up in court cases in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Kansas and elsewhere. In Cobb County, Georgia, the school board had stickers placed in science books saying that “evolution is a theory, not a fact”. In January, a federal judge ordered that the stickers be removed.
The latest effort to get creation science into the mainstream is the creation of a $25million Creation Museum scheduled to open in 2007 in Kentucky sponsored by the “Answers in Genesis” group. The museum is to include 50,000 square feet of space in the style of a “walk through history” museum dedicated to “proclaim the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice”.
The Museum’s founder, Ken Ham, calls the current battles as a “conflict of world views: Christian and Secular”. The museum will have 70 model dinosaurs and will question the scientific dating of the dinosaurs and the earth’s history and suggest that dinos and humans co-existed. One of the dinosaurs, already on display (www.answersingenesis.org), has a saddle placed on it to suggest such a co-existence. Adam and Eve are to be presented as the first fully formed humans and all humans are claimed to descend from them. Ken Ham, claims “We can’t scientifically prove dinosaurs and people lived at the same time because you can’t scientifically prove anything in relation to the past. I mean that’s the same for any aspect of dealing with origins...When you use dating methods, whether its radiometric dating methods, whatever sorts of dating methods that you use, they’re all based on assumptions concerning the past, assumptions concerning initial conditions.”
The “Answers in Genesis” group openly calls itself a “Christian apologetics ministry”. There is a large section on its website dealing with the history of racism in which it blames evolutionary scientists from the Enlightenment onwards of promoting everything from the mistreatment of the Australian aboriginals (they say European scientists carried off body parts etc), to the Holocaust (the Nazis were anti-Christian) to the modern day genocides in Rwanda, East Timor, Bosnia and Kosovo.
Edward Larson, the Pulitzer author has tied the recurrence of the evolution/creation debate to the election of a conservative Republican in the White House. It was suggested that the debate has recurred under a succession of conservatives in office starting with Coolidge in the 1920s, Reagan in the 1980s and now George W. Bush in the first decade of the 21st century. While Eugenie Scott has emphasised that in the scientific community there is no controversy about evolution, the creationists have been making court challenges against the teaching of evolution. Challenges have or are taking place in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee. While most of the courts are upholding the scientific community, it is nonetheless time consuming for those defending evolution. In Alabama, for instance, there is now an “Academic Freedom Act” which is an Orwellian piece of legislation defending “the rights and privileges...when topics are taught that may generate controversy, such as biological and chemical origins”.
This essentially opens the door to teaching evolution as a theory and making the case for creation or intelligent design. On February 10, 2005, the Alabama State Board of Education adopted a revised set of science standards where evolution by natural selection is described as a “theory”. The previous science standards actually went further and stated that evolution was a “controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origins of living things, such as plants, animals and humans”.
AND NOW THE OTHER ELECTION
We know that NSS members are chewing the carpet with anticipation of the naming of the new pope, so herewith is the latest thinking on the succession from that esteemed organ, Private Eye:
“As the world’s top Cardinals huddle together behind locked doors, who are the hot tips for the man who will be the new ‘Top of the Popes’?
Joseph Ratpoison, 79, Archbishop of Warfarino. A noted hardline liberal, with profoundly conservative views on issues ranging from abortion to women priests, Ratpoison is a noted linguist, speaking 17 languages, including Croatian, Walloon and Klingon.
Ignatius Onanugo, 69, Archbishop of Rumbabwe. A liberal hardliner with traditionalist views on issues ranging from abortion to women priests, Onanugo is hotly tipped to be the first black pope since Pope Othello I in the 4th Century BC.
Jesus-Maria Guevara, 83, Bishop of Santa Assassinato. A former revolutionary who embraced liberation theology in the 1960s, Guevera is now an entrenched Conservative who opposes abortion and women priests. Guevara is hotly tipped to be the first Mexican pope since Gonzales I (‘The Speedy’) in the 16th Century.
P.D. O’Phile, 75, Archbishop of New Dworkin. An outspoken liberal, who embraced a number of choirboys in his diocese. O’Phile is currently serving 27 years in the New Dworkin penitentiary, and is completing a PhD thesis on the life of the Blessed Michael of Jackson.
(And if you have the slightest interest in the real Vatican power struggle, you can read about it here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/14/wpope14.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/04/14/ixworld.html )
See also: Let’s have a Muslim pope:
ttp://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1460237,00.html
NSS SPEAKS OUT
NSS webmaster Alan Urdaibay was on Radio Devon on Sunday, slogging it out with a Catholic representative and an “elder” from one of the local protestant congregations, on the topic of morality in public life.
Keith Charters, convenor of NSS-Scotland was on Radio Scotland on Tuesday morning, in debate with the press officer of the Roman Catholic Church and a representative of the Muslim Council.
Terry Sanderson gave an extended interview to a French journalist working on a book about the difference between religious influence on politics in Britain and France. He also had a letter in the Scotsman about pope mania – see here:
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/letters.cfm?id=392022005
The NSS helped Cristina Odone with research for her article in the New Statesman (see essay of the week).
NEW DVD TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM
This week’s special DVD offers include a new title, Judgment at Nuremberg, a big film about big issues. The theme is who judges the judges when they have enforced laws made by tyrants? This was the dilemma faced at the end of the Nuremberg war trials. The judges who had handed out sentences to dissidents and “undesirables” under laws made by the Nazi regime were eventually put on trial themselves. But was it a cut and dried case for the prosecution? This film takes us through the twists and turns and moral choices made by men who found themselves in an impossible situation. This film received 11 Oscar nominations and features a stellar cast including Spencer Tracy, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland (in a surprisingly downbeat part), Montgomery Clift and many others. Running for three hours it is never for a moment less than utterly gripping. They simply don’t make such intelligent films in Hollywood any more. The DVD costs £8. 99 including p&p.
Then we have Not without My Daughter – the story of an American woman, Betty, who meets and marries an Iranian doctor working in the States. She agrees to go “on holiday” with him back to his home land. When they get there, it is obvious that he has no intention of returning to the West and will keep their daughter with him. But Betty refuses to leave Iran without her daughter. She then finds herself locked in a society under a repressive religious regime with no rights. But she is determined to make an escape bid – taking her child with her. Suspenseful and hair raising. The DVD costs £14. 99 including p&p.
For either or both of these titles, please send a cheque made out to the ‘NSS’ to NSS DVD Offer, PO Box 130, London W5 1DQ, making sure which title(s) you would like.
NEWS SHORTS
Church pays the price for abusive priests. A California jury on Wednesday awarded two brothers nearly $2 million for sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of a Catholic priest a quarter of a century ago. The judgment against the Catholic Diocese of Oakland is the second in recent weeks in the San Francisco area that resulted from a California measure that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for priest abuse claims.
The latest case involved Robert Thatcher, 34, and his brother Tom, 33, They said Robert Ponciroli abused them when they were altar boys in Antioch, east of San Francisco. The brothers’ lawyers said the church knew that Ponciroli abused children but did nothing.
Cynical meets gullible. A non-Catholic who claims to have received communion from the Pope has sold the wafer on eBay for £1,000. The controversial auction was conducted by an anonymous seller in Iowa, USA, who declared: “I don’t believe I am going to Hell for selling this collectable.” He offered the wafer for sale along with four stamps and a bottle opener he claimed had been blessed by the late pope when he attended a mass at the Vatican in 1998. It was bought by a Roman Catholic from California who said he entered the auction in order to prevent the wafer “falling into the hands of a witch or Satanist.”
Hindus bury children alive. Eighty people are facing charges by the Indian police after participating in an ancient Hindu ceremony, which involves burying children alive. “The festival of the pits” is a ceremony during which children, some younger than one year, are buried alive and dug up after some time. Indian authorities that have been trying to stop this ritual for years, finally took action at a recent ceremony held Monday in southern Tamil Nadu state. The children are drugged to make them unconscious and placed in shallow “graves” in temple courtyards. If found guilty, participants face up to three years in jail or a fine of 5000 rupees (£50).
Germany to push through religion and ethics lessons in schools. See full story here:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1551981,00.html
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http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1552191,00.html
Fuel your fantasies with a new computer game that gives you the option of stamping out the last remnants of religion – or not, as the fancy takes you.
http://pc.ign.com/objects/616/616493.html
LETTERS TO NEWSLINE
Write to tas@secularism.org.uk
From Denis Watkins:
As the BBC abandoned all restraint in its deluge of praise for the Pope, and gave a voice to every sycophantic, religious bore who could get to a microphone, we should remember that this is the same organisation which bans, with Stalinist rigour, any sceptical voice from Thought for the Day.
From Natalie Jones:
I agree with Shaun Joynson that the next step should be to create a National Secular Party. Let’s move on from compiling atheistic music albums and focus our attention on tackling the issues we face as a nation in the clutches of an evangelical resurgence.
With the May election upon us, it has struck me that I am going to find placing my vote a difficult task. Although a National Secular Party would not gain many seats I believe it would bring our message to a greater public arena than the current Society is able to do. I for one would be proud to vote for a party that advocates reason, common sense and pushes for a truly secular society where we are all equals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or beliefs. I am ready to stand up and be counted.
From Jean Richards:
Please also add the great writing of Annie Laurie Gaylor to the passing of the pope. She has two excellent articles at this website: http://www.ffrf.org/news/. Thanks for your work keeping the world informed regarding the dangers of religion.
From Bill Gorman:
It was heartening to read the reviews (I can’t really call them tributes can I?) to JP2 in last week’s newsletter. To know that there are many other intelligent, free-thinking people out there that know what the catholic church’s real achievements are makes me feel a little less isolated. (I say isolated because even some self-professed atheists seem to get a little nervous when discussing the serious issues about faith and hearing uncompromising criticism of these institutions.) The observations made and the opinions expressed reflected my own thoughts and feelings towards this grotesque outpouring of public ‘grief’, although I could find them almost nowhere else.
On reflection however I have begun to realise something critical about the approach that secularists are taking. It is possibly a significant error in the focusing of our efforts to free mankind from primitive superstition. My thought is this. The pope and his church, as with all the religions of the world, can only function and survive while people believe in them and their doctrines. Without the power invested in them by their followers they would cease to exist. The pope was only a figurehead. The real power lies with the institution and that power comes from the millions of followers that look to it for guidance. To focus our attention on the man and the institution he represented is to neglect the ordinary people that have been shackled to these institutions since birth. Perhaps we should direct more effort towards developing a more positive outlook for secularism. There is no doubt that the religious institutions need to be held to account and challenged at every turn, but we will always be banging our collective head off of a brick wall. The institutions are utterly inflexible and entrenched in their dogmatic beliefs and cannot be changed (if they did, they would instantly cease to exist). We must expend more effort towards showing the huge majority of ‘undecideds’ out there that there is nothing to lose and certainly nothing to fear from embracing self-awareness. That mankind’s liberation lies is casting off these ludicrous and primitive belief systems.
Negative campaigning turns people off. We must have something to offer rather than simply taking away the supernatural crutch offered by organised religion. (Take away a person’s crutch and they will fall over!) People are genuinely frightened when they contemplate the possibility of there being no afterlife, no good or evil, no reward in heaven. We have to be able to clearly show people that no one needs that crutch, that they have been fooled into believing they are crippled. At the risk of sounding evangelical (and a little too metaphorical, sorry) – we must show people that when they throw away the crutch of religion, far from falling over they will find that they can run, jump and dance. We (NSS representatives in particular) must encourage everyone, especially the clergy etc., when in debates on radio and TV, to embrace their own lives and personal awareness and not give their lives away so cheaply to deranged, power-hungry egoists. This would get the message directly to the individual people (I don’t expect to witness archbishops casting off their cassocks on live TV) and hopefully empower some of them to free themselves from religious dogma. Phew, glad I got that off my chest!
I am new to the Society and I am sure that there will be many examples of men and women wiser than I am making this same point. I would be interested in other members’ comments.
As for the atheism debate - I have, since the age of twenty, refused to describe myself as an atheist. I object to acknowledging or offering any credence whatsoever to religion. I am not ‘without faith’, religious belief systems simply have no place in my world. Again, I would be interested in members’ comments.
From Ellen Ramsay:
What do you call an atheist who’s dead, dressed in a suit and lying in a coffin? Answer: Someone who’s all dressed up and got no place to go.