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Sunday, November 11, 2007
Book Review: Ellery's Protest
I only know the story of Ellery Schempp from the perspective of a Christian. He was the boy responsible for removing prayer from pubic schools. I learned of Ellery’s lawsuit in Sunday school as an adolescent. Un-American was the most common phrase used to describe him, that along with pure evil, and.... Atheist!
My marginally qualified instructors did not stop to explain the nuances of the lawsuit; they instead used the blunt hammer of Satan’s minions working to bring down America as reason enough to vilify anyone associated with the case. It worked too. Until recently, I viewed the whole school prayer thing through a filter of negative imagery. Then I read a book that changed my perspective. I have a new hero now - Ellery Schempp.
Mary Bisbee-Beek of the University of Michigan Press asked me to review Ellery’ Protest. It sounded interesting, but a little outside the scope of my normal reading. I read the book slowly. I found myself drawn into a story I knew very little about. A story that, thanks to my Christian youth, I had all wrong.
Great legal decisions often result from the heroic actions of average citizens. Ellery's Protest is the story of how one student's objection to mandatory school prayer and Bible reading led to one of the most controversial court cases of the twentieth century---and a decision that still reverberates in the battle over the role of religion in public life.
Written by Stephen D. Solomon, Associate Professor at New York University where he teaches First Amendment law, Ellery's Protest now occupies an honored spot on my Atheist themed bookshelf. The book is not written from the perspective of the Atheist - Ellery was a Unitarian. It is instead an analysis, no - a brilliant analysis, of an historically important and precedent setting legal decision. The book tells the story of our country adopting tolerance of sectarianism. Secularism was that catalyst. but was far from the only ingredient in this complex case.
I have a few friends who will appreciate this book. They are not casual readers. Which is good because this is not a casual book. I read it slowly, taking notes as I moved through its pages. There is deep meaning and insight in pages of this book. I recommend Ellery's Protest to anyone who seeks knowledge and illumination. I certainly benefited from reading it. I am not exaggerating by stating that page-after-page provided an education on some aspect of America's secular roots which were unknown to me.
Midway through Ellery's Protest is a chapter titled "Do you believe in the divinity of Christ". It is the first chapter cover the lower court trail proceeding. 18-year-old Ellery answered the question with a firm "I do not". The next 40 pages are my favorite of the book. The author explores the sectarian nature of the bible. A high level summary says that Bibles are sectarian in nature and that daily reading promotes instruction in one sect's theology. Catholics, Jews, Hindu's, and Muslims do not even recognize the King James version of the bible as divine. How can using it as the standard be fair? This question seems simple 50 years later, it also sound familiar given the ongoing battle with the Intelligent Design movements.
The story of the Good Samaritan, told as part of the chapter exploring the sectarian nature of the Bible, was another eye opener. When viewed from the perspective of expert witness Solomon Grayzel, shows that any moral value is obliterated by the backhanded slap at Jewish culture. I will not tell the whole story here, but the book is worth the purchase price just to examine this single argument.
...now you tell this story in a school to a Jewish child or in the presence of a Jewish child and a Christian child an the Christian child has every right to say "See, you come of a people that is cruel, that doesn't understand the decencies of life."...
Just substitute the words "Jewish child" with "Atheist child" or "Hindu child" and one can see the power of the arguments used to support secularism. The only way to prevent a repeat of Europe's bloody sectarian past is to ensure it does not gain prominence in America. Ellery's Protest hammers this issue home in chapter after chapter.
What is the value of a book like Ellery's Protest? I can only answer by saying my bookshelves are full of book like this one. Knowledge reinforces one's ability to discern truth from fiction. Knowledge helps one become a critical thinker, helps one reject the irrational, to recognize the con man, and protect our liberties. Book like Ellery's Protest push back the darkness. We need that, because the forces of theocracy are always active.
I took my time with this book. I read it two times since I received it in August. I've written this review twice too. The first time did not do it justice. I hope I did a better job this time. I recommend Ellery's Protest to all my Atheist readers and fellow bloggers, as-well-as my academically minded friends. You will not regret the time spent reading this outstanding work. The book is not about Atheism, however, it is about the rights and liberties inherent in our constitution which allow us to live freely and believe (or not) as we choose.
Technorati tags: Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Ellery's Protest, Stephen Solomon, Ellery Schempp, secularism, School Prayer
Friday, November 09, 2007
Prosperity Theology
I've come across this concept of the prosperity theology a few times recently. I do not understand why people fall under its spell.
Prosperity Theology is doctrine that prosperity, particularly financial prosperity, and success in business or personal life is external evidence of God's favor. This favor may be preordained, or granted in return for efficacious prayer or merit-making.
Televangelists preach a message telling participants that the more they give, the more God will reward them with riches. Benny Hinn is the worst of the lot, but there are many others. They tend to live a lavish lifestyle with expensive cars, homes, and other pleasures of the flesh. Their lifestyles tend to reflect that of a rock or movie star. Something smells fishy.
Congress is looking into these organizations. They think their non-profit status is questionable.
Congress is looking into the collection boxes of some of the nation's best-known televangelists.
Their tax-exempt ministries take in millions and now Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is asking whether these churches really are non-profits.
Georgia megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar is one of the televangelists who was asked to provide financial information.
Watch the video linked the source article. In it you will see Pastor Creflo Dollar describe that he only has one Rolls-Royce, not two. Where is Christ in this lunacy? These people are clearly milking a system to their benefit. They are con men.
The fact that Republican Sen. Charles Grassley is leading the charge to clean-up these religious charlatans puzzles me. I am not used to a Republican doing anything that even remotely smells of challenging religion. I cannot see this going very far. People like James Dobson will object, and that will be the end of that.
Creflo Dollar has a private jet. He flies from Atlanta to New York each Saturday to preach at Madison Square Garden. He claims he needs the jet because no airline has a scheduled flight that meets his needs. The last time I checked, Atlanta was a hub city with departures for New Your every 20 minutes.
Creflo Dollar has a 2.5 million dollar apartment in New York so that he has a place to sleep each Saturday night. I guess he never heard of hotels. The millions of dollars he spends to support his lifestyle is unconscionable. Feed to poor, heal the sick, help addicts - do anything other that accumulate vast wealth on the backs of gullible believers.
I do not believe in God. People like Dollar simply reinforce some of my reasons. I know Christians who are good people. They dedicated their lives to helping others. I know Atheists who do the same thing; they feed the hungry, they cloth the poor, they care for the less fortunate. People like Dollar dishonor us all.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Blogroll Update: Greta Christina's Blog
Greta Christina's blog (#477) is our newest Atheist Blogroll member. I liked the look of Greta's blog, so I asked her to write an introduction.
Hi. Greta Christina here, introducing you to the very cleverly-named "Greta Christina's Blog."
I've been a professional freelance writer since 1989. I blog about atheism more than half the time, but I write about other subjects as well. My
blog's tagline is "Sex, atheism, politics, dreams, and whatever. Thinking out loud since 2005." I write clearly, conversationally, and (I hope) entertainingly about complicated and delicate philosophical/ political/ ethical issues. I try to keep a civil and respectful tone while at the same time not walking on eggshells around people I disagree with -- and I try to promote the same in my comments.
My biggest claim to atheist fame so far is probably "Atheists and Anger," an attempt to answer the question, "Why are you atheists so angry?" that went Kaflooey all over the Net and has picked up over 800 comments so far.
But while that's easily my most popular post so far, it's not actually very representative of my blog. I'm usually not that ranty, and I typically write well-reasoned arguments rather than simple litanies. A better recent example would be "The Meaning of Death: Part One of Many":
And a good one from the archives is "The Unexplained, the Unproven, and the Unlikely":
FYI, I talk about sex in my blog a fair amount, and I sometimes do so explicitly. I don't like the term NSFW; but if you don't want to read about sex at work, read my blog at home, and if you don't want to read about sex at all, don't read my blog. Thanks!
Drop in and welcome her to the team.
The Atheist Blogroll, Atheism, Writing, Blogging
Abstinence only doesn't work!!!
Atheist blogroll member The Information Paradox posted on another study showing abstinence only sex education does not work.
How many more studies and reports are going to come out before our President (and the religious right) wipe the dust from their eyes and see that their little abstinence only sex education is NOT WORKING?!!!
Source: The Information Paradox: Abstinence only doesn't work!!!
Bush continues to waste our tax dollars on this useless religious program. We must do what we can to fight ignorance and government sponsored pseudo-science. Spread the word.
Proponents of abstinence only education spread inaccurate information and use it to justify the programs. The study refutes these claims.
The study, conducted by Douglas Kirby, a senior research scientist at ETR Associates, also sought to debunk what the report called "myths propagated by abstinence-only advocates" including: that comprehensive sex education promotes promiscuity, hastens the initiative of sex or increases its frequency, and sends a confusing message to adolescents.
The message will be lost on those fundies pushing a religious agenda. They don't care about facts. They only care about their manufactured version of truth and their ideological goals. This is what makes them dangerous.
Falafels are delicious
I love falafels. They are right up there with tacos in my list of favorite foods. Does eating falafels make me a terrorist? I don't think so. Apparently some FBI types think there is a link between falafel consumption and terrorism. What nonsense.
We pay these guys to protect us. I feel safe. Do you?
Like Hansel and Gretel hoping to follow their bread crumbs out of the forest, the FBI sifted through customer data collected by San Francisco-area grocery stores in 2005 and 2006, hoping that sales records of Middle Eastern food would lead to Iranian terrorists.
The idea was that a spike in, say, falafel sales, combined with other data, would lead to Iranian secret agents in the south San Francisco-San Jose area.
The brainchild of top FBI counterterrorism officials Phil Mudd and Willie T. Hulon, according to well-informed sources, the project didnt last long. It was torpedoed by the head of the FBIs criminal investigations division, Michael A. Mason, who argued that putting somebody on a terrorist list for what they ate was ridiculous and possibly illegal.
A check of federal court records in California did not reveal any prosecutions developed from falafel trails.
Source: CQ Politics | FBI Hoped to Follow Falafel Trail to Iranian Terrorists Here. By Jeff Stein.
I smoke a hookah too. That must qualify me for the most wanted list. Oh wait a minute, I smoke cigars too, that must make me a Cuban terrorist.
Hat Tip: nazqulnarsil of digg for the story FBI hunted terrorist by checking falafel sales in San Francisco. His tag line is great.
further plans to stop illegal immigration through sales records at taco shops along the border were also abandoned
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Saving face in the eyes of the church
Youth Pastor Peter Kim wants to save face. After all, having one's underage sexual congests paraded in front on 12 fellow citizens is embarrassing. What possible reason could Kim have to save face? He groomed a 15-year-old girl to be his personal sexual servant. Nothing to hide, nothing to fear
Kim, 40, is charged with child sexual assault by a person in a position of trust and a pattern of child sexual assault, which could mean a life sentence if he's convicted.
Did I mention Kim had a previous conviction for having a relationship with teen? No? How about a wife? Did I mention Kim was 40? That he had exclusive access to children. That he used his access to force himself on a young girl. Fucking bastard.
His defense strategy: Kim made a bad dating decision. I mean what the hell? A bad dating decision?
Blogroll Update: Order of St. Nick
I'm going to give a shameless plug to our newest Atheist blogroll member, Order of St. Nick (#475).
Order of St. Nick is the holiday alternative for Winter Solstice cards, atheist holiday cards, goth Christmas cards, and Anti-Valentine's Day cards.
His Cafepress site is chockfull of atheist themed Winter Solstice cards. I plan on buying a set... that is providing my wife does not object.
Technorati tags: Winter Solstice, The Atheist Blogroll
Blogroll Update: Choosing Atheism
A new wordpress blog has joined the Atheist Blogroll. An intro to Choosing Atheism is provided below:
I'm Marymc and have just hatched a brand new atheist blog.
"Having been raised as a devout Catholic in Ireland, I have recently realized that I no longer have any need for the God hypothesis.
Here I describe how I came to choose atheism."
Though it would be more accurate to say that I am describing how I choose to identify as atheist.
I've written about my path from devout Catholic to atheist, and will probably whitter on about that some more. I've also written about my decision to eschew religion in raising my children and will probably share my thoughts on home-education (which I do) and whatever else takes my fancy.
This is the kind of thing I write;
"My children were all baptized, and started their lives going to church each week. My eldest was about 5 when we stopped this habit, though she has been with me a few times since then. We have all been present at a few religious ceremonies linked to family occasions as well. My husband and I have decided that we can live very well without any church or religion, and that our children do not need it.None of our children have made their first communion or been to confession. We thought for a long time about whether or not we should have a tentative link to religion, letting the children go through with these ceremonies just to be part of a community or to follow family traditions. But to do that, I'd have to bring them to religious instruction at the church for a series of one hour lessons. And I knew, there was no way I was going to have some priest fill their heads with nonsense. These sacraments are not just about a nice day out, they are about propagating the faith, sucking the children in to the 'fold'.
Not my children."
Choosing Atheism was kind enough to post the entire blogroll when he joined. Please stop by and welcome her to the team.
Pastor beats stepson...
...and is arrested for second degree attempted murder.
A Shreveport pastor is in jail accused of second degree attempted murder after his step son escaped from his home on the 42-hundred block of Lamar. 33-year-old Melesa Samuel the boy's mother was arrested by Shreveport police last night along with her husband 43-year-old Reginald Samuel. The woman whose door the child knocked on says the boy had been savagely beaten by his step-father. She did not want us to release her identity but says the 15-year-old told her he had jumped out of the bathroom window to get help because 'he was tired of it'. That since Saturday he'd had been beaten and at times, he would be locked in a storage shed and whipped in the groin area. The woman says the child had welts all over his body, his ear was bloodied, lips bruised, feet swollen, and he walked with a limp.
Source: Shreveport Pastor Accused of Savagely Beating Step Son
Reginald Samuel is the pastor of the Present Day Ministry on Grimmett Drive. There are allegations that he beat his other children and wife. Sounds like a peach.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Everyone makes mistakes
What is the difference between making a mistake and deliberately planning and executing an action that is contrary to everything one stands for? I make mistakes all the time. I misspell words, I sometimes forget to follow procedure... the list goes on. But the big ticket items, well I have enough impulse control to make sure they never happen. Pastor Ronald McCaskill has no impulse control. Hell, I would go as far as saying he has no conscious either.
Why would pastor Ron preach love and fidelity on Sunday and then hit a hooker for loveless sex on Friday night. And don't give me that "he's only human" crap. He is supposed to set an example, not make the press with his lack of wisdom.
West Palm Beach Police said one of their police officers was posing as a prostitute on South Dixie near the Economy Inn on Friday. During the sting they arrested 13 people. One of them is a pastor of a church.
Ronald McCaskill, known as "Pastor Ron" by his congregation, is one of 13 men police arrested during a prostitution solicitation sting on Friday. McCaskill was arrested at about 2:00 in the afternoon. By 11:00 P.M. he'd posted $250 dollar bond and been released.
Source: Pastor charged with soliciting sex - WPTV NewsChannel 5
What really pisses me off is what his congregation had to say.
“With a man that's so compassionate and pours out his heart like that, it's hard to believe that a small situation like this would be used against him,” Gablus said, “It's not going to break us. All this is going to do is make us stronger and make us realize that the devil is out there to try to destroy us.”
Devil my ass. Ever hear about free will? Big Ron needs to control little Ron. These asshats disgust me.
Monday, November 05, 2007
five and dime
Another pastor goes down.
A former Dallas pastor has received a 5-year prison term for molesting a 10-year-old boy whose family he'd known for more than 50 years. Larry Joe Crocker also was sentenced to 10 years of probation yesterday, to be served after his release from prison. The 59-year-old pastor of the now-defunct Lakeview Christian Church was convicted on two counts of indecency with a child.
Source: KTRE-TV - Lufkin/Nacogdoches, TX - Former Dallas pastor sentenced to five years for molesting boy
I lose track of their crimes. There are so many children damaged by men hiding behind god - it is sickening.
Blogroll Update: The Proud Atheist
That's right... The Proud Atheist (#468):
My name is Eric Ross and I am the author of the new Proud Atheist blog (http://proudatheist.blogspot.com). I have been an atheist for years but have only recently “come out”, inspired by authors like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, with whom most of us are familiar. I am appalled by the grip religion has over the minds of humanity, and by the impact religion has on world affairs, and have started my blog out of a sense of obligation to do something to address this disconcerting situation. I know that I cannot bring religion to its knees, but I draw upon a favorite quote from Edmund Burke: "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." My stated goals are to expose the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of religion (with a focus on Christianity), to bring other atheists out of the closet, and to push moderate and casual believers to critically examine their religion. While many of my arguments will likely be familiar to you, I believe I have some unique ideas and perspectives to contribute. I have 6 entries so far, and I sincerely believe that you will find them to be a worthwhile read. If you are interested, I suggest starting with my Introduction.
Youth Minister Arrested on Sex Charges
Another week, another Baptist Pedophile...
Marshal Seymour, a 40-year-old, married volunteer youth minister at the First Baptist Church at the Mall, turned himself in at the Polk County Jail late Friday night after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually abusing several teenage boys he met through the church.
Source: Youth Minister Arrested on Sex Charges | TheLedger.com. By Dana Willhoit
What is notable about this case? Seymour has done this before. In 1999, he was convicted on a battery charge which was reduced from a sodomy charge. He simply moved and started preying on other kids.
The Church offers a fertile feeding ground for men like Seymour. Once you pass the often neglected background check, youth pastors are given ample opportunity to pursue their disease. Something is broken in the Baptist church. I am not sure how to fix it.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
A little fun up North
My family made the long trip up to the San Francisco area to visit my son and his girlfriend. It had been a few months since we had seen each other, so the prospect of two six hours drives seemed like a small sacrifice. I enjoyed our brief visit.
I took a about 5 days off from blogging so I could clear my mind. The stress of work and my bush schedule has made it difficult for me to spend time doing much besides sleeping. My little mini-break weekend has been a great way get some rest. My apologies to the 10 people queued up to join the atheist blogroll. I will get to you within a day or so.
I had a chance to visit Berkeley's disc golf course. It is located in Aquatic Park with stunning views of San Francisco across the bay. The course is technically challenging. I think it designed for left handed players. Most the holes doglegged to the right. The course has plenty of water hazards, however, my party only lost two discs.
When reading about Aquatic Park in Yelp, I found a couple of entries referring to the park as a active pickup spot for gay sex. I scoffed at the idea (not realizing it was a small park), but soon found that the park has an active sex culture happening just behind the bushes near the railroad tracks. As we played the back nine, we watched as a young man causally walked along a path before jumping into the bushes. My son and I exchanged significant looks and then both agreed to avoid throwing our discs near the bushes. As luck would have it, my son's next throw landed at the feet of the man waiting in the bushes. It made for a comical moment. We played the rest of the course trying hard to avoid the water on our left and the bushes on our right.
One other interesting observation. We found lots of clothing. From full outfits, to neatly folded underwear. The park is kind of skanky. I cannot imagine what it would be like after dark.
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