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*The*E-Zine*of*Atheistic*Secular*Humanism*and*Freethought**
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###### Volume II, Number 9 ***A Collector's Item!***#####
################### ISSN 1201-0111 #######################
####################### SEP 1995 ###########################
nullifidian, n. & a. (Person) having no religious faith or
belief. [f. med. L _nullifidius_ f. L _nullus_ none +
_fides_ faith; see -IAN] Concise Oxford Dictionary
The purpose of this magazine is to provide a source of
articles dealing with many aspects of humanism.
We are ATHEISTIC as we do not believe in the actual
existence of any supernatural beings or any transcendental
reality.
We are SECULAR because the evidence of history and the daily
horrors in the news show the pernicious and destructive
consequences of allowing religions to be involved with
politics or government.
We are HUMANISTS and we focus on what is good for humanity,
in the real world. We will not be put off with offers of
pie in the sky, bye and bye.
Re: navigation.
Search for BEG to find the beginning of the next article.
Search for the first few words of the title as given in the
table of contents to find a specific article. I try to
remember to copy the title from the text and then paste it
into the ToC, so it should be exact. Search for "crass
commercialism:" to see what's for sale. Subscription
information, etc is at the end of the magazine, search for
END OF TEXTS.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. A FEW REASONS FOR DOUBTING THE INSPIRATION OF THE
BIBLE. (Part I, reasons first through fortieth)
--R.G. Ingersoll.
2. Cynic's Corner: The Seductive Song of Censorship,
by Brent Yaciw (AthAlFLB@aol.com)
3. Humanism in Cyberspace, provided by Fred Edwords
4. AT LAST! A NATIONAL HAC OFFICE!!
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A FEW REASONS FOR DOUBTING
THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE.
THE Old Testament must have been written nearly two
thousand years before the invention of Printing. There were
but few copies, and these were in the keeping of those whose
interest might have prompted interpolations, and whose
ignorance might have led to mistakes.
Second. The written Hebrew was composed entirely of
consonants, without any points or marks standing for vowels,
so that anything like accuracy was impossible, Anyone can
test this for himself by writing an English sentence,
leaving out the vowels. It will take far more inspiration to
read than to write a book with consonants alone.
Third. The books composing the Old Testament were not
divided into chapters or verses, and no system of
punctuation was known. Think of this a moment and you will
see how difficult it must be to read such a book.
Fourth. There was not among the Jews any dictionary of
their language, and for this reason the accurate meaning of
words could not be preserved. Now the different meanings of
words are preserved so that by knowing the age in which a
writer lived we can ascertain with reasonable certainty his
meaning.
Fifth. The Old Testament was printed for the first time
in 1488. Until this date it existed only in manuscript, and
was constantly exposed to erasures and additions.
Sixth. It is now admitted by the most learned in the
Hebrew language that in our present English version of the
Old Testament there are at least one hundred thousand
errors. Of course the believers in inspiration assert that
these errors are not sufficient in number to cast the least
suspicious upon any passages upholding what are called "the
fundamentals."
Seventh. It is not certainly known who in fact wrote
any of the books of the Old Testament. For instance, it is
now generally conceded that Moses was not the author of the
Pentateuch.
Eighth. Other books, not now in existence, are referred
to in the Old Testament as of equal authority, such as the
books of Jasher, Nathan, Ahijah, Iddo, Jehu, Sayings of the
Seers.
Ninth. The Christians are not agreed among themselves
as to what books are inspired. The Catholics claim as
inspired the books of Maccabees, Tobit, Esdras, etc. Others
doubt the inspiration of Esther, Ecclesiastes, and the Song
of Solomon.
Tenth. In the book of Esther and the Song of Solomon
the name of God is not mentioned, and no reference is made
to any supreme being, nor to any religions duty. these
omissions would seem sufficient to cast a little doubt upon
these books.
Eleventh. Within the present century manuscript copies
of the Old Testament have been found throwing new light and
changing in many instances the present readings. In
consequence a new version is now being made by a theological
syndicate composed of English and American divines, and
after this is published it may be that our present Bible
will fall into disrepute.
Twelfth. The fact that language is continually changing
that words are constantly dying and others being born; that
the same word has a variety of meanings during its life,
shows how hard it is to preserve the original ideas that
might have been expressed in the Scriptures, for thousands
of years, without dictionaries, without the art of printing,
and without the light of contemporaneous literature.
Thirteenth. Whatever there was of the Old Testament
seems to have been lost from the time of Moses until the
days of Josiah, and it is probable that nothing like the
Bible existed in any permanent form among the Jews until a
few hundred years before Christ. It is said that Ezra gave
the Pentateuch to the Jews, but whether he found or
originated it is unknown. So it is claimed that Nehemiah
gathered up the manuscripts about the kings and prophets,
while the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ruth,
Ecclesiastes, and some others were either collected or
written long after. The Jews themselves did not agree as to
what books were really inspired.
Fourteenth. In the Old Testament we find several
contradictory laws about the same thing, and contradictory
accounts of the same occurrences. In the twentieth chapter
of Exodus we find the first account of the giving of Ten
Commandments. In the thirty-fourth chapter another account
is given. These two accounts could never have been written
by the same person. Read these two accounts and you will be
forced to admit that one of them cannot be true. So there
are two histories of the creation, of the flood, and of the
manner in which Saul became king.
Fifteenth. It is now generally admitted that Genesis
must have been written by two persons, and the parts written
by each can be separated, and when separated they are found
to contradict each other in many important particulars.
Sixteenth. It is also admitted that copyists made
verbal changes not only, but pieced out fragments; that the
speeches of Elihu in the book of Job were all interpolated,
and that most of the prophecies were made by persons whose
names we have never known.
Seventeenth. The manuscripts of the Old Testament were
not alike, and the Greek version differed from the Hebrew,
and there was no absolutely received text of the Old
Testament until after the commencement of the Christian era.
Marks and points to denote vowels were invented probably
about the seventh century after Christ. Whether these vowels
were put in the proper places or not is still an open
question.
Eighteenth. The Alexandrian version, or what is known
as the Septuagint, translated by seventy learned Jews,
assisted by "miraculous power," about two hundred years
before Christ, could not have been, it is said, translated
from the Hebrew text that we now have. The differences can
only be accounted for by supposing that they had a different
Hebrew text. The early Christian Churches adopted the
Septuagint, and were satisfied for a time. But so many
errors were found, and so many were scanning every word in
search of something to sustain their peculiar views, that
several new versions appeared, all different somewhat from
the Hebrew manuscripts, from the Septuagint, and from each
other. All these versions were in Greek. The first Latin
Bible originated in Africa, but no one has ever found out
which Latin manuscript was the original. Many were produced,
and all differed from each other. These Latin versions were
compared with each other and with the Hebrew, and a new
Latin version was made in the fifth century, but the old
Latin versions held their own for about four hundred years,
and no one yet knows which were right. Besides these there
were Egyptian, Ethiopic, Armenian, and several others, all
differing from each other as well as from all others in the
world.
It was not until the fourteenth century that the Bible
was translated into German, and not until the fifteenth that
Bibles were printed in the principal languages of Europe. Of
these Bibles there were several kinds -- Luther's, the Dort,
King James's, Genevan, French, besides the Danish and
Swedish. Most of these differed from each other, and gave
rise to infinite disputes and crimes without number. The
earliest fragment of the Bible in the "Saxon" language known
to exist was written sometime in the seventh century. The
first Bible was printed in England in 1538. In 1560 the
first English Bible was printed that was divided into
verses. Under Henry VIII. the Bible was revised; again under
Queen Elizabeth, and once again under King James, This last
was published in 1611, and is the one now in general use.
Nineteenth. No one in the world has learning enough,
nor has the time enough even if he had the learning, and
could live a thousand years, to find out what books really
belong to and constitute the Old Testament, the authors
these books, when they were written, and what they mean. And
until a man has the learning and the time to do all this he
cannot certainly tell whether he believes in the Bible or
not.
Twentieth. If a revelation from God was actually
necessary to the happiness of man here and to his salvation
hereafter, it is not easy to see why such revelation was not
given to all the nations of the earth. Why were the millions
of Asia, Egypt, and America left to the insufficient light
of nature. Why was not a written, or what is still better,
printed revelation given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden? And why were the Jews themselves without a Bible until
the days of Ezra the scribe? Why was nature not so made that
it would give light enough? Why did God make men and leave
them in darkness -- a darkness that he knew would fill the
world with want and crime, and crowd with damned souls the
dungeons of hell? Were the Jews the only people who needed a
revelation? It may be said that God had no time to waste
with other nations, and gave the Bible to the Jews that
other nations through them might learn of his existence and
his will. If he wished other nations to be informed, and
revealed himself to but one, why did he not choose a people
that mingled with others? Why did he give the message to
those who had no commerce, who were obscure and unknown, and
who regarded other nations with the hatred born of bigotry
and weakness? What would we now think of a God who made his
will known to the South Sea Islanders for the benefit of the
civilized world? If it was of such vast importance for man
to know that there is a God, why did not God make himself
known? This fact could have been revealed by an infinite
being instantly to all, and there certainly was no necessity
of telling it alone to the Jews, and allowing millions for
thousands of years to die in utter ignorance.
Twenty-first. The Chinese, Japanese, Hindus, Tartars,
Africans, Eskimo, Persians, Turks, Kurds, Arabs,
Polynesians, and many other peoples, are substantially
ignorant of the Bible. All the Bible societies of the world
have produced only about one hundred and twenty millions of
Bibles, and there are about fourteen hundred million people.
There are hundreds of languages and tongues in which no
Bible has yet been printed. Why did God allow, and why does
he still allow, a vast majority of his children to remain in
ignorance of his will?
Twenty-second. If the Bible is the foundation of all
civilization, of all just ideas of right and wrong, of our
duties to God and each other, why did God not give to each
nation at least one copy to start with? He must have known
that no nation could get along successfully without a Bible,
and he also knew that man could not make one for himself.
Why, then, were not the books furnished? He must have known
that the light of nature was not sufficient to reveal the
scheme of the atonement, the necessity of baptism, the
immaculate conception, transubstantiation, the arithmetic of
the Trinity, or the resurrection of the dead.
Twenty-third. It is probably safe to say that not
one-third of the inhabitants of this world ever heard of the
Bible, and not one-tenth ever read it. It is also safe to
say that no two persons who ever read it agreed as to its
meaning, and it is not likely that even one person has ever
understood it. Nothing is more needed at the present time
than an inspired translator. Then we shall need an inspired
commentator, and the translation and the commentary should
be written in an inspired universal language, incapable of
change, and then the whole world should be inspired to
understand this language precisely the same. Until these
things are accomplished, all written revelations from God
will fill the world with contending sects, contradictory
creeds and opinions.
Twenty-fourth. All persons who know anything of
constitutions and laws know how impossible it is to use
words that will convey the same ideas to all. The best
statesmen, the profoundest lawyers, differ as widely about
the real meaning of treaties and statutes as do theologians
about the Bible. When the differences of lawyers are left to
courts, and the courts give written decisions, the lawyers
will again differ as to the real meaning of the opinions.
Probably no two lawyers in the United States understand our
Constitution alike. To allow a few men to tell what the
Constitution means, and to hang for treason all who refuse
to accept the opinions of these few men, would accomplish in
politics what most churches have asked for in religion.
Twenty-fifth. Is it very wicked to deny that the
universe was created of nothing by an infinite being who
existed from all eternity? The human mind is such that it
cannot possibly conceive of creation, neither can it
conceive of an infinite being who dwelt in infinite space an
infinite length of time.
Twenty-sixth. The idea that the universe was made in
six days, and is but about six thousand years old, is too
absurd for serious refutation. Neither will it do to say
that the six days were six periods, because this does away
with the Sabbath, and is in direct violation of the text.
Twenty-seventh. Neither is it reasonable that this God
made man out of dust, and woman out of one of the ribs of
the man; that this pair were put in a garden; that they were
deceived by a snake that had the power of speech; that they
were turned out of this garden to prevent them from eating
of the tree of life and becoming immortal; that God himself
made them clothes; that the sons of God intermarried with
the daughters of men; that to destroy all life upon the
earth a flood was sent that covered the highest mountains;
that Noah and his sons built an ark and saved some of all
animals as well as themselves; that the people tried to
build a tower that would reach to heaven; that God
confounded their language, and in this way frustrated their
design.
Twenty-eighth. It is hard to believe that God talked to
Abraham as one man talks to another; that he gave him land
that he pointed out; that he agreed to give him land that he
never did; that he ordered him to murder his own son; that
angels were in the habit of walking about the earth eating
veal dressed with butter and milk, and making bargains about
the destruction of cities.
Twenty-ninth. Certainly a man ought not to be eternally
damned for entertaining an honest doubt about a woman having
been turned into a pillar of salt, about cities being
destroyed by storms of fire and brimstone, and about people
once having lived for nearly a thousand years.
Thirtieth. Neither is it probable that God really
wrestled with Jacob and put his thigh out of joint, and that
for that reason the Jews refused "to eat the sinew that
shrank," as recounted in the thirty-second chapter of
Genesis; that God in the likeness of a flame inhabited a
bush; that he amused himself by changing the rod of Moses
into a serpent, and making his hand leprous as snow.
Thirty-first. One can scarcely be blamed for hesitating
to believe that God met Moses at a hotel and tried to kill
him; [Ex. iv, 24.] that afterward he made this same Moses a
god to Pharaoh, and gave him his brother Aaron for a
prophet; [Ex. vii, 1.] that he turned all the ponds and
pools and streams and all the rivers into blood, [Ex. viii,
19.] and all the water in vessels of wood and stone; that
the rivers thereupon brought forth frogs; [Ex. viii, 3] that
the frogs covered the whole land of Egypt; that he changed
dust into lice, so that all the men, women, children, and
animals were covered with them; [Ex. viii, 16, 17.] that he
sent swarms of flies upon the Egyptians; [Ex. viii, 21.]
that he destroyed the innocent cattle with painful diseases;
that he covered man and beast with blains and boils; [Ex.
ix, 9.] that he so covered the magicians of Egypt with boils
that they could not stand before Moses for the purpose of
performing the same feat; [Ex. xii, 11.] that he destroyed
every beast and every man that was in the fields, and every
herb, and broke every tree with storm of hail and fire; [Ex.
ix, 25.] that he sent locusts that devoured every herb that
escaped the hail, and devoured every tree that grew; [Ex. x,
15.] that he caused thick darkness over the land and put
lights in the houses of the Jews; [Ex. x, 22, 23.] that he
destroyed all of the firstborn of Egypt, from the firstborn
of Pharaoh upon the throne to the firstborn of the
maidservant that sat behind the mill, [Ex. xi, 5.] together
with the firstborn of all beasts, so that there was not a
house in which the dead were not. [Ex. xii, 29.]
Thirty-second. It is very hard to believe that three
millions of people left a country and marched twenty or
thirty miles all in one day. To notify so many people would
require a long time, and then the sick, the halt, and the
old would be apt to impede the march. It seems impossible
that such a vast number -- six hundred thousand men, besides
women and children -- could have been cared for, could have
been fed and clothed, and the sick nursed, especially when
we take into consideration that "they were thrust out of
Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for
themselves any victual." [Ex. xii, 37-39.]
Thirty-third. It seems cruel to punish a man forever
for denying that God went before the Jews by day "in a
pillar of a cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a
pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night,"
or for denying that Pharaoh pursued the Jews with six
hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and
that the six hundred thousand men of war of the Jews were
sore afraid when they saw the pursuing hosts. It does seems
strange that after all the water in a country had been
turned to blood -- after it had been overrun with frogs and
devoured with flies; after all the cattle had died with the
murrain, and the rest had been killed by the fire and hail
and the remainder had suffered with boils, and the firstborn
of all that were left had died; that after locusts had
devoured every herb and eaten up every tree of the field,
and the firstborn had died, from the firstborn of the king
on the throne to the firstborn of the captive in the
dungeon; that after three millions of people had left,
carrying with them the jewels of silver and gold and the
raiment of their oppressors, the Egyptians still had enough
soldiers and chariots and horses left to pursue and destroy
an army of six hundred thousand men, if God had not
interfered.
Thirty-fourth. It certainly ought to satisfy God to
torment a man for four or five thousand years for insisting
that it is but a small thing for an infinite being to
vanquish an Egyptian army; that it was rather a small
business to trouble people with frogs, flies, and vermin;
that it looked almost malicious to cover people with boils
and afflict cattle with disease; that a real good God would
not torture innocent beasts on account of something the
owners had done; that it was absurd to do miracles before a
king to induce him to act in a certain way, and then harden
his heart so that he would refuse; and that to kill all the
firstborn of a nation was the act of a heartless fiend.
Thirty-fifth. Certainly one ought to be permitted to
doubt that twelve wells of water were sufficient for three
millions of people, together with their flocks and herds
[Ex. xv, 27.] and to inquire a little into the nature of
manna that cooked by baking and seething and yet would melt
in sun, [Ex. xvi, 23, 21.] and that would swell or shrink so
as to make an exact omer, no matter how much or how little
there really was. [Ex. xix, 12.] Certainly it is not a crime
to say that water cannot be manufactured by striking a rock
with a stick, and that the fate of battle cannot be decided
by lifting one hand up or letting it fall. [Ex. xvii, 11,
12.] Must we admit that God really did come down upon Mount
Sinai in the sight of all the people; that he commanded that
all who should go up into the Mount or touch the border of
it should be put to death, and that even the beasts that
came near it should be killed? [Ex. xix, 12, 13.] Is it
wrong to laugh at this? Is it sinful to say that God never
spoke from the top of a mountain covered with clouds these
words to Moses, "Go down, charge the people, lest they break
through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish; and
let the priests also, which come near to Lord, sanctify
themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them"? [Ex. xix,
21, 22.] Can it be that an infinite intelligence takes
delight in scaring savages, and that he is happy only when
somebody trembles? Is it reasonable to suppose that God
surrounded himself with thunderings and lightnings and thick
darkness to tell the priests that they should not make
altars of hewn stones, nor with stairs? [Ex. xix, 25, 26.]
And that this God at the same time he gave the Ten
Commandments ordered the Jews to break the most of them?
According to the Bible these infamous words came from the
mouth of God while he was wrapped and clothed in darkness
and clouds upon the Mount of Sinai:
If thou buy an Hebrew servant six years he shall
serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for
nothing. If he came in by himself he shall go out by
himself; if he were married, then his wife shall go out
with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she
have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her
children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by
himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love
my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out
free: then his master shall bring him unto the judges;
he shall also bring him to the door or unto the
doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through
with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.
[Ex. xxi, 2-6.]
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a
rod, and he die under his hand, he shall be surely
punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two,
he shall not be punished; for he is his money."
[Ex. xxi, 20, 21.]
Do you really think that a man will be eternally damned
for endeavoring to wipe from the record of God those
barbaric words?
Thirty-sixth. Is it because of total depravity that
some people refuse to believe that God went into partnership
with insects and granted letters of marque and reprisal to
hornets; [Ex. xxiii, 28.] that he wasted forty days and
nights furnishing Moses with plans and specifications for a
tabernacle, an ark, a mercy seat and two cherubs of gold, a
table, four rings, some dishes and spoons, one candlestick,
three bowls, seven lamps, a pair of tongs, some snuff dishes
(for all of which God had patterns), ten curtains with fifty
loops, a roof for the tabernacle of rams' skins dyed red, a
lot of boards, an altar with horns, ash pans, basins, and
flesh hooks, and fillets of silver and pins of brass; that
he told Moses to speak unto all the wise-hearted that he had
filled with wisdom, that they might make a suit of clothes
for Aaron, and that God actually gave directions that an
ephod "shall have the two shoulder-pieces thereof joined at
the two edges thereof," and gave all the orders concerning
mitres, girdles, and onyx stones, ouches, emeralds,
breastplates, chains, rings, Urim and Thummim, and the hole
in the top of the ephod like the hole of a habergeon? [Ex.
xxvii and xxviii.]
Thirty-seventh. Is there a Christian missionary who
could help laughing if in any heathen country he had seen
the following command of God carried out? "And thou shalt
take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their
hands upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram
and take of his blood and put it upon the tip of the right
ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons,
and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great
toe of their right foot. [Ex. xxix, 19, 20.] Does one have
to be born again to appreciate the beauty and solemnity of
such a performance? Is not the faith of the most zealous
Christian somewhat shaken while reading the recipes for
cooking mutton, veal, beef, birds, and unleavened dough,
found in the cook book that God made for Aaron and his sons?
Thirty-eighth. Is it to be wondered at that some people
have doubted the statement that God told Moses how to make
some ointment, hair oil, and perfume, and then made it a
crime punishable with death to make any like them? Think of
a God killing a man for imitating his ointment! [Ex. xxx,
23.] Think of a God saying that be made heaven and earth in
six days and rested on the seventh day and was refreshed!
[Ex. xxxi, 17.] Think of this God threatening to destroy the
Jews, and being turned from his purpose because Moses told
him that the Egyptians might mock him! [Ex. xxxii, 11, 12.]
Thirty-ninth. What must we think of a man impudent
enough to break in pieces tables of stone upon which God had
written with his finger? What must we think of the goodness
of a man that would issue the following order: "Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side,
and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and
slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and
every man his neighbor. Consecrate yourselves to-day to the
Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother;
that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day"? [Ex.
xxxii, 27-29.] Is it true that the God of the Bible demanded
human sacrifice? Did it please him for man to kill his
neighbor, for brother to murder his brother, and for the
father to butcher his son? If there is a God let him cause
it to be written in the book of his memory, opposite my
name, that I refuted this slander and denied this lie.
Fortieth. Can it be true that God was afraid to trust
himself with the Jews for fear he would consume them? Can it
be that in order to keep from devouring them he kept away
and sent one of his angels in his place? [Ex. xxxiii, 2,3.]
Can it be that this same God talked to Moses "face to face,
as a man speaketh unto his friend," when it is declared in
the same chapter, by God himself, "Thou canst not see my
face: for there shall no man see me, and live"? [Ex. xxxiii,
11,20.]
Part II next month.
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"The Christian religion not only was at first attended with
miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any
reasonable person without one." [David Hume]
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2. Cynic's Corner: The Seductive Song of Censorship,
by Brent Yaciw (AthAlFLB@aol.com) Speech given at Lake
Hypatia, July 1995.
"Freedom without restraint is bondage."
If this makes perfect sense to you, maybe you're in the
wrong place. That bit of circular illogic was on a church
sign in Anniston, Alabama, that we passed as we headed for
the Lake Hypatia Freethought Gala. It's a perfect example
of how religionists think when it comes to censorship;
perhaps it's a leftover from the days of slavery, when
freedom for slaves was allowing them to roam anywhere they
wanted to--on the plantation.
One of the things I've learned in debating Xians is that the
first priority in maintaining an intelligent level of
conversation is defining key terms. There's nothing more
frustrating than nailing a creationist on the
inconsistencies in his "god", then listening to him redefine
it so that it appears you've argued against a straw man.
On that note, let's define censorship, and let's start with
a few situations that are not so clear-cut:
1. A book publisher produces textbooks that stick to the
known facts of evolution, and mentions creationism only to
say that it fails to meet the standards of science and is
thus rejected by the academic community. A pressure group
of RRR folks comes down so hard on the state's textbook
selection committee that the book is rejected, though it is
clearly the best choice. The book publisher republishes the
book, but deletes the entire discussion of evolution.
2. During school hours, but on their "free time," children
are distributing religious literature in such a manner that
other children feel obligated to take it for fear of
ostracism. The principle declares that no religious
literature may be distributed on school grounds.
3. A freethought group wishes to have its meeting notices
placed in the newspaper's religion section, which provides
free space to church groups for announcements. The editor
says that the notices are not appropriate for that section;
that the notices must be placed in the "clubs and
organizations" section which requires a fee.
4. A bookstore sells, among other things, magazines
depicting nudity and freethought literature, both of which
cause the town's biggest church to object. After the church
boycotts the bookstore for a month, causing a 25% drop in
business, the store removes all objectionable material.
Freethinkers conduct their own boycott, but the 5% loss is
overshadowed by the gains caused by church endorsement.
{HEADLINE} So which of these is censorship?
All of them are, or none of them are, depending on how you
choose to define censorship. If you are an extremely strict
interpreter of censorship who defines it only as government
action taken to restrict speech, only number two might
qualify. Even in that case, most agree that a principal has
a right to control his school grounds, and that children
have rights limitations on the premises that don't apply to
adults.
On the other hand, the first example is an example of the
"chilling effect" on a private company. Though they are not
directly being censored, efforts to censor them have had the
same effect, self-censorship based on fear. In the second
case, the principal is overstepping his bounds; while he
should take action to prevent intimidation of students, he's
using the "broad brush" approach.
Example three is discriminatory action that effectively
results in censorship, but unfortunately it's a form of
discrimination supported by other laws. Many might claim
it's editorial prerogative. However, there's no difference
between treating those who have NO religion as second-class
citizens, and treating those who have a DIFFERENT religion
as such.
The fourth example is the most ambiguous. After all, it's
nothing more than good business; it's also one reason I
implore everyone to do your best to support businesses being
targeted by the RRR, and not to threaten boycotts yourself.
Let's be realistic: anything we threaten to boycott, the RRR
will probably decide to support, and in sheer numbers they
will simply overrun us like cockroaches.
A perfect example of the damnfoolery of censorship, and the
popular support for it, is occurring at this very moment in
our government--although at almost any given moment, that
could probably be said. But never in my nightmares did I
imagine that the Senate would pass the Communications
Decency Act by a vote of 84-16. Never did I imagine that a
bipartisan coalition of scoundrels would seek to fence in
and control the unknown. The Communications Decency
Amendment -- an oxymoron that overlooks the essential
indecency of censorship -- is like trying to fence off the
galaxy with chain link to keep out the creatures from
beyond.
There's an old saying that says: Ignorance is bliss.
I've got an update for you: Ignorance is FEAR.
Fear of the unknown, fear of the partially known, fear of
the blown all out of proportion until adults are acting like
children cowering at night because of the monsters under
their bed. The co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Dan Coats of
Indiana, admits that his VCR still blinks "12:00" because he
doesn't know how to program it. Yet he thinks himself
qualified to control an international network of computers.
Censorship is born of fear. Some of you might have the idea
that censorship of "pornography" isn't just a religious
issue, and that maybe that's not so bad. Some might even
think the Lemon test, which beseeches our government to
avoid excessive entanglement with religion, might have some
effect on the influence of religion in our government. I
hope that no one here is actually that naive. The First
Amendment does NOT say, "Congress shall make no law
restricting the freedom of speech unless that speech is
decided to be obscene by "community standards," an asinine
notion in its own right. Something that's fine in one place
and illegal in another is the rule rather than the
exception. A Tennessee court convicted California providers
who allowed access to material legal in their own
jurisdiction by individuals from Tennessee. Must every
Internet provider memorize all the conflicting standards of
every state, and restrict access accordingly?
Another form of speech recently being attacked: the
flag-burning amendment. I can't think of much that
desecrated the flag more that Ollie North wrapping it around
himself, or George Bush claiming you had to believe in god
to be a citizen. But the strange thing about most
pro-amendment editorials I have read is that they
concentrate on the idea that only free SPEECH is protected
by the First Amendment, and that the Supreme Court has
"perverted the concept of free speech by including physical
forms of expression such as nude dancing and flag burning."
For all those who believe that one must use words to say
something, I have a message for you: [[[[ Imagine GESTURE of
upraised middle digit here!]]]]. If that's not saying
anything, then you shouldn't be offended; if it is, then
drop this hypocrisy of claiming words alone are protected
speech!
I encourage all of you to call your Senators and complain or
praise, depending on which way they voted. (Both of
Florida's voted to restrict your right to free speech!) I
also encourage you to start working now on your
congressional representatives, letting them know that you
object to the Communications Decency Amendment in ANY form,
and to amendments concerning flag-burning. I'm not here to
advocate burning the flag, but I have to say that once it is
against the law, I will do so, because it will then be a
truly meaningless piece of cloth.
-00-
Cheers, Brent Yaciw, ATHALFLB@AOL.COM
"Faith is the antithesis of proof." --New York State Supreme
Court Justice Edward J. Greenfield, 1995
"Getting back from vacation is the antithesis of
relaxation!" --Florida's infamous troublemaker, Brent Yaciw
=========================================================
|| END OF ARTICLE ||
=========================================================
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled
with the entrails of the last priest."
[Denis Diderot, "Dithyrambe sur la fete des rois"]
=========================================================
"The meme for blind faith secures its own perpetuation by
the simple unconscious expedient of discouraging rational
inquiry." [Richard Dawkins, _The Selfish Gene_]
===========================================================
|| BEGINNING OF ARTICLE ||
===========================================================
Humanism in Cyberspace
Humanist activity in the virtual world of computers is
burgeoning, attracting to the philosophy a demographically
younger audience. What follows below provides only a
sampling of what is going on, with information on where each
activity can be found.
America Online
--------------
If you are an AOL user and desire humanist discussion and
access to a library of humanist electronic texts, select
RELIGION for the Religion and Ethics Forum, then select the
Atheism/Humanism/Unitarian topic area. Reach the
Freethought Forum, including The Truth Seeker magazine and
The Nullifidian electronic zine, via FENWAY PARK.
CompuServe
----------
If you are on CompuServe, the world's largest commercial
network, and desire humanist discussion and access to a
library of humanist electronic texts, enter the keywords GO
RELIGION for the Religion Special Interest Group, then
select item 14, the Free Thought section. To read or do
searches through back issues of The Humanist, enter the
keywords GO MAGAZINE, select item 19, ZiffNet and Other Ziff
Services, then select item 8, Magazine Database Plus.
The Free Thinker BBS, San Diego, California
-------------------------------------------
To log on to the computer Bulletin Board System of the
Humanist Fellowship of San Diego, a chapter of the American
Humanist Association, have your modem dial 1-619-224-4573
(up to 14400 baud). This BBS is free and features humanist
dialogue and a library of humanist text files.
The Humanist BBS, Columbus, Ohio
--------------------------------
To log onto the AHA's national BBS, have your modem dial
1-614-267-1176 (up to 14400 baud). This BBS is free and
features humanist dialogue and a library of humanist text
files.
Internet E-mail
---------------
If you are a humanist activist who wants to interract with
other such activists around the world, having the discussion
come right to your Internet e-mail box, join the Humanist
Initiatives List by sending an e-mail letter to
lucas@phantom.com and tell something about your humanist
involvements and interests. Subscription is free.
If you wish to join in an email listserv discussion group,
you may contact the one sponsored by CODESH at:
sechum-l@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
No subject necessary. Your first message can be the single
word "help". If you are sure about subscribing, send
"subscribe sechum-l firstname lastname". You will have to
verify the subscription (a message will come back and ask if
you really mean it) and a list of commands and how to use
them will be sent either way. If you mess up the message
the same "how to" file will be sent.
To communicate directly with the AHA national office, you
may send e-mail to Fred Edwords at the address:
ap818@freenet.buffalo.edu.
Usenet
------
If you have Internet access and wish to enjoy unmoderated
humanist discussion, select the newsgroup,
talk.philosophy.humanism.
World Wide Web
--------------
If you have Internet access and wish to reach the AHA Web
page and its electronic text library, the address is
http://freethought.tamu.edu/org/aha (the File Transfer
Protocol address is freethought.tamu.edu and the Gopher
address is Gopher.freethought.tamu.edu. For these latter
two, you will need to select the menu item "Organizations,"
under which is "American Humanist Association" and numerous
others).
To reach the Web page of the AHA campus group at Stanford
University, use
http://www-leland-stanford.edu/group/humanists/.
The simplest way to find freethinking atheistic secular
humanists on the Web is to aim your browser, such as Web
Crawler or Yahoo, at the words Internet Infidels or atheist
secular humanis. Many interesting sites will turn up; most
of them with links to many other sites. [ed. note]
--
Kindly provided by:
Fred Edwords
American Humanist Association
P.O. Box 1188
Amherst, NY 14226-7188 USA [edited]
The Humanist BBS
Phone: 1 (800) 743-6646
24 hrs. - 8/N/1 - to 14400 Baud
=========================================================
|| END OF ARTICLE ||
=========================================================
...in every religion the priest insists on five things --
First: There is a God. Second: He has made known his will.
Third: He has selected me to explain this message. Fourth:
We will now take up a collection; and Fifth: Those who fail
to subscribe will certainly be damned.[Robert G. Ingersoll]
===========================================================
|| BEGINNING OF ARTICLE ||
===========================================================
AT LAST! A NATIONAL HAC OFFICE!!
Mercy me! After much wandering in the wilderness, the
Humanist Association of Canada has finally seen the light
and established a National Office in Ottawa. Unfortunately,
as we are not licenced operators of the Prayer (TM) system,
and have no access to paraphysical cosmic inter-
communications, we have had to rule out miracles and are
forced to rely on down-to-earth donations to fund this
worthy project. That is, <YOU>.
Here are just a few good reasons for having a central
office:
- tracking membership and responding better to your
enquiries
- responding faster to mail orders for HAC and other
publications
- operating a Library where members can browse the shelves
or just meet to exchange news and ideas.
- promoting membership by organising recruitment campaigns
- maintaining an electronic archive of Humanist material
accessible to all HAC members throughout Canada
HOW TO DONATE HOW TO DONATE HOW TO DONATE HOW TO DONATE
All contributions are welcome but receipts will be issued
only for cheques which exceed $10. Members who donate $25
and above will have their names inscribed on a special
plaque to be displayed on the office wall. Fame at last!!
Please make your cheque payable to: The Humanist
Association of Canada. All donations are tax deductible
(against Canadian income). American friends of HAC who wish
to help out may donate to CODESH (tax deductible against US
income), noting that the donation may be considered as
payment towards the (gratefully received and much-needed)
loan from them to us.
Actually, we need to check this out with CODESH to see if it
is legal.
=========================================================
|| END OF ARTICLE ||
=========================================================
"While we are under the tyranny of Priests [...] it will
ever be their interest, to invalidate the law of nature and
reason, in order to establish systems incompatible
therewith." [Ethan Allen, _Reason the Only Oracle of Man_]
==========================================================
|| END OF TEXTS ||
==========================================================
=><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><==
|| Begging portion of the Zine ||
==><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><==
There is no charge for receiving this, and there is no
charge for distributing copies to any electronic medium.
Nor is there a restriction on printing a copy for use in
discussion. You may not charge to do so, and you may not do
so without attributing it to the proper author and source.
If you would like to support our efforts, and help us
acquire better equipment to bring you more and better
articles, you may send money to Greg Erwin at: 100,
Terrasse Eardley / Aylmer, Qc / J9H 6B5 / CANADA. Or buy
our atheist quote address labels, and other fine products,
see "Shameless advertising and crass commercialism" below.
=><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><=
|| End of Begging portion of the Zine ||
=><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><====><=
Articles will be welcomed and very likely used IF:
(
they are emailed to:
((ai815@FreeNet.Carleton.CA; or,
godfree@magi.com), or
sent on diskette to me at the above Aylmer address in
any format that an IBM copy of WordPerfect can read;
) and
they don't require huge amounts of editing; and
I like them.
I will gladly reprint articles from your magazine, local
group's newsletter, or original material. There are
currently about 140 subscribers, plus each issue is posted
in some newsgroups and is archived as noted elsewhere.
If you wish to receive a subscription, email a simple
request to either address, with a clear request
for a subscription. It will be assumed that the "Reply
to:" address is where it is to be sent.
Yes, please DO make copies! (*)
Please DO send copies of The Nullifidian to anyone who might
be interested.
The only limitations are:
At least clearly indicate the source, and how to subscribe.
You do NOT have permission to copy this document for
commercial purposes.
The contents of this document are copyright (c) 1995, Greg
Erwin (insofar as possible) and are on deposit at the
National Library of Canada
You may find back issues in any place that archives
alt.atheism. Currently, all back issues are posted at
the Humanist Association of Ottawa's area on the National
Capital Freenet. telnet to 134.117.1.22, and enter <go
humanism> at the "Your choice==>" prompt.
ARCHIVES
Arrangements have been made with etext at umich. ftp to
etext.umich.edu directory Nullifidian or lucifers-echo.
For America On-Line subscribers:
To access the Freethought Forum on America Online enter
keyword "Capital", scroll down until you find Freethought
Forum, double click and you're there. Double click "Files &
Truth Seeker Articles" and scroll until you find Nullifidian
files. Double click the file name and a window will open
giving you the opportunity to display a description of the
file or download the file.
And thanks to the people at the _Truth Seeker_, who edited,
formatted and uploaded the articles to the aol area.
/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\
Shameless advertising and crass commercialism:
\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/
Humanist Solstice cards for sale:
Humanist figure on sleigh with reindeer
Words: Season's Greetings
Inside: Humanist figure swinging on a wreath
Words: and a Happy New Year
Sample 2:
Humanist family building snowman
Words: Happy Winter Solstice
Inside: Humanist family decorating Solstice tree
Words: From our house to yours.
Various colours. Packet of 10/five of each design $7.50 CDN
Includes envelopes & shipping costs. WE CAN ACCEPT US
Cheques
To order either cards or scroll (see below),
Please make out cheque and send to:
Jaidco Consultants Inc.
PO Box 8733/Station T/Ottawa, Ontario Canada/K1G 3J1
E-mail: by924@freenet.carleton.ca
(for further information)
Beautiful Scroll with the following words for sale:
And behold! It came to pass that the Lord God came upon
those who called themselves the Humanists.
And the Lord spoke unto them that were known as the
Humanists:
"Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, why therefore do ye
not believe in me thy God?"
And the Humanists answered unto the Lord:
"Humanism knows no guilt,
Humanism does not divide humanity,
Humanism causes no wars,
Humanism seeks only truth,
Humanism is tolerant,
Humanism deals only with reason and compassion,
Humanism sets you free."
And the Lord God pondered these things in his heart.
And it came to pass that the Lord God sayeth unto them that
were known as the Humanists:
"May I join you?"
Printed in old English, in scroll form. Can be framed.
$1.50 plus $.50 shipping = $2 CDN
WE CAN ACCEPT U.S. Cheques
Atheistic self-stick Avery(tm) address labels. Consisting
of 210 different quotes, 30 per page, each label 2 5/8" x
1". This leaves three 49 character lines available for your
own address, phone number, email, fax or whatever. Each
sheet is US$2, the entire set of 7 for US$13; 2 sets for
US$20. Indicate quantity desired. Print address clearly,
exactly as desired. Order from address in examples below.
Laser printed, 8 pt Arial, with occasional flourishes.
[NOT ACTUAL SIZE]
<-------------------2 5/8"---------------------->
_________________________________________________
|"Reality is that which, when you stop believing |/\
|in it, doesn't go away." [Philip K. Dick] | |
|Greg Erwin 100 Terrasse Eardley | 1"
|Aylmer, Qc J9H 6B5 Canada | |
| email: ai815@FreeNet.Carleton.CA | |
|________________________________________________|\/
_________________________________________________
|"...and when you tell me that your deity made |
|you in his own image, I reply that he must be |
|very ugly." [Victor Hugo, writing to clergy] |
|Greg Erwin 100 Terrasse Eardley |
|Aylmer, Qc J9H 6B5 Canada Ph: (613) 954-6128 |
| email: ai815@FreeNet.Carleton.CA |
|________________________________________________|
Other quotes in between the articles are usually part of the
label quote file. Occasionally I throw in one that is too
long for a label, but which should be shared.
Other stuff for sale:
Certificate of Baptism Removal and Renunciation of Religion.
Have your baptism removed, renounce religion, and have a
neat 8" x 11" fancy certificate, on luxury paper, suitable
for framing, to commemorate the event! Instant eligibility
for excommunication! For the already baptism-free:
Certificate of Freedom from Religion. An official atheistic
secular humanist stamp of approval for only $10! Pamphlet on
"how to get excommunicated" included FREE with purchase.
Poster 8x11: WARNING! This is a religion free zone!
All religious vows, codes, and commitments are null & void
herein. Please refrain from contaminating the ideosphere
with harmful memes through prayer, reverence, holy books,
proselytizing, prophesying, faith, speaking in tongues or
spirituality. Fight the menace of second-hand faith!
Humanity sincerely thanks you!
Tastefully arranged in large point Stencil on luxury paper.
Order from the same address as above.
/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\_/=\/=\
============================================================
Neat books available from H.H. Waldo, Bookseller! Books by
Ingersoll! Heston's 19th Century Freethought Cartoons!
Holy Horrors, An Illustrated History of Religious Murder and
Madness, by James A. Haught..........................$21.95
Christian Science, by Mark Twain.....................$15.95
(reprint of original attack)
Deadly Doctrine, by Wendell W. Watters, MD...........$27.50
(Psychological damage caused by Christianity)
Leaving the Fold, Testimonies of Former
Fundamentalists, by Edward Babinski..................$32.50
and many, many more. Ever changing inventory. Friendly
letters and news from Robb Marks, Proprietor.
add $2 postage/handling for first book & 0.50 for each
additional book. (All prices US$)
Send 2 first class stamps for H.H. Waldo's current catalog.
(Use international reply coupon, or get hold of US Stamps)
TO:
H.H Waldo, Bookseller
P.O. Box 350
Rockton, IL 61072
or phone 1-800-66WALDO !!!
tell 'im: "that nullifidian guy sent me!"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The problem with religions that have all the answers is that
they don't let you ask the questions.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bank of Wisdom files.
Consisting of untold numbers of 19th and early 20th century
pamphlets, books and speeches by the likes of Ingersoll,
Joseph McCabe, Clarence Darrow, Percy Shelley, Ethan Allen;
and about freethinking Presidents and historical figures
such as Franklin, Jefferson, Paine and many others. Ten
3-1/2" HD IBM compatible diskettes chock full of compressed
files. Truly beyond price and invaluable...However...
US$12.50 will cover the cost of diskettes, wrapping and
postage.
Bonus!!! In addition to the Bank of Wisdom files, an
additional diskette with every issue to date of the
Nullifidian and the Atheist Quote file and the Discordian
Quote file.
After the executable .EXE files are executed, you have a
series of ASCII text files which can be read by any editor
or word processor.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Once again: ISSN: 1201-0111 The Nullifidian Volume Two,
Number 9: SEPTEMBER 1995.
(*) There is no footnote, and certainly not an endnote.
--
To know that the Bible is the literature of a barbarous people, to know
that it is uninspired, to be certain that the supernatural does not and
cannot exist--all this is but the beginning of wisdom.--Robert G.
Ingersoll / Greg Erwin, VP, Humanist Association of Canada
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