====================================================================== MITAAH News -- Volume #3 / Issue #2 -- November 13, 1998 (sent sporadically to mitaah-announce@mit.edu mailing list) Pseudo-random samplings of information that may relate to atheism, agnosticism, humanism, freethought, or church-state separation issues. Please send any promising material to reagan@mit.edu. http://www.mit.edu/~mitaah/ ====================================================================== In this issue: * Recent Events Pinker, Sagan, and Mental Hygiene Man! * Coming Attractions Give us feedback! * News and views RLPA, vouchers, and Dr. Laura's "atheistic" nudity! * Mailing lists How to participate. ====================================================================== Recent Events ------------- * Who Am I? On Tuesday, November 10, MITAAH and the Harvard Secular Society hosted a lecture and discussion with Prof. Steven Pinker, BCS professor and author of _How_the_Mind_Works_ and The_Language_Instinct_. About 75 people packed 2-105 to hear a fascinating talk on the evolution of the human mind. Plenty of lively discussion followed! Thanks to Dr. Pinker for spending time with us, and thanks to everyone from MIT and Harvard who came out to support us! * Permanent I.C. board! MITAAH now has a permanent place in the Infinite Corrider. Just look for our 98/99 mascot, Mental Hygiene Man! * Cosmos Study Breaks We have now shown the first three episodes of Carl Sagan's PBS miniseries _Cosmos_, with more to come. Is there any day this semester when you think a few hours of Sagan would be the perfect way to procrastinate? Email us with suggestions at . ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Coming Attractions ------------------ (A current calendar can always be found on the MITAAH home page, http://www.mit.edu/~mitaah) * More lectures in the Who Am I? series. Watch for future dates! * Cosmos marathon: during the late semester crunch, lets get together and finish Cosmos. In one sitting. We'll bring some caffiene. * IAP activities: if you have ideas for IAP talks, discussions, or activities, email us! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- News and Views Excerpts from mailing lists and news sources -------------------------------------------- This section of the newsletter contains excerpts from internet-based listservs, with a focus on political and social activism. We currently subscribe to American Atheists News, Church-State Issues, Secular Humanism Discussion, Internet Infidels News, CFA Announcement and Discussion, and People for the American Way News. ---------- Election Report, AANews #499: Perhaps the brightest spot in last night's electoral tussle was in Alabama, where incumbent Governor Fob James failed in his bid for another term. James is nationally known for his combative stance on behalf of prayer in public schools and display of Christian iconography such as the Decalogue in government buildings. Gov.-elect Don Siegelman, a moderate Democrat, courted Alabama's religious voters, but failed to win the support of the state's powerful Christian Coalition due to his proposal for a state lottery in order to raise money for education. With an estimated 35,000 members throughout Alabama, this is a major setback for Christian Coalition. James won only 42% of the popular vote. We'll miss Fob James, who provided us with so much copy in describing the "Alabama prayer wars." He will live in our minds and clip files, though, as the governor who threaten to mobilize the state's national guard, police and even the University of Alabama football squad in order to defend against any "federal" order putting a stop to the posting of the Ten Commandments in county courtrooms. ---------- (AANews #501) BLOW TO SEPARATION AS HIGH COURT APPROVES WISCONSIN VOUCHERS In a serious setback today for state-church separation, the US Supreme Court refused to review a Wisconsin voucher scheme which provided tax credits for parents wishing to send their children to private or private religious schools. The justices refused to grant a writ of certiorari in the case of JACKSON v. BENTON, which had challenged the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. That left intact a June, 1998 ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which had declared the program to be constitutional. At question was a Milwaukee program that provided tuition vouchers to low- income families and parents worth up to $5,000 per year per child, which could be used for tuition at private or religious schools. Studies of the program indicated that the largest beneficiary of the scheme was the Roman Catholic Parochial school system; critics charged that in addition to diverting money from cash-strapped public schools, the voucher scheme had the effect of subsidizing religious education. Originally, the Milwaukee program covered about 1,500 children but now could expand to include ten times that number, nearly 15% of the total student enrollment. . . . Justices added that a student could qualify for vouchers "not because he or she is a Catholic, a Jew, a Muslim or an atheist; it is because he or she is from a poor family and is a student in the embattled Milwaukee Public Schools." Critics of vouchers, including state-church separationists, continue to argue that the net effect of the programs is to provide funding for religious schools, which are also venues for proselytizing, indoctrination, and advancing religious belief. They also point out that, as in Milwaukee, the major beneficiary of voucher programs will be the nation's enormous Parochial school system. ---------- (AANews #476) MASSACHUSETTS SUIT UNDERSCORES ''SPECIAL RIGHTS'' FOR CHURCHES, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTION ACT Three residents of Belmont, Massachusetts have filed suit charging that their constitutional rights were violated when local officials gave a thumbs- up to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) to construct a 69,000 square foot temple on nine acres in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The challenge focuses on a statewide zoning law enacted in 1950 that exempts certain categories of nonprofit organizations, including churches or other religious groups, from local land use restrictions. The nine-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court, would return to Massachusetts communities the power to apply zoning laws to those religious organizations, as they are currently administered regarding businesses, private individuals and secular groups. Michael Pierce, co-counsel for the plaintiffs' told reporters, "It would give towns and cities the ability to review ... zoning bylaws and decide in what zones a (religious) building could be built and how heavy they want to regulate it." At the center of the dispute is a 1997 decision by the Belmont Zoning Board of Appeals to approve construction of the "Boston Temple" in the midst of a residential neighborhood. Belmont is located about seven miles northwest of Boston; since plans were announced for construction of the edifice, the project has been plagued by legal challenges. On May 19, 1997, six neighbors filed suit in Massachusetts Superior Court protesting the decision of local zoning officials to permit construction of a 139-foot steeple, which is more than double the proscribed height limitation for residential neighborhoods. Church officials immediately proceeding with construction, though; one community opponent termed that move "a tactic of intimidation and an attempt to change the momentum in their (LDS's) favor." The church had scaled back its original design, which called for a three- story building of 94,100 square feet with six spires located on Route 2. . . . In their suit, plaintiffs argue "By specifically exempting religious institutions from all zoning use requirements, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has provided a significant advantage to religious institutions not enjoyed by non-religious institutions... Because they are exempted from all zoning use restrictions, religious institutions are able to build on lots ordinarily unsuitable for similar projects, thereby providing a distinct and substantial economic advantage." . . . ---------- (AANews #482) IS RLPA DEAD -- FOR NOW? The latest information from Capitol Hill is that the Religious Liberty Protection Act (RLPA), despite desperate efforts to fast track the measure, may languish in both the House and Senate until lawmakers return next year. With about three weeks to go in the current session, the RLPA -- based largely on the discredited Religious Freedom Restoration Act -- may be a victim of scheduling, as solons wrestle with the last budgetary matters. There is also speculation that the act could even be a collateral casualty of the Clinton- Lewinsky flap, especially with Representatives and Senators arguing about censure or impeachment of the President. . . . * Opposition continues to build. Last week, constitutional law expert Dr. Marci Hamilton presented a cautionary letter to SJC chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) urging that the committee hold more hearings on RLPA. Signing on to the loose coalition assembled by Hamilton are such diverse groups as American Atheists, National League of Cities, the National Trust and the National Center for Public Policy Research. * The Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has officially broken ranks with its national parent, and no longer supports the Religious Liberty Protection Act. . . . ---------- "BLASPHEMY" BATTLES PROLIFERATE IN EUROPE, ELSEWHERE Catholic Prelates Threaten Legal Action Over Photography Book in France There is a disturbing rise in the number of incidents involving charges of "blasphemy" and "disrespect of religion" on the European continent and elsewhere -- a strange backdrop to the recent developments in the case of embattled novelist Salman Rushdie. The latest flap involves a photographic essay book titled "INRI" by Serge Bramly and Bettina Rheims. The initials stand for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," the title ostensibly given to the Christian messiah by his executioners. Photos in the book allegedly portray the 12 apostles as "thugs, and place the Nativity in a garage," notes Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper. The authors, however, insist that they were trying to portray Jesus Christ in a "modern" context. Bramly told news media, "We just wanted to show how one can transpose the story of Christ to today. We didn't want to wind up the bourgeoisie or shock anyone..." An unidentified spokesperson fore the Roman Catholic Church in Paris, however, declared that "We can't rule out a law suit by the association founded by the bishops of France," adding "There are limits which shouldn't be crossed." He described INRI as "a sensationalist attack" on the Christian religion. Blasphemy laws are still on the books in a number of European nations despite lipservice concerning "freedom of expression." Austrian Atheists have been prosecuted for allegedly blaspheming or insulting Jesus Christ; and in England, the blasphemy statutes there, while relatively unenforced, are being cited by Islamic groups who wish to see laws prohibiting any insulting remarks about religious belief or organizations. Twenty years ago, family values activist Mary Whitehouse successfully took a gay newspaper to court for publishing a poem about a gay Jesus Christ. Now, however, the dusty blasphemy statutes are being considered again in connection with the introduction to a new Bible series which reportedly describes Jehovah as a powerthirsty maniac. The series, known as The Pocket Canons, are to be published next month by Canongate. While the Bible verses are taken from the Authorised Version, the introductions by novelists Will Self and Louis deBernieres are at the center of the new controversy. DeBernieres, for instance, suggests that God is "an unpleasantly sarcastic megalomanic" who "botches up the reparations when he decides to make them." He later adds in his 1,000 word introduction to the Book of Job that God is either "a mad, bloodthirsty and capricious despot," or that for thousands of years "we have been inadvertently worshipped the devil." . . . Religious groups in the UK have also been expressing displeasure with what they see as the growing use of religious themes, often in a humorous context, to sell consumer products. In August, the Advertising Standards Authority responded to complaints by the religious, and noted that it had upheld 124 complaints against a stationery firm which had promotional slogans such as "Praise the board!" and "Behold! The King of paper is born. Beer companies have come under attack, as have commercials promoting jeans and safe sex. Diesel Jeans used pictures of nuns wearing jeans with the caption of "superior denim." These sorts of complaints, though, paled in comparison with the volume of gripes about an effort by the British Safety Council to promote safe sex. A picture of the Pope wearing a hard hat was captioned, "The 11th commandment; thou shalt always wear a condom." The Board attempted to measure public attitudes about the use of religious themes in advertising. According to the Telegraph newspaper, "Almost 80% of those interviewed said that disrespectful references to any religion, race or culture should never be allowed." And this past summer -- two oceans away, in Australia -- a television commercial for the Sizzler steak house chain sparked complaints when it showed Jesus Christ taking orders for food. In the humorous ski, two Israelites meet, and one says that "a fella" is turning fish and loaves of bread into sufficient quantities to feed 1,000 people. The other asks, "How about some prawns and scallops? Or a big, juicy steak with Greek salad?" "Jesus," replies the other Israelite. "Where does he think he is? Sizzler?" The Roman Catholic Church promptly branded the humorous advertisement as "irresponsible," saying that it "borders on blasphemy." And in March, evangelicals in Britain were contemplating legal action over a play which portrayed Christ as a Teletubby and says that the Virgin Mary had sexual relations with the "Holy Goat." The production was done by The Reduced Shakespeare Company, and was branded "a complete mockery of the word of God" by a local minister. Rev. David Carson told reporters that he had not actually seen the play but, but "I do not need to see filth in order to know it is filth. I am outraged that this production is being allowed to go ahead." He added that no other religion "would be allowed to be ridiculed in such a way. It is clearly blasphemous." A spokesman for the Company noted that the play had already toured American and the Bible belt "without upset." Finally, in New Zealand, an official with that nation's Arts Council apologized for a work displayed in the National Museum titled "Virgin in a Condom." The militant group Catholic Action threatened to try to have the museum prosecuted under blasphemy statutes for showing a three-inch plaster Virgin Mary in a condom. ---------- (AANews #490) SENATE PASSES RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION BILL The U.S. Senate earlier today passed a compromise version of the Freedom From Religious Persecution Bill, clearing the way for expected White House approval. The 98-0 vote came after administration officials signaled their approval of new language which modified the original FFRPA into a compromise version known as the International Religious Freedom Amendment. The new bill gives the president a list of options when dealing with nations founds guilty of "religious persecution" -- everything from diplomatic protests to economic sanctions, or loss of trade status and non-humanitarian aid. The White House won an important point though; the new bill also permits officials to waive enforcement if it is determined that the action is in the "important national interest" of the United States. Though lacking its original teeth, passage of the FFRPA/IRFA drew quick praise from Randy Tate, Executive Director of the Christian Coalition. He extolled senators for taking "the moral high ground by standing for basic human rights, serving notice on tyrants around the world that the spotlight will now be focused on them and their oppressive persecution of people of faith." In Senate debate prior to the vote, Mr. Lieberman gushed that somewhere, "right now, a man or woman languishes in prison, some on death row, because he or she did nothing more than choose faith in God." He added that the measure "is a reminder to the executive branch of the American government, both now and in the future, that as it encourages human rights all over the world, it must consider freedom of religion." Only one Senator expressed doubts about the bill -- and he voted for it nevertheless. In debate, Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn) warned that the proposal was "full of pitfalls," adding "This is a dangerous area in which we are treading." He also suggested that the FFRPA would interfere with presidential authority to conduct foreign policy, and the "quiet diplomacy" which is often conducted covertly or with little media fanfare. The bill says nothing about non-religious groups or individuals who are persecuted by governments, often in theocratic nations. Nor does it address cases in the West, including Europe, where Atheists or other religious dissenters may be punished for "blasphemy," or where "hate crime" legislation is sometimes selectively used to suppress heretical works. ---------- (PFAW-PRESSLIST Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998) COURT VOIDS SCHOOL VOUCHER PLAN IN S.E. DELCO, PENNSYLVANIA A Pennsylvania court Wednesday ruled that the Southeast Delco, Pennsylvania School Board doesn't have the authority to adopt a voucher program using public money to fund education at private and religious schools. The Delaware County Court of Common Pleas enjoined the School Board from implementing the voucher plan. . . . By the School Board's own estimate, the Southeast Delco plan could have cost taxpayers as much as $1.2 million during this school year alone. PFAWF filed suit against the plan, along with the American Jewish Congress, Pennsylvania Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc., Pennsylvania State Education Association, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Pennsylvania and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, on behalf of eight parents and citizens from the district who want to see their public schools improved and who object to tax dollars being spent to advance religion. The motion ruled on by the Court on Wednesday did not address the constitutionality of vouchers, but only whether the School Board had the authority under state law to transfer public funds to private schools. Since the court agreed that it does not, the constitutional issues do not need to be addressed. PFAWF currently is involved in litigation challenging vouchers in Ohio, Wisconsin and Maine, and has a request pending before the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to review the constitutionality of Wisconsin's voucher plan, the nation's largest. "The Southeast Delco School Board tried to bypass the state's Public School Code and take the law into its own hands, all at the expense of the public schools for which the Board is responsible," said Judith E. Schaeffer, Deputy Legal Director of People For the American Way Foundation. "We are gratified that the Court has made it clear that the job of a public school board is to run the public schools." ---------- (AANews #500) IF NOT THE DEVIL, DID ATHEISM MAKE HER DO IT? "DR. LAURA" FIGHTS NUDIE PICS ON THE NET ... "There is no time like the old time, when you and I were young." -- I.W. Holmes, "No Time Like the Old Time" "There is always something rather absurd about the past." -- Max Beerbohm, "1880" Virtue maven and radio celebrity Dr. Laura Schlessinger is, well, angry. After establishing herself as the nation's #2 advice-meister, and second in air ratings only to Rush Limbaugh, the 51-year old author and commentator has been stung by nude photos of her posted to the internet by a former lover. Known as "Dr. Laura," Schlessinger was outraged when the nudie pics appeared late last month on the "clublove" web site owned by Internet Entertainment Group. IEG obtained the "dirty dozen" pics -- twelve in all -- from Bill Ballance, a former boyfriend who took the photos and reportedly had an affair with Schlessinger. She was married to her first husband at the time the pics were made. That behavior seems at odds with the squeeky-clean and morally righteous stance which Schlessinger had constructed, something which energizes her 15-million daily listeners. Schlessinger "sternly dishes out moral advice," notes a recent Associated Press dispatch. Her list of do's and don'ts which appear in her numerous books and talks include avoiding premarital sex, having children out of wedlock, putting kids in daycare, or trying to raise a child in a single parent environment. She boasts her credentials as a conservative Jew, and frequently takes aim at the "short-term thrills and long-term agony" mentality which she insists dominates modern society. Indeed, Schlessinger has become the guru of personal responsibility. In books such as "How Could You Do That?!: The Abdication of Character, Courage and Conscience" and "Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives," Schlessinger excoriates the permissive liberal culture and demands that people assume personal responsibility for their actions. . . . Not so with the "dirty dozen" Schlessinger pics, however. Within hours of IEG putting up the photos on October 22, the radio psychologist obtained a temporary injunction shutting down the site. That lasted until last Monday, November 2 when Federal Judge Dean Pregerson of the U.S. District Court lifted the ban. IEG President Seth Warshavsky said that his company was "delighted" with the ruling, adding, "We never doubted our legal right to put the photos and story on the Web... What makes them so interesting is that Dr. Laura has set herself up as some sort of stern archetype of virtue who mercilessly attacks callers if they reveal an extramarital affair." Warshavsky added, "The photos and news story show that she, too, is human and has defects of character." The photos were taken by Ballance nearly thirty years ago. Schlessinger was married, and Ballance -- who recently turned 80 -- was playing the role of father figure and coach, having helped Schlessinger along in her career. The aging radio jock said that Laura willingly posed for the photos, some of which show frontal nudity. "We had the kind of love affair that most men would die for," Ballance writes on the IEG web site. "Of course I was much older than her, but that didn't bother her. She was still married to her first husband at the time although she told me she was going to get a divorce." Twisting the knife, Ballance then goes on to add, "I remember the affair as thought it were yesterday. Nobody who ever went to bed with Dr. Laura will ever forget it. She was quite something between the sheets." Atheism Made Me Do It? In the September, 1988 issue of "Vanity Fair," Schlessinger admits to things in her past "I regret and have shame for," adding that she is "repentant: I have moved on, I see no reason to embarrass myself." Mr. Ballance's motivation in this is questionable, of course, but what will strike many -- fans and critics alike -- is Schlessinger's ploy of somehow blaming atheism for her alleged indiscretions. If anything, there is not necessarily and inherently wrong with posing for nude photos; the lack of taste in this matter may involve Ballance, and possibly IEG which, though legally in the clear, is still engage in a hurtful escapade. There is little argument, though, with the description IEG President Warshavsky makes: "With these photos she (Schlessinger) could become a poster girl for her own best-selling book... Here's a case of a woman who sets herself as a paradigm of virtue and it turns out she has a few salacious moments in her own life." Instead of accepting responsibility, however, Schlessinger blames atheism, having once -- or so she claims -- been an atheist. "In my 20's, I was my own moral authority. The inadequacy of that way of life is painfully obvious today." She has spoken of her transition "from atheist to observant Jew." The Entertainment Wire notes: "Schlessinger, now 51, is married to Lew Bishop, who manages her career, and the couple has a 12-year old son. She converted to Judaism and is allied with the strict Orthodox branch of the faith, and she frequently is seen wearing a Star of David around her neck. At public appearances, she has been known to pass out buttons reading, 'Character Does Matter.'" . . . Atheist news groups are buzzing about Dr. Laura's naughtiness; but like this editor, most writers seem willing to forgive even her of involving herself in a relationship which, at that point in her life, she well might have needed and probably enjoyed. The moral crime here may not be so much one of infidelity, but in attacking a legitimate philosophical and moral position -- one of atheism -- which Dr. Laura Schlessinger, despite her cultural persona as virtue guardian and self-esteem guru -- chose to either not fully comprehend, or abandoned. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Mailing Lists ------------- Remember to be careful--the mitaah-announce list is an announcement list only. Discussion needs to stay on the discussion lists, and specific requests should go to the officers or planning lists. Due to repeated spams, we've renamed the announcement list and discontinued publicizing these lists outside of MIT. Once again, we have the following lists for your reading pleasure: mitaah-announce Official announcements mitaah-discussion Free-form discussion mitaah-gcf-forum AAH-Graduate Christian Fellowship discussion forum To add/remove yourself from any of the lists, use the following command from your athena% prompt: 'blanche $USER' Switches are '-a' to add, '-d' to remove. Your request will not be processed until 2am the next morning, so there may be up to a 26 hour wait for changes to take effect. *Please do not send requests to the list itself*, and remember that you are responsible for your own list maintenance. Other AAH lists include: mitaah-officers Feedback to the officers mitaah-planning Feedback to the planning board Send questions or problems to . --------------------------------------------------------------------------