American Atheist Magazine March 1985

8/9/2019 American Atheist Magazine March 1985

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March, 1985

A Journal of Atheist News and Thought

$2.95


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• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• • •• • • •• •• •• •••••••••• ••••••

MERIC N THEISTS

is a non-profit, non-political, educational organization, dedicated to the complete and absolute separation of

state and church. We accept the explanation of Thomas Jefferson that the First Amendment to the

Constitution of the United States was meant to create a wall of separation between state and church.

American Atheists are organized to stimulate and promote freedom of thought and inquiry concerning

religious beliefs, creeds, dogmas, tenets, rituals and practices;

to collect and disseminate information, data and literature on all religions and promote a more thorough

understanding of them, their origins and histories;

to encourage the development and public acceptance of a human ethical system, stressing the mutual

sympathy, understanding and interdependence of all people and the corresponding responsibility of each

individual in relation to society;

to develop and propagate a culture in which man is the central figure who alone must be the source of

strength, progress and ideals for the well-being and happiness of humanity;

to promote the study of the arts and sciences and of all problems affecting the maintenance,

perpetuation and enrichment of human (and other) life;

to engage in such social, educational, legal and cultural activity as will be useful and beneficial to

members of American Atheists and to society as a whole.

Atheism may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and

aims at establishing a lifestyle and ethical outlook verifiable by experience and the scientific method,

independent of all arbitrary assumptions of authority and creeds.

Materialism declares that the cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purpose; that it is governed by its own

inherent, immutable and impersonal laws; that there is no supernatural interference in human life; that man -

finding his resources within himself - can and must create his own destiny. Materialism restores to man his

dignity and his intellectual integrity. It teaches that we must prize our life on earth and strive always to improve

it. It holds that man is capable of creating a social system based on reason and justice. Materialism's faith is in

man and man's ability to transform the world culture by his own efforts. This is a commitment which is in very

essence life asserting. It considers the struggle for progress as a moral obligation and impossible without noble

ideas that inspire man to bold creative works. Materialism holds that humankind's potential for good and for an

outreach to more fulfilling cultural development is, for all practical purposes, unlimited .

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merican theist Membership Categories

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American Atheists - P.O. Box 2117 - Austin, TX 78768-2117


3/44

Mar ch 1985

Vol 27 No 3

m e r i c n t h e i s t

Journal of Atheist News and Thought

Editorial: Birthday Gifts - Jon Murray

2

Ask A.A.

5

News and Comments: A Right Education

6

Titan of Reason - Maurice LaBelle

11

Convention News

14

Christians What Will They Think of Next - Lowell Newby

15

Ashes to Ashes - Mara J. Beadle

16

Survey: Profile of An Atheist

19

The Atheist Next Door - Robert S. Mangus

22

Maculate Deception: The Science of Creationism - Frank Zindler

23

Historical Notes

27

While Hell Freezes Over - Gerald Tholen

28

Poetry

30

A God That Failed - Margaret Bhatty

31

Potpourri

33

D. G. M. Bennett, American Atheist - Madalyn O'Hair

34

Book Review

36

Me Too - Clarke Metcalf

37

Letters to The Editor

38

Dial-An-Atheist

39

Classified Advertisement

40

Reader Service

40

On The Cover: It has taken considerable time for the American Atheist organization to redefine the word Atheism. As you know, dictionary

definitions, formulated by religious bigots, have used the word as a negative footwiper contrary to their beloved goddism. But now there seems to have

been a complete social turnaround. The term Atheism has come to be not only quite differently understood but respected as well. So, the questions,

What is an Atheist? , and, Why are some people Atheists? , have essentially been answered. Yet, in the interes t of journalistic repor ting, other

questions have remained unanswered; when, where and who. We have now completed a unique and historical first at the American Atheist Center. Our

recent questionaire/survey has revealed not only

who

the Atheists are, catagorically (by sex, race, ethnic origin, etc.), but such interesting information as

where they live, work, attend school, play, - and - when they became Atheists. Some of the information seemed to conform to previously assumed

evaluations of the Atheist community. Yet, there were surprises. At any rate, it was a very interesting (if time consuming) project. It will no doubt be

quoted by researchers for generations for it is a one of a kind report. We are truly grateful to everyone who participated in the survey. You helped to

make the world a better informed place. - G.Tholen

Editor/Robin Murray-O'Hair, Editor Emeritus/Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Manag-

The

merican theist

magazine ispublished monthly bythe American Atheist Press

ing Editor/don Murray, Assistant Editor/Gerald Tholen, Poetry/Angeline

(an affiliateof American Atheists), 2210 Hancock Dr., Austin, TX 78756-2596, and a

Bennett, Gerald Tholen, Production Staff/Bill Kight, Sandra M. P. McGann,

non-profit, non-political, educational organization dedicated to the complete and

Gloria Tholen, Non-Resident Staff/G. Stanley Brown, Jeff Frankel, Merril

absolute separation of state and church. (All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole

Holste, Margaret Bhatty, Fred Woodworth, Frank R. Zindler.

or in part without wri tten permission is prohibited). Mailing address: P.O. Box

2117/Austin, TX 78768-2117. Subscription is provided as an incident ofmembership

The

merican theist

magazine

in the organization of American Atheists. Subscriptions alone are available at $25.00

is indexed in

for one year terms only. (Frequency monthly. Library and institutional discount:50%.)

Monthly Periodical Index

Manuscripts submitted must be typed, double-spaced and accompanied by a

ISSN: 0332-4310

stamped, self-addressed envelope. A copy of American Atheist Magazine Writers

©

1984 by Society of Separationists, Inc.

Guidelines is available on request. The editors assume no responsibility for

unsolicited manuscripts.

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Austin, Texas

March, 1985

Page 1


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5/44

nents of abortion, or birth control, rarely

mention the rights of the involved woman;

they concentrate on the rights ofthe unborn

fetus. Thus comes the popular tag of right

to life which refers to the fetus only - the

right to lifeof the to be mother iseither not

considered or considered of lesser import

than that of the fetus. But the movements in

opposition to abortion - and birth control

- both utilize the phrase right to life.

5. The opposition movements to abortion

and birth control base their stand on scrip-

tural dogma contained within their particu-

lar holy book as interpreted by their

particular denomination.

Religious War

As a result of the above innumerated

points, the abortion and birth control contro-

versy in this country has become a religi-

ous war. It is no longer just a matter of civil

rights. The opponents of birth control and

abortion have chosen to fight on religious

grounds rooted in their chosen dogma. The

tragedy is that those persons who wish to

maintain a free market place of ideas on

birth control and civilrights on abortion fail

to recognize this shift in the basis of the

debate. Proponents of keeping the abortion

and birth control issues on the plane of civil

rights have had the rug pulled out from

under them and are now, like it or not,

fighting on the plane of idiomatic religious

considerations. It is like having a fish chal-

lenge you to a dual. The fish would want to

fight you inthe water, his element, where he

had the advantage. You would want, on the

other hand, to fight the fish on the beach

where he was out ofhis element and inyours

- to his disadvantage. So itiswith the right

to life movement. Its proponents want to

pull the abortion/birth control controversy

out ofthe civilrights arena and into the area

of idiomatic religious dogma where they

have the advantage. The persons who favor

abortion and birth control, being civilnghts

and personal choice issue proponents, have

allowed the arena to be Shifted to the

advantage of the religionist. They now find

themselves fighting the Christian fish in the

water, out of their element, where they don't

belong and where they will surely lose the

fight. They must instead pull the religionists

out oftheir fantasy world ofreligion and into

the ring of reality, and then whip them

soundly with logic.

Bombings Begin

To further exacerbate the situation

individual religionists around the coun-

Site:.

St. Petersburg, Florida

Clearwater, Florida

Fairfax, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Everett, Washington

Dover, Deleware

.Norfolk, Virginia

College Park, Maryland

Bellingham, Washington

Everett, Washington

Everett, Washington

Pensacola, Florida

Washington, D.C.

Annapolis, Maryland

Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Webster, Texas*

Atlanta, Georgia

San Diego, California

Marietta, Georgia

Houston, Texas

Rockville, Maryland

Wheaton, Maryland

Suitland, Maryland

Pensacola, Florida

Wa~hington, D.C.

(*Houston area)

try have taken it upon themselves to

destroy familyplanning centers or abor-

tion clinics. The pattern of hatred and

destruction, brought on by religion -

Date:

May 29,1982

May 29,1982

June 6,1982

May 26,1983

December 3,1983

January 13, 1984

February 17,1984 (same Clinic as '83)

February 28, 1984

March 4,1984

March 26, 1984(same Clinic as '83)

April 19, 1984 (same Clinic)

June 25, 1984

July 4, 1984

July 7, 1984

August 20,1984

September 7, 1984

September 8, 1984

September 9, 1984

September 13, 1984

September 13, 1984

September 20,1984

November 11, 1984

November 19, 1984

November 19, 1984

December 24, 1984

December 25, 1984

January 1, 1985

(All Washington Post, January 6, 1985

by admission of the parties involved -

has been staggering. The foUowingchro-

nology speaks for itself.

Destructive method:

Arson

Pipe bombs

Arson

Arson

Arson, a Molotov cocktail

Pipe bombs

Arson

Molotov cocktail

Second Arson

Third Arson

A bomb

Explosion

Bombed

Molotov cocktail

Molotov cocktail

Attempted arson

A fire

Molotov cocktail

Arson

Molotov cocktail

Doctor's office ransacked and set afire

A bomb .

Bombed

Two bombs

Bombing, 3 facilities within 3 blocks of each

other

Bombed

Soldiers inThe War

In all of the above cases of action taken

against abortion clinics or birth control

counseling facilities the individuals appre-

hended by authorities gave religious justifi-

cations for their conduct. The man in the

case of Everett, Washington, said he

Austin, Texas

bombed the facilities because abortion is

the greater oftwo evils. Two of the Florida

clinics and one in Fairfax, Virginia, and the

kidnapping of the operator of a clinic in

Illinois were attributed to a four month

campaign by an individual with two young

followers who said that his acts were or-

ders from God and the Archangel Michael.

March,1985

He is now serving forty-two years for

kidnapping and the three bombings. In a

prison interview he said that he had been

called by God to bomb the clinics and he

blamed the government for forcing him by

its inaction to take action. The perpetrator

in Norfolk, Virginia, was described by a

psychiatrist there as a religious political

Page 3


6/44

fanatic.

In Pensacola, Florida, two men and their

wife and fiancee planned and executed the

bombings saying that they were meant as a

gift to Jesus on his birthday. The woman

bought the gun powder, and the men made

and planted the bombs. The fiancee felt that

the fact that her husband-to-be had gotten

away with the June 25th, 1984, bombing in

Pensacola was a sign from God that he

(god) approved. This prompted the later

attacks on Christmas Day. One of the two

men said that God inspired him to team

up with his best friend to attack the clinics.

Both men. told one of the federal agents

investigating the crime that they decided

that God had called upon them to destroy

these clinics. One ofthe men admitted that

He knew the bombings were wrong but

justified them because he had acted at

God's direction. This same individual's

attorney stressed to the Court that his client

had actually killedno one and that his client

was only trying to destroy a place that in

itself was a destroyer of lives. One of the

men said he feltthat God's law was what he

had to follow, not man's law. He also told

authorities that no matter how much time in

prison he got for the acts ifhe saved one life

then what he had done was worthwhile.

A frightening aspect of the Pensacola

case was that the local ABC affiliate in that

city conducted a 24-hour poll asking its

viewers the question, Would your religious

beliefs, under certain circumstances, lead

you to violate civil law? The answer was

yes from fifty-eight percent of the viewers

who responded, with forty-two percent an-

swering no. One ofthe bombers had great

satisfaction over this polland felt that itwas

evidence of public support for his actions.

(Source: Washington Post, New York

Times, The Miami Herald, and U.S.A. T

day on various dates inDecember 1984and

January 1985.)

True Terrorism

In addition to the fact that religion had

been the the prime motivating factor in the

majority of the bombing cases around the

country, the federal authorities had been

reluctant to become involved because of

what they say is a lack of an organized

conspiracy. The Director of the FBI stated

in December, 1984, according to the New

York Times, that the FBI only investigates

true terrorism that aims to overthrow the

Government or shift the Government

and that attacks on abortion clinics did not

constitute terrorism because they were

not committed by an organized group.

Therefore, since attacks on abortion clinics

were not politically motivated they had a

low priority on the list of actions for the

FBI to investigate.

Page 4

Reagan

In the mean time, President Reagan ran

on party platforms intwo consecutive races

that pledged him to appoint Supreme Court

justices who are opposed to abortion. His

first officialact on inauguration day in 1980

was to hold a White House meeting with

right to life _movement leaders. On that

same day, the new Secretary of Health and

Human Services spoke to a right to liferally

and promised a pro-life administration for

the next four years. Reagan then proceeded

to appoint a Surgeon General, and the head

of federal pregnancy and family planning

programs for teenagers as Deputy Assistant

Secretary for Population Affairs at the De-

partment of Health and Human Services

chiefly because of the anti-abortion stands

of both the appointee and the agencies. He

then iced the cake byholding a White House

meeting with the head of the extremist Pro-

Life Action League who had, prior to the

meeting with the President, openly con-

doned violence against abortion clinics on

ABC national television.

A National Attitude

Allof this federal action, spearheaded by

the President of the United States, in ap-

proval of the pro-life movement, gives

these demented individuals around the

country the incentive to go out and use

violence to settle the abortion question. In

spite ofallof this, the Pope had the temerity,

in his traditional Midnight Mass on Christ-

mas Day, December 25, 1984, to say that

Atheism strips mankind of its values and

brings only hunger, exploitation and the

threat of nuclear war. (Philadelphia Inquir-

er) I ask you if any of the abortion clinic

bombings or arsons have been at the hands

ofAtheists? IfAtheism truly strips mankind

of its values and Christianity promotes

those values then one of those values must

be the value of ignoring civil law as expres-

sed by those ABC viewers in Pensacola or

the clinic bomber who said that he had to

followgod's law first.

Religion vs. Reason

Although the positions ofindividual Athe-

ists on the question of abortion varies

widely, I think that we can all agree on the

need to confine that argument to estab-

lished political and judicial arenas and not to

resort to violence as civil disobedience.

No Atheist has ever bombed an abortion

clinic, or attacked a church facility, to my

knowledge. It has always been the religion-

ist, throughout history, who has resorted to

violence in the ultimate analysis to force

his/her dogmatic view on the majority. As

Atheists we cannot allow this to happen on

the abortion/birth control issue. If the reli-

March,1985

gious community can get awaywithits bully

tactics here then it can get awaywith them

in other areas. If we don't speak up now

about a patriarchal church tryingto enforce

its ideology on women, grounded upon

fictitional narratives, then institutions such

as your American Atheist Center will be

next on the hit list. Abortion has now

become an issue ofreligion vs. reason bythe

choice ofthe church not by the choice ofthe

clinics or family planning centers. It istragic

that we must now findourselves mired inthe

dogmatic bog of the pro-life arguments.

We must resurrect the real issues and turn

the tables on those who use confusion and

public misinformation to get their way.

Atheism's Logic and Common Sense

The position of an Atheist should be not

so much pro abortion as it should be a

desire to place this public controversy back

on logical ground, firmly footed on legal

precepts and civil law - and not on the

fantasy world of religion. Regardless of your

personal feelings in this matter the eventual

fate of abortion and birth control informa-

tion availablity in this country rests on the

manner in which the debate is conducted

and on what principles are involved. Athe-

ists have always opted for logicand common

sense, not fanaticism. We need to do what

we can to see that religious fanaticism does

not dictate policy in any area of civil con-

cern. When it does so in one area, itcan and

willdo so in all areas. ~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A second generation Atheist, Mr.

Murray has been the Director of the

American Atheist Center for nine

years and is also the Managing Editor

of the American

Atheist.

He advocates

Aggressive Atheism.

The American Atheist


7/44

ASK A.A.

In Letters to the Editor, readers give

their

opinions, ideas, and in/ormation.

But in Ask A .A. American Atheists

answers questions regarding its polic-

ies, positions, and customs, as well as

queries

0/

/actual

and

historical

situa-

tions.

As I read and appreciated The Peril of

Faith, I wondered why there was no men-

tion of Ayn Rand or Bertrand Russell.

Wiley Morrison

Missouri

Your letter to American Atheists about

my

book,

The Peril ofFaith,

was forwarded

to me. It was good to read that you appreci-

ated the book. The omission of references

to Ayn Rand and Bertrand Russell was not

deliberate or intentional.

None of their material was quoted in the

book. Although itwould have been ofvalue,

my purposes were amply served by the

quotations of the writers whose words were

used. In the compilation of references for

any book, there isa point at which the need

is satisfied.

The names of some well kown Atheists

were mentioned. These people were famous

and appealing for reasons other than their

Atheism, and by linking them with Atheism

in the thinking of the readers, Iwas attempt-

ing to increase the perception of respecta-

bilitywhich Atheism deserves.

It was noted that there were dozens of

such Atheists who were not cited individual-

ly.

Ayn

Rand and Bertrand Russell surely

were among these. While not so prominent

to ordinary citizens as those whose names

were used, their distinction was indeed

attained by means other than the promo-

tion of Athiesm. Their primary interests

were in the furthering of their respective

political concerns. The libertarianism of

Ayn Rand and the anti-militarism of Ber-

trand Russell are causes which Ipassionate-

ly share with all who claim them, as a

reading of

my

book willmake clear.

Martin L. Bard

Pennsylvania.

What are we doing to protect the Amer-

ican Atheist Center from vandals and reli-

gionists that might get it into their bigoted

heads to destroy or despoil our atheistic

central base? This worries me. Please let me

hear from you.

Mervin Wideman

Florida

The American Athiest Center has been,

on various occasions, the target of such

Austin, Texas

individuals. Various windows still sport

bullet holes. The front of the building has

been spray painted various times; on one

occasion a beautiful mahogany sign do-

nated by a member was mutilated. Jesus

loves you - complete with a cross - was

stratched into the attractively carued front

door.

A row

of mature plam

trees were

salted down, died, and needed to be re-

moved.

As a preventative measure, the grounds

of the American Atheist Center were en-

circled by a six foot, barbed wire topped

fence in

1982.

Also, floodlights illuminate all

sides of the building. This has effectively

stopped all instances of vandalism.

C

You have sent us your magazine free and

we thank you. In the last issue comments

were made in several places about speaking

up for your beliefs, etc., etc. Why then do

you send your publication ina plain wrapper

that could not possibly identify the work.

Curious? Puzzling? Surprising

AG. Lewis

Owensboro Public Library

Kentucky

Several years ago, this organization be-

gan sending all its mailings in envelopes

clearly marked American Atheists. It was

felt that this would be one small way of

making our pride in our Atheism known.

Few members and subscribers had any

objections to receiving such mail and for

some years we experienced few or no

problems with delivery. In the past three

years, however, we have had increasing

problems with postal deliveries. After years

of mailing the American Atheist to a sub-

scriber at a particular address, for example,

we

are

suddenly

informed that the

address

simply does not exist; yet, mail can be

delivered to that

same address

ifnothing

on

the envelope marks it as being from Athe-

ists.

For

a period

of time, it

was

almost

impossible to send mail to subscribers in

Chicago. Our Post Master, when we con-

tact her with particular cases of such non-

delivery, is very helpful and isanxious toget

to the bottom of this problem. She feels that

all mail should

be

handled in

an

identical

manner, no matter who the recipient or the

sender. Unfortunately, it is almost impos-

sible to track down the problem. In a

particular area, it might be an individual in

any position in the local post office.

Thus we reluctantly switched to the plain

wrapper approach. 'We would prefer to

have The Americai l

Atheist

proudly

on

our envelopes again - if only postal em-

ployees

would refrain from

sabotage.

March,1985

I have read and enjoyed both

Dial-An-

Atheist, transcripts of the Dial-An-Atheist

service and

What

On

Earth Is

An

Atheist,

transcripts of the American Atheist Radio

Series. I know that there are as yet unpub-

lished radio transcripts, and I suspect that

more Dial-An-Atheists have been recorded

since the book was published. Are there any

plans to make sequels to the two books?

Also, on what stations inmyarea does the

AA Radio Series air?

Galen Thomas

Florida

A sequel to Dial-An-Atheist, featuring

more of Newton Berry's excellent mes-

sages, will be released during 1985. As was

the case in the first book, the Dial-THE-

Atheist ([512J458-5731)

transcripts

of Mrs.

O'Hair will also be included.

The American Atheist Radio Series is not

currently being domestically distributed.

That is, it is not being aired in the United

States. It is, however, reaching over 2000

stations abroad, by satellite.

The transcripts from the second year of

the American Atheist Radio Series is also

scheduled for release this year in a book

titled The Atheist World. Eventually all

seven years of the Series will be published.

I've read in the past (in the American

Atheist)

that Madalyn Murray O'Hair is a

committed Anarchist. And yet in her re-

cent article on child-rearing (Jan. '85), she

gives advice on how to handle the religious

aspects ofthe pledge of allegiance, fourth of

July celebrations, P.T.A meetings, etc. with-

out any negative comment on the statist

nature of these activities. Isn't patriotism

just as mindless, irrational, and pernicious a

disease as religion?

AIMedwin

New Jersey

Madalyn O'Hair replies:

Children

must

live in the real world and

not the imaginary social utopia in which all

we Anarchists dream away our days. It is

necessary to cope with reality not escape

into theory. As Atheists we must face what

exists and teach our children how to handle

situations which they meet in a competent

way, recognizing that

we

are

in a

Christian

state in which patriotism is of high value to

the citizenry. To teach our children with-

drawal into fantasy would illequip them to

live in our every day world in the United

States.

Page 5


8/44

NEWS AND COMMENTS

A RIGHT EDUCATION

As the first federal legislative session

ended

in

the late

summer

of

1984,

the

United

States

Congress, badgered into

some concern

for the

quality

of educa-

tion in the public school system, passed

a

Science/Math

funding bill

which was

titled the

General Education Provisions

Act. Buried in

that

bill

was

a

small

paragraph designated as Title VII,

PROHIBITION.

The

provision in its

entirety

read:

Sec. 709.

Grants under

this

title

may

not be

used for

consultants,

for

transportation, or

for any ac-

tivitywhich does not augment aca-

demicimprovement, or

for

courses

of

instruction,

the

substance

of

which

is

secular humanism.

Since

every

dictionary definition

of

humanism has

to do

with human

in-

terests

and values the

Congress

was

beingcontradictory -

both

science

and

mathematics are by definition, under

the umbrella of humanism. It could

only

be

concluded that the

prohibition

was stated

in

these

terms as an

una-

bashed yielding of the United States

House of Representatives

to

the

dic-

tates of the born-again fundamentalists

in

the

nation.

When the

particular provision

was

proposed, when

it

was scheduled

to

come up

for

a

vote,

on

the day when

it

was voted

into

the bill,and afterwards,

American Atheists notified every major

newspaper, all

radio

and

television

net-

works, each

national news magazine,

and all educational

organizations.

But,

characteristically - nothing appeared

in

the

news.

It was

August:

school was

out, and the

media

had exhausted itself

reporting

the school prayer

issue -.

anything else was mundane.

American

Atheists closely watched

to see

what would appear

on

the educa-

tional

scene

when school

began in

Sep-

tember. But itwas not untilmid-January

that the

United

States Education De-

partment

proposed

a

rule which would

prohibit school

districts

from spending

the ear marked federal funds of the

Science/Math bill on any course that a

school

district determines is

secular

humanism. There were

no guidelines

given

as to

what secular humanism

could be, as seen at the [ederalEduca-

tion

Department level.

Again,

the gov-

ernment

was back

to

the

game

of local

Page 6

options

where

it

knew the strength of

the churches was.

Paul Salmon, the Executive

Director

of the American Association of School

Administrators,

was

immediately

pleas-

ed

that the department made the right

judgment in allowing

local school

dis-

tricts to define secular humanism.

Since

the

prohibition

had

been

work-

ed

out between

Senators Orrin G.

Hatch (R-Utah) and

Daniel

Patrick

Moynihan (D-NY), their comments were

sought. Moynihan

issued a

statement

saying,

This was

legislation

essential

to

the

desegregation

of

our

schools.

Preventing money for courses on sec-

ular humanism was

a prime condition

for

Sen.

Hatch s approval. With his

comments,

he was

reflecting on

the

congressional game

plan whereby votes

for money billsare bought by inserting

language which pleases (a) pressure

group(s). Hatch heads the Labor and

Human

Resources

Committee

through

which the bill had to pass, and in order

to win

the approval of that

Committee,

Moynihan was allegedly forced

to

pay

the toll that Hatch wanted: prohibtion

on secular humanism. What needs to

be remembered,

however,

is

that Moy-

nihan

is

Roman Catholic who has,

each

term

of

Congress,

fought for tax

money

support of Roman Catholic

schools. He is no friend of secular

humanism, and the myth that he was

forced

to

this attack

is

just that - a

myth. And, although Reagan had called

for a teacher to be the first citizen to

take

a

space

ride,

when

an

actual

choice came,

it

was Jake

Garn, a

reli-

gious

zealot, the other Senator from

Utah and another of Reagan s men in

Congress,

who was chosen for this

signal

honor - if

it

can

be

called that.

The nature of

legislative

thinking was

disclosed by a

legal

aide

of Moynihan

who added, It [secular humanism}

should have had

a definition ... proba-

bly

in

the law ... In part

it's a symbolic

thing. It has put the federal government

on record saying

that federal funds

should

not be spent on propagandizing

an

atheistic philosophy for

our kids.

An aide for Hatch pointed out that

the proposed rule (of the

Education

Department) would

permit

the local

school

boards to decide

what

a course

of secular humanism might be.

School Boards depend

on sane,

rea-

sonable people

running

them, he noted.

March, 1985

During

the last decade we have all

been

apprised

of what those

sane, reason-

able people do,

as reports

have ap-

peared in all media of local school

board actions to return

prayer

to

school,

to intrude scientific creation-

ism into

the

class rooms, to

heavily

censor reading materiels, to restrict sex

eduction classes,

to tighten control of

students,

to challenge student free

speech, to institute search and seizure

programs, to restrict lunch programs,

to hold teachers

salaries at

low levels,

and

to continue racist

policies when-

ever

possible.

Hence, the

American

Atheist Center

was

waiting

for further developments

when

it received a

call from

Bill

Talley,

Director

of the Denver Chapter of

American

Atheists. The Regional Rep-

resentative of the

U. S.

Department of

Education had just finished a peculiar

mailing to

all Christian schools

in

the

six-state

federal area - Colorado, Wy-

oming,

New

Mexico,

Idaho, Utah, and

Montana. In it was an attack on s ecu-

lar humanism and

a

nostalgic demand

for

a return to

the re-establishment of

a

Christian

nation.

Rep.

Patricia

Schroeder (D-Colo), apprised of the

mailing,

asked the United States Secre-

tary of Education

co •••

is it

the

policy

of

your department

to establish a

Chris-

tian nation ? , as

the

mailing seemed to

reflect. Talley asked Schroeder for a

complete

investigation.No

Denver news-

papers reported

on

the

mailing.

There

was one radio news item. United Press

International (UPI),which finally picked

up

that

radio report,

contacted the

federal

Education

Department

in

Wash-

ington,

D.C. There, the

acting

Educa-

tion

Secretary defended the

mailing

and

described it as

information of

in-

terest

to a major constituency.

The

mailing

was

said at

first

to be a

speech. Bill Talley asked if the

Ameri-

can

Atheist Center wanted

a

copy of

the actual

mailing

made by the

Region

Vlll Representative. The cover sheet

is

depicted below, containing the seal of

the Department of Education of the

United

States of

America.

The heading

is

that of the Region Vlll Representa-

tive. Sent under the franking privilege of

the department,

it

would appear

to be

an official

statement. Talley later

dis-

covered that

it

was rather

a

copy of

a

speech ofRobert Billings,who had been

the executive director of the Moral Ma-



9/44

NEWS AND COMMENTS

. jority before joining the Reagan Admin-

istration. Billings is currently the fed-

eral Director, Regional Liaison Staff,

and the immediate superior of the Re-

gion VIIIRepresentative. Billings, when

finally contacted, stated that he had

sent the material

to

the Regional VIII

Representative, who having read it was

so impressed that he had ordered it

distributed.

The U. S. Postal Service prohibits the

use of franking permission (use of free

government postage) to send material

which does not represent official policy.

Since

no news

media is going

to

print

the entire letter for

your

perusal, it is

here presented in its entirety for

your

personal evaluation. Absolutely noth-

ing in the text or the cover page in-

dicates the author. The entire state-

ment would, at first blush, seem to

represent the position of the U. S. De-

partment of Education. .

American Atheists has noted

gram-

matical errors and footnoted historical

and other errors. Dr. Billings, who

re-

ceived his B.A. from the non-accredited

Christian fundamentalist Bob Jones

University in '56,his M.A. from the same

school in 1963, and his Ph.D. from

Clarksville School of Theology in 1967,

is

an

important figure in the federal

offices of education. Mr. Tancredo who

issued Billings statement, is a six-state

area federal supervisor of education.

In

those capacities, one would expect both

men to have command of our language

and its

grammar

in order

to be

ade-

quate examples for our children under

their care in the nation s public schools.

u ,

S.

D E P / \R T r 1 E t l T O F E D U C /\ T I O N

R E G I

orl V

1 9 6 1

STOUT STREET

DENVER

COLORADO

8 0 2 9 4

3 0 3 8 3 7 - 3 5 4 4

fROU T HE OE SK OF THOU S G T N REOO

SeC~t~4~y 4 Re9~o 4l Rt p~e, e ~4t~ve

WHERE IS OUR EDUCATIONAL

SYSTEM LEADING US?

In Los Angeles County, parents of a boy

who committed suicide have charged the

pastor of Grace Community Church with

Austin, Texas

clergyman malpractice. Why? He counseled

their son instead of turning him over to

professionals for psychiatric care.

In Arkansas a pastor today sits in prison

for refusing to allow the state to control his

school.'

In 1979in Lucedale, Mississippi, at a small

fundamental church, the Sunday morning

service was interrupted and the pastor ar-

rested on trumped-up charges of physical

abuse to one of the school's boarding stu-

dents. Those charges were later dropped

when the boy admitted to lying.

In Victoria, Texas, the Department of

Labor recently sued Central Baptist Church

for failure to pay minimum wages to the

volunteer help of its day care center.

How can these things be happening in

America - this land offreedom, this Chris-

tian nation? What has. happened to our

Christian system of values? The change

from One Nation Under God to a nation

without God didn't happen over night (sic).

But Christians are just now waking up to the

fact that godlessness is controlling every

aspect of our so-called Democratic and

Free Society - it controls our entertain-

ment, our news, and even the education of

our children.

America was once a Christian nation,

founded on Biblical principles, although

some modern historians go to great lengths

to disclaim that fact. (Read The Light and

The Glory by Peter Marshall.) Democracy

was an amazing and new idea - a complete

reversal of the known forms ofgovernment.

Until then, the king had always been law

(sic);

democracy meant that the

law

was

king, and law existed only because of a

Divine Law-Giver. Our Constitution states

that we are endowed by [our] Creator with

certain inalienable rights. The writers of

the Constitution recognized God as the

Supreme Giver ofRights, and, therefore, the

lawwas under God.

4

These men also felt it the duty of govern-

ment to preserve religious freedom. As one

of the Constitution's signers, John Wither-

spoon, once said: He is the best friend of

American liberty ~ho is most sincere and

active in promoting pure and undefiled reli-

gion. And William Penn stated: If we are

not governed by God, then we willbe ruled

by tyrants. I doubt Penn realized how soon

his fears would be realized.

American's heritage has been first and

foremost - freedom. In the beginning, two

streams flowed from the bowels of antiquity

- they were individual liberty and religious

freedom. Where these two streams finally

merged, we find a broad and beautiful land

we call the United States of America. And

what makes America so grand and glorious?

It is freedom

This does not mean that our forefathers

had no struggle to secure this freedom.

March, 1985

Consider with me:

The Declaration of Independence was

started on June 17. Thomas Jefferson took

seventeen days to complete it. It was finally

adopted on July 4. Twenty-four lawyers,

eleven merchants, nine farmers - fifty-six

men in all - signed the freedom document.

During the Revolutionary War, five were

captured by the British and tortured; twelve

had homes looted or destroyed; nine died in

the war.s

Carter Braxton lost his ships inbattle. He

sold everything he had to pay his debts, and

died in ragsJ

Thomas McKeen of Delaware moved five

times in five months. Later he served in

Congress without pay.s

Thomas Nelson, Jr. borrowed $2 million,

sold his estate after the war to pay the debt,

was never reimbursed, died in bankruptcy

and now lies in an unmarked grave.?

John Hart was driven from the bedside of

his dying wife. After one year he returned,

but his wife was gone, his children kidnap-

ped, his property worthless. He died in two

weeks of a broken heart.P

John Hancock

stood outside Boston one

hot summer night as the British were burn-

ing his city and said, Burn, Boston, Burn;

though it make John Hancock a pauper,

burn '

These were not poor men, but liberty was

all important. They literally fulfilled a vow

when they wrote in the Declaration of In-

dependence, We pledge our lives, our

fortunes, and our sacred honor.

The First Amendment was passed, not to

divorce government from religion, but first,

to keep the government from interfering

with religion, and second, to keep one sect

or religion from forcing others to conform.

(By the way, a number of individual states

had actual state religions, and that was not

considered contrary to the First Amend-

ment.P) The Northwest Ordinance of 1787

stated: Religion morality and knowledge

. (sic) being necessary to good government

and the happiness of mankind, schools and

the means of learning shall forever be en-

couraged.

But for the past few generations, we have

abandoned the traditional principles estab-

lished by our forefathers, many of the ways

in which we now celebrate patriotism are

theatrically shallow or commercially ob-

scene.

Now, it is not wrong to celebrate the way

we were, provided we take equal pains to

safeguard the road ahead. In the political

inventions of the Founding Fathers, wewere

richly endowed, and we can take fresh

resolve from our heritage. But our task is not

to eulogize the past - our real job is to

initiate present action to assure that our

great-grandchildren may be able to enjoy a

tricentennial with the same amount (sic) of

Page 7


10/44


11/44

NEWS AND COMMENTS

ministrators and educators to think they

have arrived and can now relax. There are

still weaknesses in our schools. And if the

Christian school isn't striving to be the best

it can be, there is no reason for it to exist.

Too many Christians, rather than taking an

active interest in how their children are

being taught, are content in just knowing

their children are being taught byChristians.

Research tells us that when allissaid and

done, after school superintendents, princi-

pals and curriculum developers have made

their decisions, education reallycomes down

to what occurs in the classroom between

teacher and pupil, and the disheartening fact

is that we are seeing more and more of our

brightest young people rejecting teaching in

favor of more emotionally and financially

rewarding professions. The Department of

Education has collected sobering evidence

in the last year on the quality of students

entering teaching:

• Between 1972and 1980,average verbal

scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test

(SAT) among entering education ma-

jors declined from 418 to 339;

Average SAT math scores fell from

449 to 418 - both declines steeper

than the average drop of 20 points

experienced overall by all majors;

• Of 19fields ofstudy for entering college

freshman, education majors tied for

17th place in math scores and 14th

place in English scores;

• A national study sample of graduating

high school seniors inthe class of 1976

indicates that, out of 16 prospective

majors, prospective education majors

were 14th in SAT verbal scores, and

15th out of 16in mathematics.

The picture is equally bleak with college

graduates:

'. Verbal and nonverbal'? scores on the

Graduate Record Examination have de-

clined significantly since 1970;

• Scores on the National Teacher Exam

- an eight-hour test of general know-

ledge, specific subject matter, and

teaching techniques - declined be-

tween 1970and 1975.

• In 1975,Graduate Record Examination

results for education majors were lower

than those in eight other professional

fields compared.

Allof this is not to say that there are not

excellent Christian school teachers. Every

year God calls talented young men and

women to teach in Christian schools, and

many gladly make financial sacrifice

(sic)to

answer this high calling. (But let me add here

that pastors and school administrators

Austin, Texas

should do everything they can to make it

financially

affordable

for young people to

teach at their schools.) And statistics con:

tinue to show private school students excel-

ling18public school students in academic

achievement.

But a school whose (sic) purpose is train-

ing young people to serve Christ willnot be

content merely to be a little better than

public schools; it willstrive for

excellence.

Galatians 4:17

19

says that It is good to be

zealously affected always in a good thing,

and Titus 2:14describes Christians as Peo-

ple zealous of good works. A philosopher

once wrote: To believe in God involves

accepting him as the sovereign perfect, thus

establishing the highest possible conception

of excellence. Why should the Christian

school demand less than excellence of its

teachers?

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of

addressing a conference of the North Caro-

lina Christian Educators'

(sic)

Assocation,

where they (sic) had asked me to give a

synopsis of current legal problems facing

Christian schools. I spoke with several law-

yers who are handling current cases, and

they asked me to tell the North Carolina

educators, as I now tell you, that one of the

greatest legal problems our schools face is

this lack of teacher credentials. Ifwe expect

to be permitted to run Christian schools, our

teachers' credentials must be above ques-

tion. The schools that have balked on this

are some of the ones who (sic) are now in

court, perhaps creating trouble down the

road for all Christian schools.

Ifour schools are to be excellent, we must

demand that teachers be strong in their

subject matter, and they must be given

enough time to do a thorough job ofprepara-

tion and teaching. I know of many Christian

young people who experience teacher burn-

out and leave Christian schools or the

profession of teaching altogether after only a

few years. They complain that they had no

time for their teaching because they either

taught too many courses (some not at all in

their field of training), or were expected to

spend all of their out-of-classroom time in

church or school-related functions. Good

teaching takes more than enthusiasm and

training - it takes time, and administrators

must either face this fact or see academic

standards drop.

There has been a lotoftalk recently about

getting back to the basics of education,

and rightly so. A staggering number of high

schools give diplomas to students who are

functional illiterates. To avoid putting

Johnny through the trauma of failure,

modern educators have turned school into a

place where children are entertained, taught

to get in touch with their feelings ; and

adjust to the world around them, but

March, 1985

never disappointed by a teacher's saying,

You have not come up to the standard -

you have failed. Parents are beginning to

demand that school once more be a place

where students are directed, evaluated, and

sometimes even judged as having failed.

Educators are seeing the need to eliminate

the fluff in their curricula and concentrate

on the core subjects, such as English, math,

history, and science.

As I discussed earlier, the mission of the

Christian school isto give our children solid

training inthese core subjects from a Biblical

perspective. And, as everything in lifemust

have balance, so must the education of our

children. A wonderful example of balance is

the Apostle Paul, who not only knew the Old

Testament scriptures, but also quoted from

the classic Greek literature as his sermon on

Mars Hill.Paul was a fervent, humble Chris-

tian, but he was an educated and cultured

one.

20

He was undoubtedly a more effective

witness for Christ because [he was] made

all things to all men that by all means [he]

might save some. God can use all types of

Christians, from the most poor and unedu-

cated to the man witha string ofPh.D.s

(sic),

but God expects the best from all o f us -

and that includes the best curriculum pos-

sible in our Christian schools.

I ask, have we gone too far toward hu-

manistic goals? Must we walk the same road

to the same destination that other world

powers have walked? Isay no No country is

more loved by the rank and fileof its people.

I have an abiding faith in the capacity,

integrity and high purpose of true Ameri-

cans everywhere. Our future is bright with

hope. There yet stands that silent lady in

New York Harbor with her torch held high,

and the message still reads:

Give me your tired, your poor, your

huddled masses

Yearning to breathe free, the

wretched refuse of

Your teeming shore. Send these..

the homeless, tempest-

tossed to me. I liftmy lamp beside

the golden dOOr.

21

Finally, let me challenge you with the

reminder of those chillingwords of warning

by Winston Churchill that I believe apply so

aptly to the condition we find our nation in

today. IfY04 willnot fight for the right when

you can easily win without bloodshed; ifyou

will not fight when the victory willbe sure

and not too costly; you may come to the

moment when you willhave to fight with all

the odds against you and only a precarious

chance for survival. There may be a worse

fate. You may have to fight when there is no

chance for victory because it is better to

perish thanto liveas slaves.

Page 9


12/44


13/44

The following isthe third of a series of

articles on the French

philosophes,

the

intellectual leaders of the Enlighten-

ment of seventeenth and eighteenth

century Europe.

T

he Enlightenment crested in France

with the publication ofthe Encyclopedie,

that massive work which did a Herculean

task ofmoving the Western mind toward the

modern, that is, science, materialism, and

Atheism. The guiding genius of that project

was Denis Diderot (1713·1784). It was he

who stimulated 140people to contribute to

it, edited that vast project of seventeen

volumes of text - 11,000,000 words - and

eleven volumes of plates, and then saw the

project through to its completion after many

tribulations. Through allof the trials, a friend

stood beside him. He was Paul-Henri Thiry

Dietrich (1723-1789),and he was so devoted

to Diderot that he was buried beside his

friend. This man was the famous Baron

d'Holbach.

The Baron d'Holbach was a exemplar of

the Enlightenment, especially of its radical

leftwing. He came from inauspicious begin-

nings and wrote some of the most contro-

versial books of his time; his masterpiece,

The System of Nature (1770), remains a

wonder of reason, a triumph of the Age of

the Enlightenment, and a challenge to future

generations.

of the authorities on d'Holbach, adds that

the university

was one of the freest and most mod-

ern of any university; it was the only

one that still commanded universal

respect as a seat of learning. Promis-

ingyoung men came there from many

countries. Among d'Holbach's fellow

students were more than twenty Eng-

lish students; two of them became

chancellors of the Exchequer, and

one a Lord Mayor of London.

Paul-Henri was brilliantly educated. He

knew French, German, English, Italian, and

Latin extremely well. At the University of

Leyden, he attended classes taught by the

great scientist, Herman Boerhaave (1668-

1738),one ofthe most exciting teachers inall

of Europe and an advocate of reason and

science. As a result of his experience at the

University ofLeyden, Paul-Henri became an

authority in natural sciences, especially

chemistry and·mineralogy.

After the war, Paul-Henri returned to

Paris, and inAugust 1749became a natural-

ized citizen ofFrance. About 1753,the uncle

died and leftmost ofhis enormous fortune to

his nephew. The estates ofWestphalia alone

brought Paul-Henri 60,000 liures a year. He

was not only wealthy; he was now the Baron

d'Holbach.

In what is now Germany, there was a

principality ofSpeyer, and itwas inone ofits

cities, Edesheim, that Francis Adam Hol-

bach was born. He went to Paris toward the

end of the reign of Louis XIV (1638-1715),

made a fortune, and became a naturalized

citizen of France. He had no offspring, but

he brought to Paris and cared for the orphan

children, one female and one male, ofhis two

sisters. His nephew, Paul-Henri Dietrich,

was also born in Edesheim, and he came to

Paris at the invitation of his uncle before he

was twelve years old.

Alma Mater

During the war of Austrian Succession,

Paul-Henri's uncle sent him to an estate he

owned inHolland nearby the famous Univer-

sity of Leyden, which Paul-Henri attended.

The Chevalier de Jaucourt, who was to

make significant contributions to the Ency-

clopedie, called this university the first and

foremost inall Europe. W.H. Wickwar, one

Austin, Texas

D'Holbach used his wealth to establish a

townhouse inParis and a summer residence

at Grandval, which was a short drive from

Paris. But it was his townhouse which be-

came important. Many phi/osophes met

there for dinner on Sundays and Thursdays,

and vistors from allover Europe and Amer-

icajoined them when they were inParis. Ten

to twenty guests would dine from 2:00 P.M.

to 8:00 P.M.. The dinners were so lavish

that, according to Diderot's daughter,

Diderot could only dine there once a week.

More than that would have killed him, he

said.

Roll Call

D'Holbach's dinners attracted some of

the greatest wits and intellects of his cen-

tury, and a listofthem represents a roll call

of the Enlightenment; moreover, the list

provides considerable insight into the intel-

March,1985

lectual interchange of one of the leading

salons of the Enlightenment. The regulars

were Nicholas Boulanger (1722-1759),a very

learned man in history and languages;

Charles Pinot Duclos (1704-1772),a novelist

as well as a widely-read student of social

customs; Frederic-Melchior, better known

as the Baron Grimm (1723-1807), a writer

and friend to many of the progressive think-

ers of the time; Claude-Adrien Helvetius

(1715-1771),the author of the famous book

The Mind (1758); Jean-Francois Marmontel

(1723-1799), a novelist and liberal cleric;

Abbe Andre Morellet (1727-1819),a contrib-

utor to the Encyclope1die; the historian

Abbe Guillaume-Thomas Raynal (1713-1796);

Guillaume-Francois Rouelle (1703-1770), a

chemist; Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-

1778), a frequent guest until his personal

problems drove him to exclude himself and

be excluded in turn; Jean-Henri Saint-Lam-

bert (1728-1777), a physician and mathe-

matician; Jean-Baptist Suard (1734-1817), a

famous journalist; and Jacques Turgot (1727-

1781), the economist.

Foreigners were most welcome at d'Hol

bach's table. Horace Walpole (1717-1797),

the English author, dined there as did David

Hume (1711-1776). It was he who told the

Baron as they were sitting down to dinner

that Atheists did not exist. D'Holbach

turned to him and informed him that he was

dining with seventeen. John Wilkes (1727-

1797), the English politician was also there,

as well as Galiani, the secretary of the

Neapolitan embassy from 1759-1769.David

Garrick (1717-1779), the celebrated English

Shakespearean actor, was a close friend of

the good Baron. Benjamin Franklin was an

old friend. Lawrence Sterne (1713-1768)

joined them, as well as Edward Gibbon

(1737-1794), the author of The Decline and

Fallof the Roman Empire. The central figure

of this sa/on was, of course, the Baron

d'Holbach, who was the intellectual equal of

his guests. His knowledge was encyclope-

dic, and one of his friends noted that

d'Holbach had read everything and never

forgot anything of intellectual or artistic

value. No wonder that his sa/on became

one of the most famous in Paris, and his

house the social centre of the century.

D'Holbach's home was so popular and

important that it was affectionately called

the synagogue or the Holbach Club.

That was the place to hear the most

enlightened, most vivacious, and most in-

formative conversation - I mean 'liberal' in

regards to philosophy, religion, and gov-

ernment; 'spicy remarks' of another kind

had no place there ... That statement, by

one of d'Holbach's old friends, written after

d'Holbach's death, is not quite accurate.

The Baron himself had a penchant for salty

comment, and there was the case of his wife

making sexual overtures to Grimm. The

situation became so serious that there was

considerable concern about keeping the

Page 11


14/44

matter from the public. In another case,

Diderot took offense at another guest for

making comments about Diderot's wife;

Diderot bluntly told him that, and I cite

Wilson's translation, the jokester runs the

risk of being thrown out of the f-king

window (Wilson,

Diderot,

p. 465).

D'Holbach's publishing career, which

would eventually amount to forty books and

40 0

essays for the

Encyclopedie,

began

innocuously. He wrote two pamphlets in

1752

on some controversial musical sub-

jects, and then he wrote a prose work; then

he turned to translating. An overview of

d'Holbach's translations not only shows his

intellectual interest but his initial contribu-

tion to the Enlightenment. His first transla-

tion was of a work by a professor of chemis-

try at the University of Upsala in Sweden.

The work had been translated into German,

and then d'Holbach retranslated it into

French; itwas called

Agriculture Reduced to

Its True Principles 1774) .

D'Holbach next

translated an Italian work which had been

translated into German

(The Art of Glass-

making by Neri, Merret, and Kunckel;

1752,)

which was followedby

Mineralogy,

or

A

General Description of the Mineral King-

dom 1753), Introduction to Mineralogy

(1756);Metalurgical Chemistry 1758),

and

among others,

Essays

on

Physics, Natural

History, Mineralogy, and Metallurgy.

These works not only reflect the interest

of a mind of the Enlightenment, but con-

tributed significantly to the enlightenment of

his

salon.

After d'Holbach's death, a close

friend wrote that

We are greatly indebted for the

advancement of our knowledge of

natural history and chemistry to the

work this man did thirty years ago. He

is responsible for piquing our interest

- the passion of some - for those

disciples because he translated some

very fine works from German whose

subjects were almost unknown to us

or frequently overlooked.

The Author

D'Holbach's translations of scientific

works represent the first phase of his fame,

but he was to do more to advance the cause

ofthe Enlightenment and Atheism. His great

period was still before him. His achieve-

ments have earned him the honor of being

called one of the paladins of Atheism. He

began by translating

The Independent Whig

by Thomas Gordon

1767),

which was a

violent attack on the spirit of domination

which characterized the Christian priest-

hood at that time. He later translated a

collection of English pamphlets (Popery A

Craft, Apology for The

Danger

of The

Church,

and

The Creed of

An

Independent

Whig),

A Discourse on

The

Grounds

and

Reasons for The Christian Religion (1724),

Page 12

David,

or

The

Man

after God's

Own

Heart

(1768), The Ax Laid to The

Root

of Chris-

tian Priestcraft by

A

Layman 1742),

Con-

siderations

upon

War, Upon Cruelty

in

General and Religious Cruelty

in

Particular

(1761), The Torments of Hell, The Founda-

tions and Pillars Thereof Discouer'd,

Search'd, Shaken and Remov'd

1758),

His-

tory and Character of St. Paul Examined

1770) , and the Discourse on

the Miracles of

Jesus Christ

c.

1780).

The Expert

Toward the end of the time when he was

concentrating on his translations of anti-

religious works, d'Holbach entered the next

phase of his development: He began to write

his own works. In

1767,

he wrote

Chris-

tianity Unmasked,

or An

Examination of

The Principles and Results of The Christian

Religion.

He published the work anonymous-

ly, as he would do for all of his works.

D'Holbach was a self-effacingman, and thus

he did not seek celebrity - people of reason

do not do that. Also, by using the names of

dead writers, he kept their names alive inthe

public eye; inthe case of this book, the name

ofNicholas Boulanger, and with

The System

of Nature,

it was M. Mirabeau.

The Baron

There were several other reasons for

seeking anonymity. To publish such works

under his own name would doom d'Holbach

to the criminal courts. After the assassina-

tion attempt on the king, the government

was quite strict on censorship:

Allthose who are convicted ofwriting

or of having had written or of printing

any writing which disturbs the order

and tranquility of Our States will be

sentenced to death. In regard to any

other ... authors, printers, booksel-

March,1985

lers, peddlers, and any other persons

disseminating such writings to the

public willbe sentenced to the galleys

for life, or for a term suiting the

seriousness of the case.

What a work

Christianity Unmasked

was

A critic commented that the author might

be an atheist, a skeptic, a materialist, a

fatalist, or a cynic, but his primarily aim is to

destroy Christianity. Diderot commented

that Bombs are fallingon the house of the

Lord, and I am afraid that one of these

terrible bombers will get into trouble. A

prudent observation. The volcanic nature of

the

Christianity Unmasked

is reflected in

the fate ofsome people who possessed it. An

apprentice obtained two copies, and he then

sold one to his master, who, in turn, re-

ported the sale to the police. The apprentice

was arrested, sentenced to nine years in the

galleys, and branded; the peddler was brand-

ed and sentenced to fiveyears in the galleys;

and his wife was sentenced to serve in a

hospital for the rest of her life. No wonder

that d'Holbach published anonymously.

La

Piece

de

resistance

The culmination of d'Holbach's develop-

ment was

The System of Nature.

The book

is special in the history of censorship. It,

along with d'Holbach's Discourse on

Mira-

cles, The Sacred Disease,

and

Christianity

Unmasked

was burnt by the public hang-

man of Paris. No other author has been so

honored by having so many of his books

burnt at one time. Samuel Wilkinson, the

English translator of the

1820

edition of the

work described it as

without exception the boldest effort

the human mind has yet produced in

the investigation ofMorals and Theol-

ogy. - The republic of letters has

never produced another author whose

pen so well calculated to emancipate

mankind from allthose trammels with

which the nurse, the school master,

and the priest have successively locked

up their noblest faculties before they

were capable ofreasoning and judging

for themselves.

The complete title of the work indicates

d'Holbach's intent:

The System of Nature,

or

The Laws of The Physical World and of

The Moral World.

As one would expect

from a major thinker of the Enlightenment,

d'Holbach examined the material, mundane

world, rather than metaphysical issues, such

as transubstantiation, consubstantiation, an-

gels dancing on the head of a pin, and papal

infallibility.But in the background there was

always the issue of ethics. Can one live

without religion? D'Holbach answered af-

firmatively, but he stated categorically that

one must understand the world and human



15/44

nature correctly, that is, without metaphy-

sical illusions inorder to do so. Only when a

person comprehends the world realistically

and becomes an Atheist can valid moral

postulates be formulated.

The thesis of The System of Nature is

given in the forward to the work

(1.) People are unhappy because they do

not understand the system of Nature ;

2. Reason must be restored to its proper

position in our lives ;

(3.) Ignorance must be eradicated because

itisa dark cloud which isa major obstacle in

the path of people becoming happy and

improving themselves ;

(4.) The deceit of the priestcraft must be

exposed because its machinations result in

so much misery and error ; and

(5.) Be fair, compassionate, and peaceful.

In

his efforts to achieve those goals, d'Hol-

bach's The System of Nature became an

epic achievement in exposing the pitfalls of

theology, the evils ofthe priestcraft, and the

consequences of ignorance.

The System of Nature begins with two

statements,

1.

A human being is the pro-

duct of Nature; he or she exists in Nature:

The individual issubject to natural laws, and

cannot escape them even for a moment.

Therefore, 2. The distinction which has

been so often made between the physical

and the moral man is clearly absurd. The

human being is completely physical.

Nature

Why is it that people fail to realize who

they are and the system of Nature? D'Hol-

bach's answer is unequivocable: People are

enslaved by religion because of their inex-

cusable ignorance. The way to knowledge

is for the individual to recognize that every-

thing in the universe is the result of matter

and motion. There is, ofcourse, no god; that

word is only a meaningless expression used

by people trying to explain causes of e f-

fects. God is something the theologians

dreamed up; an imaginary being. D'Hol-

bach also points out that the term god

cannot even be defined. Spare me the usual

drivel about god being love, merciful,

omnipresent, seeing every leafthat falls,

hearing the cryofevery babe . Such descrip-

tions are meaningless because they are not

denotative. The only logical conclusion,

d'Holbach rightly notes, is that the words

God and create are not reallydefinable; thus

these expressions should be dropped from·

the vocabulary ofany intelligent person who

wants to speak and be understood.

The Soul

D'Holbach rejected, of course, the con-

cept of a soul. To him, it is just a bodily

function less obvious than others. He adds

that

Austin, Texas

If the soul can be moved or can

cause motion, ... then itislogical that

this soul changes its relations with

different organs of the body which it

puts in action; but to change its rela-

tion with space and with the organs to

which it imparts motion, this soul

must then have extent, solidity.

Anticipating a childish, religious response to

his position d'Holbach rhetorically asks

Where did 'matter' come from? Logically,it

has always existed. Where did 'motion'

come from? The same answer; motion is

equally existent with matter; both have

eternally existed because motion is neces-

sary to the combinations of matter. Mir-

acles, of course, are contrary to the un-

changeable laws of nature. Such is the

concept of an afterlife: According to

d'Holbach, life after death is impossible

Imagine somebody thinking that he or she

will escape the laws of nature and live

forever What ignorance D'Holbach cites

Bacon: Men fear death for the same reason

that children fear being alone in a dark

room. Human beings, d'Holbach chas-

tises, will you never understand that your

stay on earth is only for a day?

Atheist Education

To d'Holbach, education is quintessential.

According to him, itis the art of inculcating

in people early in their lives, when their

attitudes can be changed, civilized habits,

concepts, and ways of living. His central

point is that children can be trained; the

details ofthe training can be debated. Never-

theless, d'Holbach's assertion is well made

when he contends that nothing enters the

human mind except through the senses.

Of course, no priest should be allowed to

participate in the agriculture of the mind.

D'Holbach goes into a frenzy when he

discusses priests, and he sees them as the

central figures of the tyranny and error

which permeate society. He accuses them of

always looking around to cause trouble,

being ambitious, and incessantly intolerant.

Moreover, priests incite rulers to ruin their

countries.

In

spite ofsuch obvious violations

of citizenship, For thousands of years,

nations and rulers have been jumping over

each other to enrich the ministers of the

gods, enable them to wallow in wealth, give

them honors, decorate them with titles,

privileges, and immunities, and thus make

them bad citizens. With such teachers,

what could become of our children? .

Allof d'Holbach's powerful and incontro-

bertible logic leads to the question of ethics:

Should we let religions based on reve-

lations be the basis ofour concepts of

virtue? Come now Look at them.

Don't they agree in their view of a

March,1985

tyrannical, jealous, vindictive, law-

less, capricious, whimsical, irrational

and selfish god, who delights in car-

nage, rapine, and crime; who toys

with his feeble subjects, who burdens

them with irrational and foolish rules,

who constantly tries to trap them in

sin, and admonishes them not to use

their minds? What would become of

morality if people set such gods as

models for conduct?

D'Holbach's hatred of religion as a basis of

ethics becomes almost unequalled:

The same capriciousness and insanity

are reflected in the rites, ceremonies,

and practices, which allreligions have.

In one religion, mothers deliver up

their children to feed their God, and in

another people consol themselves for

supposed sins against the god by

immolating human victims.

In

yet an-

other religion, in order to appease the

wrath of his God, a religious fanatic

mutilates himself and devotes himself

to a life of horrifying torment. The

Jehovah of the Jews is a suspicious

tyrant who speaks of nothing but

blood, murder, and carnage, and who

wants to smell the fumes of burning of

animals. The pagan god Jupiter is a

lascivious monster. The Moloch ofthe

Phoenicians is a cannibal; the Chris-

tians decided, inorder to appease the

demands of their god, to crucify their

god's only son. The barbaric god of

the Mexicans demands that thou-

sands of people be killed.

Ethics - Not Religion

Clearly, religion cannot form the basis ofa

valid ethical attitude; only reason, to d'Hol-

bach, was adequate for that. Only by

teaching people, showing them the truth

that we can improve their lot and make them

happier ... Let us use our minds and learn

from our experiences. Then we willsee that

irrationality is the real source of the prob-

lems of the human animal. We must

recognize. d'Holbach continues, that in

order to establish ethics on a firmfoundation

we must throw off the ludicrous metaphysi-

cal hallucinations which are based on super-

natural superstition. Useless and ruin-

ous concepts.

I know of no statement which represents

the Enlightenment better than d'Holbach's

ringing declaration:

Nature tells you to consult your rea-

son and be guided by it; religion tells

you that your reason isvile, corrupted

- a false guide given to you by a

deceitful god in order to lead you

astray. The truth is that Nature tells

people to learn, seek truth, and to find

Page 13


16/44

one's real duties. Religion, on the

other hand, requires that people not

investigate; it tells them to remain

ignorant, and fear learning the truth;

[but] Nature tells people to see glory,

to help other people, to be active in

society, to be courageous and indus-

trious ... Ifyou listen to Nature, ittells

you .that you are free, no power on

earth can logicallydeprive you of your

rights.

D'Holbach's great period was over when

he finished The System of Nature. It was

enough. He had fulfilledhis mission. He

continued to translate and write, but he

never regained the level ofexcellence ofThe

System of Nature. His energy was clearly

spent, and he was unable to work at the

speed which had characterized most of his

productive life. He produced very little for

the last fifteen years of his life. Perhaps he

missed his friends, who were proving indeed

to be only for a day. Certainly he missed

his dear friend, Diderot, who died in 1784.

Meanwhile Baron d'Holbach lingered on,

the last and loneliest and longest-lived sur-

vivor of the greatest philosophes of the

middle ofthe century ... At the beginning of

his sixty-sixth year, on January 21,1789, in

the middle of the elections to the revolu-

tionary estates, he died at his home on the

Rue-Royale.

One of his friends from the salon wrote

that the Baron d'Holbach was one of the

greatest

philosophes.

The Baron Grimm,

who, next to Diderot, was d'Holbach's clos-

est friend, wrote that I have never met a

man more learned - a Renaissance mind -

than the Baron d'Holbach . . . If it had not

been for his enthusiastic support of science,

the world would not have seen his vast,

incredible learning. H.D. Robinson rightly

notes that the Baron d'Holbach's lasting

contribution to the Western culture, The

System of Nature, will support itself, and

needs no advocate; it has never been an-

swered, because, in truth, it is indeed,

unanswerable. The last word belongs to

the good Baron : People, when properly

educated, will stop believing in a God.

Hope ismy motto - the Baron d'Holbach.

~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Prof. Maurice M. LaBelle holds

a Ph.D in Comparative Literature.

He presently is teaching in the

Department of English at Drake

University in Des Moines, Iowa.

His work has been published in both

French and English in scholarly

journals throughout the

United States, Canada, England,

and France. His book on

the French Atheist Alfred Jarry

(Alfred Jarry, Nihilism and

The Theatre of The Absurd)

appeared in 1981.

Page 14

A m e r i c a n A t h e i s t s

A n n u a l N a t i o n a l

O N V E N T I O N X U

Time's growin' short

. .. Have you registered yet for this biggest and best of all

Atheist conventions? If not, call or write TODAY and

receive schedules, forms and other information so that

you can be included in this great Atheist event.

Convention dates are April 5th, 6th, and 7th, 1985

The location is the AUSTIN HILTON INN in the new

and beautiful northeast section of one of America's

fastest growing cities - Austin, Texas. The Inn is

conveniently located at the intersection of Interstate

Highway 35 and U.S. Highway 290. Its a perfect arrival

location for motorists. It is also within easy commuting

distance from Austin's airport - AND - the Inn

furnishes free bus service to and from the airport. The

Hilton's address is6000 Middle Fiskville Rd., off IH35 in

the elegant Highland MallShopping Center. Businesses

and restaurants are plentiful in all directions - within

walking distance. The best news of all is the very (attrac-

tively) low hotel room rate which has been offered to

the Atheist Convention - $50.00 per night for from one

to four persons.

SO . if YOU haven 't a lready done so . take tim e rlsh t

now to inc lude yourse lf in th is s rand event. F ill ou t

the fo rm be low and re tu rn it - N ow

Mail

to:

American Atheist Convention - PO Box

2117 -

Austin,

TX 78768-2117

Enclosed is my Convention registration payment. Sign me up immediately.

Registration fees: One person $20.00 - Couple $35.00 - Students* and (65plus) Senior

Citizens* $10.00.

• ID required.

Name ~-------------------

Address _

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Or - charge my ( )

VISA, ( ) MASTERCARD

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(signature) _

AND - besure to send me( )additionalguest registration forms

withmyother convention information. .

March,1985



17/44

Lowell Newby

CHRISTIANS

W HAT W ILL THEY THINK OF NEXT

E

very time I come to think that Chris-

tians have surely extended themselves

to the point that the invention of an even

more outrageous absurdity is not possible,

darned if they don't prove me wrong. Ac-

cording to a recent edition of The Clarion

Ledger, a Jackson, Mississippi newspaper,

Wee Win Toys and Accessories, Incorpor-

ated, a Texas company, is now presenting a

Christian alternative to secular toys. Debbie

Heck, who isthe owner ofVictory Toys, the

Jackson distributor for Wee Win, isquoted

as saying that the company began, as a

result of the Christian realization ofthe need

for an alternative to secular toys that repre-

sent sex, fear, and occultic influences.

Established in October of 1983, Wee Win

first introduced its toys to the public in

September, 1984, and is reported to be

enjoying exceptional sales,

Wee Win's mainstay isto be action figures

(complete with biographical

American Atheist Magazine March 1985

Documents

Transcript of American Atheist Magazine March 1985