American Atheist Magazine Second Quarter 2011

A JOURNAL OF ATHEIST NEWS AND THOUGHT
WWW.ATHEISTS.ORG 2ND QUARTER - 2011 $4.95

Dear fellow-unbelievers,
Nothing would have kept me from joining you except the loss of my voice (at least my speaking voice),
which in turn is due to a long argument I am currently having with the specter of death. Nobody ever wins this
argument, though there are some solid points to be made while the discussion goes on. I have found, as the enemy
becomes more familiar, that all the special pleading for salvation, redemption and supernatural deliverance appears
even more hollow and artifcial to me than it did beIore. I hope to help deIend and pass on the lessons oI this Ior
many years to come, but for now I have found my trust better placed in two things: The skill and principle of ad-
vanced medical science, and the comradeship of innumerable friends and family, all of them immune to the false
consolations of religion. It is these forces among others which will speed the day when humanity emancipates it-
self from the mind-forged manacles of servility and superstition. It is our innate solidarity, and not some despotism
of the sky, which is the source of our morality and our sense of decency.
That essential sense of decency is outraged every day. Our theocratic enemy is in plain view. Protean in
form, it extends from the overt menace of nuclear-armed mullahs to the insidious campaigns to have stultifying
pseudo-science taught in American schools. But in the past few years there have been heartening signs of a genuine
and spontaneous resistance to this sinister nonsense: A resistance which repudiates the right of bullies and tyrants
to make the absurd claim that they have god on their side. To have had a small part in this resistance has been the
greatest honor of my lifetime: The pattern and original of all dictatorship is the surrender of reason to absolutism
and the abandonment of critical, objective inquiry. The cheap name for this lethal delusion is religion, and we must
learn new ways of combating it in the public sphere, just as we have learned to free ourselves of it in private.
Our weapons are the ironic mind against the literal: The open mind against the credulous; the courageous
pursuit of truth against the fearful and abject forces who would set limits to investigation (and who stupidly claim
that we already have all the truth we need). Perhaps above all, we aIfrm liIe over the cults oI death and human sac-
rifce and are aIraid, not oI inevitable death, but rather oI a human liIe that is cramped and distorted by the pathetic
need to offer mindless adulation, or the dismal belief that the laws of nature respond to wailings and incantations.
As the heirs of a secular revolution, American atheists have a special responsibility to defend and uphold the
Constitution that patrols the boundary between Church and State. This, too, is an honor and a privilege. Believe me
when I say that I am present with you, even if not corporeally (and only metaphorically in spirit...). Resolve to build
up Mr. J effersons wall of separation. And ...
Sincerely
Christopher Hitchens
...DONT KEEP THE FAITH.
2nd Quarter 2011
Vol. 49, No. 2
ISSN 0516-9623 (Print)
ISSN 1935-8369 (Online)
AMERICAN ATHEIST
AJ ournal of Atheist News andThought
EDITOR
Frank R. Zindler
editor@AmericanAtheist.org
AMERICAN ATHEIST PRESS
MANAGINGEDITOR
Frank R. Zindler
editor@Atheists.org
Published by American Atheists, Inc.
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 158
Cranford, NJ 07016
908.276.7300 P
908.276.7402 F
www.Atheists.org
4 The Event That Never Happens
6 Why We Care About a National Day of Prayer
10 The 2011 American Atheists Convention: Hold On To
Your Hats! That Was Only the Beginning . . .
20 2011 Convention Review: No More Nice Guys
Righteous Anger and In Your Face Attitude
23 A Few Figures & Additional Convention Highlights
32 American Atheists Convention French Connection
35 Quantum Man: Speaker Lawrence Krauss New Book
36 Through Atheist Eyes, a Review of Frank Zindlers
Collected Works & Musings
38 Killing Osama: How Does the Future Stack Up Against
Similar Situations in the Past?
46 YoungFreethought Answers the Question: If You Dont
Believe in God, Why Dont You Kill Yourself?
American Atheist
in this issue
2011 American Atheists Inc.
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Now Available @ Atheists.org
Volumes available separately or as a Set
What now,
America?
page
38
ATHEISTS.ORG
THROUGH ATHEIST EYES
Scenes From a World
That Wont Reason
Volume 1: Religion & Scriptures
Volume 2: Science & Pseudoscience
Volume 3: Debates
Volume 4: Omnium-Gatherum
By Frank R. Zindler
4 5 AmericanAtheist - 2nd Quarter 2011 2nd Quarter 2011 - AmericanAtheist
Wecan understand that theFathers of theChurch in the
East wanted Apocalypse left out of the New Testament.
But likeJ udas among thedisciples, it was inevitablethat
it should beincluded. TheApocalypseis thefeet of clayto
thegrand Christian image. And down crashes theimage,
on the weakness of these very feet. There is J esusbut
there is also J ohn the Divine. There is Christian love
and thereis Christian envy. Theformer would save the
worldthe latter will never be satished til it has destroved
theworld. Theyaretwo sides of thesamemedal.
D.H. Lawrence, Apocalypseand theWritings on
Revelation
According to my best math and my computers Internet
clock, the J udgment Day Rapture is set to occur in
about 22 hours. Televangelist Harold Camping of Family
LifeRadio insists that this is so, and asurprisingly large
number of Christians seemto agree, or at least seriously
consider the possibility that he may be right. The fact
that Camping made a similar prediction over a decade
ago is not discouraging his followers, nor is thefact that
omens about The End Of The World As We Know It
(TEOTWAWKI) date back nearly fve millennia.
So, what better opportunity to write about tomorrows
news? My headlinestates that theRapturedid not happen,
that none oI the elect few oII to heaven to join Jesus as the
rest of the world (Left Behind) suffers the tribulation
of biblical scoundrels like theAnti-Christ and the False
Prophet. Camping insists that heis absolutely convinced
his prediction of theRaptureis accurate; I say, bunk!
Whats thedifference?
Its the end of the world as we know it.
And I feel hne.
R.E.M., Its theEnd of theWorld as WeKnow It
(And I Feel Fine)
A post-modernist would say that neither prediction about
theRaptureis necessarily true, and that this disagreement
is simply a case of competing narratives. We both have
evidence, Camping citing the texts of the bible and
works likethebook of revelation. My evidence, in part,
relies on thevery obscurity of thosesamepassages that
exuberant biblical literalists selectively extract fromthe
confusion of biblical prophesies. This accounts for the
many colorful scenarios of the End Timesand even
Christians areunableto agreeon thenatureand sequence
of thesepredicted eventsand thefact that, so far, the
Raptureand other apocalyptic prophesies havenot been
Iulflled.
Not only can wepredict with reasonablecertainty that the
Rapturewill not occur on May 21, 2011, but thedescribed
events will never takeplace. Theworld will cometo an
end someday, but the overwhelming preponderance of
scientifc evidence is that this will occur Irom things like
killer-asteroid impact, or thelikelihood that our Sun, as it
evolves and its chemical makeup alters, will swell up to
becomean enormous Red Giant star that will consume
our planet. Whats the difference between this kind of
prediction, though, and theclaims of Harold Camping?
Theformer is based on testable(and debatable) empirical
data. Weseeclear evidencethat our planet Earth has been
pounded by bodies fromouter space, someof thembig
enough to extinguish entire species and alter the very
evolution of life. Comet Shoemaker-Levy slammed into
J upiter with an apocalyptic force, and weseethemoon
peppered with craters frommeteoric impact. We also
suspect that these enormous, Iast-moving objects remain
out there, athreat to our planet.
By contrast, the evidence for the Rapture and other
apocalyptic prophesies is, well, tenuous at best.
Another headline Id write about tomorrows failed
Rapture prophesy is that the bulk of true believers will
frst enter into a state oI 'cognitive dissonance and then
simply re-cast their predictions about TEOTWAWKI and
thereturn of J esus along adifferent timeline. Thefailure
oI prophecy rarely leads to an outright rejection oI these
religious predictions. Alas, the faithful often refuse to
admit that perhaps their certain knowledge based upon
theabsolutetruth of thebibleis unfounded. In themid-
19th century, for instance, WilliamMiller prognosticated
theend of theworld on threedifferent dates. Thefailure
of this prophetic enthusiasmbecameknown as TheGreat
Disappointment. Rather than bediscredited in theminds
of many people, however, theMilleritemovement simply
morphed into anew cluster of apocalyptic sects, including
theSeventh Day Adventists and theJ ehovahs Witnesses.
Outbursts of apocalyptic zeal often occur in times of
social stress and dislocation. For some, theRaptureis an
escapefromeconomic uncertainty, achanging social and
technological landscape and the anxieties of everyday
liIe. 'Judgment Day testifes to the potency oI human
imagination and gullibility, but it tests our talents as
thinking human beings to move beyond the irrational
and endeavor to maketheworld abetter place. Imagine
if all of Campings donors and followers signed up to
work in homeless shelters and food kitchens, or establish
a scholarship fund for needy students. Maybe, after
tomorrows Great Disappointment somewill.
'Dont wake me for the end of the world unless it has verv
good special effects
Roger Zelazny, science fction author
Next Up:
Mayan
2012!
Tomorrows News Today:
The Rapture Didnt Happen
By Conrad Goeringer
Why Americas Atheists Care
About a National Day of Prayer
By Ed Buckner
Hewants an ethical wayof life. Hebelieves that wecannot relyon a god or channel action into prayer nor
hopefor an end of troubles in a hereafter.
'He believes that we are our brothers keepers and are keepers of our own lives, that we are responsible
persons and thejob is hereand thetimeis now.
American Atheists are, weinsist, not so arrogant as to demand that everyonemust beforced to cometo thesame
conclusions wehave, and wefurther consistently declarethat wecherish religious liberty, that weadamantly oppose
laws designed to restrict others frombelieving as they wish or frompraying. So why should wehaveany problemwith
voluntary participation with religious events likeNational Day of Prayer breakfasts and services? Theanswer is a
profoundly American one: wehaveno fear of religious ideas that differ fromour own; indeed weareeager to debate
such ideas vigorously. But wegreatly fearand urgeothers to fearthepower of unrestrained government. Individual
liberty and governmental religious decision-making aredeeply incompatible.
The difference between a President (or a governor or mayor or legislator) who wants to attend a religious service
and pray and an oIfcial who wants to lead such a service as a government ofhcial is huge. And if thereal or apparent
purpose is to lend the oIfcial support oI the government, oI all citizens and taxpayers, to any religious or anti-religious
idea, that is adangerous and unconstitutional purpose. Theproblemgoes far deeper than atechnicality likewhether a
government fax machinewas used to promotean event.
Weagreewith Thomas J efferson, who wrotein 1782, Thelegitimatepowers of government extend to such acts only as
are injurious to others. But it does me no injury Ior my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks
my pocket nor breaks my leg. And weagreewith J effersons steadfast refusal to makereligious proclamations, and
with his explanation (in 1808 as heneared theend of his presidency): Certainly, no power to prescribeany religious
exercise, or to assumeauthority in religious discipline, has been delegated to theGeneral Government. It must then rest
with theStates, as far as it can bein any human authority. (When hewrotethosewords, theFourteenth Amendment
had not yet been passed, so stategovernments still had somereligious authority.)
American Atheists is an organization of peoplewho haveconcluded that prayer is useless (unless it somehow helps the
pray-er to stop and think) becausethereis no One availableto receiveor respond to theentreaties.
As our Iounder Madalyn Murray O`Hair declared to the U.S. Supreme Court nearly fIty years ago:
'Your petitioners are atheists and thev dehne their beliefs as follows. An atheist loves his fellow man instead
of god. An atheist believes that heaven is something for which weshould work nowhereon earth for all men
together to enjoy.
'An atheist believes that he can get no help through praver but that he must hnd in himself the inner conviction
and strength to meet life, to grapplewith it, to subdueit, and enjoyit.
'An atheist believes that onlv in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he hnd the
understanding that will help to a life of fulhllment.
He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An atheist believes that
a hospital should be built instead of a church. An atheist believes that a deed must be done instead
of a prayer said. An atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants
disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man.
The billboard that
told America (and the
world) that American
Atheists was coming
to Des Moines, Iowa,
the heartland of the
country, for our 2011
convention. It is one of
four billboards American
Atheists has placed
around the country over
the past year in our
Your KNOWseries.
The othersYou KNOW
its a Myth, You KNOW
theyre all Scams, & The
Rapture: You KNOW its
Nonsenseare featured
on this issues back
cover.
Asidefromtheseveredanger in general of mixing governmental and religious authority, thepowers behind theNational
Day oI Prayer, Irom its inception, have had specifc political intentions and consequences. JeII Sharlet (who spoke
recently at our national convention in Des Moines) has outlined quiteclearly therisky, unconstitutional, covert political
connections between TheFamily and theNational Day of Prayer. Fromits beginning, theNational Day of Prayer has
been atool used by someto increasetheir power, not merely abland religious exercise.
To any Christian unable to see the risks oI these events, we say try a thought experiment: imagine that a majority oI
Americans in thefuturereach thesameconclusions weatheists havereached now. Would you then becontent with
a National Day oI No Prayer event, with elected oIfcials urging citizens to give up religious belieIs and think Ior
themselves? Or, iI Islam somehow someday wins in the marketplace oI religious ideas, an event where oIfcials declare
or imply that to beagood citizen onemust bow to Allah and revereimams?
If anyoneaccepts thepower of civil authorities to endorsereligious ideas in oneinstance, heor shecannot in principle
refuseto accept that power in other circumstances.
Thesolution to all this, to avoiding such futurescenarios, is thequintessentially American one, thesecular one. Not a
government devoted to opposing religion, but agovernment of all thepeoplethat guarantees religious liberty for all by
staying out of thereligion business entirely.
Madalyn Murray OHair
The legitimate powers of gov-
ernment extend to such acts
only as are injurious to others.
But it does me no injury for my
neighbor to say there are twen-
ty gods, or no god. I t neither
picks my pocket nor breaks my
leg. Thomas J efferson
Thank you, Ed, andthank youladiesandgentlemenfor that warmwelcome. It ismy honor to welcomeyouto the37
th
annual
national conventionof AmericanAtheists, thelargest conventioninour history. I amDavidSilverman, andI amaproudto
stand here Ior the frst time as president!
It feelsgreat to behere! Idheardanasty rumor that DesMoinesisaChristianCity. But now that wearehereinrecord
numbers, now that wehavebeenso warmly welcomedby themayor andthelocal businesses, wecanknow that DesMoines
is NOT aChristian city, it is an American City, completewithAmerican diversity, including lots and lots of American
Atheists!
Today, I amgoingto giveyousomeof my insightsonthecountry, our adversary, andwhat weregoingto do about it. I have
beenpromisingsomeannouncementswill bemadeat theconvention, and, headsup, thisisthespeechwhenI ammaking
them.
But frst, lets make some introductions. Once again, I`m Dave, and I am an Atheist extremist. Oooooooo.
Now letstakeamoment to meet eachother, shall we? Idliketo ask everyoneto turnintheir chair towardthecenter of the
crowd, becauseintroductionsgo two-way, andweneedto takeamoment to meet eachother.
NOW, of course, youprobably know thatwe, atAmericanAtheists, areaproudandloudbunch, andwhenweraiseour handswe
do it like we mean it. No wimpy kinda-sorta hand-raising Ior us! So now please, raise your hand iI this is your frst Atheist event
ever. Welcome First-timers! I remember the frst time I walked into a room Iull oI hundreds oI Atheists. I made some Iriends Ior
liIe that day, many oI whom are in this room right now. I invite the frsties to take
sometimeandmeetlotsof people, asthesefolksaretruly top-tier humanbeings.
OK, hands down, lets go to theother side. Pleaseraiseyour handif youve
beeninvolvedwiththemovement for morethan10years. AmericasAtheism
movement isnot youngand, despitewhat thenewswouldhaveyoubelieve,
thereisnothingNEW aboutit. AmericanAtheistsischock full of dedicatedlong-
termactivistswhohavebeeninthiseffortfor thelonghaul, becauseitsworthit.
OK handsdown. I wouldnow liketoacknowledgeour special guests, soplease
stand when called. TomFlynn, Executive Director of Council for Secular
Humanism. Nick Lee, President of AtheistAlliance. JasonTorpy, President of
Military AtheistsAndFreethinkers. AugustBrunsman, Executive
Director of Secular StudentAlliance. AmandaMetskas, Executive
Director of Camp Quest. Amanda Knief, from the Secular
Coalitionfor America. Liz Cornwell, ExecutiveDirector of the
RichardDawkinsFoundation. Now, asI mentioned, someview
AmericanAtheistsasextremists, andalthoughthey areAtheists,
donot fully identify withus. Someof younew peoplemay not
like our attitudes or our methods. But we are a nonproft organization Ior a reasonwe are here Ior the country and the movement.
Thepeoplestandingrepresentwhatsomemightcall our competition, butI call themour brothersandsistersinarms. Indeed, the
people standing are among the fnest activists in the country, representing some oI the fnest organizations in the country, and it is my
pleasure to fght this fght with them. Each oI them represents a diIIerent piece oI the movement. So, please, iI American Atheists
is not Ior you, don`t dismiss the whole movement. Track some oI these fne people down and hear what they have to say as well.
Thanksall, andpleasebeseated. I wouldnow liketoask thefollowingpeopletorise: All boardmembersof AmericanAtheists.
They areall wearingredribbons, andthey areheretotalk withyou. Someof our boardmembershavebeeninthismovementfor
longer thanIvebeenalive, butbenicetothem, becausethey canstill kick your ass. Now Boardremainstanding, Idalsoliketo
ask thenational directorstorise. Stateandregionals? VolunteersAJ andPatty. Folks, thisorganizationislean. Everyoneyousee
standingisavolunteer activist, whocaresaboutthiscauseandthiscountry. AmericanAtheistsrunsonvolunteers, hasnodebt, and
ownsour buildingwherewehouseour library. Andthatmeansyour membershipanddonationdollarsgorighttoactivism. I would
liketotakeamomenttothank youvolunteersfor all your activismandhardwork. Everyone, pleasesitandfaceforward.
Now, all thistalk aboutthemovementgetsmeexcited, becauseI think themovementhasalottobeexcitedabout. I amgoingto
take some time to frst talk a bit about American Atheists, our history, our attitude, and our market. Then I will talk about our mission,
our objectives, and our adversary: mythology. Finally, I will tell you what American Atheists is doing to get the movement moving
intotheendgame.
Yes. I saidendgame. AndI meantit. ButIll gettothatinafew minutes. First, Idliketodiscussthebigpicture.
Ladiesandgentlemen, every humaninAmericahasbeennegatively affectedby
religion, invery real andmeaningful ways. Weall havelessmoney, becausewe
pay higher taxesthanweneedto, becausechurchespay noneby defaultandare
almost never audited. Weall haveshorter lifespans, becausereligionopposes
medical researchwherever plausible, especially inthecasesof fertility or stem
cell research. Weall havefewer rights, becausethereligiousright hasusedits
infuence wherever possible. Abortion, gay marriage, and death with dignity are
all goodexamplesof wherereligionisinour lives, whether webelieveor not.
Yousee, religionisweak, andcannotstandonitsown. Theinvisiblemaninthesky
isgettinglessandlessbelievable, butletsfaceit, hewasnever all thatbelievable
in the frst place. Since religion cannot hold on its own merit, it uses the state to
propitself up. Somesay I confusereligionandtheseparationof
churchandstate, andsay that religionisreally only aproblem
whenitmeddlesintheaffairsof politics. Infact, religionalmost
ALWAYS meddlesinpoliticsitalwayshasanditalwayswill,
because, again, itcantstandalone.Itneedssupportfromthestate,
andover timehasestablishedsuchsupportasastandardrightthat
religion solely enjoysnever to be debated or even considered.
W el c o me T o T h e 2011
A mer i c a n A t h ei s t s
Op e ni ng Addre s s C o n v en t i o n By Dav e S i lv e rma n
Now Hold
OnTo Your
H a t s
Soletstakeamomenttoconsider it. Consider
anAmericawherereligionisactually not
helpedby thegovernment at all. Consider
anAmericawherepoliticiansdontpreach,
andneither does themoney. Consider an
Americawheredoctorsandpatientsmake
medical decisions, all by themselves. We
just came this close to shutting down the
government over Planned Parenthood
funding, but nobody even brought up
taxingthechurch, soconsider alarger tax
refundandasmaller national debt, because
every church pays its fair sharein taxes.
Consider anAmericawherereal scientists
practicereal sciencewithout regardtothe
opinionsof peoplewhoactively want the
unknown to remain unknown. Consider
school books clear of revisionist history,
science books without warning stickers,
and every student feeling like an equal,
nomatter what hisor her religiousviews
mightbe. Consider lovingadultsmarrying
andadoptingkidswithouthardshipor hard
timesbecauseof thegender of thepeople
they love. Consider judges doing their job
and protecting human rights without the
threat oI being voted out oI oIfce, IOWA.
Consider Atheists getting elected to oIfce,
and theistic politicians courting our vote.
Consider E Pluribus Unum, One nation
indivisible, andCongressstartingwiththe
call toorder OK, letsgettowork. Thatswhataseparationof churchandstatemeans, andthatisour bigpicturegoal.
Most theists don`t understand that the separation oI church and state benefts them, because it preserves their Ireedom to
change their mind. Indeed, the only real benefciaries to a merged church and state are the preachers in the majority religion
andthepoliticiansintheir pockets.
Andif religionhasitssay wenever will haveatrueseparationof churchandstate, becauseinthat situationreligionwould
be relegated to just being religion. They would gather, sing, pray, and have all the rights they should have, but without the
support of thestate, without thetax breaksandthelegitimizationfromthegovernment, religionwouldshrink dramatically
becausetheir messageisso weak. They know thisitsnot news, andthisiswhy religionwill never, ever leavetherest of
society alone. It would be near suicide Ior religion to stay out oI politics, and this is why we can`t just fght legal battle aIter
battle. No, in order Ior us to protect our own rights as Atheists, we must take aim at the source. We must fght religion.
Now, I amtalkinghereabout religion, not religiouspeople. Remember, our adversariesarenot thebelievers. Thebelievers
are mostly very nice people who are just victims oI the cold and calculated brainwashing they`ve received since birth. Our
adversariesaretheonespullingthestrings.
Now let memakethisclear, therearegoodtheistsandbadtheists, andtherearegoodAtheistsandbadAtheists, but theworst
of botharerunningreligion.
Whether they believeit or not, religiousleaderstell liesfor aliving, andadamngoodlivingit is! So why wouldthey want
their fock to support the separation oI church and state? And iI you`re brainwashed Irom birth or coerced by your Iamily or
friendsto follow thispreacher becauseheknowsthewordsof godsomehow better thanyoudo, well, itspretty easy for good
people to fnd themselves on the wrong side oI the morality Ience.
But therearetwo different kindsof peopleinthepews, thebeliever andtheAtheist. I believethat ahugepercentageof people
who call themselvesChristians, Muslims, or Jewsareactually Atheistswho areunableor unwillingto say it, or uneducated
enoughto know how muchthismatters. Inmany cases, they havent evenadmittedit to themselves, but deepdownthey
know thereisno god. Thebadnewsisthey look andact, quitedeliberately, exactly likethetruebelievers, right downto the
money, thepolitics, andthepower. So our only courseof actionisto addressthechurchpewsdirectly, coax theAtheistsout of
thepews, andnot worry about thetheists. Thetheistsareimportant only inthat whenthey talk about Atheists, they areoften
talkingTO closetedAtheists, andassuchthetheistswill beusedasoneof our marketingtools.
Religion infltrates everyone`s lives because it insists on using the government to legitimize itselI, because again, it has no
strength on its own. The way to protect the church and state separation is to fght the inIringements as we fght the source,
which is organized religion itselI. We fght organized religion itselI by raising the awareness oI the Atheist movement not
only amongoutedAtheists, but also amongtheAtheistsinthepews. EnticingAtheistsout of thepewsandinto themovement
strengthensus, weakensthem, andprotectsthiscountry fromtheocracy.
Everyonewithmeso far?
Good. So now that wehaveour bigpicture, letslook at whereAmericanAtheistssitsinthemovement.
AmericanAtheistswasfoundedin1963, afew yearsbeforeI wasborn, by MadalynMurray OHair. Madalynwasknownas
themosthatedwomaninAmerica, butnotfor doinganythinghateful, butrather for doingeveryoneafavor by takingacaseto
theSupremeCourt whicheliminatedforcedbiblereadingsinthepublic schools. If youwent to public schools, andwerenot
Iorced pray every day, that`s because oI Madalyn and her co-plaintiIIs. Madalyn suit was the frst to state clearly 'your petitioners
areatheists, withno pretenseor hesitation. Itiswiththismentality thatshestartedAmericanAtheistsafter shewonthecase,
with the objective to protect and preserve the separation oI church and state, and to promote the acceptance oI Atheism into
mainstreamculturethroughhonesty andhard-nosedtruth.
Thatsit, by theway. Thereisnothinginour charter thatseeksto converttheiststo Atheists, nor arewehereto makereligion
illegal, forcereligiousTV showsoff theair, or to forceall mentionof religionoutof thelivesof Americanswho believe, although
thatswhatweareaccusedof onaregular basis. No, our missionisto bringAtheisminto therealmof theregular, becauseitis
regular. Weseek to makepeoplethink, notto convertthetheists, butrather to convertclosetedAtheiststo outedAtheists. Weseek
thetotal andabsoluteseparationof churchandstate, becausethatshow yougetreligiousfreedom.
Now, therearemany Atheistswho believethat thebest way to promotetheseideasthat weall shareisby leadingwithan
outstretchedarmwitholivebranchafter olivebranchhopingthatthenice-guy approachwouldgetusto equality. ButI tend
to doubtthatwill work, mainly because, well, itnever hasinthepast. Remember, our adversariesarenotthebelievers, they are
thestringpullerstheprofessional liarswho wear robesandpronouncethemselvesholy, andthepoliticiansintheir pockets.
Beingnicemay changetheperceptionof Atheiststo thefollowers, buttruebelieversfollow their leaders, andtheir leadersarent
likely to walk away Irom power and money just to be nice.
We fght our fghts, in the tradition oI Madalyn O`Hair, with true and honest statements, such as the Iollowing: Religion and mythology
arethesamething. Manhasinventedtens
of thousandsof gods, andtheyveall been
equally imaginary. Itisridiculoustotake
religion seriously in this day and age.
God isnothingmorethananimaginary
maninthesky, andisnomorereal than
unicorns, demons, dragons, boogeymen,
or other imaginary beings, and we are
equally assureyour goddoesnt exist as
weareof every other myth, past, present,
andfuture. Thesearetruestatements. If
they makeyouunhappy or offended, this
isyour problem, notours, because voure
beingoffendedbytruestatements. If you
take offense at something that is true,
well, youneedtoask yourself why.
American Atheists is the Marines of
thefreethought movement. Wearethe
onesthatsay whateveryoneisthinking,
but chooses not to say. We fght the
unpopular butnecessary battles, weraise
our voices, our picket signs, and our
billboards, all inthenameof promoting
thesimpleideal of trueequality for Atheistsintheheartsandmindsof Americascitizenry, beginning, of course, withawareness
aboutusandour movement. Wearethewarheadof themissile, andtherazor-sharpedgeonthemovementssword. Theemperor
isnotonly naked, hesugly andneedsdeodorant.
Now letstalk alittlemoreaboutour adversary, religion. Organizedreligionhastakenover muchof theworldinoneformor
another, and many Atheists think they are too strong to fght, and we are so tiny and poor compared to them, and they have
so many politicians on their side, and so Iew on ours, that maybe fghting the inevitable theocracy is a lost cause. They are
unbeatable, unstoppable, and the fght is unwinnable.
I begtodiffer. Letstakeamomenttolearnfromhistory, andlook back 150years. Our country hasseenalotof changesincethen.
We have seen major progress in many oppressed minority groups, the most obvious being AIrican Americans, women, and LGBTs.
One hundred fIty years ago, people ownedother people. It is not secret that religion was akey defender of this barbaric
institution. Indeed, sincetheOldTestamentclearly supportsslavery, andtheNew Testamentdoesnotcontradictany of that, as
society evolved past this horrible age, Christians had to either admit that their perIect book was wrong, or fnd themselves on
the wrong side oI a moral argument. Indeed, Ronelle Adams is selling and signing a book on the subject during this convention.
When organized religion saw it could not win against the tide oI progress and civility, it just switched sides, and claimed to be
supportersof equality whileignoringcertainkey partsof their perfectwordof God. AfricanAmericanpeoplehadno money,
no power, andno vote. Religionwasrich, hadpoliticiansinitspocket, andover time, lostutterly.
ThewomenssuffragemovementbeganwhenSusanB. Anthony andElizabethCady Stanton, bothAtheistsby theway, founded
thewomensTemperancemovementandbeganto look upwardatthedubiousglassceilingthathungso low atthetime. Where
didreligionstandwithregardto women? Whereitalwaysstands, intheperfectwordof God. So blatantisthemisogyny in
theOldandNew Testamentsthat gender bigotry still existstoday, but mainstreamreligionhaschangeditspositionandnow
supportsgender equality. Onceagain, thewomenhadno money, no power, andno vote. Religionwasrich, hadpoliticiansinits
pocketand, over time, lostutterly.
AndthentherewereLGBTs. Onceagain, they wereopposedprimarily by religion, becausetheperfect wordof God is
very clear. Once again, the church comes down on the wrong side oI the morality Ience and is the principal objector to civility
andtolerance. Onceagain, thevictimsstart out voiceless, withno support andno chanceagainst their well-fundedpolitically
powerful opponent, religion. Andonceagain, throughhardwork andperseverance, they arenow very closeto defeatingreligion
utterly. Indeed, wecannow sitback andwatchasreligion, facinganother moral defeat, changessidesandembracestheLGBTs
intheir community, andclaimsto havebeenontheir sideall along.
So, asI look athistory, Imnotseeingawholelotof unbeatable. AndwhenI consider thatthenewestpredictionsthatreligion
will actually go extinct inninecountriesso far, I amnot seeinganythingremotely resemblingunstoppable. WhenI look at
America, where we are the Iastest growing religious segment in all fIty states, with 30 percent oI the under-30 crowd, I am not
seeingunwinnable.
Instead, ladiesandgentlemen, Idliketo giveyouanew wordachievable. I amhereto tell youtoday, ladiesandgentlemen,
thatwearequitecapableof winningthisbattlewithinthenexttwenty years. I amheretoday to tell youthatour adversary isa
richandpowerful dinosaur, whoseextinctionhasalready begun. Itmay beonly amatter of timebeforethey collapseunder their
ownweightof liesandlawsuits, butwecantsitaroundandwaitfor themto collapseto takeour rightful placeinsociety. They
still have more than enough power to cause serious long-term damage on this country iI we don`t fght them. We need to take
actionnow, beforethey crippleour freedominalast-ditcheffortto religionizethecountry.
Andhereswhatweregoingto do.
Thisiswhereitgetsgood.
Andladiesandgentlemen, AmericanAtheistsisproudto beontheforefrontof thisbattle, aswewereback inthe1960s, and
havebeenever since.
Duringthisconventionyouwill behearingaboutall theactivitiesthatAmericanAtheistsisdoingonthelegal front, including
some new eIIorts that have not yet been announced. We fght battles that are important and winnable, and we have not lost a
caseunder thispolicy. Our wonderful Legal Director, EdwinKagin, will get into that later on. Wehavesubstantial activity in
themilitary to discuss, butI will leavethatto our VP, Kathy Johnson, to share. Our YouthandFamily Co-Directorswill beon-
handto handoutfour scholarshipsto somespectacular youngactivists. Yes, youll behearingalotduringthisweekendabout
AmericanAtheistsandwhatwearedoingto achieveour commongoals, butnow I wantto tell youaboutsomeof thespecial
things we have planned Ior you in the coming year that will ft the big picture, and move the country Iorward.
Thereareseveral different kindsof Atheists, asIvealready mentioned. Someareouted, andsomeareclosetedfromfriends
andfamily, someevenfromthemselves. Whilewedo not haveachanceat convertingpeopleto Atheismfromtheismwitha
billboard, asI havesaidthatitnotour intention, wedo haveevery intentionof challengingchurch-goersto confronttheir own
mythos, andto decideif they really believeintheir maninthesky.
Thisisthepurposeof theYouKNOW itcampaign. Wearechallengingthosechurchpew Atheiststo think aboutit, comeclean,
andcomeoutto their friends, family, andthemselves. Wefeel very strongly thattheAtheistsinthechurchpewsarevictimsof
the choke hold religion has on society, and it is our job to help them through the smog oI religion and into the clear Iresh air oI
openness, honesty, andreality.
I amnotconcerned, by theway, withtheepistemological argumentsof whatwecanKNOW. Weall usethewordKNOW every
day, yetnoneof usknowseverythingintheuniverse. However, for somereason, religiongetsabyeonthewordwecanknow
Napoleonisdead, eventhoughwenever saw hisbody. Wecanknow SantaClausisamyth, eventhoughnoneof ushaspersonally
scouredtheNorthPolelookingfor him. But whenit comestogods, wearecalledextremistswhenweclaimtoknow theyre
myths. Thatsapartof thescamof religion: thisextralevel of protectionagainstcriticismthatshieldsreligionbehindphilosophy.
Let me tell you, ignorance oI Iact is NOT evidence Ior fction. I know Santa Claus is a myth. When Santa and his sleigh land on
my rooI, I`ll reconsider, but until then, he`s a myth, just like the Easter bunny and 'God. This is not extremism, it`s English.
Nor amI concernedwiththesubtletiesof Agnosticism. Somequestionsarenot answerable, but unlessyouhaveabelief in
adeity, youreanAtheist. Atheists andAgnostics are, for all intents andproposes, thesamepeople. Somecriticizethis as
dictionary Atheism, butI amhereto say to youthatdictionary Atheismisagoodthing, andwithoutitwewill forever belocked
inuselessargumentsaboutirrelevantdetails.
Consider what wouldhappenif youaskedaMethodist his religion. Hedsay Christian. If youaskedaPresbyterian, hed
say Christian. Ask aBaptist, hedsay Christian. But if youask anAgnostic Atheist, hell say Agnostic! If youask aSecular
Humanist, hell say Secular Humanist! If youask alapsedCatholic, hell say lapsedCatholic! Andthey areall thesame! We
separateourselvesover tiny differences, whilethereligionistsunitedespitetheir larger ones. Itsdiversionary, itsirrelevant, and
itgivesusadisadvantagebecauseitmakesuslook smaller thanweweAtheistsare.
Imagine, if youwill, whatthiscountry wouldlook likeif every Atheist, includingthoseinthechurchpewscalledthemselves
Atheists, without hesitation or qualifcation. What percentage would we be in the polls? Thirty percent? Forty percent, more?
How wouldthatchangethefaceof America? Thisisour battle! Wedo notneedaconstitutional amendment, andwedo notneed
revolution. All we have to do is get Atheists to come out oI the closet, join some secular organization, and speak their minds. So,
asyousee, comparedto previouscivil rightsmovements, wehaveafar shorter roadto travel. Wealready haveour numbers, all
we need is to use them to fex our collective muscle. Political and societal clout comes Irom unity.
So wechallengeAtheistsof ALL varietiesto comecleanandcomeout. BetweenYou Know Its a Mvth, You Know Thevre All
Scams, YouKnowThereisNo God, andnow You Know Its Nonsense, AmericanAtheistshaschallengedchurch-pew Atheists
to accept what they know to betrue: thereisno god, andreligionisalie. Wechallengethosewho claimto believeto defend
themselves, to themselves. If they think aboutitandrealizewereright, sooner or later theyregoingto getreally tiredof tithing.
If they dontthink wereright, well, they arenotmy concern, exceptasamemespreader.
Thebestthingatheistcando for usistalk aboutus, becauseagain, alotof supposedtheistsareclosetedAtheists. They may be
saying how obnoxious American Atheists is Ior calling their religions scams, but, again, this is just spreading our message to
our target audience. They deliver themessagefor usby tellingclosetedAtheiststhey arenot alone. So wewant to encourage
discussionamongtheistsaboutAtheismasmuchaspossible.
Andspeakingaboutspreadingour message, AmericanAtheistsistakingthenextstepto getthepeopletalkingaboutAtheism
with our July 4 campaign. This exciting campaign will be, to the best oI our knowledge, the frst time a stunt like this has ever
been achieved. On July 4, we will fy aerial banners over major events and landmarks in every state in which nonreligion is
the Iastest growing segment, which happens to be all fIty states. The single messagegod-less America will fy over baseball
games, beaches, and landmarks. This frst-time ever event will be boosted with press releases and appearances all geared toward
onethinggettingpeopleto talk aboutAtheism.
Thiscampaignisgoingto costAmericanAtheists$40,000. Thebroker arrangingthisisanAtheist, andhaspledgedto donate
$1000to NonbelieversGivingAidfor earthquakevictimsinJapanasathank youfor our patronage. Weneedyour helpto make
thatgoal. Pleasedonateatthemembershipanddonationtableoutside.
But getting people talking is only the frst step. We, the movement, need more than talk, we need action. We need an event, and a large
oneatthat. Weneedthisasamovement, notasAmericanAtheists, becauseitisonly asamovementthatwewill succeed.
I have been telling everyone that a major announcement would be made at this convention. I said it would be exciting and epic, and
important, so here it is: The leaders oI 14 major secular organizations have been planning behind closed doors Ior several months, to
createthelargestsecular gatheringinworldhistory. Ladiesandgentlemen, wearegoingtoWashington.
TheReasonRally will takeplaceinthespringof 2012, onthemall atWashington, D.C. Itwill behostedby AmericanAtheists,
AtheistAlliance, theCenter for Inquiry, theAmericanHumanistAssociation, theBrights, theSecular Coalitionfor America, the
Coalitionof Reason, theSecular StudentAlliance, theMilitary AtheistsAndFreethinkers, theRichardDawkinsFoundationfor
ReasonandScience, theJamesRandi Educational Foundation, theSociety for Humanistic Judaism, theFreethought Society,
andCampQuest. I amhonoredto chair theevent, withmy co-chair thewonderful BobbieKirkhart, andthetalentedFred
Edwordsassecretary andcloseadvisor. I also serveaboardwithrepresentativesfromall sponsoringorganizationsequally. I also
mustmentionthewonderful supportwehavereceivedfromtheStiefel FreethoughtFoundation, for whichweareall extremely
grateful. Wewill havespeakers, includingRichardDawkinsandJamesRandi, avideo fromHarlanEllison, music, comedy,
politics, andfun! Thiswill bethepreeminentsecular eventof thedecade, andalaunchingpointfor usto makeourselvesknown
andformidablefor the2012elections. Wewill demandrepresentation, destroy stereotypes, andgivethismovementthepushit
needsto truly capitalizeonthegrowthwehaveachieved.
Think AtheistWoodstock. Thiseventwill befree, andopento thepublic, andweneedyour helpto makeithappen. So go home,
tell everyoneyouknow to follow, friend, andwatchthewebsite, ReasonRally.org. Thedateswill beannouncedfromthere. The
ReasonRally will bethelargest secular event, anywhere, ever. Pleasebethere, whenwe, asaunitedmovement, show our
strengthandresolve. Wewill stemour stereotypes, wewill celebrateour diversity, andwewill rally for righteousreason, and
makesurethepressandthepoliticianstakenoteof theAtheistmovement. Wewill raisethetideof secularismwiththisevent,
andthistide wont... go out.
Andaspecial thank youto theleadersof all thoseorganizationsfor workingtogether withustowardthishugecommongoal.
Thank youall.
Imalso goingto makeiteasier onyouAmericanAtheistsismovingitsconvention. Yes, thatswhatI said, on2012wewill
NOT haveour conventiononEaster weekend, butrather theRally weekend, inor near Washington, D.C., so youcanmakea
singleawesomeAtheistadventure.
So thereyouhaveitthegrandplan. Our opponentisdefeatable, our numbersaregrowing, andour positionisreinforcedby
Iacts 100 percent oI the time. The trend is on our side, the numbers are on our side, and the truth is on our side. We will fght the
immediate fghts that need to be Iought to protect our rights, as we protect our children`s rights by taking religion down a notch,
by callingchurch-pew Atheistsoutof theclosetby gettingeveryoneto learnaboutandtalk aboutAtheistsinAmerica.
If yousupportthisplan, pleaseshow your supportatthedonationsandmembershiptablesoutside. AsI mentioned, wehaveno
debt and are mostly volunteer, so your contributions go Iar. Every book and shirt you buy helps us fght this battle. And while
your $20membershipisgreat, $20amonthchargedto your creditcardisbetter. Donationsto theUhl/MitzmanLegal Fundwill
be matched! Additionally, we are oIIering a special giIt Ior those with the capacity and commitment to join as liIetime supporters.
If youbecomeaLifemember OR upgradeto ahigher level Lifestatusduringthisconvention, wewill giveyouabeautiful Life
member Snuggie. And, Ior those who join at the gold level or higher, we will give you one oI these dated Christopher Hitchens
autographs. Hesignedthesefor thisconvention, andheregretsthefactthatheisunfortunately too ill to attend, evenremotely.
So, please, do what you can to help us fght the legal and ethical battles oI today as we raise awareness nationwide, pull our
brethrenoutof thepewsandinto thelightof reason, andleadour movementinto themainstream.
We have a great convention in store Ior you this weekend. I mentioned it was our largest ever, but that`s not just in attendance,
itsincontent. Weveditchedour Sunday tripto providemorecontent, andhavebroughtintalentfromacrossthespectrumof
themovementto informyou, motivateyou, andif applicable, helpyoucomeoutof theclosetandshutthedoor behindyou.
FiIty years ago, a divorced mother oI two raised a fst Ior the frst time and said NO. She had no power, no money, and no chance
againstanunbeatableopponent. ButSHE wasontherightsideof themorality fence, andgaveour momentthebiggestboost
sinceIngersol. I say to youtoday thatitstimeto do itagain, to takeAtheismto thenextlevel, andeventually winthiswar.
Somecall usextremists, butI dontthink so. I call usrealists. I call ustruth-tellers. I call usthevoiceof reasoninanunreasonable
country. Andsoon, within20years, I will call uswinners. Thisisthebeginningof theendof thelastphaseof theAmericancivil
rightsevolution. Likethephasesbeforeusthereismuchwork ahead. Likethephasesbeforeustherewill besetbacks, butlike
the phases beIore us, we are on the right side oI the morality Ience. Like the phases beIore us, we are going to win this fght, and
I look forwardto watchingour enemy retreat, falter, andeventually, say they supportedusall along.
Thank you.
DES MOINES, IOWA Righteous anger, apparently long pent up, permeated thecorridors of thehotel, hung in the
air, pervaded nearly every speech and panel and was so prevalent you could almost chop your hand through it in the
air at the American Atheists (AA) convention in this Midwest city. It was anger at the lies, the delusions, the infuence
and thepervasiveness of religion in our nation and, somesaid, it was inspired by thein-your-facecourageof American
Atheists new president, David Silverman, and his provocativeAtheist billboards that havecropped up all over the
country just in time Ior the 2011 convention.
But iI Silverman accidentally or purposely ignited the anger refex, the speakers and audience members at the conven-
tion caught his fre: Tell it like it is, said CaliIornia`s Eddie Tabash. Give `em hell, said Minnesota`s PZ Myers. Don`t
takefundieinsults sitting down, urged J T Eberhard, Missouri youth organizer extraordinaire. Weremad as hell be-
causereligion causes harm, said GretaChristina, featured speaker fromSan Francisco.
American Atheists Des Moines Billboard(s)
On thesidelines, AAs new president DaveSilverman sat beaming with apparent satisfaction. And why not? Thebill-
boards proclaiming YOU KNOW THERE IS NO GOD! that peppered this Midwest city, werehis brainstorm. As
Silverman explained to thenearly 800 attendees in his rousing welcoming speech to theconvention, Wearethetruth
tellers. Wearethevoiceof reason, and wearegoing
to takeAtheismto thenext level!
Silverman`s fery speech was a lively start Ior the AA
meeting on April 21-24 at theEmbassy Suites Hotel
in downtown Des Moines, which is literally thevery
center, the heartland, of the nation. But outside the
convention hotel, ahandful of fundamentalist crazies
appeared out of nowherefromtimeto time, picket-
ing and shouting and invoking hell and damnation on
Atheists.
One placard the fundies held up said: IF UR (sic)
FAITH IS BIG ENOUGH, FACTS DONT COUNT,
amessagethat accidentally (and amusingly) backed
up someof theconvention-speakers contentions that
religionists liketo ignorefacts.
Another fundie carried a placard
that announced, THERE ARE NO
ATHEISTS IN HELL, which someAtheists found curious. Apparently its message
was meant to besimilar to Thereareno Atheists in foxholes. Thefundies believe
that when push comes to shove, Atheists will becomebelievers in order to get out of
hell. But theambiguity of theplacards messagewas not lost on Atheists who agreed
that thereare, indeed, no Atheists in hellbecausethereis no hell.
It was also a fun convention, with a costume banquet, a Pub Crawl and intermis-
sion performances by comedians likeTroy Conrad, whoseimpressions of J esus and
GeorgeW. Bush wereright on target. Thereseemed to bean unusual number of young
peoplepresent, many fromlocal colleges, including theUni-
versity of Iowa. This reporter bumped into agroup of high
school students, probably fromCamp Quest, being led on a
tour through themerchandiseand book booths by aperson
who appeared to betheir teacher. Reader, heres aniceanti-
doteto theCreation Museum!
Why AreAtheists Angry?
One oI the convention`s frst speakers, San Francisco`s Gre-
taChristina, set thepacewith her talk titled Why AreAthe-
ists So Angry? Though religionists may seeour anger as
RI GHTEOUS ANGER SWEEPS AA CONVENTI ON I N DES MOI NES
I n-Your-Face Billboards I nspire Wave of No More Nice Guys By Jane Everhart, Communications Director, NYC Atheists
More than few religious protested AA in IA. Some were
warned by the police to keep it down or they would be
arrested for disturbing the peace.
Greta Christina
coming out oI nowhere, the truth is, Christina noted, Atheists have been angry Ior a long time. It`s just that now we`re
much moreorganized and much morevisible.
Atheists havearight to beangry, asserted Christina, who is awell-known blogger in thenationwideAtheist blogo-
sphere. Wearereviled by religionists simply becauseweexist. They often say that wearenonbelievers becausewe
must havehad abad experience, or wedont liketherules of religion or wearealienated fromgod. Its noneof the
above, Christinaasserted: Our anger is caused by thenatureof religion itself and theterriblethings it does.
Christinawent on to list some50 reasons why Atheists areangry, including: (1) Only 45 percent of Americans would
vote Ior an Atheist, (2) we are oIten denied custody oI our children, (3) we are executed in Iran, (4) we have to fght
to haveevolution taught in our public schools, (5) peoplearedying of AIDS becausetheCatholic church condemns
condoms, (6) thecastesystemin Indiais propped up by religion, (7) if you aresuffering frompoverty and despair in
India, you aretaught that you must havedonesomething wrong in aprevious life, (8) witchcraftthen and today, (9)
traumatizing stories of hell so that children cant question, (10) abusivepriests, (11) thechurchs protection of pedo-
philepriests, (12) executions for adultery in Muslimcountries.... Well, you get thepoint. Shewent on to givemany
morereasons why Atheists are, or should be, angry.
Righteous or not, does anger help our cause? You bet, said Christina. Anger has driven changefor gays, womens
rights and civil rights. Anger over brutality, helplessness. Anger, passionateanger, reveals that things arenot OK.
Anger is a motivator, she noted. Anger organizes and unites people.
Anger is not bigotry or hatred. Anger is a transforming force. Anger
power can movetheworld!
Atheists Seek Human Rights
Californias EddieTabash, an attorney and widely respected long-time
Atheist motivator, upheld Christinas call to action: Dont let thereli-
gionists defne what we can say about them! he challenged. 'Use what-
ever will grab theaudience. Usesatire, ridicule. Dont let religionists set
theparameters.
Tabash, theson of an orthodox rabbi, noted that our human rights are
thesameas other peoples even though wedont believe. Religion is
entrenched in our society and gets special consideration whileAtheism
remains unnoticed, despised: Religion is the greatest falsehood ever
introduced to human society. Atheism, on theother hand, is abeacon of
light in aseaof religious oppression.
Tabash pointed out that themost powerfully entrenched forcein our na-
tionreligionis tied to thepowerful political right wing. You know
thegolden rule: Theones with thegold, rule. Hereminded conven-
tioneers that religions areall man-mademeaning they areall based
on malehegemony and areagainst women. Women must bemadeawaremoreof this, henoted.
Tabash, long an advocateof single-issuevoting, meaning voting for candidates who back separation of church and
state no matter what their stand is on other issues, said he knew this would take some sacrifces on the part oI Atheist
voters, but he noted that single-issue voting has worked Ior both gays and women in their fghts Ior civil rights.
Fight Back When I nsulted
A fun part of any Atheist convention is being present at theinauguration of anew Atheist star. This year therising star
was theyouthful J T Eberhard, who now lives in Ohio but who is best known for co-founding theChurch of theFly-
ing Spaghetti Monster when hewas astudent at Missouri
StateUniversity. J T is forceful, eloquent, loquacious and
selI-confdent, said our colleague Dr. Eric Stone, head oI
theWestchester, New York AA group and oneof J Ts new
fans. Hereported that J T thinks that DaveSilverman and
GretaChristinaaretoo mild in their approaches.
If someonethreatens to punch you in theface, you get fu-
rious, right? J T asked theaudience. But when someone
says you aregoing to beburned in hell for eternity, you
just shrug it oII? Get Iurious! JT admonished. 'Protesting
the injustice toward us is the ethically and morally right
thing to do.
Atheists aretypically told that weshould respect every-
ones ideas, but somedangerous and absurd ideas do not
deserverespect, only scorn, J T told theconvention audi-
ence. Thoseideas should beprofoundly disrespected.
Whats more, hewarned, Weareoften told lets agree
to disagree, by religionistsbut what that really means
is that they want us to stop arguing with themabout the
illogical basis for their beliefs. Weshould not let up, be-
causethis is our most important advantage. Beprepared to
react strongly when you areinsulted and threatened, even
if you haveto say f**k you for insulting me! Wehaveto
beforceful on all fronts, both advancing and defensive.
2011 American Atheists
Des Moines Convention
Some Facts & Highlights
By Ed Buckner
NUMBERS
Major records were easily broken: largest number
of registrants(772), largest number and proportion
of students (248), and most walk-in registrations
(98) in the history of American Atheist national
conventions.
IOWA &DESMOINES
The location turned out to be near perfect, mostly
because of Iowans. Iowanswho led thisincluded:
> Randy Henderson, who spoke eloquently
at the convention, led a panel there, and
rallied many activists to support and to
participate
> Amanda Knief (now the lobbyist for the
Secular Coalition for America in Washington),
who made sure the mayor of Des Moines
welcomed us, and
> Hector Avalos, who spoke at the convention
wiIh :uch fcir cnc wiI cnc whc he|pec
inspire studentsand other Iowans.
In his opening talk, Dave Silverman wisely asked
fr:I-Iimer: cI cn /Ihei:I evenI Ic :Icnc cnc,
separately, Iowans to stand. As many as perhaps
a third of those present, with a big overlap, stood
each time. Both the local contribution to the
success of the convention and the conventions
contribution to Atheist activism in Iowa were
major.
The hotels (Embassy Suites on the River, the
convention site; and the Downtown Des Moines
McrricII, Ihe cverfcw hcIe|) were generc||y grecI
hostsand well received by conventioneers.
SPEAKERS
The line-up of speakers was not only world class
but more varied (and more numerous) than at
any previous convention. We heard from and
saw an incredible mix of serious and entertaining,
young and old, familiar and new, scholarly and
invigorating. Without a doubt, the participants
would not agree on which speakers to rank as
highest, but its hard to believe that any Atheist
couldnt have found more stimulating, interesting,
enriching speakers. Even though I missed a few
of the speakers or parts of their talks, there is
simply not room here to discuss the full range of
Eddie Tabash
JT Eberhard
PZ as Superman
With all this rabble-rousing fromprominent speakers at theconven-
tion, it was startling to get a cautionary note fromsomeone known
as one oI Atheism`s frebrands: University oI Minnesota biology pro-
fessor and feisty blogster PZ Myers. PZthis writer feels weareon
frst-name terms since getting equally soused on the Pub Crawlruns
the popular nationwide science blog Pharyngula, where he skewers
nonbelievers and pseudo-intellectual Atheists alike.
In his low-key talk (dont befooled by his mild podiummanner; PZ is
theClark Kent of Minnesota: mild-mannered professor on theoutside,
rabid verbal Rottweiler undercover), PZ admitted hehas been called
cruel, extreme, inhuman, maniacal, rude, abrasive, lesbian (lesbian?),
insensitive, smirking and cranky. And that`s just by his Iriends.
Atheist is a dirty word, PZ lamented. So to protect our aggregate
public images, hehad abit of advicefor therest of us. First, headvised,
dont begratuitously obnoxious: Dont beaDick. Do beaRichard.
Second, he advised conventioneers to embrace what he calls gnu
Atheist values. That is, be: Assertive, humorous, angry (that ubiq-
uitous word again!), critical, aggressive, scientifc and cuddly. Well,
maybenot cuddly, this reporter considered, sinceit seems to cancel out all theother attributes, but theres no doubt in
our mind that PZ has often been dubbed cuddly. Lastly, remember, headvised his acolytes, that wedo not claimto
havetheabsolutetruth. Weaspireto it.
WhereAreAtheisms Women?
Everybody has been wondering, ever since Richard Dawkins frst hit
thebest seller list, why therearent morewomen Atheists. AA conven-
tion speakers Dr. Andy Thomson of Charlottesville, Virginia, and Dr.
Elizabeth Cornwell addressed that question, and
Dr. Thomson pointedly let Dr. Cornwell do most
of thespeaking.
Dr. Cornwell had someinteresting statistics: did
you know that religions areabout 86 percent fe-
male? This, despitethefact that religion gener-
ally treats women as chattel and second-class cit-
izens. Males control religious institutions, which
in turn oppress women and control reproduction
rights. Women arebanned fromthehighest po-
sitions in just about every religion. Despite this,
women continue to fock to churches in numbers
far beyond their presencein Atheism.
Dr. Cornwell had an interesting explanation for
this phenomenon: there is a bigger investment
in reproduction by women. Women provide
theeggs, placenta, ninemonths of their lives, the
pain of childbirth and breast feeding for up to
four years. Themale, on theother hand, provides
sperm and about fve minutes oI time, she noted,
not without humor.
Women Seek Church Protection
Women havecomeup with adaptivesolutions to this skew-
ing of reproductive responsibilities, Cornwell theorized.
Thehigh cost of investing in offspring for themis paid for
by their submission to social marginalization and attach-
ment to institutions that they feel areprotective. And, in
this respect, the church has provided certain benefts.
First, thechurch provides control of men by other men.
Women neednt fear abandonment or mistreatment quite
as much when themaleis under thecontrol of thechurchs
rules. Secondly, the church is family-centered and pro-
vides someprotection of women and children in theform
of social welfare. Of coursethereis apriceto pay for this
protection, Dr. Cornwell pointed out: thechurch ultimate-
ly gets to control womens wombs.
While Thomson and Cornwell offered some fascinating
historical and sociological insights into femaleattachment
to religion, it was interesting to this reporter that for the
frst time at this convention (or perhaps any convention)
this particular speakers audience was mostly populated
by women. It appeared that many Atheist men deemed this
topic unimportant and decided to takeabreak.
Another speaker who explored why women areattracted
to religion was AIrican American Jamila Bey, a journalist
fromWashington, D.C. Our correspondent, Dr. Eric Stone,
reported that Bey deplored thefact that black females are
what was on offer, including many brilliant and
engcging cffering: Ly gccc frienc: cnc fr:I-rcIe
speakers. I urge everyone who was not there
and probably many who were aswellto get the
available DVDsof the convention and enjoy all the
presentations. The very few Im discussing below
were not necessarily the best in every regard but
were outstanding talks(in each case drawing and
deserving standing ovations, asdid other speakers
not discussed here) from people Id never heard
from before orin the case of Dave Silverman and
Chri:Icpher HiIchen:-Ic|k: wiIh :pecifc rec:cn:
to report on here.
Christopher Hitchens was unable to come for
reasonsof health but managed to garner the most
sustained standing ovation anyway for his written
remarks. Those welcome words are reprinted on
the cover of this issue; I had the singular honor of
reading them to the 700-plus people on hand.
Our respect for Hitchens words and our affection
and regard for the man made the applause go
on and on.
J amila Bey regaled us all with humor, wisdom,
and insight that taught me much about topics I
thought I understood well enough not to need
to hear more. She told stories and gave informed
opinions about women, people of color,
diversity, thinking in new ways, and much more
and taught me that I need to know a great deal
moreand that we can all count on her to teach
us. She promised me later that she expectsto work
with and for American Atheists for years to come;
good newsindeed. Asmy wife said afterward, Id
travel a long way to get to hear her again.
Greta Christina isone angry but thoughtful woman
and is as good a speaker as she is pissed off. She
certainly got laughs from all of us, but mostly she
persuaded us that weall thinking Atheistsare
entirely righteous in our anger and disgust with
what hasbeen done and isbeing done by theists,
IhcI we :hcu|c Le frec up cnc IhcI we :hcu|c
get off our complacent butts and oppose the
absurdities and insults and attacks we face. If
American Atheistsisthe Marinesof the movement,
the leading edge, the most forthright, unabashed,
ccnfcenI /Ihei:I:, Ihe /Ihei:I wing cf Ihe /Ihei:I
movementand we areGreta Christina is
another of the leaders who can give voice to our
thoughtsand our passion.
J T Eberhard is as polished, entertaining, and
effective a speaker as Ive ever seen, a master
of timing, gesture, and wit, and a brilliant user of
slidesand PowerPoint, someone who can illustrate
his talk with visuals that command laughs and
understanding, not just that seem impressive for
PZ Myers
Elizabeth Cornwell.
At right, a representative photo of the
many lines convention attendees formed
to ask questions of the speakers.
their own sake. If J T, who works full time for the
Secular Student Alliance, could be heard by
every college student in America, the number
of Atheists and people who would come out
skeptical would immediately be multiplied many
timesover. But studentsare by no meansthe only
oneswho should hear J T: everyone should.
The last speaker I want to discuss was actually
Ihe fr:I mcjcr :pecker we hecrc frcm, cIher Ihcn
Des Moines Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie: David
Silverman. His remarks not only led to a sustained
standing ovation at the end of them, but he was
interrupted several times with standing ovations
during his talk. He set the tone not just for the
best convention Ive ever attended, but for
what I hope will be a long tenure as president of
American Atheists. And thisisthe place to tell you
why l IhcughI cI fr:I he hcc mcce c mi:Icke: l cI
fr:I fecrec IhcI he hcc :eI Ihe Lcr Icc high, IhcI
future conventions and the future of American
Atheists generally would be unable to match,
much lessbetter, the Spring 2011 moment. But the
substance of that talk, along with the enthusiasm
engendered by Dave Silverman and all the
speakers, all the volunteersand attendees, made
iI c|ecr IhcI, cn refecIicn, cur Le:I ccy: cnc Le:I
conventionsare ahead of us.
The Reason Rally for Spring 2012 that many
led by Dave Silverman even before he became
presidenthave worked on so long and that
he announced in his talk will change the nation
and Atheism forever. Im sure that everyone in
Des Moines who heard Daves talk is going to do
whatever they can to be in Washington, D.C.,
next year. Daves profound understanding of our
movement, of marketing writ large, of American
Atheists position in the movement, and of eager
competitive cooperation with other groups will
take usfar, aswe deserve to go. The excitement of
Des Moines was contagious there and will sustain
usfor many future events.
Dozens of people deserve tremendous credit for
a wonderful convention, obviously starting and
ending with Dave Silverman. Many in Iowa do, and
not just the mayor and Atheist activists, asthe Des
Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau showed.
Blair Scott, American Atheist board member and
communications director, worked tirelessly in the
months before the convention and for most of
the hours, day and night, during it. It wasalso Blair
whc c: fcr c: l kncw fr:I :ugge:Iec IhcI we hc|c c
national convention in a mid-sized city. American
/Ihei:I: cffce mcncger Iccc Jcne: wcrkec, |ike
Dave and Blair, as hard as he had in his lifeand
stayed pleasant and got it done, over and over.
We are in their debt.
Jesus made an appearance at the Des Moines American Atheists 2011 convention in the form of Troy Conrad. Not wanting to show off his godly abilities and
boom his voice naturally, Jesus decided to use human means to project his voice, and picked up the microphone. Behind him is the truth of his birth, the
actual billboard graphic that hung at the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel as you enter New York City. Its unknown if the protestors knew their lord and savior
was inside.
so overwhelmingly religious. Sheattributed this strong
attachment to the emphasis by the black churches on
theneeds of women: childbearing, social support, all of
their social life(they havefew other resources available)
coupled with total ostracismof thosewho giveup belief.
Bey was infuriated by the support given churches by
black womenthey give a greater percentage of their
incomes to tithing than any other U.S. demographic
groupbut they pay far less attention to theinadequacy
of their local public education facilities, shesaid.
Convention Was a Blast
All in all, it was adecidedly worthwhileand fun con-
vention with lots of new ideas. Or, as ElaineStone, of
Chappaqua, New York, co-leader of the Westchester
Atheist group, put it: 'It was terrifc, a blast.
Stoneespecially liked thehotel, theEmbassy Suites, be-
cause it was not at an airport for a change. And she
liked that therewas only onespeaker scheduled for each
hour, which meant you didnt haveto choosebetween
two good speakers. Theambience, theenthusiasm, the
excellent speakers, the large number of students who
attended, thewell-organized programs, all pointed to a
very successIul frst convention Ior AA`s new president,
DaveSilverman.
I thank my friend and colleague, Dr. Eric Stone, for his help in covering thelargenumber of speakers at this convention.
d in a in and reta
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Jamila Bey
Ed Kagin, who spoke on Our Legal Philosophy & Activity, here tries to help a burka escapee while George W. Bush
(Troy Conrad) is no help. Funny, yes. And dead on in his impersonation.
Top from left: Tom Flynn, Executive Director of
Council for Secular Humanism, spoke on The Trou-
ble with Easter ; Ronelle Adams, author of Acheing
and Praying; Jeff Sharlett, author of The Family and
C-Street and who spoke on The Fundamentalist
Seduction of American Democracy ; and Matthew
Chapman, who spoke on and screened the movie
The Ledge. At right: Military Panel discussion with
Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers member Jason Kel-
ley, Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers
President Jason Torpy, and AA Vice President and
Military Advisor Kathleen Johnson. Below: a large
contigent of foxhole Atheist veterans, dispelling an-
other myth, gather for a group photo.
Above: Call it a lucky click
of the camera, but, as AA
Communications Direc-
tor Blair Scott looks on,
its safe to say we always
knew Dave Silverman
could ride a camel with the
best of the Wise Men. Left:
Diversity Panel discussion
with AA Board Member In-
dra Zuno, Why Intelligent
Design is NOT Science
speaker Hector Avalos, AA
volunteer A.J. Johnson, AA
President Dave Silverman,
and Were Not Unicorns:
People of Color in the Athe-
ist Movement speaker
Jamila Bey. Bottom from
left: actor and comedian
Paul Provenza reading
from his book, Satiristas!;
Atheist Community of Aus-
tin President and Chang-
ing MInds speaker Matt
Dillahunty; and Religion
on the Brain and Where
are the Women in Athe-
ism co-speaker Dr. Andy
Thomson. (All convention
photos by John Welte.)
has been organized since the founda-
tion of an International Federation of
FreeThought asearly as1880andthe
1904Congressof Rome, ItalyaCon-
gress of Freethinkers. Yes, you hear
meloudandclear: inRome. Thiswas
in front of the Popein front of the
clerical reaction that had condemned
Giordano Bruno, Galileo, andhuman-
kind to death and darkness. And yet,
hundreds of Atheists andFreethinkers
joined hands in order to bring about
social justice and let Reason prevail.
Thiswasdrivenby theimpulseof Ben-
nett, anAmericancitizen; Renouvier, a
Frenchman; Liebknecht, fromGerma-
ny; andCharles BradlaughfromEng-
land, goingasfar back as1880.
In 1904 the Congress of Rome was
held, having been convened by the
international committees of England,
Germany, and North Americawith the
American Secular Union and theLib-
eral Arts Society, as well as the Re-
public of Argentina, Belgium, Spain,
France, Italy, Peru, and Switzerland,.
Ahead of that Congress, dozens of
meetings were held; hundreds of
telegrams were sent, with thousands
oI citizens and associations joining
in theeffort. Every oneof us should
grasp the importance of that event:
there were 300 members in the del-
egation fromSpain, acountry where
theCatholic Church prevailed. In the
record of the Congress there are 28
pages of delegates names and asso-
ciations, representing thousands of
delegates.
Dear friends, from1904 to thepresent
moment, is thereany other program?
Your motto, themotto of theAmeri-
can Atheists, is Supporting civil
rights for Atheists and theSeparation
of Church and State. Isnt it thesame
object as in 1904?
In 2005, an Appeal was launched to
create and rebuild the fabric neces-
sary to win the upcoming victories
in the feld oI secularism. American
Atheists, being co-convener of the
meeting that resulted in this Appeal,
has allowed the beginning of the
union of Progressives, Atheists, and
Freethinkers.
I quotethebeginning of this Appeal:
On theFourth of J uly, 2005, on the
occasion of the World Congress of
IHEU at Paris, aWorld Congress took
placeat theinitiativeof theFrench Li-
brePensein which 250 participants
from29 countries debated theneces-
sities of FreeThought. Coming from
all thecontinents, theparticipants de-
cided that weshould collectively put
an end to theisolation of associations
that seek to advanceFreeThought or
Atheismacross theworld. Indeed, the
indispensablestrugglefor thesepara-
tion of religions and states, although
its formis always national, obviously
takes on an international character
through the political and philosophi-
cal principles that are raised. The
struggle for the triumph of absolute
freedomof conscience can only be
fought through the institutional de-
mand of complete and uncompro-
mising separation between thepublic
sphereand religions. This philosophi-
cal movement has its source in the
Enlightenment which has enlightened
theworld.
Ellen J ohnson and Conrad Goeringer
fromAmerican Atheists met with rep-
resentatives of associations fromBel-
gium, Switzerland, France, India, Ni-
geria, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ger-
many, Spain, Great Britain, Uruguay,
Argentina, and Canada, and helped to
found theInternational Liaison Com-
mitteeof Atheists and FreeThinkers
(CILALP-ILCAFT). Together with
the other Freethinkers and Atheists,
they laid down thenecessary founda-
tion for an international association in
thecoming years.
Consider: arent religions organized
on an international scale? The Pope
has been traveling across theworld to
evangelize, again and again. In Afri-
ca, thepeoples arerequested to accept
poverty in the name of faith, accept
AIDS in the name of their sins, and
accept wars in thenameof god. The
Popes hierarchy is still living com-
Iortably with the fnancial indulgence
of international institutions.
Bertrand Russell said, 'In the frst
placeand aboveall, Religion is based
on fear. This is indeed thetrademark
of religions today: war, famine, pov-
Dear Friends,
Before starting my presentation, I
would like to thank the leaders of
American Atheists for their invita-
tion. My name is David Gozlan and
I amDeputy General Secretary of the
French National Federation for Free
Thought. I amalso a member of the
International Liaison Committee of
Atheists and FreeThinkers.
I should apologizefor my poor Eng-
lish; that explains why I shall takeup
the foor Ior a shorter time than al-
lowed so that you will beableto ask
as many questions as you wish.
I bring you the warmest greetings
of the National Federation for Free
Thought and its President, Marc
Blondel; its General Secretary, Chris-
tian Eyschen; its National Steering
Committee; and particularly Roger
Lepeix and Philippe Besson, whom
some of you know. These are not
merely polite greetings between or-
ganizations: in our common struggle
against religion our relations will cer-
tainly strengthen and develop.
This comingAugust, Freethinkers are
goingto meet at Oslo, Norway. Onthe
10thof August, 2011, dozens of Athe-
ists and Freethinkers fromacross the
worldwill meet. This appointment will
take place the day before the IHEU
WorldHumanist Congress, onAugust
1214. Theaimis to set up an Inter-
national Associationfor FreeThought.
This Associationwill not beincompe-
titionwithIHEU, but rather it will be
acomplementary element of thecom-
monhouse. It will beanew stageona
longdistancealready covered.
I would liketo start my presentation
with mention of a few events that
have shaped our common efforts. In
1963, Madalyn Murray OHair re-
organized the ranks of Atheists and
Freethinkers. She decided to send a
message to a number of Atheist and
Freethinker organizations on an inter-
national scale. Madalyn wroteto our
organization, theNational Federation
for FreeThought, of which I amthe
representativein your meeting today.
As early as 1963, alink had been cre-
atedthe frst brick in the bridge be-
tween our organizations.
Onceagain, Reason was crossing the
ocean to link theold continent to the
new continent. We share a common
history: theEnlightenment, which has
shed light on so many generations. It
has been a guiding light for men to-
wards a world oI justice, peace, and
freedomfromclerical oppression.
Recognizing this common history, at
a colloquiumat the Sorbonne, Paris,
Christian Eyschen recalled, Unde-
niably, the American revolution is
the mother of the French revolution.
There is indisputably a relationship.
The enthusiasm of the peoples for
each other on both sides of theAtlan-
tic, taking arms to fght oppression
and establish democracy, is obvious.
Francecheered theYorktown victory
like the Valmy victory thrilled the
hearts of theUSA.
Then he explained, The First
Amendment to theConstitution of the
USA formulated and realized thefun-
damental principles that havebrought
humanity out of thedark night of the
ancient monarchical and clerical re-
gimes. Once more, lets read again
the frst Article oI the Bill oI Rights
of December 1791: Congress shall
makeno law respecting an establish-
ment of religion, or prohibiting the
freeexercisethereof; or abridging the
freedomof speech, or of thepress, or
the right of the people peaceably to
assembleand to petition theGovern-
ment for a redress of grievances. In
afew words, theprogramfor democ-
racy is written.
Weshareacommon history because
theFirst Amendment has opened the
gate to the Law of Separation be-
tween the Churches and the State in
France as well as in other countries:
France 1905, the Canton of Geneva
1907, Portugal 1911, USSR 1918,
Spain 1931, and Turkey in 1937.
This is aprovenlaw inhistory: every
stepforwardby onenationleadsanoth-
er nationto go further alongthesame
road. But thoselaws of separationare
not thedelayedresult of thework of the
American Enlightenment only. They
arealso theresult of amovement that
International Address by the
Deputy General Secretary of the French National
Federation of Free Thought
Lets get
rid
of god.
Yes, lets
get rid
of god.
erty, fnancial problems, and Iood.
Fear supports thebusiness of Church-
es, making men and women pay for
their sins, thus depriving themof their
humanity.
So why should Freethinkers remain
isolated? What astrokeof luck for re-
ligions! Wesay NO, wehaveto takea
step forward, look consciously at what
our predecessors have achieved and
lean on that, because the onslaught
against education and science can
be found in every country; because
wearetold what to think and how to
think; because religions are and still
remain theordeal of humankind.
Wesay NO.
Lets get rid of god. Yes, lets get rid
of god.
Bertrand Russell has explained what
we have to do: We want to stand
upon our own feet and look fair and
square at the worldits good facts,
its bad facts, its beauties, and its ug-
liness; see the world as it is, and be
not afraid of it. Conquer theworld by
intelligence, and not merely by being
slavishly subdued by the terror that
comes fromit. Thewholeconception
of God is aconception derived from
theancient Oriental despotisms. It is
a conception quite unworthy of free
men. When you hear peoplein church
debasing themselves and saying that
they aremiserablesinners, and all the
rest of it, it seems contemptible and
not worthy of self-respecting human
beings. Weought to stand up and look
theworld frankly in theface.
And look the world frankly in the
face means also organizing. Orga-
nizing so that men and women are
ableto overcometheir fear, supersti-
tions, and the yoke of religions. Or-
ganizing to give a future to younger
generations.
Theevangelist messageis often God
loves you, J esus loves you. As for
me, I prefer to choosemy partners
freely. Theworst partnership is when
one partner does not have a choice.
Theworst partnership is theonebased
on afairy tale.
Weproposeanother formof partner-
ship: a freepartnership, a Freethink-
ers partnership; a partnership where
separation between religions and the
state would be the frst task to achieve;
apartnership wherefreespeech would
not beimpeded; apartnership without
taboo, without inhibition; afreepart-
nership of international institutions.
We propose to lay the foundation of
this partnership at Oslo, Norway this
coming August. Many organizations
and Freethinkers will bepresent at Os-
lo. Bobbie Kirkhart will take the foor
this coming 10th of August at Oslo,
and so will David, your President. We
proposeto lay thefoundation of this
partnership jointly because the his-
tory of our way of thinking, and the
history of our organizations takeroot
in theEnlightenment and arebased on
Reason. Our victories are our com-
mon heritage. May the victories of
yesterday lead to the victories of to-
morrow!
Long liveAmerican Atheists!
Long live the International Associa-
tion of FreeThinkers! All on to Oslo!
[Richard] Feynman was offered ascholarship to Harvard
for graduateschool without even applying becausehehad
won theWilliamLowell PutnamMathematical Competi-
tion in 1939. This is themost prestigious and demanding
national mathematics contest open to undergraduates, and
was then in its second year. I remember when I was an
undergraduatethevery best mathematics students would
join their university`s team and solve practice problems
for months ahead of the examination. No one solves all
the problems on the exam, and in many years a signifcant
fraction of theentrants fail to solveasingleproblem. The
mathematics department at MIT had asked Feynman to
join MIT`s team Ior the competition in his senior year, and
the gap between Feynmans score and the scores for all
of the other entrants fromacross the country apparently
astounded thosegrading theexam, so hewas offered the
Harvard prizescholarship. Feynman would later sometimes
feign ignorance of formal mathematics when speaking
about physics, but his Putnamscoredemonstrated that as
amathematician, hecould competewith thevery best in
theworld.
But Feynman turned down Harvard. He had decided he
wanted to go to Princeton, I expect for the same reason
why so many young physicists wanted to go there: that
was where Einstein was! Princeton had accepted him
and oIIered him a job as Iuture Nobel laureate Eugene
Wigners research assistant. Fortunately for Feynman, he
was assigned instead to ayoung assistant professor, J ohn
Archibald Wheeler, a man whose imagination matched
Feynmans mathematical virtuosity.
In a remembrance of Feynman after his death, Wheeler
recalled a discussion among the graduate admissions
committeein thespring of 1939, during which oneperson
raved about the fact that no one else applying to the
university had math and physics aptitudescores anywhere
near as high as Feynmans (he scored 100 percent
in physics), while another member of the committee
complained at thesametimethat they had never let anyone
in with scores so low in history and English. Happily for
thefutureof science, physics and math prevailed.
Interestingly, Wheeler did not describeanother key issue,
of which hemay not havebeen aware: theso-called J ewish
question. Thehead of thephysics department at Princeton
had written to Philip Morseabout Feynman, asking about
his religious aIfliation, adding, 'We have no defnite
David Gozlan, Deputy Secretary General ,
French National Federation of Free Thought
Excerpt from
Quantum Man: Richard Feynmans
Life in Science
By Lawrence M. Krauss
Krauss, a very animated presenter, spoke at the AA convention on the Life & Character of Richard Feynman.
ruleagainst J ews but haveto keep their proportion in our department
reasonably small because oI the diIfculty oI placing them. Ultimately it
was decided that Feynman was not suIfciently Jewish 'in manner to get
in theway. Thefact that Feynman, likemany scientists, was essentially
uninterested in religion never aroseas part of thediscussion.
Moreimportant than all of theseexternal developments, however, was
thefact that Feynman had now proceeded to thestagein his education
wherehecould begin to think about thereally exciting stuffnamely,
thephysics that didnt makesense. Scienceat theforefront is always on
the verge of paradox and inconsistency, and like a bloodhound, great
physicists focus precisely on theseelements becausethat is wherethe
quarry lies.
'Such a charismatic hgure deserves a charismatic, knowledgeable, and
literate phvsicist as his warts-and-all biographer. Lawrence Krauss hts
thebill admirably and rises to thechallengewith style, panache, and
deep understanding. Richard Dawkins, author of TheGod Delusion
and TheGreatest Show on Earth
A lively and engrossing biography of a lively and engrossing man.
Krauss recounts the life and ideas of one of the centurvs greatest scien-
tist with a deep understanding of both thephysics and theman, presented
with great lucidityand charm. Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology,
Harvard University, and author of How theMind Works
robust section discusses evolution and thereligious assault on the
scientifc method.
Volume2 consists of amere544 pages, all packed with information
including morediscussion of general science, cloning and evolution.
It also includes somedelightful poetic musings. Zindler delights in
exposing thefaux pas of creationism, and this tomeboasts ahumor-
ous and insightful chapter on theperpetual quest for Noah and his
elusiveArk. Other essays focus on millennialism, thenatureof sci-
ence, and even adiscussion on theevolution of wings on insects and
birds (Half aWing and No Prayer).
Thethird volumeof Zindlers opus gives readers transcripts of de-
bates (including his historic 1989 face-off with J ohn D. Morris of the
Institutefor Creation Research) and interviews with media. About
half of this material examines thequestion of gods existence, with
theremainder focusing on Franks Favorites, especially creationism
and biblical history. The294 pages of this volumeincludetheusual
comprehensiveindex.
Finally, Volume 4654 pages in lengthoffers an assortment of
topical writings, everything fromtheAmityvilleHorror Humbug to
theexistenceof adeity and thephilosophical foundation of Athe-
ism. The fnal pages include a number oI poems; there is the usual
comprehensiveindex.
Thecompleteset should beconsidered required material on theshelf of any serious reader and collector of Atheist or
Freethought material. It is also amust have for thoseengaging in their own debates with Christians and other religious,
as well as anyoneusing thewritten or spoken word in defenseof Atheismand theseparation of church and state. Frank
Zindlers collection of writings represents alifetimeof writing on thesetopics and important observations on everything
fromscienceto popular cultureand philosophy.
Today, in aworld of bulleted lists and abbreviated thoughtsdigital or printThrough Atheist Eyes is abit of acontrar-
ian collection. Stacked or standing vertically on abook shelf or desk, thesevolumes looka trife challenging and even
intimidating. In this case, though, appearances aredeceiving. Thereis abundant humor in Zindlers writing style(he
has been described as aSecular Humorist) and his choiceof titles is often amusing as well. This comes through espe-
cially in Volume4 whereFrank shares thetranscripts of theDial-An Atheist
serviceheoperated for years in Columbus, Ohio. Thesewerefree, recorded
messagetelephoneservices that sprouted up across thecountry and wereoften
associated with theChapters of American Atheists. Franks was probably the
best, and, hepoints out, it was theAtheist alternativeto themonopoly orga-
nized religion had in propagating its work through thenational media. Where
else could people hear an Atheist message just by picking up the phone?
Frank Zindler continues to write, speak and debate, and leave his mark on
American culture. He will hopefully share at least another volume with his
readers. In themeantime, thesefour books areavaluablecontribution and re-
sourcetools for anyonewanting to seetheworld through atheist eyes. There
is adiscount for purchasing theentireset, and theeducation and enlightenment
readers will receiveas aresult of studying theseessays is well worth thecost.
BOOKS THEN AND NOW
A GATHERING THROUGH ATHEIST EYES
Review By Conrad Goeringer
Readers of theAmerican Atheist Magazinehavebeen entertained, informed, and provoked by thewritings of Frank
Zindler, who for years has explored topics likebiblical erahistory, thefantasies of creationism, fallacies of religious
teaching, and so much more.
A former biology and geology professor and professional linguist, Zindler has exhibited all of thetraits of atruepoly-
math. His 20-year university tenurecameto an abrupt end when hewas forced to abandon his teaching career when he
joined the late Madalyn Murray O`Hair as a plaintiII in the historic suit to remove the slogan 'In God We Trust Irom
thenations coinage. Sincethen, hehas established acareer as aprominent state-church separation activist, Atheist phi-
losopher and debater, and a staunch, relentless advocate oI the scientifc enterprise. Zindler has debated and written ex-
tensively on all of thesetopics, and thefour volumes of Through Atheist Eves. Scenes From a World That Wont Reason
is themost completegathering of this eclectic record.
All oI these volumes are in the same attractive soIt cover Iormat. The frst three have complete indexes and glossaries,
and a judicious collection oI oIten humorous graphics that accompany the individual chapters. Volume 1 ('Religions
and Scriptures) has 772 pages organized into 49 chapters and covers topics such as Raceand Religion, TheReal
Bible; Who`s Got It? and 'The Christ Myth Revisited? All oI these refect Zindler`s interest in the historicity oI Jesus
Christ, and theconvoluted story of how theBible was written and assembled into acollection of canonical dogmatic
texts. Thesection on TheChrist Myth is particularly useful in understanding thecolorful but historically unsubstanti-
ated nativity story that is so widely celebrated throughout Christendomaround thetimeof theWinter Solstice. Another
Frank Zindler spoke at the AA convention on his many battles to advance
Atheism, encounters with religionists, and protect our freedoms.
Thekillingof al Qaedaleader Osamabin
LadenonMay 2, 2011wasundoubtedly
a major coup in the battle to combat non-
Stateterrorism.
U.S. Navy SEALS sweptintoacompound
in Attabad, Pakistan, quickly eliminating
resistance, killingbinLadenandextricating
what oIfcials described as an intelligence
treasure-trove. Thiscollectionof computer
hard drives and papers will undoubtedly
giveanalysts moreinsight into thework-
ingof apolitical andmilitary foethat had
been diIfcult to destroy. While there have
been major coups against the al Qaeda net-
works, theterrorist grouphasmorphedin
recent years into a decentralized web of
semi-autonomousfranchises.
Feedingthisnetwork hasbeenasteadyin-
fux oI young recruits Irom around the globe,
mostlyMiddleEasternmenwhomakethe
trek to training camps along theAfghan-
istan-Pakistan border to 'do jihad. They
embraceafundamentalistversionof Islamic
doctrine laced with apocalyptic overtones
andanti-modernistrhetoricthatsupportsthe
establishment of aglobal caliphateor the-
ocracybasedontheKoran. Notall Islamic
fundamentalistsagreewiththeentireal Qa-
edaagenda, buttheyareunitedinageneral
rejection oI classic Western liberalism with
itsemphasisonpersonal freedom, therule
of secular institutions, vigorouscivil society,
andaseparationbetweenclerical andgov-
ernmental authority.
Many people in the United States and
elsewhere were jubilant over bin Laden`s
death, andthisevent hasgeneratedadis-
cussionover thepossibledemiseof al Qa-
edaandavictory over terrorism. This
exuberant speculation may betragically
premature, however. Despite this latest
blow to al Qaeda, Islamic fundamental-
ismremains aserious threat throughout
the world, including the countries now
identifed with the 'Jasmine Revolution
that began in Tunisia, quickly spread
to Egypt and then found root in several
MiddleEasternnationsfromSyriato the
Gulf. Heady predictionsthat Islamic fun-
damentalismhas, somehow, evaporated
or assumedasecondary roleinregional
andglobal politicsisbothprematureand
dangerous. Indeed, there are parallels
betweenthedeathof binLadenandthe
shootingof Pablo Escobar, thenotorious
druglordwho waskilledinaspecial op-
erationby Columbiantroopsin1993.
Then, as now, there was jubilant celebra-
tion and talk that the killing of Escobar
was a 'major blow to the thriving cocaine
cartelsof theregion. Rather thandrastically
cuttingthepower of thedruglords, how-
ever, or make major headway in a 'war on
drugs, Escobarseliminationmerely shift-
edpower withinthecartel system, which
was earning billions oI dollars annually just
intheUnitedStates. Inthe18yearssince
Escobarsdeathinashootout withaspe-
cial government commando unit, the fow
of drugsintothecountry hasincreased, and
thetoneof thewar over drugshasbecome
even bloodier. Drug gangs now control
wholeswaths of Mexico, andtheir reach
intothetownsalongthe3,000-mileborder
withtheUnitedStatesisgreater thanever.
None of this suggests that bin Ladens
death(as withtheshootingof Pablo Es-
cobar) was not a signifcant development
incombatingnon-stateterrorism, andpar-
ticularly al Qaeda. It alsoremainsunclear
whether al Qaedawill survivehisdemise
withany formal central structureleftintact.
Themanconsideredhis likely successor,
Egyptian-bornAymanal-Zawahiri, would
face daunting challenges in maintaining
theorganizationgiventhepiles of docu-
mentsnow inthehandsof theU.S. intel-
ligencecommunity. Indeed, al-Zawahiri is
notpopular withmany onal Qaedasruling
council, andnoneof bin-Ladensdeputies
seems to enjoy unanimous support within
thefracturingranksof theorganization. In
addition, thedeathof themanresponsible
for theterrorist events of September 11,
2001will likely havelittleor noeffect on
thelarger fundamentalist movement, nor
will it attenuatetheanxietiesof conserva-
tiveMuslimnationsandreligiousgroups
that, whiledisagreeing with someof the
al Qaeda strategic objectives, all share a
common mistrust of modernity, secular-
ism, andtheWest.
HUNTING ESCOBAR,
KILLING PABLO
PabloEscobar wasbornintoalower-mid-
dle-classfamilyinRionegro, Colombianon
December 1, 1949. Hiseconomic circum-
stances precluded himfromcompleting a
university-level education; indeed, through-
outhisyouth, Escobar engagedinpettytheft
andother minor criminal activitiesinorder
tosurvive. Alwaysacquiringnewcriminal
skillsandhuntingfor angles, heexpanded
hisactivitiestocigarettesmuggling, selling
fakelottery tickets, and other petty illegal
enterpriseslikecar theft. Intheearly1970s,
Escobar hiredout as abodyguardto drug
dealers, andestablishedcontactswithinthe
Medellincartel basedinMedellin, Colum-
bia. Escobar was also upping his level of
personal violence, engaginginkidnapping
andhitsfor feudingcartel bosses. Bytheage
of 22, Escobar wasreportedlyamillionaire
andwell onhiswaytobecomingoneof the
richestmenintheworld.
Accordingtoabiographical accountby his
brother Roberto, Escobar assembledwhat
evolvedintothelargestcriminal enterprise
intheworld. Thedemandfor cocainewas
explodinginNorthAmericaandEurope.
Thepowder was easier to transport than
marijuana, liquor or other contraband: the
Medellin cartel was smuggling over 15
tonsof cocainedaily intotheU.S. witha
streetvalueof nearly $500million.
Escobarsoperationusedplanes, helicop-
ters, boats andreportedly eventwo sub-
marine craft to transport drugs. He also
was quick to murder rival drug dealers,
suchasFabioRestrepo. Escobarsorgani-
zationabsorbedother gangs, andopened
upnew key cocainedistributioncentersin
California, southFloridaandelsewhere.
Whilecontrollingmoreandmoreof the
drug trade, Escobar also engaged in a
systematic campaign to manipulate and
control key institutionswithinColombian
society. He bribed (or killed) judges and
other government oIfcials, and artIully
playeddifferent political factionsagainst
oneanother. Hereportedly backedanas-
sault on the Columbian Supreme Court
building in 1985 staged by a left-wing
guerilla movement, M-19, that killed
nearly halI oI the sitting justices.
Escobar knew thatheandthecartel requir-
edsafehavensandabaseof popular support
inorder tosecureitslucrativeenterprises.
It wasestimatedthat theMedellinorgani-
zationwastakinginnearly $230billiona
year. Forbesmagazinedeclaredthat at the
zenithof hispower, PabloEscobar wasthe
seventhrichestmanintheworld. Thehon-
or didnotcomecheaply, however. Escobar
spent lavishly oncharitableworks, built a
Iull-size soccer stadium, and fnanced the
constructionof RomanCatholic churches
throughout the area. Enormous sums of
cashwereusedtobribepolice, public of-
fcials and anyone else who was considered
useful. Whenbribery failed, Escobar hada
stable oI profcient and violent killers he
couldcall upon. Columbiaquickly became
themurder capital of theworldwithover
25,000 violent deathsmany related to
Escobar andthedrugtradein1991.
Escobar was at thetopof thewatch list
for U.S. drugenforcement agents, afact
that resultedinanuncomfortablealliance
between American policy makers, law
enforcement, intelligence agencies and
unsavory elementswithintheColumbian
government. Theefforttokill Escobar also
drew together U.S. drugwarriorsandthe
mainrival toEscobarsdrugorganization,
theCali cartel. By 1992, Americanintel-
ligence operatives had established a joint
command infrastructure to track down
and, if necessary, kill Pablo Escobar. At
thetip of this effort was aspecial com-
mandodetachment fromDeltaForceand
theCentraSpike, operatedby thehighest
level of thePentagonbureaucracy. These
elements joined with a unit oI the Colum-
bianpoliceknownasSearchBloc. Using
technology andother resources provided
by theU.S., SearchBloc beganthepains-
takingtask of locatingandtrackingEsco-
bar andhisclosestassociates.
Also part of this operation was agroup
knownasLosPepes, reportedly anacro-
nymfor PeoplePersecutedby Pablo Es-
cobar. Inreality, LosPepesincludedma-
ny of Escobars rivals inthedrugtrade.
Documents declassifed by the CIAindi-
catethat LosPepesoftenactedinconcert
withtheDeltaForceandtheCentraSpike
units, as well as SearchBloc. Over 300
Medellin oIfcials and operatives were re-
portedly murderedby LosPepes.
Escobar waseventually trackeddownand
killedinasecludedmiddle-classneighbor-
hoodinMedellinduringashootoutonDe-
cember 2, 1993. Questionsand agood
deal of folkloresurround the circum-
stancesof thekilling, includingthebelief
that Escobar may havecommittedsuicide
rather thanbecapturedby theColombian
National Police. While the Colombian
andU.S. governmentscelebratedthedrug
lords demise, the results were less than
salutary.
After Escobar, some elements of Los
Pepes joined the Columbian police and
intelligenceserviceswhileothersformed
new insurgent guerilla movements and
movedto solidify their control of theup
for grabs drugtrade. Thedemiseof the
leading Medellin drug baron created an
enormous power vacuumthat was soon
flled mostly by the Cali cartela drug
organizationthat unlikeEscobar andhis
associates, maintained a low profle, op-
eratedquietly andplacedmoreemphasis
on bribery than gunplay and assassina-
tion. Themarket for drugs continued to
expand, and there was no major dent in
the supply oI cocaine fowing into the
UnitedStatesor other drugmarkets.
Pablo Escobar was buriedonDecember
4, 1993 in a ceremony in Medellin at-
tendedby thousandsof admirerschanting
Viva Pablo! The circumstances sur-
roundinghisdeathbolsteredhisstatusas
a popular Iolk hero, and even a fgure Ior
national liberationinthestruggleagainst
gringo imperialism. Colombianscame
to resent thepresenceof Americanagents
andmilitary advisorsontheir nativesoil.
Despite his enormous personal wealth
earned in profts Irom the drug trade,
hewaslionizedasasort of modern-day
Robin Hood. A story in the New York
Timesquotedonemourner, a29-year-old
engineeringstudent:
He built houses and cared
about the poor. In the future,
people will go to his tomb to
pray, asthey wouldasaint.
Escobarsriseto fameandviolent down-
fall wasemblematic not only of thewider
U.S. eIIorts to wage a high-profle 'war
on drugs, but also the resultant unin-
tended consequences oI fawed Ioreign
and domestic policy. Since 1993, con-
sumptionof variousopiateshadsteadily
climbed, reachingfar beyondethnic-mi-
nority neighborhoods into white, work-
ing class and professional communities.
Crack cocaine, methamphetamines and
even prescription drugs have enjoyed a
new statusasdrugsof choice for vari-
oussegmentsof thepopulation.
Thelocusof violenceassociatedwiththe
drug trade has migrated far beyond the
shantytowns and opulent compounds of
Medellin, Columbia, throughMexico to
its porous border withtheUnitedStates
and beyond. The U.S. continues an ex-
travagantly expensivewar here, asrival
druggangsseek control of thislucrative
.,//,1*26$0$By Conrad Goeringer
Thedecision to kill Osama bin Laden has eerieparallels in thehunt for a major drug lord
over a decadeago. As with thewar on drugs, thebattleagainst Islamic fundamentalisminvolves
unanticipated consequences and a myriad of complex and vexing factors.
enterpriseinmuchthesameway ayoung
Pablo Escobar didover threedecadesago.
LESSONS NOT LEARNED
Inmany respects, thewar onterrorism
hasstrikingparallelstothewar ondrugs.
Both are Iar-fung enterprises costing the
U.S. billionsof dollarsannually. Bothhave
vague, poorly-defned, and oIten unreal-
istic strategic objectives. Both are rooted
inalonghistory of policy initiativesdat-
ingback many years. Inthecaseof Pablo
Escobar, for instance, there was a long
recordinAmericanhistory of thegovern-
menttryingto control theconsumptionof
variousnarcotic substancesrangingfrom
cocaineandmorphineto alcohol andmar-
ijuana. Prohibition, a disastrous experi-
ment rooted frmly in Christian sensibili-
ties, createdideal economic incentivesfor
theproductionanddistributionof alcohol,
andfueledtheriseof organizedcriminal
gangs. The drug trade borrowed a page
fromthis book, resulting in theFrench
Connection andeventually theestablish-
ment of the Golden Triangle in Asia.
Ironically, it was Afghanistan, where
the nascent roots of bin Ladens al Qa-
edafoundsanctuary, thatservedasavital
hubfor thecultivationandtransportation
of theopiumpoppy. Indeed, despitethe
shiftingfortunesof binLadensgroupand
other jihadist organizations, it still does.
KILLING BIN LADEN
While there is considerable jubilation
over thedeathof OsamabinLaden, there
islittleunderstandingof themyriadfac-
tors that have for decades fueled and
sustainedtherisingtideof Islamic funda-
mentalismandthecuriousroleplayedby
theUnitedStates andevenits European
partners. Much of the Middle East and
SouthernAsiawas oncetheprovinceof
thecolonial power that emergedvictori-
ousfromtheruinsof WorldWar I. First
theFrenchandlater Great Britain, espe-
cially, controlledwideswathsof territory,
includingtheSuez Canal. Westernpowers
and, by proxy, theemergent oil industry,
manipulated governments, staged coups
wherenecessary, andusedthenationsof
this regionas so many chess pieces ina
gameof global political strategy.
WorldWar II, however, devastatedEurope
and demolished the fnancial stability oI
muchof thecontinent. FromAsiatoAfri-
ca, arisingtideof anti-colonialistsentiment
emerged. TheUnitedStatesanditsWestern
partnersandtheSovietUnionalongwith
itsEasternEuropeanvassal statesquick-
ly took sides in hopes of backing proxy
regimes, andmaintainingaccesstotheoil
reserves, particularly inSaudi Arabia.
Author Robert Dreyfuss carefully docu-
mented how the U.S. frequently sup-
portedIslamicfundamentalist movements
as anantidoteto theperceivedspecter of
godlesscommunism. Inhis2005, book
Devils Game. How the United States
HelpedUnleashFundamentalistIslam, he
describedthisasanunwrittenchapter in
thehistory of theColdWar. Americasfar-
fung empire oI infuence 'was designed to
restonthebedrock of political Islam.
Thisrequiredandshapedapolicy of politi-
cal hostility toany governmentthatsought
neutrality inthemidstof theSoviet-Amer-
ican confict, and the result was that most
popular movements and post-colonial
statesthat embracedsecularismandother
progressive political values often found
themselvesat oddswithWashington. The
alternativefor U.S. policy makerswasto
back any regime of convenience, no
matter how authoritarian, reactionary and
unpopular, as long as it served the per-
ceived and immediate objectives oI Wash-
ington. Theseoftenincludedaccesstooil
felds and opposition to Soviet territorial
ambitionsevenatthecostof supporting
Islamic fundamentalists.
Thisisnot to say that theU.S. didnot en-
couragethedevelopment of civil society
andevenasemblanceof democratic im-
pulses. IncountrieslikeEgypt, thebonds
betweentheindigenousgovernment and
Washingtonwerefrequently throughthe
aegisof U.S. military. Therewereefforts
to modernizeandmoderatethosesociet-
ieswherepossible, but theColdWar of-
tendictatedsupportingruthless, authori-
tarian regimes in concert with a strong
Islamic establishment. In Saudi Arabia,
hometo binLadensfamily, thisalso re-
quiredproppingupafabulously wealthy
royal family andturningablindeyeat the
outragesof theclerical police.
NotedDreyfuss:
The United States found po-
litical Islamtobeaconvenient
partner during each stage of
Americasempire-buildingpro-
ject in the Middle East, Irom
its entry into the region to its
gradual military encroachment,
toitsexpansionintoanon-the-
groundmilitary presence
EventsinIranmay beinstructiveincom-
prehending how American values were
subordinated to the Cold War agenda,
specifcally the US-UK backed 1953
overthrow of the democratically-elected
government of PrimeMinister Moham-
madMosaddegh. Thecountryslucrative
oil industry hadbeennationalizedby Mo-
saddegh; WashingtonandLondonquickly
threw their support behindMohammad-
Rez Shh Pahlavi, who up to that time
hadreignedasaconstitutional monarch.
Thenew Shahassumedabsolutecontrol,
receivinghugeinfusionsof Westernmili-
tary aidandcreatingasprawlingdomes-
tic intelligencenetwork andsecret police
force, thehatedSAVAK.
The Shah turned out to be a secularist
who rapidly fell into disfavor withIrans
clerical leadership. Despiteanumber of
Western-style reforms, particularly re-
garding the status of women, the mon-
arch`s despotic grip on power and oIfcial
hostility to any political opposition cast
the clericsand the systemof Islamic
fundamentalismas a liberatory force
that enjoyed growing popular support.
Eventsculminatedin1979whentheex-
iledAyatollahKhomeni returnedto Iran
andtheShah, by now sufferingtheeffects
oI advanced cancer, fed the country
BLOW-BACK
After threedecadesof thisbalancingact, it
wastheSovietinvasionof Afghanistan
afutileeffort topropupitsKabul-based
regimethatexposedtheweaknessinthe
American devils game of supporting
radical Islamist groups. Americanpolicy
rightly predicted that with aid to the Muja-
hideen, arag-tagcollectionof indigenous
and Ioreign fghters allied against the
Moscow proxy state, eventheRedArmy
could bedefeated. Aid poured in to the
various Mujahideen groups; the 'Ireedom
fghters were now receiving a steady in-
fusionof material supportfromtheUnited
States, including shoulder-fred Stinger
missiles that could bring down even the
most heavily-armored Soviet aircraft.
After nearly adecade, theSovietspulled
out, andintheprocessbroughtback tothe
USSR anew generationof drugaddicts,
thusencouragingtheresurrectionof Rus-
sianandother ethnic gangs.
The Mujahideen had deIeated the pre-
eminent military and political force in
that part of theworld. They now could
cultivate larger ambitions, resurrecting
the writings and ideology of long-dor-
mant religiousideologues. Thegoal was
nothing short of reconstructing an an-
cient caliphate that would be based not
onthemodel of Westernliberalism, but
Islamic law, the Sharia. InAfghanistan,
the Talibana coalition of young reli-
gious students (many educated in Paki-
stan) and Iormer Mujahideenseized
power inSeptember 1996inthewakeof
the Soviet withdrawal, and established
theIslamic Emirateof Afghanistan. They
quickly forgeddiplomatic tiesto Pakistan
andSaudi Arabia. Theformer exercised
considerable infuence amidst the col-
lection oI 'Ireedom fghters who had
opposed the Soviet occupation; and the
Saudi kingdomhad provided monetary
and military aid, and served as anexus
in recruiting volunteers Ior the Mujahi-
deen,. The Taliban combined the Saudi
version of Sunni religious doctrinewith
local Pashtun and other tribal customs.
It institutedasternandpunitiveformof
Islam that subjugated women, ignored
basic humanrights, andruledthroughits
interpretationof Sharialaw.
It also provided a sanctuary for al Qa-
edaandOsamabinLaden. There, inthe
mountainous region on the border with
Pakistan, al Qaedaestablishedanetwork
of remote training camps, expanded its
political vision and called Ior a global ji-
hadagainst theWest and, inparticular, the
UnitedStates.
Ironically, someof themost fanatical sup-
port camefromadvanced sectors in the
Middle East. Al Qaeda was clearly an
anti-modernist movement, and bin Lad-
enragedagainst thedemocracy of the
West withits emphasis onconsumerism
and individual rights. Anti-U.S. demon-
strationsthroughout theregionassumeda
particularly religious edge, withbanners
declaringWedont want freedomwe
want Sharialaw.
Theattacks of September 11, 2001typi-
fed not only the organizational prowess
of binLadenandhisgroup, buttheextent
towhichthevirus of Islamic fundamen-
talism had spread. The majority oI the 19
individualsinvolvedinthe9/11planehi-
jackings were educated and Irom middle-
class families. Indeed, one of the main
terrorists, MuhammadAtta, hadadegree
in architecture and lived in Hamburg,
Germany while working for a design-
build frm. These were not impoverished
Muslims who grew up in thesprawling
slumsof citieslikeCairoor Damascusor
thesqualor of theWestBank. Islamic ter-
rorists hadrecruitedfromtheseareas, of
course, andmostof their attackscentered
onIsrael. The9/11strikehowever, wasof
vastly greater magnitude, targeting the
Great Satanthe United Statesand
symbolic targetslikethePentagonandthe
WorldTradeCenter, withathwartedthird
targetreportedtobetheWhiteHouse.
WhentheUnitedStateinvadedAfghani-
stan and liquidated the ruling Taliban
clerical elite, thewar onterrorism had
takenonafull-blownglobal dimension.
Non-stateterroristsstruck diversetargets
in Indonesia, Spain, Great Britain and
the former Soviet Union. Franchises
or semi-autonymous units of al Qaeda
emerged, and some joined with other ex-
isting jihadist groups. The goal remained
one oI worldwide jihad, but Ior all oI the
rhetoric, al Qaedaappearedunsuccessful
in achieving its objective. Worse yet Ior
binLaden, thetenor of theArabstreet
was slowly morphing. Thebattlecry to
establishanIslamic theocracy no longer
resonatedwith anew generation of stu-
dents, intellectuals, professional elites
andtheworkingclass. They wantedwhat
evolvedinto theJasmineRevolution.
HUMAN NATIONALISM
IGNITES IN TUNISIA
DubbedtheJasmineRevolution, aseries
of convulsivechangershasbegunsweep-
ing the Middle East, frst breaking out
in Tunisia, wheretheancient regimeof
President BenAli was overthrown, then
moving with alacrity to Egypt. Here, a
continuous and spirited wave of mass
protests led to the resignation of Hosni
Mubarak, who had ruled the nation for
morethanthreedecades. Other uprisings
have broken out in Yemen, Syria, and
eventheGulf Emiratesregion.
The Facebook generation has taken to
the streets and the Jasmin Revolt (sic)
has become a revolution, at least as of
the time of writing, noted al-Jazeera
correspondent Mark LevineinaJanuary
16, 2011 web posting. 'And the fight oI
former President BenAli to Saudi Arabia
isinspiringpeopleacrosstheArabworld
to taketo thestreetsandwarntheir own
sclerotic andautocratic leaders that they
couldsoonfaceasimilar fate.
Whilenocoherentandexplicitideology is
beingarticulatedby thecrowdsof protests
intheArabworld, certainthemesseemto
emerge. InEgypt, for instance, thecrowds
explicitly praised democracy, human
rights, andtheimportanceof aparticipato-
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(318) 542-1019
kjohnson@Atheists.org
http://www.Atheists.org/mil
ALABAMA
Blair Scott
P.O. Box 41
Ryland, AL 35767-2000
(256) 701-6265
bscott@Atheists.org
http://www.Atheists.org/al/
ARIZONA
Don Lacey
P.O. Box 1161
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CALIFORNIA
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CONNECTICUT
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FLORIDA
Greg McDowell
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Orlando, FL 32868-0741
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Ken Loukinen (S. FL Reg. Dir.)
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IDAHO
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Zach Bos
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Arlene-Marie
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Both can be reached at:
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NORTH CAROLINA
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UTAH
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VIRGINIA
Rick Wingrove
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Wendy Britton
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Charles Pique
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DIRECTOR OF STATE &
REGIONAL OPERATIONS
Ken Loukinen (S. FL Reg. Dir.)
7972 Pines Blvd., #246743
Pembroke Pines, FL 33024
(954) 381-5240
STATE DIRECTORS
NEW DONORS AND NEW LIFE MEMBERS
ry civil society, and called Ior a rejection oI
theestablishmentof Sharialaw. Indeed, the
revolutioninCairoandelsewherewasdif-
fusely humanisticinitsinsistencefor eco-
nomic justice and political equality. Even
theMuslimBrotherhoodthenew bogey-
manof religiousrightandneo-conservative
groupsintheU.S., whoexpresseddoubts
about the uprisingpledged its commit-
menttoapluralisticpolitical system.
It isclear that theprotestersdo not want
to simply replace one dictatorship with
another, nor do they seemintent oncon-
structingregimesmodeledalongthelines
of theIslamic Republic of Iran. Any cal-
culusof how andwhy theU.S. or Europe
should respond to these developments
risks failureif it does not appreciatethe
chasmbetween the new vision on the
Arab street and the revanchist ideo-
logueswho will takeover themantleof
leadershipfromOsamabinLaden.
Levinesuggeststhat theJasmineRevolu-
tionpresentsworldpolicy leaders, includ-
ingtheU.S. andPresident Obama, witha
potential RonaldReaganmoment, one
pregnant with possibilities of construct-
ingauthenticdemocratic, civil institutions
throughout thepost-colonial MiddleEast
andelsewhere. Hedescribes this as hu-
mannationalism. Levineadds:
Indeed, theproblemwithmost
post-colonial nationalisms
whether that oI the frst genera-
tionof independenceleadersor
of theleaderswhoreplaced(of-
tenby overthrowing) themis
precisely that they havealways
remained infected with thevi-
rusof greed, corruptionandvio-
lencesoentrenchedby decades
of Europeancolonial rule. Tuni-
siasnascentrevolutionwill on-
ly succeed iI it can fnally repair
the damage caused by French
ruleandthepost-independence
regime that in so many ways
continued to serve European
andAmericanrather thanTu-
nisianinterests.
AMERICAN OPTIONS AFTER
BINLADEN
Just as theMiddleEast may well beat
atippingpoint withtheemergenceof
popular revolutions, so is U.S. foreign
policy. It remainsunclear what apost-bin
Laden world might entail: Islamic fun-
damentalismremains a virulent threat,
so thequestion becomes what direction
theWest can and should takenow that
theworldsnumber oneterrorist hasbeen
dispatched. Theastonishingsuccessof the
Jasmine Revolution and its vague ideo-
logical aspirationsmay holdtheclues.
First, the current uprisings differ sub-
stantially fromprevious revolutions that
replaced onedictatorial regimewith an-
other. Eventhenominally democratic re-
gimesintheregionsuchasMubareks
topdown cultural agendaandgovern-
ments dominated by aruling partyno
longer excite the emerging generations.
A robust civil society becomes possible,
butthisinvolvesbreakingtheholdof gov-
ernment bureaucraciesandproxy agents,
includingsecretpolice, cultural ministries
andany apparatusdesignedtocontrol me-
diaandtheinternet andrestrict freedom
of assembly. Thistrendshouldobviously
elicitsupportfromWesternpowers, even
if it requires allowing arobust embrace
of humanrightstotrumpimmediateper-
ceivedeconomic andstrategic interests.
Second, theObamaadministrationneeds
to useitsbully platform andthepublic
interest inwhat ishappeningintheMid-
dleEast to encouragegender empower-
ment andequality for womenandsexual
minorities. This includes creating edu-
cational andeconomic opportunities for
women and judicial systems that guaran-
teewomenequal rightswithmales.
Third, America has an opportunity to reject
themyriad failed and dangerous policies
of theColdWar erathat fueledthedevel-
opment of Islamic fundamentalist move-
ments. Itmustencourageinsteadall sectors
of society toparticipateincraftingnew po-
litical, economicandsocial structures. This
approachmust emphasizepluralism, eco-
nomic justice, sustainable development,
diversity andtransparency. Religious(and
nonreligious) minoritiesmustbeprotected
by law. Forums, educational outreaches
andother mechanismsthatbolster separa-
tionof church, temple, mosqueandState
shouldbeemployedwhenever possible.
This may well be unpopular with ele-
ments of the American religious right
that, so far, haveexpressedskepticismor
downright oppositionto theJasmineRev-
olution. They andtheir neo-conservative
allieshaveanideological andpolitical in-
terest indescribingeventsintheMiddle
East intermsof anew Islamic threat akin
to the objectives oI Osama bin Laden
and the jihadist movement. The uprisings
inTunisia, Egypt andelsewherearenot
immediatethreats to thestability of the
region, nor arethey aninvitationfor Is-
lamic militantsto seizepower.
DEFENDING SECULARISM
Encouraging a new direction in Middle
East policyonethat underscoresAmeri-
canandEuropeancommitmenttocreating
freesocietiesrequiresaradical overhaul
andsteps tocorrect past errors. National
security will never bestrickenasacrite-
riafor public policy, but theremust bea
renewed commitment to human rights.
Secularistseverywherehaveavital roleto
play here. AstheJasmineRevolutionma-
turesandadaptstonew circumstances, we
can expect that secularists in theaffected
countries will hopefully begin speaking
outanddemandaseatatthetable inthe
craftingof new policies. They will require
our vigoroussupportinformal forumslike
theUnitedNations, andthenew institutions
thataregradually coalescingaroundissues
suchasacademicfreedom, theconstruction
of new legal systems, privateassociations,
andmore. TheClashof Civilizations that
has beenakeystonefor neo-conservative
foreign policy needs to bereplaced by a
Clashof Ideas. Fromthestreets of Tu-
nisiaandCairo to theuprisings inLibya,
Syria and elsewhere, opportunityand a
hopeful futureawait.
ALABAMA
AlabamaAtheists & Agnostics (UA)
Auburn Atheists and Agnostics
BirminghamAtheists
Montgomery AreaFreethought
Association
North AlabamaFreethought
Association
West AlabamaFreethought
Association
ALASKA
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Tucson Atheists
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Agnostic & Atheist Student
Association
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Rossmoor
Atheists & Freethinkers of Contra
CostaCounty
Atheists and Other Freethinkers
Atheists of Silicon Valley
Backyard Skeptics
Central Valley Allianceof Atheists
and Skeptics
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COLORADO
Atheists and Freethinkers of Denver
Boulder Atheists
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CONNECTI CUT
Atheist Humanist Society of CT & RI
Connecticut Valley Atheists
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Atheist of North Florida
FloridaAtheists & Secular Humanists
**AIfliate oI the Year: 2008**
Gator Freethought (UF)
Rebirth of Reason in Florida
Saint Petersburg Atheists
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GEORGI A
AtlantaFreethought Society
Macon Atheists & Secular Humanists
I DAHO
Idaho Atheists
I LLI NOI S
Bradley Atheists
Chicago Atheists & Agnostics
IWU Atheist, Agnostic, and Non-
Religious
I OWA
IowaAtheists & Freethinkers
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KANSAS
First Church of Freethought/Fort
Riley Atheists
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Individuals For Freethought
Kansas Freethought Society
KC FreeThinkers
KENTUCKY
Humanist Forumof Central Kentucky
Kentucky Atheists
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LOUI SI ANA
Ark-La-Tex Freethinkers (Shreveport)
New Orleans Secular Humanist
Association
MARYLAND
Freethinkers Union at McDaniel
College
Maryland Freethinkers
MASSACHUSETTS
American University Rationalists &
Atheists
Atheists of Greater Lowell
Boston Atheists
MI CHI GAN
Michigan Atheists
Mid Michigan Atheists and
Humanists
MI NNESOTA
CampusAtheists& Secular Humanists
MinnesotaAtheists
MI SSI SSI PPI
Great Southern Humanist Society
Gulf Coast Atheist and
Freethinking Association
Mid-South Humanist Society
MI SSOURI
ColumbiaAtheists
Community of Reason
J oplin Freethinkers
MU Skeptics Atheists Secular
Humanist Agnostics
Rationalist Society of St. Louis
Springfeld Freethinkers
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NEBRASKA
Lincoln Atheists
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NEVADA
Reno Freethinkers
NEW J ERSEY
New J ersey Humanist Network
NEW YORK
Freethinkers of UpstateNew York
Hudson Valley Humanists
Long Island Secular Humanists
New York City Atheists
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NORTH CAROLI NA
CharlotteAtheists & Agnostics
NORTH DAKOTA
Red River Freethinkers
OHI O
FreeInquiry Group, Inc.
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Ohio
Mid Ohio Atheists
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OklahomaAtheists
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PENNSYLVANI A
Central SusquehannaValley
Freethought
Northeast PennsylvaniaFreethought
Society
PA Nonbelievers
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RhodeIsland Atheist Society
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Secular Humanists of Lowcountry
TENNESSEE
ChattanoogaFreethought Association
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TEXAS
Atheist Community of Austin
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Texas
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Atheists
Lubbock Atheists Meetup
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UTAH
Atheists of Utah
Salt LakeValley Atheists
VI RGI NI A
Beltway Atheists
NOVA-Atheists
WASHI NGTON
SeattleAtheists
**AIfliate oI the Year: 2009**
Tri-City-Freethinkers
WEST VI RGI NI A
Morgantown Atheists
WI SCONSI N
Southeast Wisconsin FreeThinkers
MI LI TARY (APO/FPO)
Southeast AsiaFreethought
Association 379th AEW
NATI ONAL
ORGANI ZATI ONS
Atheist Nexus
Atheists for Human Rights
Atheists United for aRational
America
Military Associaton of Atheists &
Freethinkers
American Atheists AfIiates
For detaiIed AfIiate information, pIease visit atheists.org/afIiates or
contact Blair Scott at bscott@atheists.org for additional details and information.
46 AmericanAtheist - 2nd Quarter 2011
AIMS & PURPOSES
American Atheists, !nc. is a nonproht, nonpolitical, educational organization dedicated to the complete
and absolute separation of state and church, accepting the explanation of Thomas J efferson 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 is 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 their histories;
- To advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways the complete and absolute separation of
state and church;
- To act as a watchdog to challenge any attempted breach of the wall of separation between state
and church;
- To advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways the establishment and maintenance of a
thoroughly secular system of education available to all;
- To encourage the development and public acceptance of a humane 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 social philosophy in which humankind is central and must itself 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; and
- To engage in such social, educational, legal, and cultural activity as will be useful and benehcial
to the members of American Atheists and to society as a whole.
DEFINITIONS
Atheismis the comprehensive world view of persons who are free fromtheismand have freed themselves of supernatural
beliefs altogether. It is predicated on ancient Greek Materialism.
Atheisminvolves the mental attitude that unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and aims at establishing a life-
style and ethical outlook verihable by experience and the scientihc method, independent of
all arbitrary assumptions of authority and creeds.
Materialismdeclares 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 humankind, hnding the resources within
themselves, can and must create their own destiny. It teaches that we must prize our
life on earth and strive always to improve it. It holds that human beings are capable of
creating a social systembased on reason and justice. Materialisms faith is in humankind
and their ability to transformthe world culture by their own efforts. This is a commitment
that is, in its very essence, life-asserting. It considers the struggle for progress as a moral
obligation that is impossible without noble ideas that inspire us to bold, creative works.
Naterialism holds that our potential for good and more fulhlling cultural development is,
for all practical purposes, unlimited.
AAIIMMSS&PPUURRPOSSEESS AAIIMMSS & PUURRPOSSEESS
American Atheists, !nc. is a nonproht, nonpolitical, educational organization dedicated to the completee
and absolute separation of state and church, accepting the explanation of Thomas J efferson 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 is 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 their histories;
- To advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways the complete and absolute separation of
state and church;
- To act as a watchdog to challenge any attempted breach of the wall of separation between state
and church;
- To advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways the establishment and maintenance of a
thoroughly secular system of education available to all;
- To encourage the development and public acceptance of a humane 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 social philosophy in which humankind is central and must itself 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; and
- To engage in such social, educational, legal, and cultural activity as will be useful and benehcial
to the members of American Atheists and to society as a whole.
DEFINITI ONS
Atheismis the comprehensive world view of persons who are free fromtheismand have freed themselves of supernatural
beliefs altogether. It is predicated on ancient Greek Materialism.
Atheisminvolves the mental attitude that unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and aims at establishing a life-
style and ethical outlook verihable by experience and the scientihc method, independent of
all arbitrary assumptions of authority and creeds.
Materialismdeclares 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 humankind, hnding the resources within
themselves, can and must create their own destiny. It teaches that we must prize our
life on earth and strive always to improve it. It holds that human beings are capable of
creating a social systembased on reason and justice. Materialisms faith is in humankind
and their ability to transformthe world culture by their own efforts. This is a commitment
that is, in its very essence, life-asserting. It considers the struggle for progress as a moral
obligation that is impossible without noble ideas that inspire us to bold, creative works.
Naterialism holds that our potential for good and more fulhlling cultural development is,
fo forr al alll pr pr p ac acti tica call pu pu p rp rppos oses es,,, un unli limi mite ted. d.
If TheresNo God, Why Dont YouJust Kill Yourself?
AnExistentialistsResponse
Posted: 04Apr 201111:52AM PDT
This interesting piece was written by J eremy Combs, 21,
studyingpsychologyandphilosophy. Aspresident of theSecular
Students of Flint (Michigan), Jeremv offers his philosophical
rebuttal to a commonproblemstatedbymanybelievers.
I havebeenaskedacountlessnumber of timesWell, if there
is no God, why don`t you just kill yourselI? Solely Christians
haveposedthisquestionto me. Thereasonmay simply bethat
I spendmoretimearoundChristians thanany other religious
group. AlthoughinbeingaChristianonemustbelievethatgod
isthecreator andthat weliveto servehim, thefact that they
evenask thisquestionisstill extremely troublingto me. I have
had multiple believers look me in the Iace and confdently say,
If I didnt believeinGod, ImsureI wouldcommit suicide.
Who wouldnt? Therewouldbeno pointto living. My answer
to this... any saneperson.
Firstly, wemust ask what reasonsmight makesomeonefeel this
way? I believethat holdingthisviewpoint showsaninability
to garner what makesushuman. It showstheinability to have
a higher level oI thinking and eliminate selfsh, animalistic
behavior. Inexpressingthefact that they wouldkill themselves
if there was no god, these Christians reveal something so
deeply selfsh oI themselves: the treason they have committed.
TheseChristiansareChristiansbecausethey believethat they
will have an aIterliIe flled with glory. II anything, this removes
themfromtheburdenof beingtrueChristians. They aredoing
nothingmorethansinningby existing, as if insomewaiting
room, whilethey holdsuchabelief.
So why is that one can be an Atheist and still exist quite
happily? To answer this, I amgoingto borrow largely from
Existentialism, oneof my favoritephilosophies. Withinit, Im
going to frst lay a very small base oI Existentialist morals.
One of the most important faces of the movement, Jean-
Paul Sartredeveloped theideaof authenticity. Although a
somewhat diIfcult concept to Iully understand, authenticity, in
itsmost simpleexplanation, meansbeingtrueto onesself:
Theconsciousself isseenascomingto termswith
being in a material world and with encountering
external Iorces and infuences which are very diIIerent
fromitself; authenticity isoneway inwhichtheself
actsandchangesinresponseto thesepressures.
Sartreapplies his ideaof authenticity to thechoices that one
makesthroughout their lifetime.
Authenticity implies two things because of its ontological
nature(ontology is philosophy speak for thestudy of being
oI existence). The frst is the idea that there is Iuture as a
possibility. Secondly is theideathat ones past is facticity,
our past asfact:
We could say that authenticity is fundamentally
livingthisontological truthof onessituation the
claim that`s just the way I am` would constitute a
formof self-deception or bad faith as would all
forms of determinism, sincebothinstances involve
lyingto oneself about theontological fact of ones
nonselI-coincidence and the fight Irom concomitant
responsibility for choosing to remainthat way.
Insimpler terms, Sartreistellingusto betrueto ourselves.
This ideaforces oneto beactiveinthechoices of their life.
SayingI cant do anythingabout it or I cando anythingby
just wishing it makes one inauthentic. Authenticity requires
that oneallows for freewill for others when acting towards
another individual. This implies that hurtful andbadactions,
suchasmurder or torture, areimmoral andinauthentic:
Sartre sometimes talks as if any choice could be
authentic so longasit islivedwithaclear awarenessof
itscontingency andresponsibility. But hisconsidered
opinionexcludeschoicesthat oppressor consciously
exploit others. In other words, authenticity is not
entirely style; there is a general content and that
content is freedom. Thus the authentic Nazi is
explicitly disqualifed as being oxymoronic.
Sartrebelievesthat, whilefollowingtheconcept of authenticity,
onemust maketheir ownset of morals andgoals inlife. This
issomethingI agreewith. We, ashumanbeings, createour own
afterlifethroughthelegacy thatweleavebehind. How wehave
affectedother peopleintheworld, either positively or negatively,
continues to infuence them aIter we have died. We have the ability
to positively aIIect a countless number oI others. Our infuence
canspreadover cities, countries, continentsandeventime.
I cancontinueto livebecauseI havecreatedaset of morals
andgoalsfor my ownlifethat I believewill positively affect
the world. As an Atheist, I have the ability to be truly selfess. I
am not selfess because god has told me to do so. I am selfess
becauseit isauthentic to me.
Jeremy Combs
American Atheist
is printed on
recycled paper
You KNOW they
re all SCAMS
Southeast Regional Atheist Meet
January 29-30
atheists.org/huntsville
You KNOW they
re all SCAMS
Southeast Regional Atheist Meet
January 29-30
atheists.org/huntsville
American Atheists Telling the Truth since 1963
You KNOW it
'
s a Myth
This Season, Celebrate REASON!
You KNOW it
'
s a Myth
This Season, Celebrate REASON!
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