tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82285342502320923452024-02-21T04:10:40.494-08:00SD SHOUT (San Diego Secular Humanist Outreach): News and DiscussionsThis is a place for San Diegans, and anyone else with an interest, to discuss secularism. We'll periodically post news headlines, excerpts, and anything else of interest. Feel free to chime in with your own opinion.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-82716393795229953522011-06-30T22:09:00.000-07:002011-06-30T22:09:18.062-07:00Madonna Mural No More (for now)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkU_3h_W8PTKNmLey6HSm5Ob-lVpatrkemIZJeoJvD0epwu-a349r0uyQ9uqSP-IeySvMKfx2tPcK4LdNxADNSR6JrB3gF2n-1V3oKCGzj0XG6Y0VT3HckmlMgAYLrvccVtuttysxg9Zx/s1600/Update-Blog-Posts-300x266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkU_3h_W8PTKNmLey6HSm5Ob-lVpatrkemIZJeoJvD0epwu-a349r0uyQ9uqSP-IeySvMKfx2tPcK4LdNxADNSR6JrB3gF2n-1V3oKCGzj0XG6Y0VT3HckmlMgAYLrvccVtuttysxg9Zx/s1600/Update-Blog-Posts-300x266.jpg" /></a></div>The saga of the Surfing Madonna Mural of Encinitas has reached a conclusion (for now). The artist responsible <a href="http://thecoastnews.com/view/full_story/14529610/article-Future-of-%E2%80%98Surfing-Madonna%E2%80%99--uncertain?instance=coast_2nd_top_story">came forward</a> and supervised its removal. For now there are no plans to re-install the piece, so it will be sitting in the artist's garage. sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-79193892389818325792011-05-31T20:40:00.000-07:002011-05-31T20:40:08.724-07:00A visit to the Surfin' Madonna in Encinitas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ5abH9kHp2J6C__v4hJdITWBIuXpozGf9pt7e2KBHqEeHz3dD-shVBNpvSFPgbH_oBM44lZDXJEUjucbOVofzEfYyW0i_QqXpQlvdAzAZ8cgVaQnplBUKh4ooIxzwsOQWPmGmw-SDCw-/s1600/001r.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ5abH9kHp2J6C__v4hJdITWBIuXpozGf9pt7e2KBHqEeHz3dD-shVBNpvSFPgbH_oBM44lZDXJEUjucbOVofzEfYyW0i_QqXpQlvdAzAZ8cgVaQnplBUKh4ooIxzwsOQWPmGmw-SDCw-/s320/001r.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCIurvLrsS8ii2A8ddDFqAHbZ9Jbsz-h3mk3KDDwgjpJ0NjHzakQ4UQFncU7HYD2Ljq8v-AO6ZEuB708mNU1zb1Ibp6Uv0a0DxDT0J6iO8a8HSbTx4D5jpb2sbxSNfcWerhzkEesBLAK6/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCIurvLrsS8ii2A8ddDFqAHbZ9Jbsz-h3mk3KDDwgjpJ0NjHzakQ4UQFncU7HYD2Ljq8v-AO6ZEuB708mNU1zb1Ibp6Uv0a0DxDT0J6iO8a8HSbTx4D5jpb2sbxSNfcWerhzkEesBLAK6/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We took a quick trip to Encinitas to have a look at the Surfing Mary mosaic. An up-close examination immediately reveals that the quality of the art is excellent. And we encountered a constant stream of visitors to the site. Is it reverential? Is it poking fun at a religious figure? Unlike the Mount Soledad Cross, this picture does not seem to be claiming the town for Jesus Christ. Whatever the interpretation, it may eventually find itself <a href="http://thecoastnews.com/view/full_story/13473130/article-Surfing-Madonna-is-in-eye-of-the-beholder?instance=coast_more_news">removed</a>. The mosaic enlivens an otherwise drab overpass, but whoever put it up did not go through proper channels and procedures. sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-75270388565924524332011-05-11T21:11:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:27:19.348-07:00Studying the world of secular people<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ1LDhxn15wAa9K3AfP4tYx7mXPv533GXfJyPi7Ix3ttFP23XCLQCgoTg3OiR_4vL8PUyiqMVLh9y7rjHRXTfn_8yXKQOogX7hUJUriBkStTBizEPDwSrX8BxJVKvxNmq-46TFhfk00m6/s1600/350px-Pitzercollege_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ1LDhxn15wAa9K3AfP4tYx7mXPv533GXfJyPi7Ix3ttFP23XCLQCgoTg3OiR_4vL8PUyiqMVLh9y7rjHRXTfn_8yXKQOogX7hUJUriBkStTBizEPDwSrX8BxJVKvxNmq-46TFhfk00m6/s320/350px-Pitzercollege_sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Pitzer College is a small (approx 1000 students) that is part of the Claremont Colleges (a university divided into five colleges). Located near Los Angeles, it has won some degree of prestige. The 2011 US News and World Report College Rankings, for example, placed Pitzer College as the 46th overall best liberal arts college. Now it is adding a department for secular studies, and will probably be the first college to offer a major course of study in secular sociology. As the founder <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/us/08secular.html">explains</a>:<br />
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<blockquote> “It’s not about arguing ‘Is there a God or not?’ ” Mr. Zuckerman said. “There are hundreds of millions of people who are nonreligious. I want to know who they are, what they believe, why they are nonreligious. You have some countries where huge percentages of people — Czechs, Scandinavians — now call themselves atheists. Canada is experiencing a huge wave of secularization. This is happening very rapidly. <br />
“It has not been studied,” he added. </blockquote>Will SD Shout come under study?sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-2696475218303250112011-05-05T21:21:00.000-07:002011-05-05T21:21:16.699-07:00Another National Day of Prayer has Passed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkJTFxh0Rd6wnJzPTHYRrI6S246gAFnMYTjjucB0alQM7NWM_IzHS8PAMx81KJGEOMHLOjrfhhMLAyGVZudUyv4zVd2IDZ8NdjH00_AX002joXERj5v1BHI3s-sKxWfdUOE1cQqo9-921/s1600/National-Day-of-Prayer-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkJTFxh0Rd6wnJzPTHYRrI6S246gAFnMYTjjucB0alQM7NWM_IzHS8PAMx81KJGEOMHLOjrfhhMLAyGVZudUyv4zVd2IDZ8NdjH00_AX002joXERj5v1BHI3s-sKxWfdUOE1cQqo9-921/s1600/National-Day-of-Prayer-300x225.jpg" /></a></div>For those not up-to-date on the world of <i>euche</i>, today was the National Day of Prayer. Read about this day in previous entries <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/05/national-day-of-prayer-is-here.html">here</a>, <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/05/video-summing-up-our-position-on.html">here</a> and <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/04/tiny-step-toward-army-not-driven-by.html">here</a>. Joining the commemoration this year was our own Governor Jerry Brown, who issued this:<br />
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<div align="center"><strong>PROCLAMATION</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA</strong></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left">I ask all Californians to seek out the moving words of our President who has proclaimed May 5, 2011 as a “National Day of Prayer.” President Obama invites “all citizens of our Nation, as their own faith or conscience directs them, to join in giving thanks for the many blessings we enjoy.”<br />
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A National Day of Prayer is an occasion for each of us to reflect more deeply on the eternal verities and those matters which transcend our everyday routines. Through prayer, one opens the heart and stills the mind so that the Divine Presence may be directly encountered. </div><div align="left">I encourage Californians to participate in this day in the manner that is most appropriate to their own religious or spiritual beliefs and experience. </div><div align="left">NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2011, as a “Day of Prayer” in California.</div><div align="left">IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 5th day of May 2011.</div>sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-76919796249077288032011-05-01T22:46:00.000-07:002011-05-01T22:48:37.145-07:00Religion makes a public art appearance in Encinitas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHPIr5-gJgJDQ4qjRNWDctpi23PCbUdJJEK-_fP2QG8J0yNlA9MrT3sjPPJTA-5XnYQFE3lvxDhfSD6qbL1nprtLGAkOtQeCl4UnX5zgGrXo62sWMjlicrPiDnc32B6pQShow_hBcUh36/s1600/KS9O__MG_5701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHPIr5-gJgJDQ4qjRNWDctpi23PCbUdJJEK-_fP2QG8J0yNlA9MrT3sjPPJTA-5XnYQFE3lvxDhfSD6qbL1nprtLGAkOtQeCl4UnX5zgGrXo62sWMjlicrPiDnc32B6pQShow_hBcUh36/s320/KS9O__MG_5701.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A group posing as maintenance workers recently<a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8099625"> installed</a> an interesting mural under a bridge in Encinitas. Made to resemble stained glass, it depicts Mary, in the pose of Our Lady of Guadalupe, riding a surfboard in an impressive wave. The fate of the mural is undecided for now since the anonymous group did not go through city or county channels, and it is therefore basically graffiti. <br />
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Religion, along with its stories and figures, is eminently valid material for art. And unlike the Mount Soledad Easter Cross, this mural is clearly an artistic work rather than a call for public recognition of a religion.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-74500958451737238592011-03-22T22:46:00.000-07:002011-03-22T22:46:31.995-07:00A refresher on the history of some (non-native) religions in San Diego<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8UZ817WOoXoshRWWpT6ePAV4hIsEgN2pirREsG9owO7PHoph6krYDBXfU_KgbUYkXhfGuM4vf4QSQlmB0WHPW_MocOC5a8RlCtKlMfVuhIliRbMT87AMIG6rW47cMGDJNv_FQjjdCmgx/s1600/church-in-old-town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8UZ817WOoXoshRWWpT6ePAV4hIsEgN2pirREsG9owO7PHoph6krYDBXfU_KgbUYkXhfGuM4vf4QSQlmB0WHPW_MocOC5a8RlCtKlMfVuhIliRbMT87AMIG6rW47cMGDJNv_FQjjdCmgx/s320/church-in-old-town.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>From a review of San Diego <a href="http://www.sandiegohistory.org/books/smythe/6-1.htm">history</a> published in 1908:<br />
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<b>Catholics</b>: San Diego was originally a Catholic mission, later abandoned and Old Town became secularized, and in the late 1840's, according to records, a priest arrived to lead a congregation. They built a church, and then replaced it in 1858 with the Church of the Immaculate Conception (shown above). There was a succession of priests, and then Father Antonio Urbach held office from 1866 to 1908. He oversaw the growth of San Diego from small settlement to town (San Diego City's population in 1860: 771; in 1900: 17,700). Part of this growth was moving out of Old Town and into St Joseph's Cathedral in what is now downtown (at the time it was "Horton's Addition", located to the west of San Diego).<br />
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<b>Protestants</b>: The first Protestant service was held in Old Town in 1853, led by an Episcopalian army chaplain. When that Reverend left, services became sporadic as occasional itinerant preachers came through town. Only in 1868, did a minister arrive to take over. He cleaned the abandoned army barracks and held services there, until the first Episcopalian church in San Diego went up in 1869 (now the Cathedral Church of St Paul). <br />
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At nearly the same time, a succession of Methodist ministers held services in various locations, and then in the first Methodist Church in 1870. In 1887 they tore that church down and put up a gigantic (for that time) three-story building with mixed use for the church and businesses, and then sold off that building when they outgrew it in 1905. The First Methodist Episcopal Church opened downtown in 1906, and the congregation then moved to Mission Valley in 1964. The Mission Valley location has an original stained glass window, a cornerstone, and other pieces of the 1906 church on display.<br />
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The first Baptist church saw service in 1869, on Seventh Street between F and G (today that area is parking lots and hotels). The second, larger Baptist church went up in 1888 on Tenth and E (again, long gone). By 1900, the Baptist congregation boasted a membership of almost 700. Also in 1869, a small Presbyterian church was built on Eighth and D, and they also moved to a new facility in 1888. <br />
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<b>Jews</b>: An article in the San Diego Herald in 1851 reported that the three Israelites of San Diego were observing the Day of Atonement. The first congregation, with 18 members, began renting spaces for holiday observances in 1872. With the temporary population boom of the late 1880's, the Jewish population of San Diego was over 300. In 1889, the congregation (then organized as Beth Israel) built a facility on Beech and Second. But the congregation diminished with the economic and population collapse of the 1890's, and there was no rabbi and only sporadic services for two decades. With local prosperity things turned around, and Beth Israel moved to a new place in 1926. The old temple went through several owners, including a Spiritualist group led by a psychic, then fell into disrepair before being declared San Diego Historic Site Number 82 in 1973, and Beth Israel bought the site back for renovation.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-9672454837832884592011-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:002011-03-07T00:01:46.172-08:00Lomaland and equality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEPosflGwyKnNpx5f7Cj0G3Ye7KzdDaioEE2XMoCCtlGWwa_7GpLq0n_r0L7zgxxgqAbSf51dXSOakqdFiCXuFxH-rywg2ZV1veudy6bk1rvGddnEd3OofzjE-AnX7oZNP74u4UC8mn68/s1600/lomalnad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEPosflGwyKnNpx5f7Cj0G3Ye7KzdDaioEE2XMoCCtlGWwa_7GpLq0n_r0L7zgxxgqAbSf51dXSOakqdFiCXuFxH-rywg2ZV1veudy6bk1rvGddnEd3OofzjE-AnX7oZNP74u4UC8mn68/s320/lomalnad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As Women's History Month commences, we can look back to a time in San Diego when women could not vote, serve on juries, or participate in many aspects of society. Yet there was a place in San Diego where women did have quite a measure of equality, that place being the Point Loma Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society Homestead (called Lomaland for short). <br />
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Theosophy was a movement founded in 1874 by psychic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. This was the time of the popular spiritualism that had taken hold of the nation starting with the fraudulent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_sisters">Fox sisters</a>, so the field was ripe for new seeds. As for Theosophy, it consisted of a large set of revealed truths about the individual and the universe and according to Blavatsky was a replacement for all other religions. Among the beliefs was equality between the sexes, with our eternal spirits being perpetually reincarnated in male or female bodies. For these and other reasons, Theosophy held <a href="http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/97winter/theosophical.htm">particular interest</a> for women:<br />
<blockquote> Theosophy appealed to a segment of white, middle-class, intellectual women who sought spiritual power, usefulness in the world, and greater control over their lives. Since the Theosophical Society had no ordained ministry, it opened leadership opportunities to women, "[allowing] its women and men leaders alike to travel the world lecturing and organizing. In it, women no less than men rose to the highest positions of responsibility."</blockquote>When Blavatsky died, she was replaced by William Judge, and when Judge died Katherine Tingley took over. Tingley had only joined the Theosophical Society two years previously, but she convinced the leadership that she was channeling Judge's spirit, and he was giving her full control of the organization. Having declared herself absolute authority over the movement for life, she instituted changes such as shutting down the national branches and concentrating resources in the new national headquarters in Point Loma. The Theosophists arrived in the late 1890's and would stay for almost half of a century, with thirty of those years under Tingley's control. Lomaland became particularly known as a place of culture, with regular patronage of the arts and well-cultivated lands serving as an attraction for San Diego residents looking for a pleasant day out. <br />
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Lomaland operated as a commune, with the role of women different from that of general society, but not too different. While a woman herself, Tingley had a Victorian sense of morality that colored the original Theosophical doctrine. She believed women did belong in the home, and other than Tingley, the rest of the leadership in Lomaland were mostly men. Yet conditions were better for women and other minorities in Lomaland, they could find acknowledgment as fully-functioning human beings, and at least sixty percent of the residents were usually women. <br />
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In today's parlance, we would refer to Lomaland as a cult, and contemporaries looked upon it askance. A Los Angeles Times headline from 1901 blared: "Outrages at Point Loma; Exposed by an 'Escape' from Tingley. Startling Tales told in this City. Women and Children Starved and Treated Like Convicts. Thrilling Rescue."<span> Tingley sued for libel and defamation and won, but the sentiment was not eradicated. Tingley died in 1929, just before the decline of Lomaland. Her successor loosened her authoritarian dictates, but liberalization proved disastrous. He brought back the national lodges for example, which took resources from Lomaland. The uniforms and other strict rules were lifted, and the colony began to dissolve. By 1941, there were about 130 residents left in Lomaland, most of whom were elderly. The property moved into foreclosure and the society moved to the Los Angeles area.</span><br />
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<span>What can we make of Lomaland and its morality? As a religion with revealed wisdom, the Theosophy leadership could create rules that cut through the strictures holding society back. As such, the commune was particularly attractive to the underserved of society, such as women. But not all of the rules were positive and healthy, and while the status of women could be changed in the law, how do you change a universal truth revealed by spirits? And, of course, there is the matter that Theosophy was, as a whole, made-up nonsense and adherents were wasting time in its study. As Humanists we can recognize the good that religious orders are capable of providing, but we can also see that the associated baggage is often too great a burden. Better to work out a morality from rationality rather than proclamation in order to create a just society that will serve all of its members.</span>sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-30816110680351841132011-02-10T23:55:00.000-08:002011-02-10T23:55:27.503-08:00Civil rights activists, not who you think<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcOkXmRDdvV7gI7EPXKWFdd-3dPlBcoArQGuU3Hsaa1-BRG5BAMP2ADGzaaOmtNwCcbmbMw5v3XKccmXmNVn00-kUGuOl4umonWy0_sbDnwt87fcbgBHglm-A3GLhVHnrRtY-htYLtx8u/s1600/civil_rights_march_19651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcOkXmRDdvV7gI7EPXKWFdd-3dPlBcoArQGuU3Hsaa1-BRG5BAMP2ADGzaaOmtNwCcbmbMw5v3XKccmXmNVn00-kUGuOl4umonWy0_sbDnwt87fcbgBHglm-A3GLhVHnrRtY-htYLtx8u/s320/civil_rights_march_19651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last week Dallin Oaks, one of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles (and therefore a "prophet, seer and revelator") at the head of the Mormon Church, gave a <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/05/local/la-me-beliefs-mormon-20110205">speech</a> at Chapman University (a Christian college in Orange County with a law school) which dwelt on a common theme among those who would govern from faith: the freedom of others is impinging on my freedom of religion. Oaks was, tellingly, a judge on the Utah State Supreme Court (1980 to 1984) and the audience of 800 law students and others, also tellingly, applauded. In the talk, Oaks called the workers supporting California's Proposition Eight, which ended same-sex marriages, the new civil rights workers.<br />
<blockquote>In his speech and in an interview, Oaks said he didn't want to dwell on same-sex marriage. But the examples he cited of intrusions on religious liberty were almost all related to that debate. </blockquote><br />
But these arguments reveal more about the arguer than about the subject at hand. Religious freedom is only under attack if you consider controlling society to be part of your religion. As one writer from a Mormon background <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/joannabrooks/4223/mormon_leader%3A_religious_freedom_under_attack_by_gay_rights/">wrote</a> about Oaks' presentation <br />
<br />
<blockquote>... What are the evidences that religious freedom is under legal attack in the United States? He cited a few cases (some of the same ones used in scare-tactic ads from the now-discredited National Organization for Marriage) but none of them pertains to the rights of churches or private individuals (acting as private individuals) to create and maintain their own religious beliefs and practices. </blockquote><blockquote>... In his address, Oaks clarified that the major threat to religious freedom was actually “moral relativism.” But where some see the decadence of “moral relativism,” I see the advancement of religious pluralism and the erosion of a conservative religious prerogative to define public life. </blockquote>Unfortunately, for some Californians these debates are not merely academic and have had real-world deleterious effects. Time will tell if Humanists can keep these losses from mounting.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-33944179525252169802011-01-20T17:13:00.000-08:002011-01-20T17:14:01.344-08:00Mount Soledad Cross history, in outline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cNaN8v8vaprzJY20TL3VpiD8BgO0mO8H9kVccDdlCONfAg-9BSzWJF2Zd6Uj_RmJfrDtcDlCEniaDv_VVDpBzJmQ3i2OTv8mL08gCr9HTMrUVQdKi-x6N4MtAASauOIG7A62O2sg-vrl/s1600/flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cNaN8v8vaprzJY20TL3VpiD8BgO0mO8H9kVccDdlCONfAg-9BSzWJF2Zd6Uj_RmJfrDtcDlCEniaDv_VVDpBzJmQ3i2OTv8mL08gCr9HTMrUVQdKi-x6N4MtAASauOIG7A62O2sg-vrl/s1600/flag.jpg" /></a></div>The cross atop Mount Soleded is under scrutiny with a court ruling that it is unconstitutional. But there have been similar rulings before. Here, for brevity, is a timeline of the cross gleaned from internet sources. You may supply your own narrative.<br />
<br />
* 1913: Citizens place first cross placed at pinnacle of Mount Soledad, made of wood<br />
* 1923: Cross stolen, returned, burned down by Ku Klux Klan<br />
* 1934: Group places second cross, stucco over wooden frame<br />
* 1952: Wind blows down cross<br />
* 1954: Concrete cross placed, dedicated Easter Sunday<br />
* 1950’s to 1980’s: “The Mount Soledad Easter Cross” is the scene of annual Easter services<br />
* 1989: Philip Paulson begins lawsuit against city over the cross<br />
* 1989: Plaque placed indicating the cross is a War Memorial<br />
* 1991: Judge Gordon Thompson rules the cross violates the California State Constitution<br />
* 1992: Voters approve Prop. F, to transfer the land to a non-profit corporation<br />
* 1993: City appeals 1991 ruling, City asks for ruling from all 28 judges, judges unanimously vote to uphold ruling<br />
* 1994: City sells 24 square feet at base of cross for $24,000 to association, no bids<br />
* 1994: City appeals previous rulings to Supreme Court, which declines to hear case<br />
* 1997: Judge Thompson rules the land sale violated California Constitution, gives City 30 days to remove cross<br />
* 1998: City accepts bids for the land, sells to highest bidder for $106,000<br />
* 2000: Judge Thompson approves sale, but Court of Appeals rules that the sale violated the California Constitution<br />
* 2003: Supreme Court declines to hear City’s petition<br />
* 2004: Plaintiffs and Association reach agreement to remove cross, City Council approves motion that if upcoming Prop. K loses, the agreement will go forward<br />
* 2004: Voters reject Prop. K, which would have approved sale of land<br />
* 2004: Congressional law allows the Department of the Interior to accept the land and the cross<br />
* 2005: City Council declines to give the land to the Federal Government<br />
* 2006: Federal Government takes cross using eminent domain law<br />
* 2006: Philip Paulson, who began the suits nearly twenty years earlier, dies<br />
* 2008: Federal judge rules that the cross can stay because a cross is a general symbol, not specifically Christain<br />
* 2011: Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit) rules that cross violates constitutionsdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-20594928712097447862011-01-03T06:56:00.000-08:002011-01-03T06:57:38.818-08:00Getting in on the ending action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QZ0SyV55_vFxhnlHSL9_P2qflSQWD8E4ScwSXsbhGYFWJnYSm0Dou_Zfr1jLFHmTlqRXPwixKXOCK1iyP3akJWkHX3AAINJ5zeqzbm95WnwYJPbY73PipJK1vmM6QWFfQNi6b4g7zi2T/s1600/Bye-Bye_Time.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QZ0SyV55_vFxhnlHSL9_P2qflSQWD8E4ScwSXsbhGYFWJnYSm0Dou_Zfr1jLFHmTlqRXPwixKXOCK1iyP3akJWkHX3AAINJ5zeqzbm95WnwYJPbY73PipJK1vmM6QWFfQNi6b4g7zi2T/s320/Bye-Bye_Time.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Another group is traveling the country proclaiming the end of the world. This time the date is May 21, 2011, as calculated by Harold Camping, 89 year old retired engineer and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/03/AR2011010300453.html">preacher of the Word</a>:<br />
<blockquote>"Beyond the shadow of a doubt, May 21 will be the date of the Rapture and the day of judgment," he said.</blockquote>In more detail, the Rapture will be on May 21, and the Destruction on October 21. For more explanations, visit their <a href="http://www.wecanknow.com/">website</a>:<br />
<blockquote>Study the proofs that God has so graciously given in His Word showing us that these dates are 100% accurate and beyond dispute.</blockquote>But keep in mind the poor history of past Rapture <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/06/jesus-probablydefinitely-will-return-by.html">predictions</a>. And recall that the Book of Revelation was a strange Bible add-on that the early Christian leaders tried to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-End-World-Controversial-Civilization/dp/0061349879/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294066328&sr=1-5">quash</a>. And as an added bonus, the Rapture is a more recent tale put together from other Bible statements that contradicts the Book of Revelation. I.e., as a Humanist, fill your time with other pursuits.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-46690450866076583822010-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:002010-12-20T21:49:53.877-08:00The important secular contribution of Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWKH0UTVuhfheOzt504S0JYTqNMjOBKwiz2lh4Xt3KqJSyJqEhyphenhyphenDLLqvNiZ2892mALfm_OKya48ukeeG-OBirPQPRQEGl7jkvW7m_TYXoZ5ji8qMHOHRomgh-p9CP7JC3zw9Ny1vSNkRW/s1600/OBX.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWKH0UTVuhfheOzt504S0JYTqNMjOBKwiz2lh4Xt3KqJSyJqEhyphenhyphenDLLqvNiZ2892mALfm_OKya48ukeeG-OBirPQPRQEGl7jkvW7m_TYXoZ5ji8qMHOHRomgh-p9CP7JC3zw9Ny1vSNkRW/s320/OBX.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The U.S. Census Bureau presents some<a href="http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff23.html"> interesting facts</a> about the Christmas Season (December 2009):<br />
<ul><li> Sales at department stores rose 45% over November</li>
<li> Bookstore sales were up 98%</li>
<li>Jewelery store sales increased 135% over the previous month</li>
<li>$30 billion in sales for on-line and mail order shopping, more than any other month in 2009</li>
<li>On-line and mail-order shopping consisted of 21,895 businesses (as of 2008), employing 332,405 people </li>
</ul>And <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/20/holiday-shoppers-spending-more-yet-caution-reigns/">here in San Diego County</a>, retail sales are 9% ahead of where they were last year:<br />
<blockquote> Since the beginning of September, retailers have added 3,700 workers, compared to 1,100 last year. By November, there were 500 more workers at retail stores than the previous November, marking the first year-to-year gain in monthly employment in the retail industry since August 2007.</blockquote><br />
<ul></ul><br />
<ul></ul>sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-52843319269677924542010-12-12T18:36:00.000-08:002010-12-12T18:36:36.549-08:00San Diego's Holy Men at work for the Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRrUX9xYFaDpxlx6SpvqfcK_17J5WgepL8KuCw-X0Wkrta4vGDSVDbItT6961x_dP8VYOLH9fbn59RjHx6Jbd_6UMbTYTEXVLJGFAIzcpdOtMrLC6TwkgHVhq8rO2HQUMBWlJrL0g7Y59/s1600/prejean-mcphers.therock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRrUX9xYFaDpxlx6SpvqfcK_17J5WgepL8KuCw-X0Wkrta4vGDSVDbItT6961x_dP8VYOLH9fbn59RjHx6Jbd_6UMbTYTEXVLJGFAIzcpdOtMrLC6TwkgHVhq8rO2HQUMBWlJrL0g7Y59/s320/prejean-mcphers.therock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDw0POpc0N70gCo5iC7R1O1x2Y2lAZSF7G-6Ls7BaeMETNa8RbLa0eFJAV-dxdopqXSJBq7BcWMHv3PlKdmu8lIgkmI_SFVl8sL6bLjWds8NteZg76D2czlU7M9hGv-Z8VgwGJzx4zGifm/s1600/OBX.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Back in 1984, San Diego Chargers defensive back Miles McPherson used religious faith to help overcome drug addiction, and then entered the ministering field himself in the early 1990's. First he founded an evangelical organization called "Miles Ahead", and then in 2000 he created The Rock Church. The first service drew over 3,000, and the nascent church quickly found a place in the modern megachurch movement. Today The Rock Church boasts an average weekly attendance of around 12,000. Fun Fact: The Rock Church facility on Rosecrans Street is 443 feet long and 45 feet high, just like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah%27s_Ark">Noah's Ark</a> (300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, 30 cubits tall, with a cubit about 0.5 m).<br />
<br />
Like other modern megachurches, The Rock Church presents a positive message and a focus on good works without much political commentary. Yes, at base they are trying to believe in tales that are as made up as Star Trek (but with less applicability to the modern world). But they are also able to motivate large charitable campaigns, such as park clean-ups, involving thousands of person-hours of work. And this week was their annual Christmas-themed <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101210/san-diego-megachurch-to-give-out-10-000-toystons-of-food/">event</a> of giving away 10,000 toys and 60,000 pounds of food. So good for them, and let's hope that they can keep their beliefs in place. As Humanists, however, we can also see that religion is bound to take over more and more of one's life and interfere in society. Also, just as the religious feel compelled to proselytize, we can argue for the need to use secular reasoning when setting policy.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-12384612035916726262010-12-09T07:50:00.000-08:002010-12-09T07:50:44.993-08:00Your representatives at work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOgum2cveHJWQFoeIGsd11q5fEV1Hhq3EEveBAo9o68a4f5T5bvUzFKV8uVckjSqbHzjd8xNtfnVF0ifrfAhkTSc9VXiYtv7dAG-jyin6CZQ5Ui7-WV8EZ3X07h5RmV7Dr7mfIE4xqjOl/s1600/rabbits-are-lazy-12704-1243562076-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOgum2cveHJWQFoeIGsd11q5fEV1Hhq3EEveBAo9o68a4f5T5bvUzFKV8uVckjSqbHzjd8xNtfnVF0ifrfAhkTSc9VXiYtv7dAG-jyin6CZQ5Ui7-WV8EZ3X07h5RmV7Dr7mfIE4xqjOl/s320/rabbits-are-lazy-12704-1243562076-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In 2005 a group of Congressional Representatives gathered to form the <a href="http://forbes.house.gov/PrayerCaucus/">Congressional Prayer Caucus</a>, which lists among its goals as protecting our dwindling right to pray and the acknowledgment that the history and laws of our country have a basis in the Divine. Among its 68 members is California's own <a href="http://garymiller.house.gov/">Gary Miller</a>, representing part of the in-land Los Angeles metropolitan area. <br />
<br />
Now this group has issued a<a href="http://forbes.house.gov/UploadedFiles/National_Motto_Letter_to_President.pdf"> letter</a> with 48 signatures of Representatives (although not Gary Miller's) to chide President Obama for his lack of religious content in his speeches. In particular, Obama called the national motto "E pluribus Unum" rather than "In God we trust". Then he left out "Creator" when reciting a line from the Declaration of Independence. As the letter points out:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><span class="middlecopy">“Once may be a mistake. But twice is a pattern. These omissions and inaccuracies are a part of a larger pattern we are seeing with the President where he is inaccurately reflecting America and undercutting important parts of our nation’s history,” said Forbes. “Trust in God is embedded into the fabric of society and history in the United States. If we allow these threads to be pulled, we will begin to unravel the very freedoms that birthed America.”</span></blockquote>This group could be merely exercising personal choice and freedom to worship as they please. But leaving religion within personal boundaries is rarely achieved. That they would state that religion and the right to pray is under attack in itself is evidence that they see a more central role for religion in society and law.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-75245694915072393342010-12-01T09:13:00.000-08:002010-12-01T09:13:16.512-08:00Confidence or arrogance?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSf76YSko6hGrAi1Il6fI_N5PZvhsC0OIDcGpqJO1k1bDiObcJMQae-OqueK5ozUlQu8zAWwLCSsZopuj6FWuPW3kmMA1smvWP5kXpn-650f4upHXZc8cozxUH_I75tUF9FjQLbWYs05R9/s1600/112810atheists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSf76YSko6hGrAi1Il6fI_N5PZvhsC0OIDcGpqJO1k1bDiObcJMQae-OqueK5ozUlQu8zAWwLCSsZopuj6FWuPW3kmMA1smvWP5kXpn-650f4upHXZc8cozxUH_I75tUF9FjQLbWYs05R9/s320/112810atheists.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>An atheist group has put up a billboard with the image above in New Jersey, prompting some <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/11/28/athiest_billboard_calls_nativity_a.php">accusations</a> of <a href="http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/billboard-at-the-lincoln-tunnel-celebrates-atheism">insensitivity</a>. In response a Catholic group has <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/12/01/catholic_leage_counters_american_at.php">placed</a> a billboard nearby this one stating "You know it's real, this season celebrate Jesus." Most passing drivers take little notice:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>The Post found a few motorists who actually paid attention to billboards enough to have an opinion. One woman said, "We agree, Jesus is the reason for the season," but a Catholic man said he wishes the Catholic League didn't get into this pissing contest. "It doesn’t need to be plastered on a billboard," said Michael Gerber. "I should be able to celebrate in my own way. And if it’s tit for tat, it defeats the spirit of Christmas."</blockquote>Are atheists becoming arrogant? Are they the mirror image of fundamentalist believers? All religions are implicitly (or explicitly) calling all other religions incorrect. And the religious would say that atheism is yet another belief among many, and while it may believe itself to be special, is not. An atheist would counter that atheism is not a belief but a lack of belief. <br />
<br />
The Humanist position is mostly outside of this argument. Humanism looks to secular reasons upon which to base law and society. People can still have their beliefs in revealed thruths if they find comfort in them. Some of the religious find this position unacceptable; all of society must follow the precepts of their religious truth. This is what leads to the "mostly" in the previous statement. Whether arrogant or not, or even if a particular religion turns out to be true, Humanists work to keep religion from encroaching into secular areas.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-16341409444328610622010-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:002010-11-25T09:51:28.013-08:00Evoking tolerance to excuse intolerance at the international level<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdi8tnlc3cs_pXjH5-SqX02lQ7lOyDB2XiL_z1GSnNGxicw5IqIW96lShVaJzjUlNaFTJL-eAwCjWgYzPVyVEQWJCEx8nKweKtjmHzSQ3Ssv87T1vKLcWWjnbjcmOZmLqik0XJY8eUeNh/s1600/Maria_Stephens_-_FREE_1191783043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdi8tnlc3cs_pXjH5-SqX02lQ7lOyDB2XiL_z1GSnNGxicw5IqIW96lShVaJzjUlNaFTJL-eAwCjWgYzPVyVEQWJCEx8nKweKtjmHzSQ3Ssv87T1vKLcWWjnbjcmOZmLqik0XJY8eUeNh/s320/Maria_Stephens_-_FREE_1191783043.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>As it has every year since 1999, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, a group of 56 Islamic states, has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2317181720101123">proposed</a> a ban on the defamation of religion at the United Nations. Last year the vote was 81 to 55 in favor, while this year the vote was a less favorable 76 to 64. The resolution has changed over years in search of a workable formulation:<br />
<blockquote><span id="articleText"> The resolution was amended from versions passed in previous years in an attempt to secure support from Western nations. Instead of defamation of religion, it speaks of "vilification." It also condemned acts of violence and intimidation due to "Islamophobia, Judeophobia and Christianophobia."<br />
<span id="midArticle_6"></span> Last year's resolution, as in previous years, focused on Islam and did not mention Judaism and Christianity.</span></blockquote>The United States and the other non-Muslim states have generally opposed these resolutions as a limit on freedom of speech. As the US envoy to the UN committee noted<br />
<blockquote><span id="articleText">"The resolution still seeks to curtail and penalize speech," he said. "The changes ... unfortunately do not get to the heart of our concerns -- the text's negative implications for both freedom of religion and freedom of expression."</span></blockquote>Within some of the 56 Islamic states, themselves hardly exemplars of freedom and tolerance, any statement that the beliefs of Islam are not true is vilification and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/pakistan/101124/pakistan-death-sentence-blasphemy">unacceptable</a>. The argument reduces to one of worldview. On one side, religious law supersedes secular rights, while the other side reverses the order. A Humanist would look to secular reasoning above revealed law. So from a Humanist perspective these seemingly tolerant, accommodating and pacific resolutions are not advisable.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-1474497194622939682010-11-21T17:40:00.000-08:002010-11-22T11:52:54.993-08:00Don't take religious proclamations too seriously<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMacLE6GteS63N-LulEhonmTmzSiD8yIedA5aNapC2n-0bkP_qvdzJEc3orTUmX0iEBegG2tX0zwiHohql82wh92qSV1bVIc4WsnXVDev-W1DHz-30RKqm0hbpUzqHgcObz8clEuZpG5O/s1600/oops+sign+bubble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMacLE6GteS63N-LulEhonmTmzSiD8yIedA5aNapC2n-0bkP_qvdzJEc3orTUmX0iEBegG2tX0zwiHohql82wh92qSV1bVIc4WsnXVDev-W1DHz-30RKqm0hbpUzqHgcObz8clEuZpG5O/s320/oops+sign+bubble.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Catholic Church has proscribed the use of any birth control devices since the beginning, and has reaffirmed this doctrine in modern times. According the Papal encyclical "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casti_Connubii">Castii Connubii</a>" of 1930:<br />
<blockquote>...any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin.</blockquote>The 1966 Papal Commission on Birth Control voted 30 to 5 to allows some use, but Pope Paul VI vetoed this result. His reasoning including, among others, that such a ruling would allow forced sterilization by governments, and would encourage the abuse and exploitation of women. But the overriding reasons were simply moral. <br />
<br />
Now Pope Benedict XVI has <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/catholicism/?story=/news/feature/2010/11/21/eu_pope_condoms_1">stated </a> in an interview that, in some cases, condom use may not be prohibited. A Church spokesperson is downplaying the significance of the change:<br />
<blockquote>Lombardi noted that the pope emphasized the church's main advice in the fight against AIDS -- sexual abstinence and fidelity among married couples. He cited Benedict's words that the church "of course does not regard it (condom use) as a real or moral solution." </blockquote>As for the idea that this use is not a "real" solution, this is an example of changing the facts to fit the conclusions. Of course condom use is a real solution to lower the spread of AIDS and to reap the benefits, economic and otherwise, of limited family sizes. The bottom line is to live your life as you see fit by rational principles. Following rules that make little sense simple because someone says he had a vision can lead to regret. As society changes, those visions tend to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_polygamy">update</a> as well.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-48045708242120009632010-11-16T22:24:00.000-08:002010-11-16T22:24:21.910-08:00Doubt in the pulpit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0AyQ3dxBm0RU1x5bhAfGPY9ZRdKUsp1K9y5JVjZ9Ge_jaJ0wgUX70jIZu9IFlEHOSIKGmKU7UxOTRtfBe_MedVDj6kh6D9nyYOFOHplgfnt_TRFq62wXjTGf5Cas4JxB2aUy7wGst1Jf/s1600/CarBreakdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0AyQ3dxBm0RU1x5bhAfGPY9ZRdKUsp1K9y5JVjZ9Ge_jaJ0wgUX70jIZu9IFlEHOSIKGmKU7UxOTRtfBe_MedVDj6kh6D9nyYOFOHplgfnt_TRFq62wXjTGf5Cas4JxB2aUy7wGst1Jf/s1600/CarBreakdown.jpg" /></a></div>From a non-Faith-based perspective of life, doubt about religion is inevitable. Holy Books describe frequent and undeniable interventions from Higher Powers over often small matters. Yet supernatural events that are reliable and repeatable do not occur. There are no booming voices speaking to us from the sky. These pages have <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/08/no-respite-for-holy.html">earlier described</a> the doubt this caused in Mother Theresa, who found some comfort in the idea that the apparent absence is a test. Others who have devoted their lives are also feeling doubt, although like Mother Theresa, they have strong motivations for not publicly sharing these uncertainties.<br />
<br />
Now a project led by philosopher Daniel Dennet is seeking out and interviewing professional clergy that have lost faith. As explained in the video below, the motivation is to learn more about faith by studying when it breaks down. And someone who has devoted his life to his faith, and then loses that faith is a clear case of that breakdown. Why does it happen? In the example given in this <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WN/atheist-ministers-leading-faithful/story?id=12004359&page=1">article</a>, the path to faithlessness went through a close study of the Bible:<br />
<blockquote>Jack said that 10 years ago, he started to feel his faith slipping away. He grew bothered by inconsistencies regarding the last days of Jesus' life, what he described as the improbability of stories like "Noah's Ark" and by attitudes expressed in the Bible regarding women and their place in the world. </blockquote>After learning the history of the Bible, how it was assembled, its origins in various mythological stories floating around in the ancient world, and the different versions, one does not have to be a hardened cynic to conclude it is the work of Man, not of the Divine. As Dennett explains in the talk, the people he found in the project tended to be bookish and were largely swayed by these types of written arguments. But the study is still small, as of the talk (from last year) there were only six subjects. Perhaps more practical, Mother Theresa-style doubters will also appear. But the results are already interesting to those interested in religion as a psychological and social phenomenon. This video is recommended for the description of the lives of doubting clergy, including how they maintain their positions while also keeping some measure of self-respect: <br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D_9w8JougLQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D_9w8JougLQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-55248351086659135832010-11-08T22:37:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:37:17.807-08:00Cartoon disproves Darwin?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOsz5ap6JQ_XNjJ9tZjnA3Gb_H9a8fbyJSSqA_lNN9YKgVc5RHBqUpcojmatLnsJLpjxEWXkuVZaZKqx_weOtcNXU7qHdqnF-Y3BfShLItL5wfY8kAo_oSmTep7ZdAW6VIh3wUU4A5ThS/s1600/International-Megamind-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOsz5ap6JQ_XNjJ9tZjnA3Gb_H9a8fbyJSSqA_lNN9YKgVc5RHBqUpcojmatLnsJLpjxEWXkuVZaZKqx_weOtcNXU7qHdqnF-Y3BfShLItL5wfY8kAo_oSmTep7ZdAW6VIh3wUU4A5ThS/s320/International-Megamind-Poster.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>"Megamind" is an animated movie about superheroes and supervillains that apparently has more meaning than most of us realize. Part of the story involves a character brought up in a prison and destined to be a villain, yet he overcomes this conditioning. A Christian movie reviewer<a href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=225385"> finds</a> this to be of particular interest: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>And truthfully, this is a moral worth praising, for it reflects the biblical premise that each man and woman is an autonomous moral agent, responsible to God for his or her actions (Romans 14:12; Revelation 2:23b), regardless of upbringing, economic station or even genetics. <br />
It counters secular socialism's sociological garbage that makes victims of us all and would squash the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">American</span> dream, which contends anyone in a free society through hard work and diligence can improve his station. </blockquote>Apparently, in the mind of this reviewer, those who believe in a mechanically-functioning world without supernatural influences are against the idea of free will. Only the true believers who think that Higher Powers have created us (and everything about us), are watching and are influencing, are the ones who believe in freedom. Needless to say, a Humanist would disagree. The reviewer is assuming a link between secularism and Marxism, which is apparently the source of confusion.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-69570124226663855952010-11-07T22:28:00.000-08:002010-11-07T22:28:24.381-08:00Positions from revelation against positions from rationality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Hfp66LP8baB9JoLR7kB9OlzH01OqGvEFqM4556EiEQqR6aocQUk1ZMm7x6wdU978q6tQQihx0_hsKCDq8EhgP8YxVxu_39ZUlUgHKsN5QFBopVTgVn1J2PrRVEzoea3Rpfe7jfy2Ai4A/s1600/pot-kettle-hate-lifestyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Hfp66LP8baB9JoLR7kB9OlzH01OqGvEFqM4556EiEQqR6aocQUk1ZMm7x6wdU978q6tQQihx0_hsKCDq8EhgP8YxVxu_39ZUlUgHKsN5QFBopVTgVn1J2PrRVEzoea3Rpfe7jfy2Ai4A/s320/pot-kettle-hate-lifestyle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This past week the Pope had a few <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/1107/In-Spain-Pope-Benedict-XVI-lambasts-aggressive-secularism">unkind</a> words concerning the non-religious, specifically in Spain<span id="goog_592637267"></span><span id="goog_592637268"></span>:<br />
<blockquote>“The renaissance of modern Catholicism comes mostly thanks to Spain. But it is also true that laicism, a strong and aggressive secularism was born in Spain, as we saw in the 1930s,” the Pope said on board his plane just before arriving in the northwestern coastal city of Santiago de Compostela.</blockquote>Catholicism is still the official religion of Spain, yet there have been considerable steps away from a religious basis for government policy. To have a convincing counter-argument, the Pope must draw upon more reasons to oppose gay marriage, available abortion, birth control, etc., than revelations and Natural Law. But those are the domains within which religions operate, so the Pope is stuck calling for people to do what he tells him because that's how things should be. A Humanist, however, sees the churches as places that can give inspiration to some, and help to others, but should not be given the power to impose their self-created morality on others.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-70005122196180585782010-11-04T22:46:00.000-07:002010-11-04T22:46:26.210-07:00Kerfuffle involving our Holy Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65sfaUI4btRMQWZYjJ5bvIMZBSx11me78qfjqnvihSJ2UglLGJMGYkE-V6HVpgE5vg_Ffe9EkvpTewiyKKj86WTgrDjdZ11aeOLs1eSyg3ijEGlA_9FtBHpTf2j-idus-mpCcPst2NAng/s1600/map-somalia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65sfaUI4btRMQWZYjJ5bvIMZBSx11me78qfjqnvihSJ2UglLGJMGYkE-V6HVpgE5vg_Ffe9EkvpTewiyKKj86WTgrDjdZ11aeOLs1eSyg3ijEGlA_9FtBHpTf2j-idus-mpCcPst2NAng/s320/map-somalia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In 2006, the Ethiopian army took the Islamic Courts Union out of power in Somalia. That was a group trying to exert strict Sharia law in Somalia (and into neighboring countries). An remnant called Al Shabaab (The Youth) survived and now has control of parts of Somalia, imposing a Taliban-like society. They have declared war on the UN, relief workers, other African governments and anybody not sufficiently Islamic to their standard, and are not above using Al-Qaeda-like tactics. The US State Department designates Al Shabaab as a terrorist organization and therefore illegal to support. A seemingly distant situation from America's Finest City, but there is a connection.<br />
This week, the redundantly named Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud appeared in court to face <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/03/two-san-diego-men-plead-not-guilty-helping-somali-/">charges</a> of collecting and sending $9,000 to Al Shabaab. Imam of a local Masjid (near El Cajon Blvd a little east of the 15), Mohamud is a leading figure in the local Somali community. Two other local Somali immigrants were also charged. They pleaded not guilty, and what happens with the case remains to be seen. But Al Shabaab does offer an interesting example of the conflagration that religious fervor can inspire.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-38056352724372072062010-11-01T17:09:00.000-07:002010-11-01T17:09:27.968-07:00Our local church releases records<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2ik3Lz4ZClctXAuzg18W_ggHl3uzMaT3CVdN4GdSGogHR96qNCfPeChGlVUoubHi6woLIHeikY0MKLcNjAt_TPAmNvzwnaiYj8pY1_MqGZgk4oGjH5VR2j3ahw_2O4R6hSof2bAR6ABT/s1600/estreligion_starter3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2ik3Lz4ZClctXAuzg18W_ggHl3uzMaT3CVdN4GdSGogHR96qNCfPeChGlVUoubHi6woLIHeikY0MKLcNjAt_TPAmNvzwnaiYj8pY1_MqGZgk4oGjH5VR2j3ahw_2O4R6hSof2bAR6ABT/s320/estreligion_starter3.gif" width="320" /></a></div>The erosion of the separation between church and state goes both ways. A San Diego judge has <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j93ggHYZ_MZ13h-BBBPbmBlSYpvQ?docId=3ba2cdc6ac0b4c79acf7efca9da9eba4">ruled</a> that the 10,000 documents from the Catholic Diocese of San Diego's case can now be available to the public. In September of 2007, the Diocese agreed to pay $198.1 million to abuse victims, but sought to have the records kept from the public. After three years, the church lawyers could not delay the release any longer, and they are all out for <a href="http://www.bishop-accountability.org/docs/san_diego/">perusal</a>. As expected, most of the documents are <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/25/local/la-me-priests-20101025">routine</a>,<br />
<blockquote>But the pages that do involve allegations show a pattern that has become common to clerical sexual abuse cases in other dioceses: Victims and their families were often ignored or called liars; diocese officials transferred priests when allegations were made but never contacted the police; and the San Diego Diocese found parishes for priests being transferred from elsewhere in the country to avoid allegations.</blockquote>Meanwhile, the Diocese of Los Angeles, which reached a $660 million settlement, also in 2007, is still holding up the release of their documents. The Humanist position is not to necessarily denigrate one religion over another, but to point out that while religions can help some people, they should not receive special legal dispensations due to their supposedly holy missions.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-67449734901306593982010-10-26T23:18:00.000-07:002010-10-26T23:18:02.309-07:00On this day in California religious history...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ix-AOxQCO4tzoJDUpzU59s6nh5uoDb60vNCA9xoXv9vJLoLzPgLzYXQiLsJeK9OtGQiyrmU6W8qteSIEQZhIl-DlhKhnWoKrTeHYoE4bkvISV5AhGiN5zoWsDyN6MwxGgIr0ew_09koq/s1600/450px_ErieCanal_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ix-AOxQCO4tzoJDUpzU59s6nh5uoDb60vNCA9xoXv9vJLoLzPgLzYXQiLsJeK9OtGQiyrmU6W8qteSIEQZhIl-DlhKhnWoKrTeHYoE4bkvISV5AhGiN5zoWsDyN6MwxGgIr0ew_09koq/s320/450px_ErieCanal_map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Erie Canal opened in 1825, creating a link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes, with fundamental effects on the shaping of the country. New York City and Chicago (founded 1833) became large trading centers connecting the vast inner country with the Atlantic Ocean. New Orleans, at the base of the Mississippi, saw its fortunes slip as it was replaced as the entry point into the continent. Along with the economic restructuring came a rise in fortunes along the canal, and western New York state blossomed with prosperity. With that prosperity came an interesting flowering of religious fervor.<br />
<br />
The Burned-Over District was what Presbyterian minister Charles Finney called the area, since there had been so many fervent religious movements there that there was no kindling (potential converts) left. Two of the most memorable groups that started there were the Mormons and the Millerites (followers of William Miller that eventually disbanded, although some started the Jehovah's Witnesses). Why the upsurge at that place and at that time? Besides the prosperity, New York State in the 1830's was both close to civilization while still retaining some of the character of a frontier. At the time the unknown wilderness was Illinois and Indiana. While most of the population went about their lives, the area may have attracted, and encouraged, the adventurous and the individualistic.<br />
<br />
California in the mid- to late-twentieth century had taken on the burden of the Burned-Over District, perhaps due to the same mixture of prosperity and lingering frontier atmosphere. The link between California and cults and minor religions of all types is legendary, with many noted in previous entries on this page. With the rise of the modern information age, however, physical centralization is becoming less important. People with unique ideas must no longer gather in one locale. And much of California's rapid growth is in the past. Like upper and western New York state, California is not the adventure it may have been in the past.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-9313859076781406702010-10-21T20:31:00.000-07:002010-10-21T20:31:56.153-07:00A winnowing of Southern California's holy men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQHMZP1N5a_yttryHnCcysyJL2BHTjJ5SsMcp48R_gbM_wj99hh4QyY7gq1xZVptEdXYUHT0tB17ls5u9uladDz-DK7zSxvxE_snItl29x5WTIZojA5mLTUSb3cyqc34KIni6EkksQgYw/s1600/crystal-cathedral-church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQHMZP1N5a_yttryHnCcysyJL2BHTjJ5SsMcp48R_gbM_wj99hh4QyY7gq1xZVptEdXYUHT0tB17ls5u9uladDz-DK7zSxvxE_snItl29x5WTIZojA5mLTUSb3cyqc34KIni6EkksQgYw/s320/crystal-cathedral-church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While the Saddleback Church is reaching new <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/10/decade-of-being-driven-to-purposeful.html">heights</a> of prosperity, others in the area are not on an upward trend. Earlier we found faith healer Benny Hinn <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/07/wealthy-holy-man-needs-our-help.html">asking</a> for two million dollars in donations to keep his operations running. Now the OC's original megachurch, the Crystal Cathedral, has <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/joannabrooks/3590/landmark_oc_megachurch_declares_bankruptcy_/">filed for bankruptcy</a>, declaring a $36 million mortgage and at least $7 million in other debt. Some are <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSCity7kh5MpC26ftB8wrghQ6Srg?docId=a90cc12b7a954afb9f13c45acf3af93a">blaming</a> the turn in fortunes on an inability to move with the times, which is ironic considering this church's innovative origins. <br />
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The story begins in 1955, when Robert Schuller, a 34 year-old midwestern minister living in Orange County, opened a church in a former drive-in theater. Rather than preach about sin and condemnation, he stressed a positive message, meant to inspire and give hope. While not at the level as the prosperity churches of decades later (prayer will help you win the lottery), Schuller did present an attitude that anything is possible (prayer will help you work to achieve your goals). The positivity, and the recognition of the emerging car culture, propelled the church's expansion. The message went even further with the "Hour of Power", a weekly television sermon that began in 1970. The result was the Crystal Cathedral, built from 1977 to 1980. The 1980's and 1990's were the good years for the church, but then things began to slide, with a lot of the blame going to the <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSCity7kh5MpC26ftB8wrghQ6Srg?docId=a90cc12b7a954afb9f13c45acf3af93a">aging look</a> of the service and the television show:<br />
<blockquote>Schuller and family "stayed with the organ when everyone had gone to the rock 'n' roll band. He stayed with the robes when everyone else was reinventing themselves as bishops. In a time when most megachurces are going multisite and to smaller venues, he kept building bigger buildings," Thumma said. [Scott Thumma, a sociologist of religion at the Hartford Institute of Religion Research]</blockquote>The rise and fall of these churches further underscores the message that religion is a human, and not a divine, enterprise. Whether Rick Warren is more correct than Robert Schuller concerning the divine is irrelevant, what is important is their ability to market. These churches are commercial feel-good enterprises, and the recognition of this would clear up a lot of problems (i.e., people under the impression they have the real truth).sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-67098790976759261742010-10-17T21:19:00.000-07:002010-10-17T21:19:52.186-07:00So may unsaved, so little time . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4VIY8o2HOq-4z1b5Yp1HxVaOOV7uGs8CK0Tv26pekt6Kcv0AqplFpqRICsuD49ilYtVi5JiaXzt8zzOjzySBcUJ-NWYf23Xa5V1oZBeK8u-BJTkEGizF5BJ2ewC0c2jTHmPy0r7k9AI3/s1600/JPProgressScaleMap.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4VIY8o2HOq-4z1b5Yp1HxVaOOV7uGs8CK0Tv26pekt6Kcv0AqplFpqRICsuD49ilYtVi5JiaXzt8zzOjzySBcUJ-NWYf23Xa5V1oZBeK8u-BJTkEGizF5BJ2ewC0c2jTHmPy0r7k9AI3/s320/JPProgressScaleMap.gif" width="320" /></a></div>The website of the <a href="http://www.joshuaproject.net/upgotdfeed.php">Mission to Reach Unreached People</a> points out: <br />
<blockquote>Almost 2 billion people (27.9% of the world) are still essentially cut off from access to the Gospel.</blockquote>This problem will only grow worse, so the Mission is on the case:<br />
<blockquote>We plan to stimulate the creation of hundreds of long term strategy teams globally. These strategy teams will work with Christians from around the world to encourage a broad set of innovative strategies (word evangelism, deed evangelism, prayer evangelism, business evangelism, and even miracle evangelism efforts) in the effort to promote transformational church planting movements.</blockquote>The website is notable for the extensive guide to the Unsaved Peoples of the world. For example, we can learn that the <a href="http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?rop3=101573&rog3=UV">Bolon</a> of Burkina Faso number 25,000. Yet only 3% are Christian adherents and the percentage of Evangelicals is at a minuscule 1.45%. To alleviate this situation, the page recommends <a href="http://www.prayerguard.net/index.php?page_id=11&peo3=10920&rop3=101573&rog3=UV&target=Bolon+of+Burkina%20Faso">praying</a> for churches, Bibles and other tools of ministering. <br />
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Many aspects of this Mission, and the website, strike a Humanist. First is the absolutist nature of the goal. Everybody in the world must be an Evangelical Christian. Or, to be more specific, everybody in the world must have Evangelical Christianity exposed to them as an option. When it comes to your eternal soul, ignorance is not excuse! If you haven't accepted Jesus for any reason, you will suffer forever. Another interesting feature is the detail and care that the Mission has devoted to this project. No group is too small, and no one in the entire world is not under consideration. This is bottom-up organizing, putting people on the ground in the towns and villages, gaining converts one-by-one. <br />
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The power of religion to motivate is undeniably impressive. But how much of that motivation is to do useful things? Running a school or clinic, helping with irrigation and inoculation, etc., are constructive activities, but replacing local beliefs with alien myths is not.sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8228534250232092345.post-34634461812394987522010-10-14T22:03:00.000-07:002010-10-14T22:03:32.983-07:00Another accusation of discrimination, although it didn't work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrIyDGixwZli9aYWJ2yu8nL5KzzsBZqjhgBtY2f5AeRWJ3sh95CpQhwDEwyq-lIhqhyphenhyphenbs5I2PNEjgb9OdP22EG4TOEY48NKyAwquKYWoztsXJD_eOv2JjS1gXb3xxoHqwv8ViDvNbxj74/s1600/supreme_court_side_view_medium_web_view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrIyDGixwZli9aYWJ2yu8nL5KzzsBZqjhgBtY2f5AeRWJ3sh95CpQhwDEwyq-lIhqhyphenhyphenbs5I2PNEjgb9OdP22EG4TOEY48NKyAwquKYWoztsXJD_eOv2JjS1gXb3xxoHqwv8ViDvNbxj74/s320/supreme_court_side_view_medium_web_view.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The US Supreme Court has refused to hear, without comment, an appeal by the Association of Christian Schools International in a case against the University of California. At issue is the University's refusal to allow college credit for the Bible-based science classes taught at 800 religious high schools in California. As an examiner for the University <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/12/BAAC1FRR5N.DTL">found</a>:<br />
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<blockquote><div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Biology texts, one professor concluded, teach students to reject any scientific evidence that contradicted the Bible. A history text declared the Bible to be the "unerring source for analysis" of past events, in the view of another expert, and gave short shrift to women, non-Christians and some ethnic groups.<span><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/12/BAAC1FRR5N.DTL#ixzz12Os3oWht" style="color: #003399;"><br />
</a></span></div></div></blockquote>A US District Court judge ruled in 2008 that the University had a legitimate basis for denying the credit. And this year the US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, noting that the University had allowed credit for courses from other religious high schools, as long as they upheld academic standards. But the Association contends that not recognizing their anti-science as science is counter to freedom of religion:<br />
<div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><blockquote>"In the Ninth Circuit," they said, "religious speech in religious schools is less protected than commercial speech, flag burning and pornography."<span></span><span></span></blockquote>This notion, that others must recognize your religious beliefs as true or else be accused of discrimination, has appeared often before on these pages, both on <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/06/verbose-disjointed-incoherent.html">domestic</a> stories, and for <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/06/creationists-on-march-in-northern.html">those</a> <a href="http://secularsandiego.blogspot.com/2010/06/russia-gets-creationism-too.html">abroad</a>. <br />
<span></span></div></div>sdshouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15990285549133850923noreply@blogger.com0