From: owner-aanews@atheists.org
To: ric@sonic.net
Subject: re; AANEWS for Friday, January 22, 1999
Date: Friday, January 22, 1999 3:42 PM
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for January 22, 1999
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
~~ A A N E W S ~~
#517 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1/22/99
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/
http://www.americanatheist.org
---------------------------------------------
A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"For Reason and the First Amendment"
----------------------------------------------
AS POPE ARRIVES IN AMERICAS, LINGERING QUESTIONS ABOUT
VATICAN AGENDA, CORPORATE SUPPORT
A Federal Judge Gags A Satirical Anit-Pope Web Site
Pope John Paul II arrived today in Mexico City, the first leg of his
"one America" tour, and already there is controversy and legal fallout
from his visit. The aged and ailing head of the Roman Catholic Church
plans on meeting with all bishops throughout North and South America,
and provide marching orders framed at the Rome synod in December,
1997. According to the Washington Times, the pontiff is "likely to
urge evangelization of the hemisphere, some forgiveness of the foreign
debt in Latin America and opposition to drug trafficking..."
In Mexico, the pope's visit -- his fourth as pontiff -- will keep the
pressure on the Mexican government to extend its largesse to the
church. The nation's 1917 revolution was part of an anticlerical
movement that swept the country, and placed strict limits on religious
meddling in politics. In 1992, however, the Mexican Constitution was
altered to provide Roman Catholic and Protestant groups with "legal
standing." Cardinal Ernesto Ahumada, the primate of Mexico, praised
President Carlos Salinas's decision to extend recognition, gushing
"This is the beginning of an important change... It is very
opportune." The following year, Mexico joined over 100 other nations
which had extended official diplomatic recognition to the Vatican as
an autonomous political entity.
For Pope John Paul II, much is at stake as his church approaches the
next millennium. He is expected to encourage followers to be more
aggressive in proselytizing new converts, echoing his warning made
during a meeting in 1992 with Latin American bishops about Protestant
"sects" which he compared to "ravenous wolves." The Catholic Church
has experienced an erosion of membership not only in Mexico but
throughout the hemisphere, much of it to the energetic Mormon church
as well as evangelical-fundamentalist groups and even new age cults.
While the church remains tax exempt throughout Latin America, and
enjoys extravagant wealth in many countries, John Paul is also
expected to use his visit to attack consumerism, materialist culture
and the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA.
But many in Mexico question the church's integrity and agenda in its
aggressive drive to become more involved in the political system. In
1996, Cardinal Norberto Rivera announced that the church "can and
should involve itself in politics as Jesus did."
While denouncing consumerist culture and wealth disparity, though,
planners for John Paul's visit have teamed up with leading
international corporations to subsidize the papal tour. The
Washington Post today described the arrangement as "an All Star roster
of corporate sponsors," and noted that the scheme has "outraged many
Mexicans."
"Critics complain that the church and the Mexican government have
adequate resources to pick up the tab rather than permit defiling of
the pope's image through commercialization," noted the Post. The
paper added that even ordinary laity in the church feel that the
"mixing of spiritual and commercial has gone overboard," and the
President of the Latin American Association for Religious Studies
lamented, "They've sold the pope's image before, but they've never
done it in such as corporate way, as if it were a soccer World Cup."
Among the multinational groups picking up the tab for the pontiff's
road show are PepsiCo, Inc. which through a subsidiary is selling
bags of potato chips with a picture of John Paul II and the Virgin of
Guadalupe. The Virgin is considered one of the most potent and
evocative of mythic images throughout Mexico; indeed, the main shrine
there to the female goddess was constructed over the ruins of an Aztec
temple which was dedicated to a similar fertility deity. Ruffles
potato chips and its corporate owners are cashing in this historical
legacy of intellectual exploitation, though, offering the "Virgin
Mary" snack with a devotional message on the back. Consumers may also
purchase a special frame in order to display the entire collection of
10 different pictures. And advertising the chips has taken on an
equally ambivalent color; a lavish ad in one Mexico City paper
promoted "Las Papas del Papa," or "Potatoes of the Pope."
Along with the Pepsi blitz, which includes giant billboards touting
the pope's visit to Mexico, are other gimmicks by companies like
Bimbo, a regional bread company which proclaim "We Reaffirm the
Faith." The Mexican Bancomer company is flooding the airwaves with
television spots boosting the papal visit and urging consumers to
purchase commemorative coins in celebration of the pontiff's tour.
And not be outdone in the glitzy media-hype accompanying John Paul II
are other corporate giants including Fed Ex, Mercedes-Benz, Sheraton
Hotels, Kodak and Hewlett-Packard.
Ironically, this sponsorship and Mexico's growing culture of
consumerism, are at odds with much of John Paul's message of
sacrifice, attention to the afterlife, and the church's political
agenda. In the latter category, abortion rights and birth control are
sure to emerge as sensitize subjects. While the Pope wishes his
followers to place more emphasis on spawning large family units,
reduced population growth rates often accompany liberalizing processes
of an economically thriving society. Mexicans, while still
superficially devoted to "La Papa" and the church, increasingly are
drawn to the ideal of smaller families and a more prosperous
lifestyle.
For the giant corporations subsidizing the pope's visit, however, the
glitzy ads, pope-chips and other commercial kitsch are similar good
business. A spokesperson for Frito Lay declared that the company's
Mexican subsidiary was working "on a program to reach millions in all
corners of Mexico with images of the Virgin and the pope." Equally
self-serving is the campaign by Reforma newspaper which is encouraging
its readers to take out special display or classified as. "Send your
message to the pope," declare the slick ad execs; it remains doubtful
that the pontiff will be perusing the personals during his visit,
though.
Meltdown In St. Louis?
The hype is already well underway in St. Louis, MO. which will be
the pope's next destination following with Mexico visit. On Tuesday,
John Paul arrives by plane at approximately 2 p.m. where he will be
welcomed at an official ceremony by none other than President Clinton
and other government dignitaries. The pope and president will have a
private meeting later, then John Paul is whisked away on a parade
motorcade winding through the Forest Park area to the local
Archbishop's residence where he will be staying. Police will be
shutting down many traffic arteries, and a "Papal Plaza" and "Papal
Village" have been declared and cordoned off. During both days of
John Paul's visit, on-street deliveries throughout downtown St. Louis
will be prohibited, as will most of the street parking. On Tuesday
evening, the pontiff addresses a youth rally.
On Wednesday, the JP-II arrives at the TransWorld Dome and Convention
Center at 9:30 a.m. for a mass that is expected to attract over
100,000 members of the flock. The local archdiocese is boosting the
mass in its promotional literature as "the largest indoor crowd to
witness an event in the United States." At 5:30 p.m., the pope
celebrates a mass at Cathedral Basilica, then heads back to the
airport in a convoy for a departure ceremony hosted by Vice President
Al Gore.
Media Monopoly Hype, Stifled Civil Liberties
Already, the saturation propaganda on behalf of the pope's visit is
taking its toll. On Wednesday, a federal judge granted a restraining
order against a "saucy" website devoted to the papal visit, and hosted
by Internet Entertainment Group, Inc. IEG had made headlines last
year when it announced the "Our First Time" web site, which
purportedly was to follow the romance of two virgins having their
first sexual encounter. The firm backed off the deal, though, when it
learned that the "Our First Time" couple were professional actors.
On Friday, US District Judge Stephen Limbaugh issued the order
following legal pleas by attorneys for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
A church spokesman noted that "many people are working to make the
pope's visit a wonderful event," but that IEG "is damaging that
effort, and they are also deceiving the public to lure them to their
other, pornographic sites."
The St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper, in reporting the story,
provided a URL for the local Archdiocese (www.archsl.org) and noted
that it carried information about the pope's visit. It noted that the
IEG site contained "accounts of 'Papal Sex Scandals,' as well as dirty
jokes aimed at the pope and other religious figures." It did not
provide a URL, however, (so much for "balanced" reporting), although
the site seems to be operating at www.clublove.com.
In his ruling, Limbaugh found that IEG has ostensibly violated
trademarks held by the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and that the URL to
the spoof site "could have been confusing to the public," according to
Catholic World News in reporting this story. Limbaugh also ruled that
the Archdiocese is entitled to ownership of phrases and variations of
"Papal Visit 1999," "Pastoral Visit," and even "Papal Visit 1999, St.
Louis." A press release from Internet Entertainment Group said that
the company "will contest an attempt by the Archdiocese of St. Louis
and Justin Regali, its Archbishop, to muzzle a Website it operates
that provides information about the upcoming Papal visit to St.
Louis."
Out Of Control? Beyond Reality?
Already, the hype over the pope's visit is shutting down normal
operations in St. Louis. It is also questionable whether predictions
of enormous, record breaking crowds will turn out to be true, or
reports about the public reception for the pontiff exaggerated. There
is also no definitive listing of the costs involved in this visit for
police and other support services. During past visits, such as the
papal tour in Denver, Colorado, there were considerable cost overruns
for public support services which eventually were paid for by the
taxpayers.
American Atheists will also be in St. Louis during the papal visit,
though, putting on its "Opposing Theocracy conference next Tuesday at
the Holiday Inn, and hosting a peaceful demonstration the following
day outside of the TransWorld Arena. Details may be found below.
**
THEISTWATCH SHORT SHOTS
One of the most perspicacious observations about the human condition
was probably made by the band "The Who" with the lyrics (approximate
to memory), "Meet the new boss... same as the old boss..." Kick out
one kind of despot and, like air filing a vacuum, a new bully quickly
moves in. The former Soviet Union is no exception, where the
political authoritarian of the Communist Party is now being replaced
in some quarters of society by the snoopy, invasive practices of the
Russian Orthodox Church.
After the "collapse" of the old CP system, the Orthodox Church began a
revival thanks to government largesse and plenty of media propaganda.
Even aging Communists apparatchiks and the new emergent rabid
nationalists like Vladimir Zhironovsky praise the value of religion
now, and specifically the Russian Orthodox faith which they agree
serves as a check on the influences of western culture. The Orthodox
Church has sought protection from Boris Yeltsin's shaky regime, asking
that it be declared as the official state religion -- a throwback to
the Tsarist days -- and has lobbied for checks on foreign religious
groups which are busy conducting their own invasion of the country in
a frantic quest for new followers. The new Russia has become a wild
frontier for religious missionaries of all stripes, including Mormons,
Christian evangelicals, wild-eyed apocalyptics like the Japanese Aum
(Supreme Truth) cult, and an assortment of new age hustlers, mystics
and UFO salvationalist devotees.
But now, the high-handed ways of many Orthodox priests and officials
has resulted in so much abuse that even the Patriarch, Aleksiy II and
the Orthodox Synod are beginning to sit up and take notice. Priests
have "abused their authority over believers by intruding into their
private lives," notes the Daily Telegraph newspaper in England. And
among the offenses now being scrutinized are priests who prohibited
parishioners marrying for love, or compelling followers to divorce
their spouses if they were not married in the church. Some Orthodox
followers are even being conscripted into nunneries and monasteries --
there is an explosion in the number of such institutions throughout
Russia now. Said the Synod bosses, some priests were "intruding into
the internal affairs of their parishioners' private and family lives,"
and even dictating the political beliefs of followers.
Well, it doesn't surprise us. Remember when the Vatican helped to
orchestrate the "fall of the wall" in the 1980s, booting out the
Communists, only to try to position itself as the "new boss"? In many
countries of the former Soviet block, the population's love affair
with the liberatory propaganda of the church quickly turned sour as
the Pope and his regional henchmen began demanding control of the
public education system, and started calling for curbs on birth
control, abortion, free expression and other rights. The criticism of
orthodox communism -- long a convenient target for religionists
everywhere -- was soon replaced by dire warnings against the supposed
evils of modernity, and the claim that like those materialistic
Americans, the newly freed peoples of Eastern Europe suddenly had "too
much freedom."
So, like the lyrics say... "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
**
Yet another study suggests that church attendance in America is lower
than generally reported. For years, social theorists and religious
groups have claimed that despite the rise of secular institutions,
nearly 40% of Americans attended church services at least once a week.
That struck some of us as an inflated figure, especially given the
religious complaints of "empty pew syndrome," bankrupt parishes,
vacant churches and other maladies affecting institutional faith.
Nevertheless, the influential Gallup Poll (founded by devout
religionist George Gallup) continued to maintain that each week,
nearly 100,000,000 million persons managed to drag themselves to the
nation's 350,000 or so houses of worship. A recent article in
Christian Century magazine gushed, "three decades of otherwise
corrosive social and cultural change has left American church
attendance virtually untouched."
Or has it?
In 1993, for instance, a study by two sociologists suggested that
rather than simply knock on someone's door and inquire about
churchgoing habits, they would use other methods to measure attendance
by more direct methods such as head counts. They found that the 40%
figure of claimed church participation was inflated, and that people
often provided pollsters and survey takers with answers they are
"supposed" to give. "Those answering polls exaggerate how often they
vote or how much they give to charity," notes a news report from
Knight-Ridder Service. "They underestimate how often they use illegal
drugs, or use the office photocopier for personal use."
That 40% is now down to a more realistic 20%m according to a recent
piece in Religion in the News. Writes analyst Andrew Walsh,
"Institutional religion, far from being stable and vital in the United
States, might well be weakening under the cover of misleading poll
data."
According to Knight-Ridder, social scientists are now convinced that
"the most committed members of religious groups are the ones who
exaggerate their involvement to pollsters." Even if they missed the
local service, they still answer in the affirmative when queried about
their church attendance. Another factor behind the fibbing and
inflated figures is that "church identity" does not seem to correlate
with regular church attendance. Finally, some respondents consider
attending a wedding or funeral to be equivalent to going to church.
There has never been a time in American history when the majority of
Americans were regular, devoted churchgoers. Even so, the notorious
myth persists that we are a religious people living in a country
deeply rooted in the doctrines of faith, specifically that of
Christianity. They figures say otherwise, though, which is good news
for secularists.
**
PICKET THE POPE IN ST. LOUIS...
American Atheists will host a two-day conference and protest action in
St. Louis, MO during Pope John Paul II's visit to that city, January
26& 27, 1999. The event will include the "Opposing Theocracy"
Conference at the Holiday Inn, 4545 North Lindbergh Blvd. On
Wednesday, January 27, American Atheists will gather at 8:00 a.m.
outside the TransWorld Dome for a peaceful demonstration.
If you'd like to learn more, call our 24-hour AA Information Line in
St. Louis at (314)-994-1250. Or, register on line for any and all of
the Conference events by logging on to
http://www.americanatheist.org/convention/pope99.html and using our
secure transaction server. We look forward to seeing you for this
exciting conference and demonstration, January 26 & 27, 1999!
**
A NOTE TO AA MEMBERS AND THOSE WHO HAVE PLACED ORDERS...
American Atheists has been in the process of relocating to our new
facility in New Jersey. That move has, naturally, resulted in a
disruption of our publishing schedule, mail processing and ability to
ship orders for books, videos and other products. As announced, we
began holding orders about December 20. It is only now that we are
starting to work our way through the backlog -- and this includes
online orders for subscriptions, memberships, products and other
items. We ask your patience, and hope to have your orders on their
way to you in the coming days.
Another problems is that some of you who have registered for the St.
Louis "Opposing Theocracy" conference have not heard from us. Your
orders have been received --we know who you are. So, pack your bags,
head to St. Louis, and join the fun and action.
Getting in touch with us has been a problem. You can now reach our
offices at 908-259-0700, or fax us at 908-259-0748.
We apologize for any delays and inconvenience this has caused.
**
RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS...
* For information about American Atheists, send mail to
info@atheists.org. Please include your name and postal mailing
address.
* For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and
other products, send mail to catalogue@atheists.org. Kindly include
your postal mailing address.
* The American Atheist Magazine is now on the web! Check out select
articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only
features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheists.org
* If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our
e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who
discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and
lots more! Contact Margie Wait, the Moderator, through
mdwait@atheists.org.
ABOUT THIS LIST...
AANEWS is a free service from American Atheists, a nationwide movement
founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair for the advancement of Atheism, and
the total, absolute separation of government and religion.
You may forward, post or quote from this dispatch, provided that
appropriate credit is given to AANEWS and American Atheists. Edited
by Conrad Goeringer, cg@atheists.org. Internet Representative for
American Atheists is Margie Wait, irep@atheists.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe, send a blank message to aanews-on@atheists.org
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to aanews-off@atheists.org
To change your email address, send a message to aanews-change@atheists.org
with your old address in the Subject: line