From: Cgastbook@aol.com
To: aanews@listserv.atheists.org
Subject: [Atheist] re: AANEWS for November 18, 1998
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 1998 4:01 PM
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for November 18, 1998
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
~~ A A N E W S ~~
#505~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11/18/98
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/
http://www.americanatheist.org
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A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"For Reason and the First Amendment"
-----------------------------------------------------------
In This Issue...
* National Bible Week challenged
* American Atheists National Convention, April 2-4, 1999
* 20th Anniversary of Jonestown murders, suicides
* Solstice goodies from AA
* Resources
* About this list...
RELIGIONISTS SPLIT OVER "BIBLE WEEK" CHALLENGE
Arizona Governor Has OK'd Numerous Religious Recognition Events...
Ramadan. Interfaith Prayer Vigil Week. Catholic Social Services Community
Awareness Week.
These are just some of the religious events which Arizona Governor Jane
Hull has stamped with her imprimatur in her role as the state's highest
elected official. As a result of her willingness to extend the government
limelight to such groups and beliefs, Hull once again finds herself in the
middle of public controversy, this time over Arizona's recognition of National
Bible Week. Even more legal heat is on Gilbert, Az. Mayor Cynthia Dunham who
last evening was expected to declare that community's support for the NBW, but
was stopped thanks to a last-minute restraining order obtained in federal
court by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Gov. Hull defended her action in declaring National Bible Week earlier this
month. She told reporters that each year she signs nearly 400 proclamations
on behalf of a variety of groups, both secular and religious. In the latter
category are events like Arizona Day of Prayer and Interfaith Prayer Vigil
Week. Hull pointed out the historical roots of NBW, and specifically cited the
actions of President Harry Truman who signed a similar declaration in 1952.
The first presidential proclamation, though, was penned by President Franklin
D. Roosevelt at the beginning of World War II. Hull also said that she will
consider a "religious scriptures week" next year instead of focusing
exclusively on the Bible. That ruse may take public attention off the more
offensive part of the proclamations at both the state and local level which
assert, in part, "The Bible is the foundational document of the Judeo-
Christian principles upon which our nation was conceived..."
Mayor Dunham was equally defensive. Immediately prior to the federal
injunction, Dunham called a press conference at city hall and reaffirmed her
support for the proclamation. A decision is expected on whether or not Gilbert
will bother to use taxpayer funds in challenging the ACLU suit. Even if
officials shun the use of public monies, though, the Arizona division of Pat
Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice -- described as a Christian
"legal swat team" by its director, Jay Sekulow -- will likely step in to
provide legal assistance. At least three city council members are on record
as opposing the use of any public funds to pursue the matter.
Gilbert attorney Gary McCaleb, speaking on behalf of ACLJ, said that the
Christian legal group was "extremely interested in this case," and described
those challenging the National Bible Week proclamation as "ridiculous."
Religious groups are divided over the National Bible Week proclamations.
One plaintiff in the Arizona suit, Ellen Sklar, identified herself as a Jew
and survivor of the Nazi Holocaust who said that both the state and Gilbert
decrees "offended" her. Rabbi Robert Kravitz, speaking for the local chapter
of American Jewish Committee, said that NBW declarations are "totally
inappropriate."
"In the synagogue," said Kravitz, "we study the Torah all the time. In
church, they celebrate the New Testament frequently... We don't need the
government to suggest a certain week to do so."
The President of the Ft. McDowell Mohave-Apache Indian Community said that
his organization also opposes Bible Week decrees. Clinton Pattea noted that
the Bible was used as a rationalization in the slaughter of Native Americans
during the settlement of the West. "They came and disrupted our way of life,"
said Mr. Pattea. "As a traditional people, we don't rely on (the Bible)."
Local ministers, though, spoke out in defense of both Gov. Hull and Mayor
Dunham, as did the leader of the Islamic Center of North Phoenix. Seemingly
unaware of the idea of state-church separation, Iman Sabahudin Ceman said that
he did not think "anybody who reads that book can get any harm," and that he
does not consider the flap to be over religion.
For historical background and "talking points" on protesting National Bible
Week proclamations in your state or community, check out the American Atheists
web site at www.atheists.org/flash.line.
**
AMERICAN ATHEISTS NATIONAL CONVENTION, APRIL 2-4, 1998
"Supporting Atheist Youth and Families" Is Focus For 25th National Gathering
Join American Atheists for its 25th National Convention, April 2-4, 1998 in
Parsippany, New Jersey. The theme of this year's gathering will be
"Supporting Atheist Youth and Families." In addition to a full program of
guest speakers, panels and discussions, there will also be special Leadership
Training conferences for State Directors and others wishing to become more
involved with the organization, and special events for children and youth. We
will also be dedicating the new American Atheists Center, a focal point for
atheist and state-church separation activism.
Find out more, and register on line for this important national event, by
checking out either of our web sites. Go directly to
www.atheists.org/flash.line and just click on the "1999 Convention" icon. We
look forward to seeing you next April!
**
ON THE JONESTOWN MURDER-SUICIDES
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the mass murders and suicides at
Jonestown, Guyana, the utopian religious colony organized by followers of the
late Pastor Jim Jones. The media, of course, is marking the event with the
usual platitudes and "questions" supposedly meant to stimulate critical
thought in the midst of the Tripp-Lewinsky tapes, or the burning question of
who should be this year's MVP. There are a few points, though, which do need
to be made about the Guyana tragedy.
* While it has become fashionable to picture Jim Jones as some kind of
demonic figure who enthralled the members of his "Peoples Temple"
congregation, we should perhaps wonder less about how Jones managed such
totalistic control, and instead focus on how so many people missed the warning
signs. Despite preaching a veneer of racial harmony and social equality, Jones
was clearly a manipulator, demagogue and would-be political power boss. Today
we react when the Christian Coalition floods churches with voters guides and
other campaign literature; but where were the protests when Jones mobilized
hundreds of his congregants into a political hit squad to work on behalf of
the campaign of former San Francisco Mayor George Moscone? In exchange for
the precinct walking and street corner campaigning, Jones was rewarded with a
fat patronage job in the City by the Bay, in charge of all public housing.
This was not only political pork, it was clearly a violation of the separation
of church and state.
* The rich and powerful often love to cavort with charismatic pulpit
showmen, and Jones was among the best. He saw himself as a west coast version
of Father Divine, and even resorted to the crudest stage tricks of tent-
circuit evangelists who claimed the power of supernatural healing. Jones
pulled out more than his share of fetid chicken innards which he presented to
his audiences as "cancer" which he had ostensibly cured. He also flouted the
right credentials. Jones "never hesitated to advertise his ability to perform
'miraculous healings of growths, crippling diseases, etc.(that) occur before
your eyes in every meeting,'" noted former People Temple groupie Jeannie Mills
in her book "Six Years With God." That kind of side show bunkum should have
been warning enough, but while conning his desperate -- and in many cases
poorly educated -- followers, Jones was also being wined and dined by
political and financial elites. Jones managed to finagle endorsements of one
kind or another from some unlikely quarters. First Lady Rosalyn Carter
graced the stage with Pastor Jim while on the political stump in the Bay Area.
Even after revelations about Peoples Temple were breaking in the media, Mayor
Moscone -- up to a week prior to the Guyana suicides -- was publicly thanking
Jones for his "contributions to the spiritual heal and well-being of our
community."
"You have demonstrated that the unique powers of spiritual energy and civic
commitment are virtually boundless, and that our lives would be sadly
diminished without your continuing contributions," gushed the Mayor.
* At one testimonial dinner for Jim Jones, the dais and audience resembled
a local gathering of the "Who's Who" for the area. San Francisco District
Attorney Joe Freitas honored Jones with his presence, as did California State
Assemblyman Willie Brown, Jr., who is now the Mayor of that city. "I have had
the great pleasure of knowing a leader with tremendous character and
integrity," swooned Brown. Not sparing the hyperbole, he added "Rev. Jones
is regarding among government officials, civic and religious leaders, and
particularly the black community and working class people, with utter respect
for what he has done to upgrade the quality of life in our area and to bring
greater health and well-being to thousands of poor, minority, and
disadvantaged people." Mervyn Dymally, California Lieutenant Governor,
agreed. And let's not forget the drop-in visits to Peoples Temple by other
luminaries, such as California Governor Jerry Brown.
Today's San Francisco Chronicle rightly described Jones as "the darling of
San Francisco's liberal establishment -- a man who could spread the wealth to
all the fashionable charities and, at a moment's notice, marshall thousands of
followers for a good cause."
* It's quite possible that George, and Rosalyn, and Willie, and Jerry, and
all of the other vote hustlers who schmoozed with Jim Jones simply didn't know
what was really going on behind the closed doors of Peoples Temple. Maybe they
didn't realize that all of the feel-good talk about brotherhood,
reconciliation and justice was just so much discount-brand veneer for a
manipulative, authoritarian and dangerous cult that thanks to Jones' paranoia
simply imploded. But when the first public questions and criticism was
emerging about Jones, especially his insatiable quest for political influence
and claims of miraculous powers, many of Pastor Jim's political cronies not
only continued their close association but sought out the religious leader for
more support and favors. In 1975, Peoples Temple had turned into an efficient
political machine for the candidates Jones backed, including Moscone, Freitas,
and Richard Hongisto who ran for the post of sheriff.
* "The name is Jones -- Jim Jones." Was Preacher Jim working for the
Central Intelligence Agency, or perhaps a shill in some elaborate government
mind control experiment? Don't laugh. There are over 5,000 pages of
documents in government files related to Jonestown which have yet to be
declassified; imaginative, and perhaps premature accounts of what transpired
in the Peoples Temple dystopia claim that Jones was involved in a high level
brainwashing operation known as MK-ULTRA. It is known that the CIA station in
Guyana was "regularly checking in on Jonestown," notes J. Gordon Melton of the
Institute for the Study of American Religion. In 1979, the House Foreign
Affairs Committee released its 782-page synopsis of the Jonestown incident,
and concluded that Preacher Jim "suffered extreme paranoia." The following
year, the House select Committee on Intelligence stated that there was no
advance warning to the CIA about the Guyana killings, and that Jones was not
working for any US government agency.
Even so, the refusal to declassify the reams of secret documents "feeds this
conspiracy theory mentality," says Mary McCormick Maaga, author of the book
"Hearing the Voices of Jonestown." Maaga says that she rejects conspiracy
theories about the group, but adds that there "are some loose ends" and that
"The government has never come clean about the ways they were harassing
Peoples Temple."
* In all of the discussions about Jonestown, it is fashionable to speak of
the "suicides," those followers of Jim Jones who willingly lined up to drink a
cyanide-laced concoction while a delusional Preacher Jim ranted and mumbled
into the colony's public address system. Back home, there was nearly 8,000
other Peoples Temple members who probably would have willingly joined the
line. Autopsies on many of the victims at Jonestown, though, indicated that
they died as the result of gunshot wounds fired by Pastor Jim's ever present
security squad. Jones was fascinated by uniformed security goons, and even
when his Peoples Temple congregation was still in Indiana prior to moving en
masse to the Bay area, his religious revivals included their obvious presence.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy at Jonestown, though, were the deaths of dozens
of children, some of whom had been separated from their parents.
There are many lessons to be learned from the Guyana tragedy. Unfortunately,
the same sort of manipulative and authoritarian style that was so adroitly
exercised by Jones is copied widely in religious movements across the
theological spectrum. The "true believer" is ever in search of a prophet or
living god-man in whose hands personal decisions, and even the power over life
and death, may be placed. What is frightening, though, is the prospect that
in thousands of American religious groups, paler versions of Jim Jones exist.
They are the preachers, cult gurus and charismatic sect leaders who crave the
sort of allegiance and trust which Jones elicited from his followers.
Jonestown is also an object lesson in what happens when social or religious
movements encourage the suspension of critical reasoning, autonomy,
individuality and personal rights. Like any authoritarian crusade, including
the secular variety, the Peoples Temple demanded blind allegiance to a
charismatic leader, acceptance of a vague millenarian ideology, a belief in a
Manichean "us versus them" universe, and the need for ultimate self-sacrifice
and self-abnegation. There are an abundance of political and religious
movements which have carried on, though, even after the jungle has reclaimed
the Jonestown colony. People continue to "thirst for salvation," as well as
an ultimate belief system.
Jonestown must also be cited as yet another reason to separate the church
and state. Religious and political movements are often irrational or non-
rational. When fused, they can comprise a toxic mix. From a constitutional
perspective, there is little difference between Pastor Jones mobilizing his
followers on behalf of "worthy" liberal political causes and office hopefuls,
and today's religious right which seeks to fill the nation's elected posts
with Christian fundamentalists. In both cases, political discourse is
subsumed in religious language, and issues and candidates are judged by
religious standards. Right, left, liberal, moderate or conservative,
religious ideology is a poor framework for measuring the merit of any
political proposal. It is disheartening to see, twenty years after Jonestown,
American political hopefuls of both parties vociferously shoring up their
campaigns by citing religious credentials, campaigning in churches, temples or
synagogues, and embracing religious faith as a litmus test of worth to the
electorate.
**
SOLSTICE IS COMING -- ARE YOU READY ?
If you're worried about what to give for the upcoming "Christmas" season,
we've got some suggestions. Log on to either American Atheists web site, and
visit our special on line Winter Solstice Gift Catalogue. You can give a
friend (or anyone else!) a one year gift subscription to American Atheist
Magazine for only $16. We'll even include an attractive seasonal card to the
recipient acknowledging your thoughtful gift. We also have a selection of
books, videos and other materials, including our famous Winter Solstice
Greeting Cards with a range of messages. So, what are you waiting for? Visit
us at www.americanatheist.org, click on the Winter Solstice Catalogue icon and
start shopping! You can use our secure on line ordering form, too.
**
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 and back issues, as well as special web-only
features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheist.org.
* If you are a member of American Atheists, sign up for our e-mail
discussion group, aachat. We have over 100 participants who discuss topics
such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and lots more! Contact
Margie Wait, the moderator through mdwait@atheists.org.
**
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