THE AMERICAN

Volume]
March

ATHEIST

Number 2
1971

-1(9. 877.2.

The great bright hope

This issue dedicated to
Thomas Alva Edison, American Atheist
1847-19'31

In This Issue:
Page

Special. . .

. . . .

Cartoons.......
Issues....
"Dissent"-Other

. . . .

.
..
Atheists.

Issues. . . . . . . . .

American Atheist Center...

"r Learn"......................

. 1

..3
.... 4

..8
. . 11

12

16

"An Atheist Says"...

.
.17
Write a Letter...

19
"Nut Mail".........

..

20

Anonymous Letter........

.21
As Seen From Here..............
..
22
Radio Tape........
Poetry. . . . . .

..
. . .

23
.28

The Staff:
Editor - in - Chief

Richard

Assoeiate Editors

F. O'Hair

Madalyn O'Hair

Contributing

C P. Merr i t t

..........................
Mary Furgal

Publisher:

American Atheists, Inc.

Printer:

The Gustav Broukal American Atheist Press, 4102 Sinclair Ave., Austin Texas 78756

THE AMERICAN ATHEiST, Richard's Reports, is published by American Atheists,

Inc., a non-profit, non-political, educational organization. Mailing address: P. O. Box
2117, Austin, Texas 78767
No subscription rate: distributed to those who contribute
of state and church or to the cause of Atheism.
Ten copies of any single issue: $2.50 (Bulk rate only).

to the cause of separation

If**lf-~Special
Radio station WIeR in Indianapolis is donating time for our
program "American Atheist Radio Series".
The impressive thing is
that it is a college which is affiliated with the United Methodist
Church.
The station manager William Byers has said that it is our
right to be heard.
We take this opportunity to thank WIeR in the behalf of many
millions of Atheists who have been deprived a voice. We salute them
for that.
The following editorial from WIeR is self-explanatory.

*
the educational

radio service

of south Indl~napoli~

4001 South Otterbein Avenue

Indianapolis, Indiana 46227

Mrs. Madalyn Murr'ay 0 'Hair

C/O'The SocietJTof '$eparcrt,lonists,
,P.O;,Box2ll7
Ausi(in,.Texas 78767

Incorporated

Dea:i"~Mrs~
,,0' Hair,
'
, "!"<tam hapnv to Ray that we finally launched your pr-ogram,
,'f,he-'oe!ayis exntaf.ned by- the 'enclosed copy of an editorial 'we
,felt, was necessary to explain our position to the cof Lege, We'
have; expertencee no reaction as yet from the public or 'the college.
InanV,case we have firml~t allied' 'our-salves to your right to be,
,peard~

Sincerely,
/')-,

?C/~4~.

'

,~~.

William Byers'
Manager, WICR-FM
FLASH - Manager Byers telephoned in mid-August
to say that the President of the college,
Dr. Gene Sease, had stopped the series on
the air. However after some delay and an
agreement that each program must have a
response by a critic, the program did go
back on the air again in mid-August.
The editorial, which was repudiated, is
omitted here at Mr. Byers request.
THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

These are the radio stations that are now carrying the "American
Atheist Radio Series" on public service time (donated time). \ve ask
you to please listen to the one nearest to you, write to us and let
us know how it was received in your community.
Also if you would
write to the radio station and thank them for the opportunity to
hear a controversial, educational program.

KFCA-fm
Phoenix, Arizona
91.5 m.c.

KVPC-fm
Fairfield, Iowa
89.5 m.c.
may be airing program or
just "spots"

KGLT-fm
Bozeman, Montana
90.1 m.C.

WBGU-fm
Bowling Green, Ohio
88.1 m.c.
heard on Sunday

KTSA
San Antonio, Texas
550 k.c.
heard on Sunday
KUER-fm
Salt Lake City, Utah
90.1 m.c.
_
16 September-4:15pm will begin
TiliNC-fm
Greeley, Colorado
91.5 m.c.
heard on Thursday

WICR-fm
Indianapolis, Indiana
88.7 m.e.
WJRS-fm
Jamestown, Kentucky
103.1 m.c.
WRUV-fm
Burlington, Vermont
90.1 m.c.

"They're turning back anyone who

doesn't believe in God."
2

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas 78767

CARTOONS

"Paddy, we can be thankln'

God that the agnostics and
atheists are gettin' along,"

OFFICIAL DETECTIVE

"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth ... honest Injun?"

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

Atheists Win Custody Battle

-UPf

Telephoto to The Times-Union

.The John Burkes smile happily upon their adopted daughter, Eleanor Katherine
2, in their Carterville, Ill., home.
'

TRENTON; N.J_ (UPI)-An

atheist couple won the legal
right to keep their 2-year-old
adopted daughter in a state
Supreme Court decision that
held that taking the child
away would be a violation of
separation of church and
state.
John Burke, 42, and his
wife, Cynthia, 33, said they
were pleased by the State Supreme Court ruling yesterday,
but wished "the chief justice's
opinion had been the majority
opinion."
Chief Justice Joseph Weintraub, in a separate opinion,
commented on the other six
judges' contention that a couple could not be denied an
adopted child "solely" on the
basis of their lack of religious
faith.

He said religion and a litigant's views upon it are not

the proper concern of a terrestrial judge."
The decision overturned a
ruling by Essex County Judge
William J. Camarata that the
child, Eleanor Katherine,
should 'be returned to the
adoption agency because the
adopting couple did not believe in "a supreme being."
"We do not believe that any
reasonable man no matter
how devout in his own beliefs,
would contend that morality
lies in the exclusive province
of one or all religions or religiosity in general," the majority opinion stated.
The Burkes have moved
from Newark, N.J., to Carterville, Ill. , since the court battle 'began.

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

GRIT

18 April 1971

High Court Refuses to Hear

Plea for Prayers in School
A plea from the school board in Netcong, N. J., to re-.
sume prayer reading in the schools will not be heard by.
the United States Supreme Court in Washington. The
board contended daily reading of prayers in its high school
was constitutional because students and teachers attended'
on a voluntary basis and the
state did not select the prayer
to be read. The prayers were
chosen from the Congressional
Record. New Jersey courts had
ruled the program violated the
First Amendment to the U. S.
Constitution. The high court refused to hear' the appeal by a
7-2 vote. In 1962,and 1963, the
court prohibited official prayer,
programs, includingthe saying
of The Lord's Prayer and Bible
reading in the public schools.
Vincent Pagno, Netcong school
superintendent, said, he was
disappointed by the decision
but "the law will be followed."

PRESIDENT
THE EVANGElICAL

NIXON

BEACON

PRESIDENT PRAYS
THE AMERICAN ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

AND THEN WE FIND

In trying to think what prayer I

could leave with this very distinguished audience I was reminded of
one of the favorite stories from the
Old Testament. You will recall that
when King David died and when
Solomon ascended to the throne, God
came before him in a dream and
asked him what he wanted. Solomon
did not ask for power and he did not
ask for wealth. He said, "Give Thy
servant an .understanding heart."
And so, let that be our prayer. Let
us have an understanding heart in
our relations with other nations, an
understanding heart in our relations
between races and religions and parties and generations, and in our, relations with each other.
If America can have' an understanding heart in the very best sense
of the word on that 200th birthday,
we will be very rich and very strong
- but more important" we will be
truly a good country' and the hope
of the world still.

GRIT
18 April 1971

High Court Refuses to Hear

Plea for Prayers in School
A plea from the school board in Netcong, N. J., to re-.
sume prayer reading in the schools will not be heard by,
the United States Supreme Court in Washington. The
board contended daily reading of prayers in its high school
was constitutional because students and teachers attended'
on a voluntary basis and the
state did not select the prayer
to be read. The prayers were
chosen from the Congressional
Record. New Jersey courts had
ruled the program violated the
First Amendment to the U. S.
Constitution. The high court refused to hear' the appeal by a
7-2 vote. In 1962and 1963, the
court prohibited official prayer
programs, including' the saying
of The Lord's Prayer and Bible
reading in the public schools.
Vincent Pagno, Netcong school
superintendent, said. he was
disappointed by the decision
but "the law will be followed."

PRESIDENT
THE EVANGELICAL

NIXON

BEACON

PRESIDENT PRAYS
THE AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

AND THEN WE FINn .

In trying to think what prayer I

could leave with this very distinguished audience I was reminded of
one of the favorite stories from the
Old Testament, You will recall that
when King David died and when
Solomon ascended to the throne, God
came before him in a dream and
asked him what he wanted. Solomon
did not ask for power and he did not
ask for wealth. He said, "Give Thy
servant an' understanding heart."
.And so, let that be our prayer. Let
us have an understanding heart in
our relations with other nations, an
understanding heart in our relations
between races and religions and parties and generations, and in our, relations with each other.
If America can have an understanding heart in the very best sense
of the word on that 200th birthday,
we will be very rich and very strong
- but more important" we will be
truly a good country and the hope
of the world still.

HIGH COURT, 8 TO 1, FORBIDS STATES

TO REIMBURSE PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS;
BACKS COLLEGE-LEVEL HELP,S TO 4
THE NEW

YORK

TIMES,

TUESDA

Y, JUNE

29, 1971

today.
However,
the
Americans
phasis in cases on aid to church
United
for
Separation
of schools.
Church and S~at~a
group that
Previously, the Court had emhas been active m court chal- phasized
a "child
benefit"
lenges against these programs
theory, which held that aid
-asserted
in a statement that programs
might be constitusimilar salary-supplement
laws tional if they benefited primarof Ohio, Connecticut, New Jer- ily the student in the parosey and Illinois will be struc,k chial
school
and not the
,do~n as a result of today s school. Since most aid prodecision.
grams basically assist the chilChief. Justice
Burger
took dren. aid programs tended to
great pains to point out why proliferate.
the "entanglemeny'
between
In 197Q, the Court hinted at
church and state In the state- a new approach, when it upBy FRED P. GRAHAM
The
latter
opiruon
was aid program was enough to in- held the New York law that
spec; to The New York Tim
joined by Justices
John M. validate them, while the Fed- granted real estate tax exemp,
WASHINGTON, June 28'
Harlan
Potter
Stewart
and eral program could stand.
tions to church property: Th~
The Supreme Court declared
Harry
Blackmun but Justice
A key point, he said, is that major rationale of the decision
.
. '
'.
pre-college church schools are wa
that if church property
unconstitutional
today
state
WhIte., who provided the fl,fth more involved in reliaious inS
I.
fI
~
were taxed, the church and
th
programs
that
reimburse
vote m favor of
e law, I ed doctrination than colleges are. state might become embroiled
Roman . Catholic
and 'Other
a separate concurring opinion. Noting the "skepticism
of the in battles over tax assessments,
church-relateq,
schools for inThe dissenters
in the United
college student," he held that and that excessive "entanglestruction in nonreligious
subStates case were Justices Hugo "th~re is substance to the con- ments" were avoided by the
I
I k Willi
.0 D g I
elusion that college students
tax-exemption system.
jects.
LW'
'IBIac
, 'J IBlam
. Jou as , are less impressionable a~d less,
This test was used in both
With only one Justice d
I lam
.
rennan
r. an
susceptible to relIgIOUS indoc- decisions toda .
Byron R. White - dissenting,
Thurgood Marshall.
trination" than are elementary
.
Y.,
.
the Court's eight other Justices
The decision on direct state and high school students.
Justice White 5 View
ruled that direct financial aid
aid to parochial schools, which
He also found fewer entangleAmong t~e pote~tial
"~n.
invalidated state laws in Rhode !l1ents ~etwe~n ch~rch and state tanglemeI?-ts that Chief Justice
of this type involved "exces.
In the one- time, single-purpose
Burger Cited were the "comsive
entanglement
between
Island
and.
~ennsylvama,.
c: o esttuction
grant"
than il1 prehensive,
discriminating and
Government and religion."
marked the first time that the continuing
. salarysupp.lement
continuing
state surveillance"
However, at the same time
Supreme
Court
had struck
programs finally, he said, col~ of parochial schools that would
the Court upheld by a 5-t0-4
down a law on aid to church leg~s normally
do not draw. be necessary to see that teachschools.
major supJ?ort from one !l~ea; ers receiving state funds were
vote the Federal Higher Educa.
f d ecisr
"0
state1 political not teaching religion or that
tion Facilities Act of 1963, unI n a senes
0
ns that bso tt!that bitter lik
'
.
a es are. -not
e y to erupt the money was not otherwise
der which $240-miIIion in Fed- began In
~94?, the Court U?- over aid to colleges.
being used to propagate
a
eral funds has been paid fo~
held such indirect forms of aid
A Shift in Emphasis
faith: '
.
the construction
of acadeinia
as the use of Government0 ..th . th
h d"
.
Justice
White,
the swing
n
e 0 er an, a major . "
.
--... ldi -. th Fe(}
buildings on the campuses of
owned buses to. transport stu- reason for the Court's ruling man In upno mg . e
era!
private colleges includiDI
dents. to narochlal schools and against the.state laws -,was their law and. the .lone d~ssenter to
church-related college;.
the lending of state-purchased
"divisive
political
potentia!."
the state ruling, said that he
books to parochial students.
Mr. Burger's opinion noted that would uphold. them all on the
Provision Is Voided
This encouraged
36 of the political pressures for increased
theory thfat a!d to fa. sepahrab~e
The Court struck. down onl)1! ,
.
state aid to hard-pressed naro- .secular
unction 0 a c urc 50 states to enact aid prohi I hi"
ld b
.I' t d
related school was not unconone minor feature ,of the United
. h t b efit
h" I c ia sc 00 s cou
e expec e t
f
h
I'
grams t a
en ...
1
paroc ia to continue.
stitutional.
The . act t at .re IStates law-a
psovision ttiat.
school students in various ways,
The opinion stated that polit- g:ious intere~ts "may subst~"
after 20 years the colleges could
ranging from busing and free ical division
along religious
tially benefit"
from !he aid
use the buildings for any pUr~ lunches, books and counseling
li~es was an "evil" tha~ the does not matter: he sal~.
.
poses, including religious on~
services to the direct salary First A,mendme~t was designed
Although Justice White said
,
.'
to aVOId, and It left no.doubt
that both the Rhode Island and
If such buildings were to be
supplements of parochial school that the Supreme Curt hoped the Pennsylvania
laws were
converted into chapels or other
teaC'h~rs .that were deolared un- to put an end to .the spreading
constitutional,
he 'dissented
religious struotures, "the origconstitutional
today.
tendency
toward
political
only to the Rhode Island deinal Federal grant will in part
Further litigation will be re- battles in state legislatures over cision because of a quirk in the
quired to disclose how many aid to parochial schools.
disposition of the appeal in the
have the effect of advancing
of these programs will fall unBoth decisions today marked
Pennsylvania- ease .
.religion," the Court held.
der the principles
announced
a shift in the high court's em6
THE AMERICAN
ATHEIST
. Austin, Texas 78767

U. S. PLAN' UPHELD

Fund for Constructing

Campus Buildings
Wins Approval

It therefore
declared
that
feature of the law unconstitutional under the First Amend,
. . .
.
me~: s ~~Ohlblt!on against an!,
official
establishment
of religion."
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the majority opinion
in the state-aid case and the
T
. .
.
th
prevai m~
op~n~on
In
e
Federal-aid deCISIOn.
Division in Voting

A.

In it the Supreme Court reversed the Pennsylvania courts

because they had thrown out
the suit challenging the law
without a trial.
Justice White disagreed with
the Supreme Court's further
finding that the Pennsylvania
Jaw was unconstitutional,
but
he did not dissent because he
felt that there should be a trial
to consider if the law operated
m an unconstitutional way by
u llowing religious
schools to
use public funds for religious
purposes.
Justice Brennan, the only
Roman Catholic on the Court,
stated that all threelaws were
unconstitutional. He, deplored
what-he saw as the secularizing
impact of public assistance on
:hUTChschools.
By accepting
Government
funds, Justice Brennan said,
Roman Catholic teachers "surJ'f'llder their right to teach

of teachers 'in private schools,

religious courses" and promise
the, teacher
taught
not to inject religion into their provided
only "secular subjects." About
secular courses.
250 teachers
in
nonpublic
He insisted
that
church
schools had applied for the
schools and colleges properly
attempt to proselytize, and said grants. All of them were in
that there was no way to Roman Catholic schools.
The
Pennsylvania
law
separate out the religious and
secular functions. Thus, if a granted $20-million a year from
school or college was found to taxes on cigarettes and horse
be a "sectarian" institution, he racing to pay for salaries of
would deny it any direct aid. teachers, textbooks and instrucIn a final dissent written by tional materials for courses in
modern
foreign
Justice Douglas and signed by mathematics,
physical
sciences
Justices Black and Marshall, it languages,
was argued that the only dif- and physical education.
The challenge to the Federal
ference between the state laws,
which were struck down, and law arose out of grants to four
Connecticut
colleges to bulld
the Federal
program,
which
libraries and science, arts and
'was not, was the theory that
buildings.
The col"small violations of the Firs.t language
Amendment over a period of leges were Annhurst College in
Woodstock, Fairfield University
years are unconstitutional
while
and Sacred Heart U~versity
in
a huge violation occurring only
Fairfield and Albertus Magnus
once.is de minimus."
College in New Haven.
The Rhode Island law paid
Edward Bennett Williams of
up to 15 per cent of the salary
Washington
argued for the

Please note that the Pennsylvania

law granted $20-million a year from
taxes on cigarettes and horse racing
to pay for salaries of teachers,text
books and instructional materials
for parochial schools. Last month
in the Newsletter we reported that
the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, in a public declaration on
National Educational
Television,
read over the credits of the film,
"Madalyn" shown nationwide on N.E.T.
that no funds from horse-racing were
given to parochial schools and that
Madalyn was a liar for having said
this on her program.

Connecticut colleges and for the

Rhode Island plan. F. Michael
.Ahem,
Assistant
Attomey
General of Connecticut, argued
in behalf of the United States
law. Charles F. Cottam of the
Rhode Island Attorney
General's office argued to uphold
his state's law. Daniel M. Friedman of the Solicitor General's
office also argued to uphold
the United States [aw.
William B. Bal] of Harrisburg
argued in support of the Pennsylvania law. Henry W. Sawyer
3d of Philadelphia
argued for
the taxpayers
who challenged
it. Leo Pfeffer of New York,
special counsel of the American Jewish Congress, argued
for the taxpapers
who challenged the Federal statute and
the Rhode Island law,
Milton Stanzler of Providence
also argued against the constitutionality
of the Rhode Island law.

The United States Supreme Court,

column three, paragraph two, lines
three
and
four above,
support
Madalyn's comments on the television
show.

************************************
This is not so important as the
specious reasoning in this case. The
break in the wall of separation of
state and church is clearly shown
in the actual language of
Chief
Justice Warren E. Burger who wrote
the decision. We sadly quote these
comments from his opinion:

\,1\\0115

",-oo\ol>
o f1\sc

cel'ptS,r
\"j:

THE AMERICAN

II The language

of the religion clauses of the First

Amendment is at best opaque,
particularly when compared'
with other portions of the
amendment. Its authors did
not simply prohibit the establishment of a state church
or a state religion, an area
history shows they regarded
as very important and fraught
with great dangers. Instead
they commanded that there
should be "no law respecting
an establishment of religion."

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

" Every analysis in this area

must begin with, consideration of the cumulative
criteria developed by the Court
over
many
years.
Three
such tests may be gleaned
from our cases. First" the
statute must have a secular
legislative
purpose;
second,
its principal or primary effect must be one that neither
advances
nor inhibits
religion;
finally,
the
statute
must not foster "an excessive Government
entanglement with religion."
/I

78767

"The 'dangers
and corresponding entanglements
are
enhanced
by the particular
form of aid that the Rhode
Island act provides. Our de-'
cisions have permitted
the
states
to provide
churchrelated schools with secular,
neutral
or
nonideological
services,
facilities,
or ma-'
terials.
Bus transportation,
school lunches, public health
services
and secular
textbooks supplied in common
to all students
were not
thought to offend the establishment clause. II

DISSENT

!ii

Let Me Be
ANYONE
WHO CALLS himself a citizen: of this country will
agree that constitutionally ,we are guaranteed 'religious freedom; any red-blooded American would defend his fellow citizen's right to his own belief. Few, however, would offer so vehement a defense of a person's right to disbelief.
To admit in this country that you are an atheist or an agnostic
results in an almost violent reaction from your fellow American.
You are supposed to accept his right to choose whatever religious calling he prefers but he will not allow you the same right
to disbelieve or to doubt.
The average man, or woman accepts God's existence out of
fear; he cannot stand to think that there is no heavenly reward
waiting for him out there beyond the horizon of life.
After all, why should man live if only to die; there must be
something else. Having arrived at belief in God fearfully, and
with little thought, Mr. Average takes a dim view of the non-believer or doubter who admits that he hasn't got all the answers,
and that it may be humanly impossible for him to find them all
in one short lifetime.
Most people who admit to doubt have open minds. They are
searching honestly and earnestly for answers to life's questions.
Why should they. be discrimated against because they haven't
found them?
As an agnostic, I sometimes feel it would be easier to turn all
my problems over to some Superior Being. Instead, I must
muddle through them myself and find my own solutions. How
much easier it would be to accept belief in God simply because
my parents accepted it.
I don't advocate the removal of "under God" from the Pledge
of Allegiance or "In God We Trust" from our coins. That's the
way the majority thinks, and I'm all for majority representation. What I am saying is that it ought not be the custom in this
country to protest anyone's right to pray, anymore than it
should be the custom to damn anyone who doesn't pray. No one
who admits publicly that he is agnostic or atheistic should have
to wear the label of communist or nut or radical or whatever it
is they're calling people who .don't fall into the accepted slot
today.
I'm perfectly willing to grant you your right to believe. Just
don't deny me mine to disbelieve.

Ii

Disbeliever

By MARY ANN BELYEA

Mary Ann Belyea, a professional neuspaperuoman, lives

in Brighton, Mich.. u/bere she is news editor for the Brighton A rgus. She and her husband have a 17 -vear-old son.

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

Arthur C. Clarke is the author of "2001", as well as over 40

other books. He also does lecture tours and television appearances
when he is not living in Ceylon and writing.
During the first week of January of this year, he appeared on
national television (NBC, Channel 4, CAMERA 3) where he stated pubically that he is an Atheist.
We contacted him in reference to a project of MadalYn's.
She
is attempting to get together a group of responsible Atheists who
will go to a Senate Committee (D.C.) and protest against the second
class citizenship of Atheists.
(Atheists can not adopt. Atheists
can not have blank dog tags in the Army. Atheists can not join the
Masons Scouts, V.F.W. without first lying by taking an oath of belief in God. Atheists are now excluded from Government emplOYment,
unless they lie.
Atheists have difficulty with
passports.
Atheists can not even purchase time on most T.V. and radio stations)the list is unending.
Following the appearance in the Senate, the group would have
an appointment with President Nixon to discuss this with him.
The following note was
reference to her letter.

received by MadalYn from Mr. Clarke in

.J?~ ~
h...-t,/

~Rc:efl\

~
~
~

or)

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.

~ .. ,Cc" ..( it-,

THE AMERICAN

J
'~otk

1:

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas

78767

r
.

~
...-

\ ..

MINNESOTA TESTING AND RESEARCH COUNCIL, INC.

688 EUCLID STREET, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA,

55106

AN INVITATION FOR YOU TO JOIN THE FIGHT FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION

( ) $25 Sustaining

()

$10 General

()

$1 Underprivileged

I,
, hereby apply for membership in the
Minnesota
Testing & Research Council,
Inc., a non-profit consumer organization, and enclose $
as my annual membership
dues for the year 1971.
I understand these funds will be used
to certify approved establishments and also for legal services
in exposing fraud, hoaxes and practices that victimize the consumer .
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10

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

REPORT FROM THEl CAPITAL

July 1971
The ACLU' lawyer maintained that the
Pentagon's purpose could best be served
by some nonreligious means, such as a
course in comparative religion, ethics classes
or occasional representaative visits to religious services.
When the Government's spokesman began his presentation to the court, he was
asked if the Pentagon rested its case solely
on that stated earlier as a secular purpose
to train better officers by helping them to
understand how other men worship.
. "This is the most important one," replied
Assistant U. S. Attorney Higgins, "but we
regard the effect test as important also."
Judge Harold Leventhal, one. of the three
judges hearing the case, wondered why, if
this was the Pentagon's "energizing purpose"
in requiring compulsory
attendance,
it
would not be better for the men to attend
various churches each Sunday and to go to
churches other than these of the men's
particular religious commitment.
"This
prohibition
against
switching
churches is inconsistent," Judge Leventhal
observed. Continuing his questioning, Leventhal asked how this regulation could be
passed and maintained in view of the
military's stated primary purpose.
Higgins responded that the military took
this position because of "parents' concern
. . . and so the academies would know
where the men are on Sunday morning."
Higgins contended further that the military's requirement. of compulsory religion
at the academies rested on the "undisputed
facts" that "this is a religious country . . .
that the military acts reasonably when it
says inductees can expect religious facilities
. . . and that in times of crises military
leaders must be capable of responding to
the religious needs of military men under
stress."

ompulsory Religion Argued

fore U.S. Court of Appeals
In a case before the U. S. Court of
Appeals here an Assistant U. S. Attorney
argued that compulsory attendance at church
or chapel services for men in the nation's:
military academies has "no entanglements
whatsoever" with religion.
Continuing its defense in a higher court
of requiring regular attendance at wo~s~ip
IerVicesas a part of the "officer's training .
package," the Government's legal spokesman said that' the Department of Defense
had found "no other way" to accomplish
this particular part of an officer's training.
Robert 1. Higgins, Assistant U. S. Attorney, presented the Pentagon's case in a onehour hearing before a three-judge Court of
Appeals.
The case, Anderson v. Laird, was brought
before the U. S. Court of Appeals here
by the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU). In it six midshipmen at the
U. S. Naval Academy and one West Point
cadet maintained that the military regulation is in conflict with First Amendment
guarantees of freedom of religion.
In a three-day hearing last spring top
Pentagon officials testified before the U. S.
District Court here that required attendance
at worship services helped future officers to
understand "the impact of religion on various individuals."
In August of last year U. S. District
Court Judge Howard F. Corcoran upheld
the Pentagon's practice and agreed that the
purpose of compulsory chapel for future
military offlcers "is purely secular" and that
"its primary effects is purely secular."
Arguing against the Government's position, Warren K. Kaplan accused the Pentagon of developing a theory "riddled with
logical flaws." Kaplan represented ACLU
in its appeal to the higher court.
Kaplan described as a "contrivance" the
Pentagon's testimony that the "sole purpose
of compulsory attendance was to permit
future officers to observe how other men
worship . . . so that in future crises they
WOUld
be able to understand religious
needs."
Reading from catalogues and manuals
governing the military schools, Kaplan cited
a number of statements where, he said,
the "real purpose ... is to inculcate future
offi::erswith religious faith because of the
Government's belief that (to do so) they
wIll develop better officers."
Even if the Pentagon's practice is for
secular purposes, Kaplan contended, "it
would still be unconstitutional because it
would inhibit religion in general or enable
religion."
THE AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

Leventhal pressed the question to Higgins

whether "it is rational to expect regular
attendance." He observed that occasional
attendance would accomplish this facet of
the officer's training.
The Assistant U. S. Attorney admitted
to the court. that to require attendance at
worship services could be "counter productive" if the future officers, as some cadets
testified last year, are turned against religion. Even in the case of the undergraduate being "neutral" toward religion,
Higgins said, military leaders still say the
effect of the required attendance regulation
is "good."
In addition to Leventhal, the other two
judges hearing the case were David Bazelon,
Chief of the U. S. Court of Appeals here,
and George E. MacKinnon.

78767

11

ATHEIST

THE AMERICA
CENTER

This is a typical "floor plan" for our coming

"American Atheist Centre". We can build it on
a 'one floor' basis, or carry it up to twenty
stories, if we desire to do so.
It is also a prototype plan for any '1American
Atheist Church" as we get Poor Richard's Universal Life Church for American Atheists moving in
each state.
THE
12

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

A ustin, Texas 78767

We need
an
American Atheist Centre
of
$tature and importance.
The Roman
Catholics have the Vatican. The
Muslims have
The United States has the White Hou se . Others recognize
importance of having a visible symbol of power.

Mecca.

the

We need
a

sYmbol
of
our strength
and
our determination.
We need to have a building which will reflect a philosophy
of living - a building made of materials indigenous to the locale
in which it is located: stone -- earth bricks -- natural lumbers.
It needs to have the total grounds in which it is located to be
made a part of the whole structure, being spacious with windows.
It needs to be built with love.
Emery Kanarik, an Atheist architect, designed it with love.
One day, these kind of buildings will proliferate throughout
America, as the life-filled philosophy of Atheism supplants the
anti-life philosophy of theism now abroad in our land.
But, now we need the first structure - the first unit - the
home for our philosophy -- as a physical manifestation of our
ideas for what could be in America - and - what will be.
We ask you all -- please -- exert yourself in every way to
work for the fulfillment of this planning. Raise funds. Spread
the word. Encourage everyone to contribute in every way possible.
We need to first buy the land - and - then - erect the building. How long it takes depends entirely on your effort and ours.
What we project
is
the structure on the next two pages.

THE AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

13

-E

14

THE

MER

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

KANARIK

Austin,

Texas 78767

TEe

AMERICAN ATHEISTS
CENTER
AMERICAN ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

15

we ~1ItEIST
PATAMATA, VIJAYAWADA-6,

ILEARN

(A. P.) Phone:

86-330

MAY
197

-GORA

A conference of fifty delegates was

arranged in a hall which could easily
squat two hundred persons. The convener
was artistically inclined.
He planned
luxury arrangements-and
the hall was one
of them.
Five carpets were spread in the hall
in a design. Long strips of green cloth,
two feet wide, were laid criss-cross,
especially along the whole length of the
four walls inside the hall. The colours of
the carpets and the green cloth matched
well and looked pleasmgiy beautiful.
I had a writing work to do before the
conference started at 9' A. M. SO I went
into the hall half-an-hour early to have
quiet time Ior myself. . The convener
precededme.
He was giving final touches
to the arrangements in the hall. I greeted
the convener, entered the hall and sat at Ii
place on the green cloth, leaning against
the wall in the Indian fashion of sitting
comfortably.
Presently, the convener walked up to
me and whispered, "Please, the green
cloth is for the passage. Kindly sit on the
carpet."
He explained briefly to me how
the pathways were arranged for the movemerits of the delegates with the least
disturbance to the conference. I appreciated the plan and shifted on to a carpet.

16

On1y the seats of the chairman and

of a few distinguished delegates were provided with cushions to lean upon. I had
to sit on the carpet with my back erect.
So with other delegates. Can we sit erect
for the five hours of the conference each
day without
discomfort?
As these
thoughts turned in my mind, two other
delegates entered the hall, discussing a
subject of the conference.
Ignorant of
the arrangements, they too sat on the
green cloth leaning against the wall. The
convener politely requested them to sit
on the carpets. The two delegates were
so much absorbed in the conversation
that they did not seem to have understood
the convener's request.
They replied,
"Thank you. We are comfortable here,"
and resumed their discussion.
I noticed
the convener
feeling puzzled.
His
arrangements were upset and his artistic
tastes were outraged!
Five minutes to nine. The delegates
poured in.
I counted twenty-eight of
them sitting on the green cloth, leaning
aginst the well. The chairman and four
others were at the special seats.
The
rest, like me, sat erect scattered on the
carpets.
Fine tastes failed to see real needs.
17 April,

THE

'71.

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

14

THE

INDEPENDENT,

WEDNESDAY,

BIGGAR, SASK.

FEBRUARY

17, 1971

An
Atheist says
THE GODTHEORY
By John M. Sarvas

First, we must realize that

god is only a theory and like
anyone that postulates a theory,
the burden of proof is uponthem.
The religious community, its
scholars, teachers and theologians, therefore are constantly
attempting to offer proof of their
proposition and theory. Now,ifa
god really was, it would not be
necessary for them to do this.
From their definition of god, it
is obvious he would be able to
offer this proof and not leave
it to their punyefforts. He does
not, of course, simply because
he does not exist.
The theories, however, are interesting and although the religionists have been putting them
forth for thousands of years,
there are only six basic arguments. If there were a god, his
existance would be argument
enough and why would anyone
need even six arguments?
This first group of proofs have
generally been abandoned by
theologians, although still used
by laymen.
1. Direct sensory experiencesomeone says he has talked to
god, or. heard, seen, smelled or
touched him. The psychiatrist
would say he is having hallucinations. H~ve you seen god or
heard him? You can trust your
own senses if you are a normal
human being. Included in this
category are 'mystical insight'
and 'intuition' which tells you
there is a god. It is interesting
to note that all religions contend
that their super human entities
cannot be seen, heard, smelled,
tasted, felt or otherwisehumanly

THE AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

experienced, therefore being distinctly beyond science. Because

these proofs are based on personal experience, without reference to scientific principals they
are no longer considered valid.
2. Faith-your unquestioning acceptance of someone else-having
talked with god, seen or otherwise sensed him, or having insight or intuition that tells him
there is a god. When a large
group of people share this delusion it is popularly called religion. This argument has generally been abandoned because
of failure of proof regarding the
direct sensory experience.
3. Acceptance ofauthority-there
are different kinds of authority
involved: that of an institution,
a book, an individual person. If
you accept the authority of an
institution, that is of a church:
The Moslem church, Hindu
church, pagan church, Roman
Catholic church or your particular protestant church. The
choice is yours, unless you live
in an era when choice is not
approved, then you have a certain religion rammed downyour
throat, whether you iike it or
not, by a powerful institution.
Acceptingthe authority of a book
could be: the Koran, the Veda,
the Old Testament, the NewTestament, the Apocrypha,the upanishades, the Torah. The authority of a person, again many
choices: Mohammed,Confucius,
Buddha, Moses, Fatima, Christ,
Quoxichochtle. Authority, whoever is in power, rules. That is
why this argument has been abandoned.

17

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18

ATHEIST FOUNDATION

OF AUSTRALIA

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

~ ~:s

.....

Austin, Texas 78767

19

tt

"

NUT MAl
itw .WRRA.y

OHARA

AUSTIN'TiXAS .
.-LHEARll:YOU ..ON."THE- JERRY-WILLIAMS

SHONt--_WHICH WAS THE MOST DISGUBTING THINCL

,
'il<AM ENCIDSING A BOOKLEr OF TEE MARYKNOLL SOCIEI'Y TO SHOW WHERE THE MONEt
THE -CATHOLICS DONATE GOES. THIS IS ooLY ONE OF THE MANY THOUSANDS MISSIONS .'
OF: 'ALI:,tmNmM:r:NATIONS, WHERE PEOPLE DEDICATE THEIR LIVES, ENDURING HARDShrrP9'
:ANl) EVEN. SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES TO BEl'TER THIS WORLD.
.."
','WHAT'ARE
YOU AND THE REST OF THE ATHEISTS DOING ALONG THIS LINE, ()THER
~HANrT,~a.'- TO' .TEAROOllN THE MISSIONARIES WORK.'
,'
.
. " " ,"':l\$REIS,SCWKIND
OF A FRUSTATION IN YOUR LIFE CAUSING TO ACT, THIS WAY.
WHY'D;tJ)ij1T;' IOV, TAKE UP MEDICINE OR SOME OYHER HU1ITAUJITARI@.NSERVICE TO DO
,CONSTRUTIVE LW'otur IN THIS WORLD.
':
' .,':~OOR'KrND OF ViORK YOU WOUWEXPECT TO FIND IN RUSSIA AND THE RESI'OF .
WHE, COMMUNISTIO COUNTRIES.
_
";"";"':ViAKE',up:
W!' U' I MAY CALL YOlr-THIS AFTER WHAT I HEARD OF YOU ON THE RADIO.
itO.i1:SU~I/P.ID:,)ldt A,.C1f laIKE ONE.
.
,
'.'
,
',.,
',.
' " ,'I', AM' PRA.nNG FOR YOU MID HOPESIDME DAY -YOU WILL SEE THE LIGHI', .AIID ~E
~QU.R AdriPiis. .
"- .
.;~::,HAV~,:~,

HEARD IN MY 71 YEARS OF LIFE.

~-

-"

":'

_,.'.

, .1

YOURS TRULY
WORRIED'

20

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

anonymoul

Letters
1vIr~. MadeLyn Murry 0 'hare
Society of Separatlonist~
Box 2117
AUf'Jtin,Texa~

Phila. Pa.

Dear !vII's . O'Hare:

I was pri viloged to hear you on the Jack
Mc Kinney progr~~, between 1 a.m. and 2 a. m.
last night.
Although, the people who phoned into the
program during that hour took the stand that.
di.f.feredwith yours because o.fwhat they .felt
were religious belie.fs, I wish y'Ju to know
that others, li}re myself. alslD have religious
convictions and have educated their children
in similar beliefs. But, we also are firm
in our belief that prayer should be kept out
of the school. It is not"a government .function
or responsibility, but the desires of the
parent. I believe that tax dollars should be
spent on public sponsored programs, not
privately endowed religious institut~mns of any
kind.
The fact that you have' the courage of
your convictions to fight o~Bnly .for them,
and th~tyou are conv~nced of the true principles involved, has no bear~ing as far as I am
concerned, as to what your personal feelings
are toward religion.
I am enclosing one dollar for your use
in pursuing this cause.
I wish you good health and much success
in your cour-ageous s t and ; Iwlsh I had the
f'ortltude to do the same.
I am not proud about my noh phoning the
station-myself and saying Ghis to you'where
the listeners of the Mc Kinney program could
hear this substantiation of your basic beliefs.

THE AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

21

In the old "Ozzie and Harriet" TV seQ ries,

singer Ricky Nelson, like the rest
of his family, was presented as the personification of everything clean-cut and wholesome. Was he really like that? - E.L.,
Tulsa.

t.

::..

Hardly. Ricky had his first sexual encounter at age 14 with a London prostitute, he did poorly in high school, was once arrested for stealing construction lamps, and belonged to a street gang. Today, at 31, he is opposed to the Vietnam war and thinks marijuana should be legalized. Brother David, 34,
dropped out of college at 21, is a chain-smoker
and, along with his wife, has consulted a psychiatrist. Ozzie and Harriet, who were Mr. and
Mrs. Mid-America for years, follow suit: Harriet doesn't believe in formal religion or sex education and Ozzie is an atheist.

22

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas 78767

e following is a
cript from a tape of
American Atheist Radio Series"
cast OVaI' KTBC in Austin on the 26th of
y 1970. It is from a series of talks on Charles
augh, this one is intitled Charles Bradlaugh's
nitys Gain from Unbelief".

ening.
is Madalyn Murray O'Hair,
an Atheist, back to talk to
in.
s month I have been aCQuainyou with one of the first
t Atheists in western civion, Charles' Bradlaugh, a
of the parliament in EngWe are so backward in our
e in respect to religion,
ome of his writing sounds as
y were written here and now,
rica today, instead of Engbout one hundred years ago.
me acquaint you specificalh wbat he has had to say
"Humanity's Gain from Unbeuote: "As an unbeliever, I
eave to plead that humanity
en a real gainer from sceptand that the gradual and
rejection of Christianitythe rejection of the faiths
preceded it--has in fact adand will add, to man's hapand well-being. I maintain
in pbysics science is the

Austin, Texas 78767

outcome of scepticism, and that

general progress is
impossible
without scepticism
in matters of
religion.
I mean
by religion
every form of belief which accepts
or asserts the supernatural.
I
write as a Monist, and use the
word 'Nature" as meaning all phenomena, every phenomenon, all that
is necessary
for the happening of
any and every phenomenon. Every
religion is constantly
changing,
and at any given time is the measure of the civilization attained
by the juste milieu of those who
profess it.
Each religion
is
slowly but certainly modified in
its dogma and
practice by the
gradual development of the peoples
against whom it is professed. Each
discovery destroys in whole or
part some theretofore
cherished
belief.
No religion is suddenly
rejected by any people; it is
rather gradually outgrown.
None
sees a religion die; dead relig ions are like dead languages and
obsolete customs: the decay is a
long and-like the glacier march -

23

is perceptible only to the careful watcher by comparisons extending over long periods. A superseded religion may often be traced in the festivals ceremonies,
and dogmas of the religion which
has replaced it. Traces of obsolete religions may often be found
in popular customs, in old wives'
stories, and in children's tales.
..the ameliorating march of the
last few centuries has been initiated by the heretics of each
age, though I quite concede that
the men and women denounced and
persecuted as infidels by the
pious of one century are frequently claimed as saints by the
pious of a later generation.
..a ground frequently taken
by Christian theologians is that
the progress and civilization of
the world are due to Christianity; and the discussion is complicated by the fact that many
eminent servants of humanity have
been nominal Christians, of one
or other of the sects. My allegation will be that the special
services rendered to human progress by these exceptional men
have not been in consequence of
their adhesion to ChristianitYt
but in spite of it, and that the
specific points of advantage to
human kind have been in ratio of
their direct opposition to precise Biblical enactments ..
Take one clear gain to humanity consequent on unbelief,--i.e.
the abolition of slavery in some
countries,in the abolition of the
slave trade in most civilized
countries and in the tendency to
its total abolition.
I am unaware of any religion in the world
which in the past forbade slavery. The professors of Christian-

24

ity for ages supported it; the

Old Testament repeatedly sanctioned it by special laws; the New
Testament had no repealing declaration.
..It is impossible for any
well - informed Christian to deny
that the abolition movement in
North America was most steadily
and bitterly opposed by the religious bod ies in the various states.
The Bible and pulpit, the
church and its great influence,
were used against abolition and
in favour of the slave-owner.
For some 1,800 years
Christians kept slaves, bought slaves,
sold slaves, bred slaves, stole
slaves.
Pious Bristol and godly
Liverpool (both of England) openly grew rich on the traffic. It
was a Christian King,
Charles V
and a Christian friar, who founded in Spanis hAmer ica the slave
trade between the Old World and
the New.
But pr ior to that during the ninth
century
Greek
Christians sold slaves to the'
Saracens.
In the eleventh century prostitutes were
publicly
sold as slaves in Rome, and the
profit went to the Church.
...When William Lloyd Garrison
the pure-minded and most earnest
abolitionists
in America ,delivered his first anti-slavery address in Boston, Massachusetts,
the only building he could obtain
in.which to speak was the infidel
hall owned by Abner Keenland, the
'infidel' editor of the Boston
Investigator, who had been sent
to ga 01 for blasphemy.
Every
Christian sect had in turn refused Mr. Lloyd Garrison the use
of the buildings they
severally
controlled.
Lloyd Garrison told

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

me himself how honoured deacons

f a Christian Churc h joined in
an actual attempt to hang him.
..Large numbers of clergymen
f nearly every denomination were
found ready to defend the infamous 'Fugitive Slave Law' in North
America.
And, in respect to slavery a
notable historian says "The men
wbo advocated liberty (for the
slaves in any era) were imprisoned, racked and burned, so long as
tbe Church was strong enough to
be merciless."
It is not also fair to urge
tbe gain to humanity whic h has
been apparent in the wiser treatJDentof the insane, consequent on
be unbelief in the Christian
octrine that these unfortunates
ere examples either of demoniaal possession or of special vistation of deity?
For centuries
der Christianity mental disease
as most ignorantly treated. Excism, shaokles,
and the whip
re the penalties rather than
be curatives for mental mala1es. Every gain in the treatnt of the insane,
every step
lustrates- the march of unbeef.
Take the gain to humanity in
be unbelief--not yet complete-gainst the dogma that sickness,
stilence, and famine were maniestations of divine anger, the
esults of which could neither be
voided nor prevented. The Chrisian Churches have done little or
otbing to despel this superi titon (ed s note: remember he was
iting this in the 188-' s). The
fficial and authorised prayers
the prinoipal denominations,
day, affirm it.
Modern study
tbe laws of health, experit

AMERICAN ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas

78767

--

.--------------.

ments in sanitary improvements,

more efficacious in preventing or
diminishing
plagues and pestilence than has the intervention of
the priest or the practice of
prayer.
Take further the gain to hum~
anity consequent on the unbeliefin witchcraft and wizardry. Apart
from the brutality by Christians
towards those suspected of witchcraft, the hindrance to scientific initiative or experiment was
incalculable great.
The inventions of the past two centuries,
and especially those of the eighteenth century, might have benefited mankind much earlier and
much more largely, but for the
foolish belief in witchcraft and
the shocking ferocity exhibited
against those suspected
A historian on Scotland alone
states:
"The people seem to have passed
into cruelty precisely as
they
became more and more fanatical,
more and more devoted to their
Church, till after many generations the slow spread of human
science began to counteract the
ravages of superstition,
the
clergy resisting reason and humanity to the last."
It is certainly a clear gain
to astronomical science that the
Church which tried to
compel
Galileo to unsay the truth has
been overborne by the growing unbelief of the age, even though
our little children are yet taught that Joshua made the sun and
moon starid still, and that for
Hezekiah the sun-dial reversed
its record.
As in astronomy so in geology,
the gain of knowledge to humanity
has been almost solely in measure
of the rejection of the Christian

25

theory.
A century since it was
almost universally held that the
world was created 6,000 years ago
or at any rate that by the sin of
the first man, Adam, death commenced about that period.
Will anyone,
save the bigoted,
contend that it is not certain gain to humanity to spread
unbelief in the terrible doctrine
that eternal torture is the probable fate of the great majority
of the human family?
It is not
gain to have diminished the faith
that it was the duty of the wretched and the miserable to be content with the lot in life
which
providence had awarded them?
If it stood alone it would be
almost sufficient to plead as
justification for heresy the approach towards equality and liberty for the utterance of all
opinions achieved because of growing unbelief.
At one period in
Christendom each government acted
as though only one
religious
faith could be true, and as though the holding, or at any rate
the making known, any other opinion was a criminal act deserving
punishment.
Under the one word
'irifidel', even as late as Lord
Coke, were classed together all
who were not Christians, even
though they were Mohammedans,Brahmins or Jews.
All who did not
accept the Christian faith were
sweepingly denounced as infidels,
and in England this most affected
the Jew.
English history for
several centuries shows how habitually and most atrociously Christian kings, Christian courts,
and Christian churches persecuted
and harassed these infidel Jews.
There was a time in England when

26

Jews were such infidels that they

were not even allowed to be ~Norn
as witnesses.
In 1740 a legacy
left for establishing an assembly
for the reading of the Jewish
scriptures was held to be void
because it was "for the propagation of the Jewish law in contradiction to the Christian religion" It is only in very modern
times that municipal rights have
been accorded in England to Jews.
It is barely thirty years since
they have been allowed to sit ill
Parliament.
Lord Coke treated the infidel
as one who in law had no right of
any kind, with whom no contract
need be kept, to whom no debt was
payable. In one solemn judgement,
Lork Coke says:
"All
infidels
are in law perpetui inimici (perpetually an enemy): for between
them, as with the devil whose
subjects they be, and the Christian, there is perpetual hostility' .
Twenty years ago the law
of England required the writer of
any periodical publication
or
pamphlet under sixpence in price
to give suret ies for 800 pound
against the pUblication of blasphemy.
I wa s the last person
persecuted in 1868 for non- compliance with that law, which was
repealed by Mr.Gladstone in 1869.
Up till the 23rd of December,
1888, an infidel in Scotland was
allowed to enforce any
legal
claim in court only on condition
that if challenged, he denied his
infidelity.
If he lied and said
he was a Christian, he was accepted, despite his lying. If he
told the truth and said he was an
unbeliever, then he was practically an outlaw,
incompetent to

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin, Texas 78767

dence for himself or for

Fortunately all this
ed by the Royal assent
tha Act of 24th December,
Baa not humanity clearly
little in this struggle
unbelief?
in to humanity by unbethat 'teaching of Christ'
modified, enlarged, widhumanised, and that the
oe of a Christian' is in
and quality made fitter
n progress by the everaddition of knowledge
later and more heretical
ore than a century and a
e Roman Catholic had in
harsher measure dealt
m by the English Protesstian than was even durperiod the fate of the
the unbeliever. If the
holic would not take the
abjuration, which to a
omanist was impossible,
in effect an outlaw, and
packing' so much com-

plained of today in Ireland is

one of the habit survivals of the
old bad time when Roman Catholics
were thus by law excluded from
jury box."
End quote.
And to sum it up,
I repeat his beginning words in
respect to this subject, for Charles Bradlaugh said, "I shall try
to make out that the ameliorating
march of man of the last few centuries has been initiated by the
heretics of each age."
One of the most powerful booklets which
Charles
Bradlaugh
wrote was completed in 1860 and
was titled "Who Was Jesus C hrist"
Only a part of that is available
to me now, and that is a chapter
titled: "What Did Jesus Teach".
If any of you have any old
books on Atheism or Freethought,
we are now making an accumulation
of them here in the Atheist Centre of America in Austin.
Won't
you please donate them to our
collection known as the Charles
E. Stevens American Atheist Library and Archives.

Small SJlggestion
ROME Prelates in' the
Vatican have been ~kedto use
more modest cars.
Already

four

swapped their
Fiat sedans.

cardinals
Mercedes'

The idea is thought

come from the Pope.

Austin,

Texas

78767

have:
for

to have

27

POETRY
OUT OF EARTH
By Kahil Gibran (1883-1931)
Wrathfully and violently earth comes
out of earth;
And gracefully and majestically earth
walks over earth.
Earth from earth, builds palaces and
erects towers and temples,
And earth weaves on earth, legends,
doctrines, and laws.
Then earth becomes tired of the deeds
of earth and wreathes
From its halo, dreams and fantasies.
And earth's eyes are then beguiled by
earth's slumbers to enduring rest.
And earth calls unto earth:
"I am the
womb of the sepulchre,
And I shall remain a womb and a
Sepulchre
Until the planets exist no more
And the sun turns to ashes."

I
I
I
I

was not;
was born;
was;
am no more.

That is the whole.

If any add thereto,
He lies;
There is no future for the soul.
(from the Greek)

28

THE

AMERICAN

ATHEIST

Austin,

Texas 78767

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ray O'Hair .......

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Murray O'Hair ......

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battan .............................
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Case." ...

~'.~--.

:.~'.
.- .:.':~
"'~/A'
~.

190ClETY

OF

9EPARATIONISTSI

THE AIMS OF THE SOCIETY

1. To stimulate
and promote fr dom of thoug~t
and inquiry concerning
religious
beliefs,
creeds,
dogmas, tenets, rituals and practices.

6. To promote the study of tne arts and sciences

and of all problems affecting the maintenance, perpetuation and enrichment of human life.

2. To collect and di sseminate

information, data,
and literature
on all religions and promote a more
thorough understanding
of them,
their origins and
histories.

1. To engage

3. To advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful

ways, the complete separation of Church and State;
the establishment
and maintenance
of a thoroughly
secular system of education available to all.

The Atheist-materialist
philosophy declares that
the cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purpose;
that it is governed by its own inherent, Immutable
and impersonal
law; that there is no supernatural
interference
in human life; that man finding his
resources
within himself, can and must create his
own destiny;
and that his potential for good and
higher development
is for all practical purposes
unlimited.

4. To encourage
the development
and public acceptance of a humane ethical system, stressing the
mutual sympathy, understanding and interdependence
of all people and the corresponding responsibility
of each individually in relation to society.
5. To develop
which man is
the source of
the well being

and prop'lgate a social philosophy in

the central figure, who alone must be
strength, progress, and idealism for
and happiness of humanity.

THE TRADITIONAL

in such social, educational,

legal,
and cultural activity as wi II be useful and beneficial
to the members of this Society, and to society as
a whole.

Freethought
may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly
accepts the supremacy of
reason, and aims at establishing
a system of philosophy and ethics verifiable
by experience, independent of all arbitrary assumptions
of authority
or
creeds.

SYMBOL OF A THEISM IS A PANSYl

.
RENCH ..
pensee: thought
penser: to think

LATIN .
peasare ; to weigh. or poncJer
Plant

some in your yard ..

OUR NEW SYMBOL Represents AMERICAN ATHEISl\1 in the NUCLEAR AGE.