MAY 1976

Vol: 18

No:5

$1.00

In

This

ATHEISTS

EAT

IT

Issue:

IN THE

KOSHER

NEW

- LI

A Journal

of

Atheist

News

and

Thought
t~ QF4fY;f

lZ'"f~$iit'

BY
ANNE
NICOL GAYLOR

A moving account by a woman who understands the emotional truths behind the demand
for abortion.
Gloria Steinem

So much of what has been written about abortion has been apologetic - and been written
by men. It is refreshing to have this forthright statement by a feminist who has been a
leader in the abortion reform movement.
Ms. Gaylor articulates the anger of all feminists with a society that is attempting to
subvert the United States Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion
Betty Friedan
Required reading for anyone who still does not comprehend the tragedy of unwanted
pregnancy ... and for those who must debate the question. A poignant human report
filled with compassion and genuine love of humanity.
Marion K. Sanders
Finally, a book that focuses on the only, truly qualified, illegal abortion experts - the
women themselves. Their voices have not been heard in the abortion debates of recent
years. Anne Gaylor, who counseled thousands of these women, tells their stories with
compassion and understanding.
Ms. Gaylor spares no one in her trenchant analysis of where the responsibility lies for the
suffering, degradation and death caused by enti-sbortion laws. She documents the role
doctors have played in this. She exposes the tactics and motivations of the so-called
Right-to-Lifers, who are determined to overthrow the U. S. Supreme Court decisions
legalizing abortion.
Invaluable for all those who care about keeping abortion legal and safe, this book is also a
must for those who want all the facts before making up their minds on this issue.

Beatrice Blair, Executive Director

National Abortion Rights Action League

clip and mail to:

SOCIETY OF SEPARATIONISTS,

I enclose
ABORTION

Inc., P. O. Box 2117, Austin, TX 78767

. Please send me [
IS A BLESSING,

or charge it to my MASTERCHARGE

copy(ies) of

at $4.95 each
.55 postage and handling.
$5.50 each

No:

which expires:

_
_

BANKAMERICARD

No:

Signature:

Name:
Address:
City:

_
_

State-

Apt. No.
Zip Code:

ON THE

COVER

Thomas Paine was born at Thetford, Norfolk, England, on January 29th, 1737 and died
in New York on June 8th, 1809.

THE AMERICAN

ATHEIST

MAGAZINE

Vol. XVII, No.5...............................

Editor: Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Contributing Editors:

Cover Artist:

Paine met Benjamin Franklin in London in

1774 and received from him encouragement to go
to the United States and an introductory
letter for
a job when he arrived.

May 1976

Jon Murray
John Sontarck
Avro Manhattan
Jo Kotula

On 9th January, 1776, Paine issued his

pamphlet Common Sense which was the call to
revolution, in America.
When war was declared he penned a series of
influential tracts under the title The Crisis. They
became the battle cry of the American Revolutionary Forces.
Later
in France, his The Rights of Man
so stirred the people there that he was indicted for
treason in May, 1792.

THE AMERICAN ATHEIST is published monthly

by the Society of Separationists, I nc., 440~ Medical Parkway, Austin, TX 78?56, a non-pro~lt, nonpolitical, tax-exempt, educational organization.
Mailing address: P. O. Box 2117, Austin, Texas,
78767. Subscription rates $12.00 per year; $20.00
for two years. Manuscripts: The editors assume no
responsibility for unsolicited
manuscripts.
All
manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced and accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

While in prison in France, on yet other

charges, he wrote the Age of Reason; a bit!er
polemic
against
Christianity,
attacking
With
internal criticism both the Old and the New Testaments. He was almost immediately met with rejection and vituperation
both in England, France
and the United States where, formerly,
he had
been a hero.
The book Age of Reason is compelling in
its simplicity and clarity. It represented the Deis.m
of the day, but it did so in a p.as~ionate and Irrefutable fashion leaving the Christian no quarter,
no way out but to face the insanity of his beliefs.
Paine was ostracized and isolated; later dying
penniless and alone -- a final payment for his having dared to tell the truth.

CONTENTS -- THIS ISSUE

News
Moses is An Atheist..................................

Editorial
Let's Make The Flight Together

17

American Atheist Radio Series

The Gospel of Man..................................

18

Feature Articles:
Nietzsche's Attack on The
Benevolence of Christianity....................

21

Eat It Kosher - Like It or Not................

Book Review:
Abortion Is A Blessing..........................

26

Paine has never been honored as he should

be. His works are not made available readily. The
reference in our history to him is cursory.
The
future needs to recognize his genius, his intelligence and contribution.
It is our committed duty
in the present to see that this will come about.
Paine now dead -- can not benefit from accolades
but the men and women of today and tomorrow
can benefit from a steeping in his words, his ideas
and his deeds. To this end, we commit ourselves,
here, at the American Atheist Centre.

"1 love the man that can smile in trouble,

that can gather strength from distress, and grow
brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little
minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm and
whoseconscienceapproveshis conduct, will pursue
his principles unto death."
ThomasPaine.

30
May 19761 American Atheist - 3

NEWS
The news presented in these columns which
fills approximately
one-half of the magazine, is
chosen to demonstrate to you, month after month,
that the dead reactionary hand of religion is always
on you. It dictates how much tax you pay, what
food you eat and when, with whom you have
sexual relations, how often, where, when and of
what kind, if you will have chilcren and how many,
what you read, what plays, cinema and television
you may see, and what you should or should not
believe about life.
Religion is politics and, always, the most
authoritarian and reactionary politics.
We editorialize our news to emphasize this
thesis. Unlike any other magazine or newspaper in
the United States, we are honest enough to admit
it.
HONEST ATHEIST

CAUSES QUANDARY

As a community developer in the Lake View

neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, Gloria Perez is
on the payroll of the United Methodist Church although she is an American Atheist.
Her theological views were not an issue for
church debate until last month when she expressed
her convictions at a conference in Oklahoma City,
Okla., for Methodist-sponsored 'national missionaries: Ms. Perez has been work ing at her present
job since 1973.
After she made her remarks in a conference
workshop, the 29-year old Chicago native was
quoted as saying to her colleagues: "1 am not a
Christian; I don't believe in God; but I consider
myself to be in mission."
"Actually, that was a misquote," she said in
an interview when reached by a Chicago newspaper. "I would never say I am 'in mission: I don't
think of myself as being called by the lord. lam
called by the community."

'I have no knowledge of the incident, but I

would assume that if a non-Christian (is) serving as
a communitv developer it is through a hole in the
system, not through the approval of this division."
However, the Rev. John Coleman, director
of the community
development program in Dr.
Nugent's division,
declared he knows of "no
requirement that participants profess a belief in
Christ."
When a news service writer asked him
whether he would recommend cutting of church
funds for "a professed Atheist,"
Dr. Nugent
replied: "1 would want to dialogue with the local
church persons to see what their motivation is, and
would work from there."
The community
development program was
started in 1968 when the Methodist General Con
ference, meet ing in Oalias a few days after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.. created its
Fund for Reconcilation.
At first, most of the
money went for work in black communities. More
recently, Latinos, American Indians and Asian
Americans have gotten larger slices of the pie than
they were originally served
Since 1968, the forces of theological and political conservativism
have become stronger in
nearly all mainline denominations, including Methodism. With the 1976 General Conference set, the
national staff executives and their programs are
vulnerable to criticism on the conference floor.
Meanwhile,
as the bureaucrats 'position'
themselves, Ms. Perez is continuing to go about
her business ..
One of her days begins with a meeting In
the office of a high school principal. She was there
with the parents of a Latino student facing transfer
to another school. "1 have found that the attitude
of administrators
toward Latino parents is different when I sit in with them," Ms. Perez said.
"This is especially true when the family doesn't
speak the language (English) well."
After that session, she met with tenants in
an aged building, who were organizing to demand
changes from their landlord.

Her statement, as quoted in an Oklahoma

paper and the church press, got a mixed reaction
from the church's bureaucracy.

of

According to the United Methodist news service, the Rev. Dr. Randolph Nugent, head of the
national division of the denomination's
Board of
Global Ministries said:

Ms. Perez said she is not a 'missionary: That

word, she explained, has bad connotations for
her: "Missionaries
are involved in controlling
people. I want to liberate, not to control."

May 1976/ American

Atheist

-4

Her day ended late that night with a meeting

the education council at LeMoyne School.

MOSES IS AN ATHEIST
"I don't believe in god. I'm an Atheist.
Ortho~ox
religion is bull." Thus quoted Time
magazine on Burt
Lancaster who plays the title
role in "Moses".
He made the remarks while in
London for the royal premiere of his film.
.
Lancaster
readily
acknowledged
having
Ignored some of the Ten Commandments that the
non-historical Moses allegedly brought down from
a retreat on Mount Sinai claiming that they had
been engraved in stone by the finger of god.
".I'm 62 years old," said Burt, "and I'm still
susceptible to the charms of an 18-year-old girl.
I guess that makes me a dirty old man."
GLORIA PEREZ: "I don't think
of myself as being called by
the lord. I am called by the
community." (Sun-Times Photo by-Duane Hall)
In her opinion, it is not inappropriate for her
to receive an annual sary of $7,000 from a church
whose official beliefs she does not accept.
"Obviously,"
she said, "there wou Id be a
conflict if I were telling people not to believe in
god. But I don't do this. My job is to respond to
the needs of people in the community and to join
with those who are working for justice and for the
empowerment of the people." .
Ms. Perez has the support of the pastor of
the Christian Fellowship Church, in Chicago, which
names half the members of the 'local policy committee' that oversees her work. In an interview
Rev. Flores said:
'
"G loria is much respected for her abi Iity to
have feelings for the hurts of people and for her
organizing ability. At Oklahoma City she said what
she honestly wanted to say and she had a right to
do that.
"I think Gloria is more Christian than many
nominal United Methodists. If funds are cut off becauseshe does not profess Jesus Christ as her lord
and savior, then that is where the church is."
[source:

Roy Larson, Religion Writer

Chicago Sun Times 3/13/76]

WHAT'S

THAT!

Overheard at the American Atheist Convention: "It's not a sin to be rich. It's a miracle."

Speaking further of the Ten Commandments

he said, "I don't live by them, but I think they are
goo~ in that they can give other people something
to live by. ... I have certain ethics by which I
live," he said. "I don't believe in a god or a hereafter."
In an interview with Midnight magazine he
elaborated by saying, "I just don't care if there is
or is not a god. I don't concern myself with religion or god at all. There seems little point in it.
"Nor do I believe in a hereafter. Once your'e
dead, that's it, that's the end. You no longer exist
and life stops completely."
Lancaster was reared in the Episcopal church
but turned against religion at age 30.
He had no difficulty
reconciling his lack of
reliqion to the character he portrays, Moses, the
most Important
figure in the Old Testament.
"It was the fact that Moses was a simple man
~h? did not want to take on the awesome responsibilitv that was thrust upon him that made the
film interesting for me, " Lancaster said.
"I believe in this role and in Moses. I feel
strongly about his part in the early life and the
influences that made him live according. But I cannot beleive in the divine power of an almighty."
On the Ten Commandments
he told Midnight magazine that he accepted the importance
of them.
"They're still relevant today but only because it is necessary to live by a certain set of rules
of conduct.

"H owever, even these shou Id be reviewed,

May 1976/ American Atheist - 5

because times have changed. We live in a different

world and standards change. Therefore not all the
commandments
can really apply to todavs living.

fluence This is not the little brown church in the

dell. These are the churches with money, and
money IS power

"But they are at least setting out a model of

Iife that gives us a basis to Iive by, even though we
may break or bend them now and then.

.
"As far as religion goes, I couldn't care less
If the god-people
want to believe in Jehovah
witches, fairies. That's all right with me. Just s;
long as they don't represent me as a fool because I
don't believe."

[source: Midnight

ATHEIST COMES
----_._---

OUT

Vo1.22, No. 46; 5/10/76

Newsweek,3/15/76J

..-.'~.---._~-

OF CLOSET

- - ...

"

"You cannot very well reason with somebody whose basic line of argument is that reason
does not count." -- Isaac Asimov, physicist and
writer.
Contrary
to what some of god's children
may believe, Richard E. Larner husband father
scholar, animal lover and Atheist does not have ~
flaming-red "A" tatooed on his chest. or the hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag embroidered on
the corners of his handkerchiefs.
Neither does he beat his wife, worship the
devil, molest little children, rob banks or murder
frail old ladies. Outwardly,
Dick Larner could pass
for any middle-income,
well-read, god-fearing man
of 61. He owns his own home, takes care of two
black poodles, likes people and would imbibe now
and then if alcohol didn't make him ill. Inwardly,
Dick Larner seethes.
"At first I took an attitude like most people
do today. I ignored the problem ... but it wasn't a
problem back then," he says. "Now, it's a problem.
I've realized how thoroughly
my life is intruded
upon by people's religious beliefs. I've got people
in this community
telling me when I can drink,
when I can shop, when I can hunt, when I can
work.
"But most of all it hits me in the pocketbook. It's been estimated that the churches in this
country have $186 billion worth of clout that is
not taxable."
Larner pauses, adjusts his glasses,
points a finger directly at his companion and raising his voice says, "That's more assets than the
four largest corporat ions in th is country
have."
Dick Larner dislikes doling out the extra
$200 a year in income tax he claims the church's
non-taxed status forces him to pay. He loathes
chipping in to pay for the church's garbage collection, and fire and police protection.
.
"Social pressures from the religious community work on most people," says Larner. "For a
minority,
the churches wield an awful lot of inMay 1976/ American Atheist -6

Apparently,
a few members of the religious
community
aren't willing to allow Dick Larner the
freedom of belief
he demands. Last year Larner
wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper,
crrt rcrz rnq a religiously
inclined column in the
paper. Severa I days later Larner came home from
work to find a dump truck load (six cubic yards)
of sand piled up on his front lawn.
"My wife called me at work and asked me
~~ I had ordered the sand del ivered '' says l.arner.
I asked her. 'What sand?' She said, 'The pile of
sand sitting in the front yard.'
I came home and
sitting on top of the sand was a purchase order. I
called the company that had delivered it and they
told me a well-spoken white man had called and
ordered the sand delivered. They apologized and
said thev would ~ome out and pick it up, but by
the time they arrived my wife had given most of it
away to the neighbors."
Later that week, someone called Southern
Bell and had Larner's telephone
disconnected.
There have been obscene calls an several threats
Why?
.
"Intolerance,"
says Larner. "I'm sure we're
more tolerant today than we were 100 years ago.
The church always equates religious beliefs with
morality.
That's why a lot of people won't acknowledge
their non-beliefs.
Most people really
don't give a damn about what I say. The ones who
call and don't identify themselves and start cussing, I just hang up on."

Dick Larner was born 61 years ago in Macomb,

III. H is mother
was a speech therapy
teacher at Western Illinois University and his father
a high school valedictorian,
sold shirts in a neigh.'
borhood . store. Larner was baptized in a Baptist
church at the age of 12. He had doubts about his
religious beliefs at an early age.
"

"This may seem like a little thing," he says,

bu~ w~en I was a child, my brother had a splinter In his knee from his coaster wagon. The knee
festered up and it had to be lanced. Dr. Russell
came out to the house to lance the knee and there

1/

As far as religion

goes, I couldn't care less if ,the God

people want to believe in Jehovah,

witches, fairies. ;'
That's all ~ight with me. Just so long as they d~n't I'
represent
me as a ,fool because I don't believe"
\
,
-i

'

Rlchard E. Larner.

.N
"'
May 1976/ American Atheist -7

ing people rather than joining them together. We

only have to look to Lebanon, Northern Ireland,
India and Pakistan," he said.
Winn presented a list of separationist goals
divided between "symbolic"
legal suits and "tax
money suits."
Under "symbolic,"
the group wants to remove the words "under god" from the Pledge of
Allegiance and to challenge legislative prayers at all
levels of government, religious services in the White
House, prayers at athletic games and commencements in tax supported schools, distribution
of
Gideon Bibles in schools, and Easter and Christmas
holidays from school "with the religious saturation
therein."
Also, it wants to challenge the swearing in of
public officials, court witnesses, Civil Service empolyees, armed forces personnel, jury members and
others in government situations by "so help me
god" and the setting aside of days of prayer by the
presidents and governors and "the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, the Boy Scouts, the Masons and all
organizations which, because of by-laws, exclude
Atheists from membership."

the Republican Party side of the ballot.

The religious community was joyfully quessing that he would win no more than 15% of the
vote.
When it was allover,
out of 115 Travis
County precincts, Bill Murray came in with 44%of
the votes.
.
Enough said?
Th is is such a far -out -of-sight victory that it
borders on the incredible.
Backed with contributions from the American Atheist community
and from small business
and professional
men, Murray had spent only
$5,000 on the campaign, and that through a direct
mail program. He did not have funding for T.V. or
radio appeals, or even for advertising in the newspapers of the district, wth that slim of a budget.

Under tax money suits, separationists want

to stop government money from going to religious
schools and hospitals in any way, whether by
scholarship, grants or building aid.
Also, the group wants to challenge Internal
Revenue Service tax exemptions connected with
religion, such as church contributions,
and United
Fund-Community
Chest financing of religious-connected organizations.

ATHEIST'S

LOSS IS A WIN

Despite a loss at the polls, one of our most

famous American Atheists participated in a clear
win when the primary
polling was concluded in
Texas on May 1st, 1976.
William J. Murray, son of Atheist leader
Madalyn Murray
O'Hair,' was running for the
Republican nomination for the 10th Congressional
District seat to the House of Representatives of the
United States, from Texas.
Bill Murray was running against Dr. Paul Me
Clure, a University of Texas professor of Economics.
In his campaign, Bill Murray let it be known,
loud and clear, that he was an American Atheist,
supporting state/church separation and doing it on

May 1976/American Atheist - 10

William J Murr

All in all, it was a major victory

and next time he will
time, he will win.

. lH iNGS MUST

ReALll( Be 8A/)

i j

CALLep

'; OjAL4-PRAVe~ ..

be closer, and then next

.AN06or

: 8;Wr'GRAHAA!

'

\'-- ----"
uve . I
/-~1

\'"
i
<.

'".J \

,
~l...~

t,:'
:S-"
r

.-/

'Lj~~U
i\dl}P,;~p:
(i

1.

-_.
[source: Chicago Sun-Times. 3/19n6]
.

ATHEIST LOSES APPEAL

The Minnesota Supreme Court, on April 9th,
upheld the firing of militant Atheist Garry DeYoung from a post in the state Highway Department in 1974.

But he objected to the saying of grace before

meals on the grounds that the government was paying for them and prayer violates the idea of separation of state and church.
The man, who prefers to remain anonymous,
went so far as to threaten a lawsuit in a letter to
the program director, and, as a result, the governmental agency that operates the hot-lunch program
banned the prayer. The Michigan Office on Aging,
the funding
agency for the hot-lunch
program,
then asked Washington for a determination
on the
legality of the pre-lunch program.

DeYoung

In doing so, the high court agreed with a ruling by Ramsey District Judge David Marsden that
DeYoung was not fired because of his Atheistic
views but because of his unsatisfactory job performance.
DeYoung was an information
writer at the
Highway Department for three years until his dismissal in 1972. He had been suspended for a short
time in December, 1971, after he turned off a tape
recorder playing religious carols at a Christmas
party and turned on his own tape recorder playing
non-reliqious tunes.
After his dismissal, DeYoung charged that he
had been discriminated
against because of his
Atheistic beliefs. A hearing officer later ruled in
DeYoung's favor but that ruling was overturned by
Judge Marsden.
In the current decision, the Supreme Court
said the evidence showed that DeYoung's conduct
had been offensive and his job performance
unproductive in the weeks before his dismissal.
[source: St. Paul Dispatch 4/9/76]

RELIGIOUS MAN DOES ATHEIST'S WORK

It should have been an Atheist who complained about it, but -- once again -- we let a good
religious person do our work.
An anonymous senior citizen eats a hotlunch every day at Senior Services, Inc., a federally
funded lunch program in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
He is a churchgoer and he sings in the choir.

A typical reaction from a religious luncheater was to "wonder what had happened to the
America where people and their religions were
free" .
But the "other man", who started the complaint was clear enough saying "It's a case of imposing a spoken prayer on a captive audience."
. "It doesn't
matter
if 99 percent of the
people want the prayer at lunch," he said. "That
just makes it mob rule."

elderly
culate

The reliqious
man, with about 20 other
then went outside to say grace, and to cirpetitions
to have the prayer
restored.

There
are about
300 small community
rooms in Michigan, where. elderly people can get a
hot lunch for 50 cents, sometimes less, sometimes
more.
In Kalamazoo
located in churches.

four of the six lunch sites are

It has been the custom since the program

began in 1973 for a minister or a member of the
lunch group to offer a prayer of thanksgiving before each meal.
When praying for the benefit of reporting
newspapers the prayer, said on a sidewalk outside
one Community
Center was:
"Help us not to be angry with the man who
caused this. Give him grace and courage."
However, the Kalamazoo hot-lunch officials
thought that the man was right. They cited to the
newspapers such things as the 1963 U. S. Supreme
Court school prayer decision in which Madalyn
Murray
O'Hair,
an Atheist,
became a national
figure over the church-state
constitutional
issue.
The man, who besides being elderly,
May 1976/ American Atheist - 11

is also

a student
mented:

at Western

Michigan

University

com-

"It's a matter of learning to be an American. And this -- 1976 -- is a good year to learn."
And, every American Atheist can learn from
him. Where tax dollars go; religion can be stopped.
It should have been an Atheist who did it. However, as advocates of separation of state and
church, we thank the man for his "grace and
courage".
[source: UPI release 1/11/76)
JEWISH ATHEIST

GOES INTO ACTION

West Bloomfield,
Michigan, Library Board
members appeared stunned at a meeting, early this
year, when township resident Morris H. Brown rose
to object, he said, "to the practice of religion in
our libraries."
Brown said he had spoken earlier to the
library board President, Laurette Murray, and had
been given permission to speak.
Vice President Clark, presiding, found
objection from the board to his speaking.

no

"1 am totally appalled at the unconstitutional practice of religion in a public institution,"

said
Brown, who described himself as a Jewish Atheist.
Each
December,
the
West
Bloomfield
Friends of the Library
display Christmas
and
Chanukah
symbols and children are invited to
attend holiday story hours.

Brown, contacted
after the meeting, said
the displays were prompted by "These frustrated
Jewish mothers
who can't give their children
Christmas and are using Chanukah as a substitute."
"Christmas is a national
celebrated secularly. Chanukah
is religious," he added.

holiday and can be

is not a holiday but

Brown said Mrs. Lane had been quoted in a

Detroit newspaper last year as saying it was difficult
for children to separate what they hear at school
and on television from the religious practices of
their families.
Brown said he objects to tax dollars spent on
public institutions which do not uphold the separation of state and church.
Brown
is Treasurer of the Metropolitan
Detroit Chapter of the Society of Separationists,
Inc., chartered in Austin, Texas, by its founder
Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
Concerned with the issue, chairperson Ted
Cavin appointed
a committee
to determine if
executive sessions should be instituted respecting
Brown's complaint.
He noted to Brown, through
the med ia, "the seriousness of your recommendation may be one of the more important decisions
that we make."
[source: West Bloomfield Observer & Eccentric
Newspaper, Vol. 98, No. 76; 1/19/76)

ATHEISTS

GO PUBLIC

Brown said children's Librarian Arlene Lane

had kept the Christmas stories and display secular,
but said Chanukah is totally religious.

The following article appeared in the Daily

Tribune Newspaper, Royal Oak, Michigan, on 8th
May, 1976, written by Susan R. Pollack, a Tribune
Staff Reporter.

If there had been creches, buddhas or cruxifixes on display, he said he would have objected
to that as a violation of the constitutional
provision for separation of church and state.

"Just as surely as the first person stood up and

proclaimed '1 believe in god!', someone else declared,
'Well, I don't!'. Harrassment of non-believers has been
going on ever since."

The Treasurer replied to Brown,

come your interest."
Board members
further public comment.

So maintains an Oak Park couple, active in the

newly formed Metropolitan
Detroit Chapter of the
Society of Separationists,
I nc., a non-profit, nonpolitical, education organization
of Atheists dedicat
ed to "the complete and absolute separation of state
and church."

"We welmade no

The Library
Director,
Gretchen
Kulberg,
later said, "The library is not in the business of
religious education. The library's intent is to provide cultural enrichment."
The library does not close on Good Friday
and the Easter season display is confined to secular
celebration
of the coming of spring, she said.
May 1976/ American Atheist - 12

Though they fear reprisals, especially for their

children, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Schwartz said they have
"come out of the closet" in an attempt to gain tolerance for their belief in non-belief.
It's a position to
which they claim millions of other Americans secret-

Iyadhere.
Berated as "immoral," "Devil's disciples"
and "Communists"
for their
Atheism,
the
Schwartzes said they and other S.O.S. members are
tired of having religion "thrust down our throats
through state and Federal laws pushed by the
churches."
1stAmendment Right -Mrs. Schwartz, secretary of the Detroit
chapter, said, "Atheists are human beings like
everyone else. We don't have horns or tails and we
do have morals. All we want is qovernment out of
religion and religion out of government as stipulated in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
"We don't proselytize and we're not trying
to change people's beliefs or convert the world. We
just want them to allow us to be what we are: loving of life, humanity and all nature's creatures."
Formed six months ago, the Detroit chapter's first public program will be held ... May 11th
in Farmington Hills.
Madalyn Murray O'Hair, president
and
founder of S.O.S. nationwide who .brought a
successful 1963 lawsuit banning prayer in schools,
will lead a debate-discussion. Tax deductible donation is $4. Tickets may be purchased at the door,
beginning at 7 p.m. [address given]

"Man determines his own morality. Every

civilization has arrived at a creed of beliefs that
stealing and killing is wrong. It wasn't handed
down by a deity, god, Allah or anyone else."
As an educational organization, S.O.S. seeks
not only to inform the public about the ideology
of Atheism, Cruz pointed out but of the "tremendous political power and economic wealth of the
churches."
Asserting that churches are "fantastically
wealthy," he said, "Ten years ago, their combined
real estate exceeded $10 billion -- that's more than
the five largest American corporations combined:"
Churches pay no sales, inheritance or income
taxes. Cruz said, and one of the goals of S.O.S. is
to see their "favored" tax-exempt status removed.
He said a Federal law enacted this year requiring
that all church-related
active business properties
come under taxation contains such "giant loopholes" that it is practically useless.
"People complain about big corporations
and tax loopholes, but the churches never pay anything," Cruz declared. "The churches are always
complaining that they're so poor, but why won't
they freely and publicly issue financial statements
and account for everything?"

'No Santa Claus' --

Also on that day, Mrs. O'Hair will be present

when the 50-member chapter files a lawsuit against
Wayne County Common Please Court Judge Frederick E.Byrd for allowing prayer meetings during
lunch hour in his courtroom, Mrs. Schwartz said.

Historically, the reason Atheists have been

subjected to so much enmity, Schwartz said, is that
persons "take fancies" to certain ideas and don't
appreciate their beliefs being questioned. As he put
it, "They don't like being told there is no Santa
Claus."

John Cruz, Plymouth,

Director of the
Detroit chapter, said, "It's blatantly unconstitutional to allow religious services in a Federal building paid for by all the taxpayers. There are many
churches around where people can pray and hold
services."

Schwartz said there are 50 members in the

Detroit chapter and some 65,000 names on the
mailing list of the parent organization, although
"closet Atheists number into the millions." He
said there are now S.O.S. chapters in a dozen states
with members coming from all walks of life.

SelfReliance '-

Many Atheists won't identify themselves for

fear of reprisals and ostracism --- economical,
social, psychological and even physical -- to themselves and their families, Schwartz
explained.

Schwartz said it is the belief of S.O.S. that if

citizens wish to improve their neighborhoods,
country and world, they must take action based on
their own decisions.
"We must do it ourselves," he said. "We
can't wait around for some other power, like god
or divine authority, to do it for us. We may make
the wrong decisions, but it's the only possible
course to take. Waiting around is rather fruitless -nothing will happen.

"We saw it happen to Mrs. O'Hair in Baltimore in 1963. She was emotionally and physically
attacked and so was her mother, until they were
forced to flee the City, leaving their property behind," he said.
According to Schwartz, many large corporations hold prayer meetings which "not particularly
May 1976/ American Atheist - 13

pious persons" attend for business reasons. "Those

who don't believe in god don't get promoted,"
he
charged.

that will come down if you say or do something

wrong, is like having a huge mountain on your
back and automatically
starts you off with a strike
against you."

Self-Education -For Cruz, who was raised (sic) a member of

the Catholic Church, Atheism was a long process
of "self-education".
"It was difficult
at first to
think of a world without god, but I came to the conclusion that it was the only objective, rational
way of viewing existence."
The road to Atheism was also long and difficult for Schwartz, who said he never questioned
the government, President, or religious leaders until
he reached his twenties.
After studying the background and ideologies of the Nazis, Crusades, Thirty Years' War,
Pope's acquisitions
and various other historical
events, he said he arrived at the conclusion "that
the world and universe is devoid of any conscious
purpose whatsoever."
Schwartz
added, "We're
just here. The
natural laws of physical science act without any
consciousness. If there is any purpose to human
life, it is for us to determine for ourselves. It is not
for anyone, no divine guidance or
great revelations, to tell us.
"That sort of stuff
a good business as welL"

is all bunk and fraud and

Atheism was much easier for Mrs. Schwartz,

who said she was raised (sic) as a non-believer. "My
mother was a strong Atheist and I never had to
question it. I accepted Atheism as a part of me."
. But she recalls to reading and memorizing
Bible quotations
and participating
in prayer sessions during her school days. That, Mrs. Schwartz
said, reinforces her conviction that her own children and those of other Atheists shouldn't be subject to similar situations.

No Bra[nwashing -Both families

said they are rarsmq their
children as non-believers, but are not "brainwashing" them. "If they decide to change their minds,
they know they're free to do so." Cruz said. "But
once they're brought up without that fear of god."
And Schwartz said, "We're raising (sic) them
to be self-reliant, teaching them that they have
enough inborn courage to overcome the problems
of the world. Having a fear of god, of a great hand
~ay 19761 A merican Atheist 14

According to Schwartz, individuals often ask

Atheists what they have against god. His response:
"1 have nothing against god -- how can I have any
emotion against something that isn't? It's the followers I fear because of their potential for violence."
"People are under the impression that god
can't fight his own battles -- look at I reland, Lebanon. Throughout
history devout people have been
the most violent. They do it without love, but with
justification.
Religion
in general takes people's
courage away. Their natural feelings for humanity
don't count -- what the church says, does."
The Detroit Society of Separationists, Inc.,
may be contacted by writing P. O. Box 38305,
Detroit,
Michigan
48238,
telephone
[313]
838-4456.
~

ONE FOR OUR SIDE

United States District Court Judge Hugh H.
Bownes, calling New Hampshire's prayer law"patently unconstitutional,"
issued a permanent injunction on February 6th against the recitation of the
Lord's Prayer in Rochester public schools.
Bownes made the ruling in a suit filed by the
New Hampshire -Civil Liberties Union on behalf of
twelve persons, some of them parents of children
attending
the
Rochester
elementary
schools.
The suit had asked for only a temporary restraining order until a three-judge panel could convene to examine the state law, which permits
school prayer upon the discretion of local school
boards.
In rulings in 1962 and 1963 the United
States Supreme Court had prohibited
recitation of
prayer in schools.
Rochester public school pupils began saying
the prayer in January, this year, under guidelines
established by a state law passed nine months
earlier, a law which had been sponsored and pushed by the religious community.
The city of Rochester was the largest city in the state to implement
the law -- again, under religious pressures.

prayer

The state law, as it was passed, treated the

as a part of New Hampshire's Pilgrim heri-

tage. The Pilgrims, of course, had "established

religious colonies" prior to the Revolution of
1776. The current law mandates that after the
prayer is read in the public schools, the following statement is also read:

"You are reminded that this prayer is a

prayer of our Pilgrim fathers, recited when they
came to this country in their search for freedom.
You are informed that these exercises are not
meant to influence an individual's personal religious beliefs in any manner."
In this instance, the Civil Liberties Union
moved again to assist religious persons of a different persuasion. The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union went out of its way to make certain
that everyone in the world knew that no Atheists
were involved and that no Atheists' rights were
protected. The statement given to the press by
Terri Lavelle of the Union said that the plaintiffs
in the suit objected to "the secular treatment of
the prayer" because of "deeply held religious convictions." She said they were concerned that children were "being taught the Lord's Prayer is not a
prayer but merely a historical fact to be repeated
meaninglessly every day."
A statement like this, and a suit predicated
on it, can only lead to another effort by the New
Hampshire religious community and the politicians
who respond to reUgious pressure to write a new
law which will not be offensive to this group of
persons and try, again, for another return of prayer
to the schools of that state.

It

is necessary for American Atheists to

realize that it is their duty to stop this idiocy
everywhere. When others, such as in this instance,
involve themselves protecting their version of their
religious right the issue is not clear.
None the less as advocates of state/church
separation we must thank these religious persons
and the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union for
obtaining a "permanent injunction"
against this
particu lar law.
[source: Detroit Free Press 2/7/76j

JEFFERSQN
A bill
ferson Day,
was passed
April 6, this
7th.

DAY

A STEP CLOSER

to designate April 13th as Thomas Jefthe birthday of the third President,

by the House of Representatives on
year, and sent to the Senate on April

Thomas Jefferson is honored by the Ameri-

can Atheist community for his dedication to and

implementation
of the principle of state/church
separation.
Each year the American Atheist Annual
National Convention is held on the weekend which
is closest to that date. April 13th is the birthday,
also, of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, founder and leader of the current American Atheist effort.
The Seventh Annual
National
American
Atheist Convention will be held
April 8th, 9th
and 10th, 1977, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
Chicago, Illinois (near O'Hare Airport).
WHAT

ABOUT

ATHEIST

THURSDAY?

The United States Supreme Court has accepted jurisdiction to decide whether a Kentucky
company violated the law by firing a man who refused to work on Saturdays because of rei igious
conviction.
At issue is the case of a member of the
World Wide Church of God in Berea, Ky. who for
fourteen
months was allowed to observe his
church's prohibition against working on the Sabbath before being abruptly discharged after fellow
employees complained.
The high court's decision, expected this
spring, will presumably affect members of other
Sabbath-observing
denominations,
including
Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, and
Jews.
The case was brought by Paul Cummins,
who worked for the Parker Seal Company in Berea
from 1958 to 1971, when he was fired. For more
than a year prior to his dismissal, Cummins was
permitted to observe his church's Sabbath even
though other employees were expected to work on
Saturdays.
Beginning in 1965, Cummins worked as a
supervisor at a Parker plant, but, when fellow
supervisors complained that the company was
showing him favoritism, the company decided to
let him go. Although all Parker supervisors were
paid a set wage, some of Commins' colleagues were
working up to 72 hours a week while he only
worked 40. The discrepancy was caused, the company said, because other supervisors had to cover
for Commun's because of his Saturday absences,
although everyone received the same pay for the
week.

tucky

Cummins appealed the firing to the KenCommission on Human Rights, a watchdog

May 1976/ American Atheist - 15

No one, but -- no one -- sent us a

But, undaunted,
irint one anyway.

Letter to

rhe Editor this month.

we will

San Diego State University has a newspaper

:alled The Daily Aztec.
A letter appeared in it
rom one, Kenneth Phillips. We have no idea what
he honorable Kenneth Phillips said, but a reply
vritten to him is so good, that we give it to you
iere. This was in Vol. 55, No. 99 of The Daily Azec, dated Apri I 9, 1976.
It was titled:
THE

LORD
I SHALL

IS MY WARDEN
NOT THINK

:ditor:
So -- once again the voice of God, Greatness,
md Morality rises among us, pointing the way to
310ry and He who is the Insurrection
and the
;trife. I am referring, of course, to Mssr. Kenneth
'hillips' letter, wherein he holds that "1 am here to
leclare from the Word of God what is right and
vhat is wrong."
How charming.
And how kind of him to so graciously

said 'Imitate our Father in Heaven, learn to be like

him.' The man studied his Bible diligently and
thoroughly
and understandingly,
and then with
prayers for heavenly guidance instituted his imitations. He tricked his wife into falling downstairs,
and she broke her back and became a paralytic for
life; he betrayed his brother into the hands of a
sharper, who robbed him of his all and landed him
in the almshouse; he innoculated
one son with
hookworms,
another with the sleeping sickness,
another with gonorrhea; he furnished one daughter
with scarlet fever and ushered her into her teens
deaf, dumb, and blind for life; and after helping a
rascal seduce the remaining one, he closed his
doors against her and she died in a brothel cursing him. Then he reported to the priest, who said
that that was no way to imitate his Father in
Heaven. The convert asked wherein he had failed,
but the priest changed the subject and inquired
what kind of weather he was having up his way.
You see, scoffers? The Bible can be followed. And let us not forget the importance of that
book - using these self righteous views of eternal
values it has successfully managed to strangle progress for two thousand years, which is no mean
feat. It has helped ease population
problems
through the wars, murders, and other crimes it has
inspired.
.

del in-

iate for and to every human being on earth the

irinciples
of Absolute Right and Wrong without
iven being asked! Why, in fact, he is so magnaninous as to use the Word of God; and we know inieed that the Bible is the Word of God. God has
aid that it is.

Sirs and Ladies, I salute you, for with your

persistence you must invevitably succeed. Fanatics
always do, though they must walk over a million
burned and mutilated bodies to do it. And for the
new addition to the Bible which you must eventually write to keep track of your new era, I submit a new 23rd Psalm:

Where?
Why, in the Bible, of course.
How fine and upstanding it is for Mssr Phillips
determine what every human
leing -- not just homosexuals - should do, say,
think, feel, hope and believe.
:0 so overpoweringly

And, how well this fits in with similar

'listorical precedents - Nazi Germany, Auschwitz,
the Spanish Inquisition,
the Crusades, the murders
in Lebanon,
Ireland,
Syria,
Israel, the Salem
witch trials, and many others. But, of course, the
present situation
involves living by the Bible.

Mark Twain once reported the following:

A
man got religion, and asked the priest what he
must do to be worthy of his new estate. The priest

May 1976/ American Atheist - 16

The Lord is my warden, I shall not think;

He forces me to lie down in bland pastures.
He leads me beside the stagnant waters.;
He removes my soul.
He leads me down pits of despair,
for his name's sake.
And as I walk through the valley of the
Shadow of Death, I shall fear evil,
For thy rod and thy staff assau It me.
Surely pain and humiliation
shall follow me
All the days of my life,
And I shall be trapped in the
House of the Bored, for ever.
Amen.
Joseph M. Straczynski
Senior, Psychology

EDITORIAL
When the American Atheist magazine was first
conceived, the original idea was to have one half of
the magazine dedicated to news about the activities
and achievements of American Atheists. The balance
of the magazine was to be devoted to scholarly artlcles, poems reflecting our philosophy of life, daring
intellectual exchanges between the members of the
American Atheist community in the Letters to The
Editor, and dottted throughout with humor, cartoons,
and tidbits of stimulation and inspiration.
Then, of course, we discovered that no one was
really in the fight for American Atheism except those
m the American Atheist Centre. We thought it would
be inappropriate to blow our own horn -- and hence
we had a change of mind.

stated it when we were in exile in Hawaii. We began it again and again in Texas, with lapses of six
months or a year, or even two years, between
spates of publication.
There was no harrassment
that the "establishment"
could think of that we
did not undergo, but most often we were confronted with a hostile Postal System.
We also did not have financial,
moral, or
psychological
support from the American Atheist
community
at large during the terrible times of
the 1960's and early 1970's. It was only after the
downfall
of President Nixon that the American
Atheist
finally
knew (s)he had nothing to fear.

If there was not sufficient American Atheist

activity to be the subject of reporting in our magazine we would then report on the idiotic, or the
.,'"

...

0'

.,'

Meanwhile we began to advertise for new

Atheist writers in every writers' trade manual in the
publishing field. We were innundated with manuscripts but when we read them we were astonished
that they were so mediocre as to not be acceptable
for publication in our journal. Poems were worse if
that is possible. Cartoons were almost non-xiste~t.
If we wanted an American Atheist magazine we
had to begin with nothing and that is how we began.
The magazine has also been an on-and-off affair. We began it in Baltimore, where we were completely crushed by organized religion.
We rein-

But, we have an American Atheist Center now.

We are developing American Atheist leaders. We have
some basic financing. We have a voice in radio and
this magazine. We are obtaining recognition and even
respect from the establishment
This is what a beginning

is, and we are into it.

We have no place to go but on -- we have only

the future to capture -- we have simply our dance of
life to begin. There could not be a better time for it.
May 1976/ American Atheist - 1

AMERICAN
ATHEIST
THE GOSPEL
13th July 1970
Austin, Texas

Program 105
KLBJ Radio

RADIO
SERIES
OF PAIN
and the difference of the two ideals may be seen at
a glance. The difference was well put by the inimitable Heine:

Hello there,
This is Madalyn Mays O'Hair,
Atheist, back to talk with you again.

American

I have been most fortunate to locate a very

old book of essays produced in England and written by Chapman Cohen, one of the all time great
Atheist writers. He had something to say about the
Gospel of Pain, which I feel you should hear, and
I quote him now.
"Historic
Christiniaty
has generally prided
itself on being a gospel of pain. In this it stood out
in sharp contrast to the older rei igions which it deposed. The Pagan religions taught their votaries
that life was a good thing and ought to be a joyous
one. That much is instinct in the Iiterature, the
sculpture, and the drama of the ancient world.
Christianity came in with a different gospel. Life in
this world was, at best, a burden. The world was
given over to the Devil, enjoyment was an indication of his control. Man's duty was to mortify the
flesh, and as a reward to look forward to a future
existence wherein he would lead a life that could
appeal only to an emasculated humanity. Christianity did not hold, of course, that pain should be
endured, and enjoyment shunned, without some
motive. It believed in deferring happiness until the
next world was reached .. something like the man
who spends nearly all his life saving and amasses a
fortune by the time he has lost the capacity for
spending it. This principle runs right through the
history of Christianity.
If one glances through a
list of the portraits of the Christian saints during
the golden age of the Church it is surprising how
seldom one comes across a healthy, happy-looking
face. They are almost to a man grim, careworn, and
pain stricken ....
"There is always the church's own picture of
the ideal monk, who, if he felt nearly as miserable
as he looked, must have been miserable indeed.
And, above all, there is the picture of the figurehead of Christianity, the Jesus of the New Testament, a man born to sorrow and accustomed to
grief, one who is never said to have smiled, but did
often weep. Place the picture of the emaciated
Christ at the side of the effigies of the Pagan gods
May 19761 American

Atheist

18

'Suddenly there came gasping towards them

(i.e. the Pagan gods) a pale Jew dripping
with blood, a crown of thorns on his head,
bearing a cross of wood on his shoulder, and
he cast his cross on the high table of the
gods, so that the golden goblets trembled
and fell, and the gods grew dumb and pale
and even paler, till they melted into utter mist. Then there were dreary days and
the world became grey and gloomy. There
were no more happy immortals and Olvmpus became a hospital, where flayed, roasted, and spitted gods went wearily wendering round, binding their wounds and singing sorrowful songs. Religion no longer offered joy but consolation; it was a woeful,
bleeding religion of transgressors. '
"It was the religion of death against the
religion of life, and for a time the religion of death
conquered.
"Modern
Christianity
cannot
escape its
heritage however much some preachers may wish
it to do so. When does one hear a good hearty
laugh in church? And, imagine the consternation
if some degenerate member so far forgot himself
(as to laugh). 'Thank God', said one minister,
'there has never been a pleasant Sunday afternoon
in my church.' To approach god with a smile
would be undue familiarity. The face must be set
and solemn, and if one does not actually feel rniserable one must at least look as if one is. It is true
that the minister outside the church may be as
easy and as jokeful as the next, but then he is,
more or less, speaking in a lay capacity. When he is
in church it is more than he dare to do to treat his
subject in a light or humorous manner. He has the
historic manner to keep up, the historic tradition
to maintain. And in sober truth it would be a dangerous game if the preacher were to encourage his
congregation to look upon the humorous side of
things. Imagine the effect on a congregation so
educated (to the humorous) of being invited to a
harvest thanksgiving after a particularly bad season.
There is on record the reply of one person so invited who declined on the ground that he had no
wish to approach the lord in a spirit of sarcasm. It

is curious that we are told that it is the Devils in

hell who laugh, never the angels in heaven. Popular
Christianity has always depicted them as ... singing
ymns which, while full of praise to the Iord, could
ford little enjoyment to healthy men and women.
"With most things that are trivial upon the
surface there is a deeper aspect if one can on Iy get
t it, and this is certainly true of Christiani~y and
Its glorification of suffering. Pain and suffering are
facts of existence, and while the non-believer [the
non-theist or Atheist]
may take them as they
come and make the best of them, framing his
theory of life so that it may harmonize with experience, the Christian is compelled to square them
with preconceived notions. H is theory commits
him to the belief in the existence of a personal god
who hascreated the world, deliberately endowed it
with all its capacities for good and evi I, and who
governs it for the benefit of mankind. He must,
therefore, try and find a justification
for the existenceof pain and evil in the world, and he falls back
upon a theory of their purificatory
character. The
ministers tell us that there is an ennobling quality
in suffering.
"The notion of a god who deliberately
creates all the conditions which make suffering inevitable in order to develop strength against them,
so that man may be prepared for existence in a
state where pain and suffering does not exist, and
therefore has no need to be armed against them, is
almost too absurd for serious discussion ....
"There is nothing more hideously untrue
than the statement that there is something ennobling in suffering. No man is better for suffering,
though some may be able to stand it without any
serious loss. The normal consequence of suffering
is to lower resistance, to deteriorate character. The
experience of almost anyone will prove the truth
of this....
"It is ridiculous to imagine that physical diseasecan make for moral or intellectual strength ....
"What is the meaning of the demand for better housing, better care, and better training of the
young, if it is not that it is as the growing organism
is guarded from the severities of existence that a
healthy and reliable character is formed:
some
struggle and some effort on the part of the individual is always necessary to development,
but between that and suffering there is a very wide and
easily distinguishable gap. The consequence of suffering is to brutalize far more than to elevate ....
"Suffering and struggle did not bring the
finer specimens of plants or animals into existence,

nor does it keep them in being. Left alone there is

not a single one of the finer cultivated
kinds of
plants or animals that would not quickly degenerate. And with altered terms that is true of man. It
is the shelter from the struggle which social life
gives him that develops his finer qualities, and with
its withdrawal
he soon loses the qualities which entitle him to be called a civilized being. Finally, if it
is true that suffering ennobles character, then it :
follows that every step towards a genuine civilization is an advance towards the ultimate demoralization of mankind, (since civilization
is the amelioration of human suffering) ... and that idea, as
the old Greeks remarked, is absurd.
"And, all of this is why the Christian can ~ndure anything but the sight of a happy Atheist.
Nothing drives them into fury more quickly.
"When conditions
permitted,
the Christian
had a short and easy method of dealing with the
Atheist. He burnt him. This plan had at least the
merit of thoroughness,
and it was the only religious argument that silenced individual
opposition.
"As human society developed, the practice
of burning awakened some misgivings. It seemed a
poor use to put anyone to, and, as Voltaire said, it
was attaching a very high value to one's own opinions to burn another man because he did like them.
So gradually the Christian left off killing the Atheist, for no other reason than that it no lonqer
paid to do so. I n default, they took to slandering
them. They were not burned, but they deserved to
be, and their being allowed to live should cause
them to reflect upon the charity of their Christian
neighbours. ...
'
"As the number of Atheists increased, they
became better known. And being better known,
Christian slanders began to lose their effectiveness.
Credulity may accept almost anything concerning a
class of people about whom nothing is known. But
it demands an abnormal credulity
to accept wild
stories about one's next door neighbor whose
life is open to all. So, once again there was a
change of tactics. Instead of burning the Atheist,
or slandering him, pious souls began to pity him.
They expressed sorrow for him in the same tones
that they might use of a dear friend who had just
caught yellow fever. They were so sorry that Smith
did not believe in god. It was such a pity that his
children should grow up in ignorance of the truth
or value of religion. If Smith confessed to them he
was an Atheist, they received the confession with
an air of commiseration
as though he had lost
every penny he possessed -- which, to the Christian
imagination,
is the greatest misfortune
that can
overtake anyone. Atheism has thus had to run the
May 1976/

American

Atheist

- 19

gauntlet of the burning Christian, the biting Christian, the barking Christian, and the snivelling Christian. It is unfair: we can meet the persecutor with
good healthy hatred or healthy opposition. The
slanderer can be ignored. But the snivelling sympathizer crawls allover one, mentally, and leaves
one with the impression of having rubbed shoulders with something unhealthy and unclean.
"The most deplorable feature about the
Atheist is that he obstinately declined to live up to
the character marked out for him by solicitous
Christians. Instead of committing all the sins which
Christians obligingly indicated he ought to commit,
the Atheist went on his way, if not a better way
than that pursued by Christians, certainly not a
worse one. This added fresh fuel to Christian indignation. The wicked unbeliever the Christian
could appreciate, even admire. He fitted in with
the religious theory of things, and so long as he was
properly and unquestionably a blackguard, faith received an ample justification. But an Atheist who
was not a blackquard! -- what on earth was to be
done with him? He was a living disproof of Christian theory ....
"A Christian is not only perplexed at the
sight of a happy Atheist, he is annoyed. He loses
his temper and calls him names. We do not agree
with him; therefore we are different from him.
And, being different, we are consequently worse.
If we are happy as Atheists, it must be becausewe
lack the fine moral development of the Christian.
"The Atheist hears it all, and still remains
happy in his Atheism. He declines to feel miserable. He is not interested in sorrow and suffering.
"The Atheist has difficulties, problems, as
we all have, but they are the inevitable conse-

.
[source:

May 1976/

American

Atheist

- 20

quences of existence, not the gratuitiously manufactured hardships of a wholly unnecessary theory.
"He has no need to confuse his moral sense
with attempts to explain why a God who ought to
prevent injustice, wrong and suffering, permits
their existence, and he thus gains in effectiveness
for his alliance with a saner mental life. ...
"And the Atheist remains happy ... for his
happiness is the expression of a disposition that has
ceased to torture itself with foolish fancies, or perplex itself with uselessbeliefs."
And, that is a short essay written by one of
the greatest of Atheist writers, Chapman Cohen,
of England -- and it was titled The Gospel of
Pain',
This informational broadcast is brought to
you as a public service by the Society of Separationists, Inc., a non-profit,
non-political, taxexempt, educational organization dedicated to the
complete and absolute separation of state and
church. This series of American Atheist Radio
programs is continued through listener generosity.
The Society of Separationists, (Inc.) predicates its
philosophy on American Atheism. For more lnformation, or for a free copy of the script of this
program, write to P. O. Box 2117, Austin, Texas.
That zip is 78767. If vou want the free copy of
this particular script ask for number 105. The
address, again, for you is P. O. Box 2117, Austin,
Texas, and that zip, again, is 78767.
I will be with you next week, same day of
the week, same time, same station. Until then, I
do think you for listening and 'goodbye' for now.
End.

NIETZSCHE'S
ATTACK
o NTH E B E'N E VOL E N CEO F C H R 1ST I A NIT Y
BY
BETTY GRIMBAU
Nietzsche was not the first or only thinker
who did not accept the existence of god. There
were other intellectuals in the nineteenth century
who considered the idea of god unacceptable, but
who at the same time embraced Christian morality.
While doing away with god they became even more
committed to the Christian ethics.
"They have got rid of the Christian God, and
now feel obliged to cling all the more firmly
to Christian morality: that is English consistency ..." [1]
The inconsistency of holding to the ethics of
Christianity while at the same time negating its
conceptual foundation
seemed questionable
to
Nietzsche. The basic presupposition of Christianity
is that man is unable to know what is good and evil
- onlv god knows. Christian morality
originates
from the all-knowing god and is issued to man in
the form of commandments.
The acceptance of the Christian code of
ethics without the concept of god seemed for
Nietzsche to show that the origins of or morality
had been forgotten, that the Christian code of
ethics rather than being considered one type of
morality had become "morality."
It had become
"morality" as such, because it had never been
questioned.
Nietzsche discovered that the basic reason
Christian morality had been retained and had remained the unquestioned morality was due to it's
being thought of as a kind, benevolent,
and
humane code of ethics.

courage for these bad instincts. Everything

in it is cowardice, everything
is self-deception and closing one's eyes to oneself. Every
book becomes clean if one has just read the
New Testament."
[2]
". . . the Cross as the badge of recogn ition
for the most subterranean conspiracy there
has ever been -- a conspiracy against health,
beauty,
well-constitutedness,
bravery,
intellect,
benevolence
of soul, against life
... " [3]
Altruism
which is the citadel of Christian
morality came under vehement attack. Altruism as
an ethical principle
holds that man is virtuous
when the recipient of his action is anyone other
than himself. The welfare of others must be man's
primary concern.
"The virtues of a man are called good, not in
respect to the results they have for himself,
but in respect to the results which we expect
therefrom for ourselves and for society." [4]
Under altruism man does not exist for his
own sake, because the moral justification
of his
existence is service to others. A man, in effect, becomes the means to his neighbor's ends.
" ...
in short, what is praised is the unreason in the virtues, in consequences of
which the individual
allows himself to be
transformed
into a function
of the world."

[5]

To this consideration
Nietzsche addressed
himself by attacking the idea that Christianity
was
benevolent. Instead of benevolent Nietzsche found
Christianity a filthv, inhumane, cruel, barbarous
and anti-life morality.

The concept essential to altruism is self-sacrifice. The evil for altruism is the "self."
Its moral
ideal is selflessness. This means whatever is good
for the self is evil because virtue depends on how
much you sacrifice the self. A morality that considers man a sacrificial animal is not and cannot be
considered a moralty of kindness and benevolence.

"1 have looked in vain for so much as one

sympathetic trait in the New Testament;
there is nothing free, benevolent, open-hearted, honest in it. Humanity has not taken its
first step here -- the instincts of cleanliness
are lacking ... There are only bad instincts in
the New Testament, there is not even the

"The praise of the virtues is the praise of

something which is primarily injurious to the
individual;
it is praise of impulses which deprive man of his noblest self-love, and the
power to take the best care of himself." [6]
May 1976/ American Atheist - 21

Altruism
tells a man not to value himself,
but instead to value others. Of course, one may
ask, how can anything be of value to man if he
does not value himself first? Yet, Christians would
say that they do value individual life and offer as
evidence their concern for the needy. Yet, if concern for human life was their main concern why
would they be so willing to make man into a sacrificial animal?
What Nietzsche found particularly
repellent
and disgusting was the self-sacrifice of the innocent
for the guilty, which is exemplified in the crucifixion of Christ.
"The guilt sacrifice and that in its most barbaric form, the sacrifice of the innocent man
for the sins of the guilty."
[8]

who

Nietzsche felt that the motivation

preached altruism should be quite

of those
obvious:

"The neighbor praises unselfishness because

he profits bv it! If the neighbor were 'unselfishly" disposed himself he would reject that
destruction of power, that injury for his advantage, he would thwart such inclinations
in their origin and above all he would manifest his unselfishness just by not giving it a
good name."
There is a very basic contradiction
involved in altruism because "the motives to such a morality are
in antithesis to its principle."
[10] In other words,
if one were truly unselfish one would not want to
collect the sacrifices of other men.
Nietzsche regarded the self-sacrificial teachings of Christianity
as a torturous road to death by
the slow leaking of a man's life blood and this can
be seen through
his use of adjectives such as
"blood
suckers" and "vampire"
in reference to
Christinaity.
It should be obvious that if one follows the principle of self -sacrifice to its logical conclusion it can only amount to death by slow torture.
Not only did Christian morality ask man to
sacrifice anything
which held a personal selfish
value for him, but according to Nietzsche, it also
required that his body be treated with the utmost
lack of esteem. A man was supposed to neglect his
physical body because it was a jail, a material cage
holding man's soul in bondage. [11]
"To make himself perfect man was advised
to draw his senses back into himself in the
manner of the tortoise, to cease to have any
traffic
with the earthly, to lay aside his
moral frame; then the chief part of him
May 1976/ American Atheist - 22

would

remain

behind

'pure

in spirit.'

[12]

With this deprecation of the body it would

obviously follow that sex would also be deprecated. Sex was not to be enjoyed and was, to say the
least, looked upon in an extremely
bad light by
Christianity.
As sex is necessary for life, Nietzsche
felt that as Christianity
was anti-life it followed
that it was also anti-sex.
"It was only Christianity,
with resentment
against life in its foundation,
which made of
sexuality something impure:
It threw filth
on the beginning, on the prerequisite of our
life." [13]
As an example of the contempt with which
Christianity
holds sex, Nietzsche offers the following quoted from the New Testament:
"To avoid fornication
let every man have his
own wife, and let every woman have her
own husband . . . for it is better to marry
than to burn." (Corinthians
vii, 2, 9) [14]
So strong was the Christian antipathy to sex that
the birth of Christ could not be dirtied with it. Sex
was not allowed to mar the birth of the son of god
-- no, his origin was that of an "immaculate
conception".
[15]
Another principle of Christian ethics which
Nietzsche denounces is that of 'duty'. The Christian 'duty', thought Nietzsche, was an imperative
that held no personal necessity. 'Duty' was something that was done solely from a robot like respect for an authority
that called it moral. This
meant that it was impersonal in itself; another
commandment
without meaning; another act holding no joy. The Christian concept of duty was
another form of self-sacrifice and as such harmful
and dangerous.
", . . what destroys more qu ick Iy than to
work, to think, to feel without inner necessity, without a deep personal choice, without joy? as an automaton
of 'duty'? It is
virtually
a recipe for decadence, even for
idiocy .. ." [16]
The concepts guilt, punishment,
grace, redemption,
and forgiveness were designed, thought
Nietzsche, to destroy the casual sense of man. By
creating an entire fictional world which had absolutely no relation to reality the concept of natural
causes was obliterated. This, in effect, reduced man
from a being which used science as his means and
tool for knowledge and survival, to that of a creature who now rejected science for 'faith'.

"In Christianity neither morality nor religion

come into contact with reality at any point.
Nothing but imaginary causes, 'god', 'soul',
'ego', 'spirit', 'free-will',
or 'unfree will';
nothing but imaginary effects, 'sin', 're demotion', 'grace', 'punishment',
'forgivenessof sins'. [17]
The rejection of science and its replacement
with faith had a counterpart. The postulating of a
fictional world to replace the actual world. Since
science is what is needed to live in the actual world
and faith is requ ired for the supernatural world, it
follows that the concept "nature"
became antithetical to "supernatural"!
As such "natural"
becomes a "reprehensible" concept. [18]
To Nietsche, this was indeed a topsy-turvy
state of things. Those things that were necessary
and helpful to life were considered "evil"
and
those things that were injurious and inimical to life
were considered "good".
"Wherever the influence of the theologian
extends value judgment is stood on its head,
the concepts 'true' and 'false' are necessarily
reversed: that which is most harmful to life
is here called 'true', that which enhances, intensifies, affirms, justifies it and causes it to
triumph is called 'false'."
[19]
By inverting values, by formulating
a great
'Beyond', by postulating immortality,
all rationality has been annihilated.
If one concerns oneself
not with this life but with an imaginary 'Beyond';
if one chooses one's actions and goals, not by reference to this life but by reference to the supernatural other; if one ignores and destroys all that is
good and beneficial in this life for that of another;
if this is what the Christian morality offers, can
Nietzsche be blamed for calling it anti-life?
"If one shifts the center of gravity out of life
into the 'Beyond' -- into nothingness -- one
has deprived Iife as such of its center of
gravity. The great life of personal immortality destroys all rationality, all naturalness of
instinct -- all that is salutary, all that is lifefurthering, all that holds as a guarantee of
the future in the instinct henceforth excites
mistrust. So to live that there is no longer
any meaning in living: that now becomes
the meaning of life .. ." [20]
The whole system of Christianity is also antilife in a psychological sense. It appears to me, reasonable to think that if a man believes in all sorts
of imaginary beings to the exclusion of reality he
would have a little, if not a lot of psychological
problems.

All the things that a man naturally values for

the health and benefit of his life are taught by
Christianity to be base and evil. Therefore, if a man
has a natural sexual urge he will feel guilty over it
because he thinks it isn't right to feel that way, if
he enjoys his food too much, or spends too much
money on himself rather than giving it to the poor,
he will feel guilty.
He will feel guilty over every
little, tiny, bit of pleasure he experiences. To the
extent that a man is healthy, vibrant, human being
and is gratified by the things of this world, to that
extent will he have more reason for feeling guilty.
Then the guilt becomes transformed,
not to just
one action, or two actions, but his entire being becomes enveloped by it, until he feels guilty and unworthy
by virtue of the fact that he is a man.
" ...
is it not the Catholic madhouse as an
ultimate ideal? - The whole earth as a madhouse? The religious man as the Church desires him to be is a typical decadent; the
moment when a religious crisis has gained
the upper hand of a people is always characterized by epidemics of neurosis; the 'inner world' of the religious man is so like the
'inner world'
of the over-excited
and exhausted as to be mistaken for it; the highest
states which Christianity
has hung up over
mankind as the most valuable of all values
are forms of epilepsy -- the Church has
canonized only lunatics or great imposters to
the greater honour of god." [21]
To further explicate
Christian morality has been,
torical examples. He refers
civilization
that was strong
despite bad emperors yet,
Christian ity:

how destructive to life

Nietzsche refers to histo I mperial Rome as a
enough to sustain itself
it could not endure

"Christianity
was the vampire of the Imperium Romanum - the tremendous deed of the
Romans in clearing the ground for a great
culture which could take its time was undone
overnight
by
Christianity."
[22]
Nietzsche refers to the ancient world of
Greek and Rome as possessing the prerequisite for
a highly developed civilization.
They possessed a
knowledge of science, mathematics, mechanics, organization, government, and artistic style. And this
culture was
not overwhelmed
overnight by
Teutons and other such clodhoppers!
But ruined
by cunning, secret, invisible, anemic vampires! Not
conquered -- only sucked dry!" [23]
fl

According to Nietzsche, Christianity

robbed
us of the culture of the ancient world and later it
robbed us of the culture of Islam. Still later on the
May 1976/ American Atheist - 23

to their own. [24] Then the German reformation

robbed Europe of the cultural harvest of the
Renaissance.
"Is it at last understood, is there a desire to
understand, what the Renaissance was? The
revaluation of Christian values, the attempt
undertaken with every expedient, with every
instinct, with genius of every kind, to bring
about the victory of the opposing values, the
noble values." [25]
By using historical
examples
Nietzsche
hoped to show how deadly to any life-loving culture Christianity could be.
One wonders how a morality such as Christinaity propounded could have become so successful. If it is so anti-life, what is the secret of its appeal? Nietzsche answers this question by stating
that Christianity offered to all the sick of mankind
that weak as they were, they would inherit the
earth.
" . . that Iittle bigots and three-quarters
madmen are permitted to imagine that for
their sakes the laws of nature are continually
being broken -- such a raising of every sort of
egotism to infinity, to impudence, cannot be
branded with sufficient contempt. And yet
it is to this pitiable flattery of personal
vanity that Christianity owes its victory .. ."
[26]
Nietzsche's
pronouncement
that "people
still dare to talk to me of its 'humanitarian blessing!' " expresses his conviction that the Christian
morality is not an ethics of benevolence. Nietzsche
believed that if anything is less hOmanitarian, it is
that which prohibits joy, and hatred "of joy in general is Christian."

Penguin

Books. Great Britain.

1968, p. 161.

[3J lbid., p , 186.

[4J Nietzsche.
Joyful Wisdom, trans.
gar Pub., New York, 1968, p. 57.

T. Common,

[5]

tbid., p. 58-59.

[6]

Ibid., p. 59.

[7]

Nietzsche,

Twilight of The Idols, p. 87.

[8J

Nietzsche,

The Anti-Christ,

[9J Nietzsche,Joyful
[10J

F. Un-

p. 153.

Wisdom, p. 60.

Ibid.,p.60.

[11 J Nietzsche,

The Anti-Christ,

p. 175176.

[12J

Ibid., p. 125.

[13]

Nietzsche,

Twilight of The Idols, p. 110.

[14]

Nietzsche,

The Anti-Christ,

[15]

Ibid., p. 175176.

[16]

Ibid.,p.122.

[17]

Ibid., p. 163.

[18]

Ibid., p. 125.

[19]

Ibid., p. 120.

[20]

Ibid., p. 155156.

p. 175176.

[21] Ibid., p. 167.

[22] Ibid., p. 180.
[23] Ibid., p. 183.
[24] lbid., p. 183

[1] Nietzsche, Friedrick, Twilight of The Idols, trans. R.J.

Hollingdale, Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1968, p. 69-70.
[2]

Nietzsche,

trans. R. J. Hollingdale,

F. The Anti-Christ.

[25] Ibid., p. 184.

[26] Ibid., p. 155-156.

B.C.-By Johnny Hart

"TRteD To BE
ec:oD, ..I've ~EveR
BlJ.,.5Pl-U;;t4\ED, . " Ye:r
NO~6 OF MY PRA.YeRC:;

1l<PUBLe.1: evN'T
6eue'le IN PRA.YeR.

i--V\'Ie

.' ..

1..:-::-::-=- :;;..;.:;:-:-...--May 1976/ American

_____
l.,-----~~--~

IVe.

I'M. tN A. LOr OF

DeAR OOGH,..

6eeN AN~WeRED,

-.

__
ATheist

..J S-,J

- 24

[source:

Austin American/Statesman

5/13/76J

cy which looks after the interests of individclaiming discrimination. The commission

with the company, however, and Cummins
his case to a U. S. District Court.
That court also held for the company, but
Cummins appealed that decision to the Sixth
it Court of Appeals, it found in his favor.
The controversy centers around a section of
Civil Rights Act of 1964 which states that: "it
II be an unlawful employment practice for an
ployer ... to ... discharge an individual, or
ise to discriminate against any individual
respect to his compensation, terms, condins or privileges of employment, because of such
ividual's ... religion."
The 1960's were very difficult years for the
rican Atheist community and this law reflects
in part. All prior laws had stipulated that
e would be no discrimination because of race,
lor or creed. American Atheists do have a creed
life. It was this Civil Rights Act which had an
ment attached to it called "the Ashbrooke
ndment" named after its sponsor, John Ashke, a Republican Representative from Ohio.
Ashbrooke Amendment stipulated that any
n discovered to be an Atheist could be fired
employment, or denied employment, without
urse. The Ashbrooke Amendment passed in
House of Representatives and was defeated in
Senate.

ological God of Thunder and Rain.

The federal guidelines also require
the
employer
to prove that an "undue hardship"
exists before "religious"
claims can be denied.
The court of appeals, in this case, held that
the company failed to prove such hardship by noting that for the fourteen-month
period after Cummins joined the World Wide Church of God it had
accommodated his religious needs.
In a written brief to the United States
Supreme Court, the company argued that the law
and guideline in question require employers "to
accord
preferential
treatment"
to employees
solely on religious grounds. That requirement, the
company
went on, amounts
to governmental
establishment of religion in violation of the First
Amendment
to the Constitution
of the United
States.
Nevertheless,
Cummins
argued that the
reason for the law is to provide employees with the
free exercise of religion, a right likewise guaranteed
by the First Amendment.
Now, we need to establish for good and all
times that the First Amendment provides American Atheists with a right to freedom from religion.
ANOTHER

FIRST

However, the Civil Rights Act then exged the word "creed" which would have
vered the rights of American Atheists, to the
rd "religion" which denies us our protection
American Atheists are not "religious".

After fighting over it for a mere ten years,

your American Atheist Centre was recently able to
run an advertisement
in the Austin Newspapers
having to do with employment of Atheists. That
ad said:

An official guideline of the Equal Employt Opportunity Commission, a federal agency

rged with interpreting the law, specifies further
the Civil Rights Act "includes an obligation on
part of the employer to make reasonable acmodations to the religious needs of employees
prospective employees where such accommoions can be made without undue hardship on
conduct of the employer's business."

American Atheist Centre needs first-rate

typist,
clerk, familiar with office routines;
needs a hard worker; salary negotiable; no
fringe benefits; this is a cause organization;
exciting work; pleasant surroundings; 458
1244, ask for Mr. Murray.

Your American Atheist Center is consider, in its continous humorous attack on the res communities' privileges to issue a "News
" that we consider "Thursday" to be the
bath of Atheists" and demand that all you
Atheists be given time off, with pay, to obe our day, since we feel that the Universe was
ed, under the "Big BMg Theory" on a Thurs, the day of Thor, the Scandinavian Myth-

Within the first day we received two dozen

calls. Within the second and third day we interviewed a dozen persons, male and female -- all
American Atheists -- and on the fourth day we
hired one.
Maybe now your American Atheist magazine
will be free from type-setting errors!!

EqU'I~Justicc
May 1976/ American Atheist - 25

EAT IT KOSHER

liKE

IT OR NOT

It's been a hectic day of business decisions,

and the news cast at noon didn't help your head-ache: the MiddleEast,
U.S. government
giveaways,
inflation,
strikes,
busing
disorders ...
You round the corner of your suburban neighborhood, park in the driveway, kiss wife and children and ... relax. Safe at last. This is your home,
your refuge of peace. Your wife hands you your
customary Screw Driver made with Minute ~aid
orange juice while she sips Tree Top frozen cider
mix. The kids? Well, for them it's Kool Aid. It's
great to wind down away from the pressures, cozy
in your own surroundings.
Then dinner: a beautiful Chicken of the Sea
tuna souffle, Bird's Eye frozen peas, Pringles New
Fangled Potato Chips, bread and Nucoa margarine. You use French's Worchestershire Sauce on
the Souffle, your wife and kids, Heinz's Tomato
Catsup. Everyone uses a bit of Morton's Salt, for
dessert Jell-O and Kool Whip topping and Yuban
Coffee: The left overs are wrapped in Reynold's
Aluminum
Foil and the dishes are done with
Lemon Fresh Joy.
So what? So ... then you watch television
and go to bed ... and then it's morning. For some
reason Tang has become a ritual for everyone except Tommy who has had a little problem lately
and is drinking Del Monte Prune Juice. He has Post
Raisin Bran for the same reason. You take Quaker
100% Natural Cereal; your wife, Wheaties (the
All-American
Breakfast
of Champions");
and
daughter Sally likes Total for its full nutrition.
She's interested in home economics. You also have
two pancakes made from French's Potato Pancake
Mix, Nucoa margarine, syrup and Brim Coffee.
II

SO WHAT? THIS IS A TYPICAL

AMERICAN FAMILY
EATING TYPICAL
AMERICAN
FOODS. Or is it? The truth is, only the bread,
the syrup and the Vodka in the above dinner and
breakfast are possibly non-Kosher foods, all the
rest having been inspected by Rabbis (for a flatfee) to assure that they have been prepared accord to jewish dietary
laws. Wait a minute ...
Kosher? .. all the others? Yes. Even the detergent
and the aluminum foil? Yup, everything. Kosher,
you say? Yes, Kosher.

"A T.V. tray filled with ordinary products?

Well, not exactly. every one Is Kosher."
included the most popular and heavily T.V.-advertised brands as well as the old "reliables" like
Postum, Bon Ami, Wheatena, Ocean Spray cranberry products and Ovaltine. It would appear then
that your retreat, your castle, your haven of peace
has been subtlely invaded and that nearly every
mouthful
you swallow forces you to be an unwitting--and
quite possibly unwilling-supporter
of
Jewish activities
in the U.S. and abroad. That
would even include the Israeli lobby
in Washington which seems to have success encouraging
Congress to establish a multi-billion
dollar annual
aid program for Israel. To the extent that you may
be in favor of continued
l-eavv aid to Israel, well
fine, you're helping even while you eat, a~d without
even
the
bother
of
knowinq
or
of trying ... helping painlessly.
But if you are
among the 57% who, by a recent pool, favor
reduced aid to Israel, you nay at this moment be
wondering
how and why this situation has come
about.

If that sinks in a bit slowly, start read ing

over again especially the next sentence. By actual
count, a large supermarket in Northern California,
the mirror likeness of those selling foods in every
community
throughout
the nation, is offering on
its shelves over 200 Kosher items, among which are
"Kosher steel weel'
MIIy 1916/ Americ.tn Atheist - 26

W.,

why

_,to

EAT IT KOSHER

LIKE

IT OR NOT

It's been a hectic day of business decisions,

and the news cast at noon didn't help your head-ache: the MiddleEast,
U.S. government
giveaways,
inflation,
strikes,
busing
disorders ...
You round the corner of your suburban neighborhood, park in the driveway, kiss wife and children and ... relax. Safe at last. This is your home,
your refuge of peace. Your wife hands you your
customary Screw Driver made with Minute ~aid
orange juice while she sips Tree Top frozen cider
mix. The kids? Well, for them it's Kool Aid. It's
great to wind down away from the pressures, cozy
in your own surroundings.
Then dinner: a beautiful Chicken of the Sea
tuna souffle, Bird's Eye frozen peas, Pringles New
Fangled Potato Chips, bread and Nucoa margarine. You use French's Worchestershire Sauce on
the Souffle, your wife and kids, Heinz's Tomato
Catsup. Everyone uses a bit of Morton's Salt, for
dessert Jell-O and Kool Whip topping and Yuban
Coffee: The left overs are wrapped in Reynold's
Aluminum
Foil and the dishes are done with
Lemon Fresh Joy.
So what? So ... then you watch television
and go to bed ... and then it's morning. For some
reason Tang has become a ritual for everyone except Tommy who has had a little problem lately
and is drinking Del Monte Prune Juice. He has Post
Raisin Bran for the same reason. You take Quaker
100% Natural Cereal; your wife, Wheaties (the
All-American
Breakfast
of Champions");
and
daughter Sally likes Total for its full nutrition.
She's interested in home economics. You also have
two pancakes made from French's Potato Pancake
Mix, Nucoa margarine, syrup and Brim Coffee.
II

SO WHAT? THIS IS A TYPICAL

AMERICAN FAMILY
EATING TYPICAL
AMERICAN
FOODS. Or is it? The truth is, only the bread,
the syrup and the Vodka in the above dinner and
breakfast are possibly non-Kosher foods, all the
rest having been inspected by Rabbis (for a flatfee) to assure that they have been prepared accord to jewish dietary
laws. Wait a minute ...
Kosher? .. all the others? Yes. Even the detergent
and the aluminum foil? Yup, everything. Kosher,
you say? Yes, Kosher.

"A T.V. tray filled with ordinary products?

Well, not exactly. . .every one Is Kosher."
included the most popular and heavily T.V.-advertised brands as well as the old "reliables" like
Postum, Bon Ami, Wheatena, Ocean Spray cranberry products and Ovaltine. It would appear then
that your retreat, your castle, your haven of peace
has been subtlely invaded and that nearly every
mouthful
you swallow forces you to be an unwitting--and
quite possibly unwilling-supporter
of
Jewish activities
in the U.S. and abroad. That
would even include the Israeli lobby
in Washington which seems to have success encouraging
Congress to establish a multi-billion
dollar annual
aid program for Israel. To the extent that you may
be in favor of continued
l-eavv aid to Israel, well
fine, you're helping even while you eat, a~d without
even
the
bother
of
knowmg
or
of trying ... helping painlessly.
But if you are
among the 57% who, by a recent pool, favor
reduced aid to Israel, you 'nay at this moment be
wondering
how and why this situation has come
about.

If that sinks in a bit slowly, start read ing

over again especially the next sentence. By actual
count, a large supermarket in Northern California,
the mirror likeness of those selling foods in every
community
throughout
the nation, is offering on
its shelves over 200 Kosher items, among which are
"Kosher steel
May 1916/ American Atheist - 26

w_' Well. why _,

First of all, let's try to blame it on the little

n What the devil is she doing buying all
Kosher foods for a Christian, (or Moslem,
or Atheist) household? Can't she read? CerIt has to say something plainly on the label
all this ... Or does it? Well, kind of ... you
ell if you're alert. .. and "in the know." But
Ing that says "Kosher" just Iike that? Well
.There are, of course, Federal and state
concerning the labeling and sale of Kosher
5 but they seem to have been completely and
ientlv ignored. The only way that Gladys,
Betty or whoever is your wife can discover
h supermarket items are Kosher is to search
each package, bottle or other container
letely and carefully for' a letter "K" of unfled color, size, design and location appearust a bit apart from other labeling informaor sometimes right in the midst of it. The
symbol similarly indicating
a Rabbi-apKosher product is a "U" in a ci rcle, not to
nfused with an R in a circle meaning copyname or design. The U also may be of any
and color, and may appear at any spot on
age. Even if the little woman looks for one
two symbols she could easily miss it since
nnters usually do a bang-up job of arranging
yout of the label so that the K or U fades
the background. It takes a clever, practiced

(If at this point curiosity has gotten the

of you and you want to check out your own
rd, go ahead... we'll wait for you.)
How many millions-or
rather billions-of
worth of deceptively labeled Kosher foods,
wrappings and soaps are sold annually in the
n's supermarkets to families of Christian and
non-Jewish religions? No one knows and it
Id take a team of accountants months to comthat figure. What is the grand total dollar
of all the separate fees charged by Rabbis for
nnumerable production inspections of these
products since the beginning of the deceptabeling practice? No one knows ... yet. Food
rations are understandably closed-mouthed
the actual dollar cost of securing and mainng either the K or U approval on their prodIn an article in the New York Times, Rabbi
d Levi obliquely admitted that the fees are
ble" and dependent upon many factors,
pally on the frequency of inspection. Anlessgracious way of putting it (and certainly
accurate) is that the fee is what the traffic
bear. Thus a "Mom and Pop" operation
pay $1000 annually whereas a large corporamight fork over $40,000 or more for each
ct approved.

"General Foods' K is sometimes

below its logo ... "

You think that maybe these multi-billion

dollar a year sales of Kosher foods are a little fishy
... maybe even a little illegal. .. maybe even suggest
a successful working conspiracy that's been around
ever since Jack Benny gave us a cheery "Jell-O
again" ... on radio? Well, you just may be right. In
the United States Code (of all Federal laws), 1970
Edition, Title 19 to Title 22, Title 21 is devoted to
food and drug iaws and is the enabling legislation
for the regulation of the Federal Food and Drug
Administration.
On page 5431, section 343, Misbranded Food, we read; "A food shall be deemed
to be misbranded-(a)
False or Misleading label-If
its labeling is false or misleading in any particular." The Food and Drug Administration
regulations follow this language word for word. So do
many state statutes such as that of the California
Health and Safety Code (Article 4, Chapter 1573,
Section 26550). .. "if its labeling is false or misleading in
any particular."
So do the codes of
most other states.

". .and sometimes beside It."

May 1976/ American

Atheist

- 27

If it may be illegal to use cryptic symbols instead of the word "Kosher" on a package because
such symbols are misleading to 40 million housewives, it may also be illegal for another more pertinent reason as well. Food for special dietary uses
comes under a more stringent section of the Federal Food and Drug regulations, a section that demands that the package be clearly identified. Are
Kosher foods a part of this section of food "for
special dietary uses" within the meaning of the
Federal and state statutes? The answer could well
be yes... at least to an objective legal observer. Not
only do several California and New York State
laws strongly imply that Kosher foods are indeed a
special diet for physical as well as religious reasons,
but the Jewish dietary laws concur on this point.
Combinations of milk and meat, a Jewish no-no,
seem capable of inducing allergies in some people,
for instance. If this point is true, then for years the
use of the K and U symbols have been, and continues to be,-illegal. Nothing less than the word
"Kosher" would suffice on the label.

"Wesson 011tastefully puts K on the left side of label, R on the right. K is

circled, a collector'. Item."

The most interesting law on the books that

could possibly bear on the "Great Kosher Food
Fraud," as someone recently called it, is to be
found in West's Annotated California Codes, Penal
Code Section 383b, page 868. In essence,the law,
modeled after a New York statute, makes it a misdemeanor to defraud the public (obviously the Orthodox Jewish public only) by selling food as
Kosher that is not in fact Kosher, in other words
the false use of the word "Kosher." Since in our
present case the manufacturers admit, if specifically asked, that the symbol K or U on their product means that it is Kosher, the question can be
raised whether all of these 200 odd Kosher items
found in the average supermarket actually are
Kosher or whether this could be simply some form
of extortion racket to provide rabbinical income.
_After all, Kosher Ajax cleaner?
May 1976/ American Atheist - 28

.i<'

filii;:;!!
',..;

And how do we normally define a typical

religious object or religiously-imposed diet? ..
That it is usually clearly recognizable and that it is
held with pride by the faithful and restricted to
their use alone. In normal psychology the wholesale use of that particular object or that diet by the
people of another religion would by considered,by
any sincerely religious group, to be a sacrilegious
affront to them, and would cause a great dealof
anguish to them and protest by them. But in the
present case not only is there no anguish and protest by Jewish leaders to Christians and Muslims
eating a Kosher diet, but an obviously massiveef
fort
has been made to merchandise this Kosher
diet without the slightest hesitation, not only to
merchand ise it but to do so by obvious deception,
apparently in order to maximize sales.The Kosher
nature of these 200-odd supermarket items has
been hidden, not pridefully expressed. In the presence of this extraordinary contradiction to normal
human nature it seems legitimate to ask if we are
dealing with a business rather than a religion? Or if
religion, it has to be the first that is available
through a vending machine!

But this would be playing it from the side of

Jewish families who want to abide by a
diet and apparently don't need the slightest
m others in doing this. On the other hand,
others, the majority of Americans, could it
asked as a moral point whether the present
n mislabeling in general and the wrongful use
word "Kosher" in particular should also apo the clear and legible labeling of Kosher
that are indeed Kosher, so that they may be
ished from non-Kosher foods on the same
arket shelf? Or in other words, as a point of
equrtv, if it is against the law for non-Kosher
o be sold as Kosher foods, should it not also
offense in the U.S. Penal Code for Kosher
to masquerade as non-Kosher foods by
of deceptive labeling? After all, not only
some Americans prefer a non-Kosher diet due
IgIOUSconvictions, but others may object due
tical considerations. Church and state are
rated in Israel, and all Jews worldwide are
ered by Israeli leaders to be extensions of
eland. Numerous Jewish writers in the U.S.
ncurred recently on this point. Thus the
Ilton dollar food inspection fees going to
n the United States must inevitably aid at
irectlv a foreign state, a contribution
some
n families may not wish to take out of
budget.
till another consideration looms big on the
lcayune Kosher food batt lei ine: the U.S.,
nd municipal governments and agencies are
buyers of food for the Armed Services, dipschool children, prisoners, etc. Many in
ntry have long preached separation of
and state and have banned prayers from
ms. Shouldn't we also make sure that the
ment is not supporting one religion to the
ntage of others by the unwitting purchase
quantities of Kosher foods? It's conceivhat the overall figure for such purchases
approach $1 billion annually, given the vast
of popularized items bearing the K or the
bol. It is hard to believe, for instance, that
government could buy large quantities of
Catholic approved foods with a "small"
ng to the priests involved without a great cry
Ignation arising from the press, TV, AC LU
lIa Abzug about the breakdown of the
-state separation. What would be moralnt in the case of the sales of deceptively
Kosher foods to Federal, state and local
nts? The answer ... apparently
nothing
the sentiments of those who make the most
he massmedia. What can be done? Simply
the manufacturers to supply
plainly
Kosher and non-Kosher types of their
, the latter to be used in the case of mu-

nicipal, state and Federal purchase.

The K designation on various products is issued by Rabbi Bernard Levy's "Committee
for the
Furtherance of Torah Observance," while the encircled U is the symbol of the "Union of Orthodox
Jewish
Congregations of America."
However, all
these Kosher goods are brought together under the
roof of the local friendly supermarket, and the net
effect is on the non-Jewish shopper.
It is very difficult
to believe, (isn't it?), that
Rabbis, manufacturers,
wholesalers and retailers
have not secretly and consciously agreed to produce, to transport, and to sell foods, food wrappings and soaps in interstate
commerce,
all of
which are deceptively labeled to 95% of all Christian and Muslim families, this being an infraction
of the Federal Food and Drug regulations.
Virtually
every Jewish family in the U.S.
must have known for decades the significance of
the K and U symbols.
Now you have a new game. There is a
new dimension
added to supermarket
shopping,
not only do you have to consider, as always, prices
and family preferences while walking the supermarket aisles, but you can include political and theological leanings as well!
WHAT TO DO?
Would it be a good rule of thumb to avoid
all nationally
advertised brands say by shopping
your friendly A & P which has its own brand
line? Sorry, housewives, you will just have to look
and remember. The AN N PAG E line also carries
the U and pays the Rabbinical fee.
i source:

Christian

Vanguard

12/75J

" .. a11look the same!. .. "

May 1976/ American

Atheist

- 29

ABORTION IS A BLESSING
BY ANNE NICOL GAYLOR
Readers of Anne Gaylor's ABORTION IS A
BLESSING who already support a woman's right
to choose abortion will find strong reinforcement
for their views in this new book, while those who
oppose abortion may never be quite so sure again
that they are right.
From her extensive counseling and referral
experience, Ms Gaylor has taken poignant case
histories of women seeking abortions, and combined them with letters, anecdotes, and even cartoons
to buttress her forthright statement -- ABORTION

IS A BLESSING'
Most books about abortion in this country
have been written by men. This book, by a feminist, is a pioneering work -- there is nothing quite
like it on the market. From the book's dedication
to a school girl, raped and impregnated by her
drunken father, through the story of the young Wis
Wisconsin woman who died after aborting herself
with a coat hanger, to the book's closing plea for
retaining the option of late abortion, the focus is
entirely on women.
The portion of the book that analyzes the
opposition is a broadside -- no innuendo here -- an
outspoken condemnation of the Catholic Church's
attitude toward reproduction.
In speaking about
her book and the ongoing abortion battle, Ms Gaylor has said, "My book is unusual only in that it is
honest. The national pastime in America is not
baseball, or football, or even sex. It is people
kidding themselves." Ms Gaylor seesthis hypocrisy
in the crusading attitudes of certain religions
against abortion, pointing out that Catholic women. for example, have legal abortions as frequently as other women do. "The Catholic Church obviously cannot sell its ideas to its own people," she
writes. "What arrogance that it should attempt to
impose these beliefs by law on others .." And,
"Whenever I hear a Catholic priest condemning
abortion, I remember the young woman whom I
counseled extensively both before and after her
abortion, who needed far more support than most
of the women I refer. She had been impregnated
by her priest."
In her closing chapter on the Edelin case in
May 19761 American Atheist - 30

Boston, Ms Gaylor has the courage to say what

editors and reporters across the country would
only hint at -- that Catholic bias was responsible
for the Edelin conviction. In pointing out that 10
of the 12 members of the jury that found Edelin
guilty were Catholic, Ms Garylor writes: "That
card-carrying, dues-paying Catholics ever should
have been allowed to serve on a jury deciding a
charge of abortion-related
manslaughter
is a
travesty of justice. They support the church that is
the major enemy of abortion in the world, yet they
were allowed to bring their religious bias to this
legal setting."
A
poignant,
engrossing,
straightforward
account, this book will strike a responsive chord
with feminists everywhere. It will strike sparks
with the religious community it attacks with such
vigor and candor.
Ms Gaylor does not apologize for abortion
as is the wont of many who advocate it, but rather
she defends it unequivocably as a positive good in
its end results, given the present state of the art of
birth control.
She attacks the attitudes of the Catholic
church without apology. She exposes Birthright,
with its scarcely concealed Catholic pedigree, as an
organization established not because of concern for
the needs of women, but because abortion was becoming available.
"The frightened pregnant woman who needed someone to turn to was always
there," Ms Gaylor writes. "Birthright
materialized
and took an interest only when her right to choose
abortion challenged sectarian belief."
She attacks the medical profession for their
callous disregard for the health and welfare of women in denying us birth control, sterilization, and
abortion services, even in the face of serious compelling medical indications in their favor.
All in all, it's a helluva book -- and one that
should be read by every American Atheist woman.
We only get what we strive for ... and we need to
be educated to be a part of the striving. Ms
Gaylor's book can make you angry enough that
you join the fight -- so, buy it -- and read it.

THE SOCIETYOF SEPARATIONISTS, Inc.

Aims and Purposes
promote feedom of thought and inquiry concerning religious beliefs, creeds,
, rituals and practices.
minate information, data and literature on all religions and promote a more
lIandlntanding of them, their origins and histories.
, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways, the complete and absolute separation
urc:h;and the establishment and maintenance of a thoroughly secular system of
Ie to all..
the development and public acceptance of a humane ehtical system, stressing
IVInDlllthy,
understanding and interdependence of all people and the corresponding
of each, individually, in relation to society.
propagate a social philosophy in which man is the central figure who alone
rce of strength, progress and ideals for the well-being and happiness of humanstudy of arts and sciences and of all problems affecting the maintenance,
ric:hmentof human (and other) life.
social,educational, legal and cultural activity as will be useful and beneficial
of this Society (of Separationists, tnc.) and to society as a whole.

lUCrI

Definitions
life philosophy (Weltanschauung) of persons who are free from theism. It is
ancient Greek philosophy of Materialism.

Adllilm may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly accepts the
n and aims at establishing a system of philosophy and ethics verifiable
.-xIent of all arbitrary assumptions of authority or creeds.
ilosophy declares that the cosmos is devoid of immanent conscious purgoverned by its own inherent, immutable and impersonal law; that there is no

mnnce in human life; that man -- finding his resources within himself -- can
. own destiny; and that his potential for good and higher development is for
unlimited.

1..,._

lOnists, Inc., is a non-political, non-profit, educational, tax-exempt organization. Contributax deductible for you. Our primary function is as an educational "watch-dog" organizapnICIOUsand viable principle of separation of state and church. Membership is open to those
our "Aims and Purposes" as above indicated. Membership dues is $12.00, per person, per
'lnlmbership is receipt of a monthly copy of the "American Atheist Insider Newsletter". We
local chapters and membership in the National organization automatically gives you enchapter.
May 1976/

American

Atheist

- 31

The Truth,
at last, Revealed

about

Shocking? Perhaps. But it is only a small part

of the fascinating mountain of evidence gathered
in FREEDOM UNDE R SI EGE by attorney Dr.
Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her researchers as
part of their ongoing fight to preserve the First
Amendment guaranty of the separation of state
and church -- a guaranty of not just freedom of
religion but freedom from religion.

FREEDOM
UNDER SIEGE
by Madalyn

Murray O'Hair

Organized religion is working to destroy your

freedom. It strives to influence your elected representatives and to write the laws under which
you live, to regulate your children's schools and
dictate what is taught there, to censor your entertainment and choose what you and your neighbor can see and read, and to determine for all
women the right to control their lives and their
bodies. And it is your money that makes this
tyranny possible. The churches have their billions
invested in profit-making
enterprises; and their
wealth grows daily from gifts, grants, rents, interest, capital gains and government subsidies. They
are now financial giants, no longer dependent upon
their parishioners for support. What they count on
is their freedom from taxes. The churches' billions
are accumulated at your expense.
----------------------Clip and mail
To:

------------

Organiz ed Religion

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

Official government and church figures prove

that churches have as their membership only a
minority of our citizens. This book shows the continuing pressures that this minority exerts on the
lives of the majority of Americans.
Dr. O'Hair deals with politics, not religion;
with separation of state and church, not Atheism.
This report shows how your treasured liberties are
slowly being eroded as the churches increase their
power over every aspect of American life, limiting
your freedom of choice and even your access to
information regarding those choices.
FREEDOM UNDER 'SIEGE dares to focus on
the facts about this growing threat -- a threat that
our politicians and the press, radio, and television
have been unwilling to confront.

HARDCOVER -- 282 PAGES -- $8.95

--------------------------------

-----------------_.-

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

Society of Separationists, Inc., P. O. Box 2117, Austin, Texas 78767

I enclose
Please send me [ 1 copy (ies)
of FREEDOM UNDER SIEGE, at $8.95
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