Monthly Newsletter. Volume 1, Issue 6 Online Edition July/August 2008 URGENT: HELP SAVE SAYED PERVEZ KAMBAKHSH...1 UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS...

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1 Monthly Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 6 Online Edition July/August 2008 In This Issue URGENT: HELP SAVE SAYED PERVEZ KAMBAKHSH...1 UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS...2 BECOME A CFI MEMBER!...2 SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS CALENDAR...4 CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY FOOD BANK!...5 COMMUNITY NEWS AND FEATURES...5 SECULARISM IN THE NEWS...6 EDITORIALS & OPINIONS...8 ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER...11 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS...12 Urgent: Help Save Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh A few months ago, this newsletter mentioned, briefly, the rather surreal case of Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh, an Afghan journalism student who downloaded and distributed material from the Internet discussing Islam s legitimization of the repression of women. For doing so, he was arrested on October 27, 2007, in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province. On January 22, 2008, Kambakhsh was brought before a Islamic court, without a lawyer or public oversight. Accused of un-islamic speech and activity, socialism, rebelliousness, and improper instigation of religious debate, he was convicted of blasphemy by the court and sentenced to death. His chances of winning an appeal are, at this point, slim to none. The Center for Inquiry is currently sponsoring an on-line petition pleading for President Hamid Karzai to spare this student s life. Please visit the on-line petition site directly at: This petition expires on July 31, Please visit soon

2 Upcoming Community Events Visit our website for updates for upcoming speakers and events at Save Our Selves: Secular Sobriety TIME: SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 TH, 1:30 PM 4:00 PM PLACE: DUVAL AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER 1501 NORTH CAMPBELL AVENUE TUCSON, AZ James Christopher pioneered the effort to develop a secular alternative to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. He arranged for the first SOS meetings to be held in Los Angeles, California, during the 1980s. Today, SOS has over 20,000 registered members, meeting in every state and in several countries overseas. SOS is recognized by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Congress Employee Assistance Program, and a number of court systems. He is the author of four recovery-related books, has made over 300 media appearances, and currently divides his time between managing the SOS Clearing House, holding recovery workshops across the US and abroad, and researching the evolution of the SOS Sobriety Priority program. Naturalism & The Philosophy of Mind TIME: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1:30 PM 4:00 PM PLACE: DUVAL AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER 1501 NORTH CAMPBELL AVENUE TUCSON, AZ Terry Horgan is a professor of philosophy at the University of Arizona. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan in 1974, and is the author of over 140 articles and two published books. His areas of interest include Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Psychology, Epistemology, Philosophy of Language, and Metaethics. Become a CFI Member! The Center for Inquiry of Southern Arizona offers many exciting and rewarding opportunities to put your principles into practice. Join other rationalists to work for positive change in society. Please visit our community website at for more information. Our community urgently needs your financial as well as your moral and intellectual support. Please consider becoming a Friend of the Center. For more information, please see Diane Uhl, our membership coordinator, or visit the Center for Inquiry s national website at Please specify that your contribution is for CFI of Southern Arizona when you join

3 Community Membership Levels J U N E, Lifetime Members 2 Patrons ($500) 1 Supporters ($250) 1 Contributors ($125) 7 Families ($80) 15 Individuals ($60) 35 Students ($20) 3 TOTAL MEMBERSHIPS 64 NOTE: A contribution within any membership level is counted as made by a single person. New Members We would like to thank the following people for joining our community in June: Patrica Cowan (Individual) Al & Lorraine Kanter (Family) James & Iris Notestine (Family) Jerry Springstead ( Individual) John Viviano (Individual) Renewing Members We would also like to thank the following people for renewing their memberships in June: Rachel Aschmann (Individual) Sandra Bidwell (Individual) Richard Clark (Individual) Larry & Joan Cowell (Family) Lynda Gibson (Individual) Terrence & Marian Gregg (Family) Jerry & Carol Karches (Contributor) Burkley & Gretchen Kladde (Contributor) Paul & Marilyn Taylor (Contributor) - 3 -

4 Notifications Sent Notified by Notified by snail mail:...24 Special Interest Groups Calendar To join a Secular Inquiry Group (SIG) except Tucson Secular Families and Tucson Secular Home Theater, Sandra Bidwell at sbidwell@ieee.org or speak to her inperson after the Public Forum meeting. Instructions for joining the Secular Families and Secular Home Theater Groups are included in their respective sections below Please specify the group you want to join, along with your name, address and phone number. Prior to your meeting each month, you will receive a meeting confirmation and detailed directions to your SIG. Arts and Humanism This group is on hiatus until December, when Marlene Schiller will assume responsibility as the new group leader/facilitator. In the interim, if someone is interested in stepping up as a group facilitator pro tem, George Wheeler has two DVDs entitled How Art Made the World. The first DVD explains ancient storytelling, with images and finally music integrated as precursors to the modern film; the second, presents images of death, afterlife, gods, and ultimately devils and demons. CFI-SAZ extends its profound appreciation to George for creating the Arts and Humanism SIG two years ago. He has covered topics ranging from dance to literature, films and censorship that explore the role of the arts in secular and religious humanism, and the Arts SIG has become one of our most popular groups. Thank you, George. Great Religions (NEW) WHERE: HOME OF JERRY KARCHES. CALL TO RSVP AND FOR DIRECTIONS. WHEN: SUNDAY, AUGUST 10:00 AM Led by Jerry Karches, this group listens to and discusses the Teaching Company lecture series, The World s Great Religions, which covers Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Great Religions will continue their series of sessions about Buddhism at their next meeting. Follow the life story of the Buddha, ponder his idea that all of life is suffering, and learn about nirvana. The group will go to lunch after the meeting. Social Activities This month s community forum is the Community Picnic, an inherently social event. For more information on the Social Activities SIG, contact Jerry Karches at jkarches@swhaz.com or The Discussion Group Bill Faris is traveling in Europe, and meetings of the Discussion Group have been temporarily suspended.

5 Tucson Secular Families A private online SIG led by Melanie Mallon. This web-based group has informal discussions about anything related to secular family life. To join this group, browse to: groups.yahoo.com/group/tucsonsecularfamilies/ and click on Join This Group! Potential members need to be approved to avoid people invading our cyberspace. Please mention CFI-SAZ to help speed approval. If you have trouble joining, contact Melanie Mallon at darrickandmelanie@gmail.com. Tucson Secular Home Theater Group (TSHT) WHERE: HOME OF ERIC AND SUE LEE (RSVP FOR ADDRESS AND DIRECTIONS) WHEN: SUNDAY, JULY 27 TH, FROM 1:00-7:00 PM Showcasing films of interest to free/skeptical inquirers. This month, the featured film is Marjoe. For the film schedule and directions, and to find out why everyone should see Marjoe, go to the TSHT web site at Guests are welcome to come and go as they please to see only those films of interest. There is time for discussion between films, and a dinner break for potluck or takeout. Please RSVP to Eric (not Sandra) at eric@alysion.org or call with the times you expect to attend, any program requests, and whether you would prefer potluck or ordering out. Contribute to the Community Food Bank! Each month, CFI-SAZ collects contributions for the Community Food Bank. Started by Joan Cowell over a year ago, this project has contributed over $1900 to the Food Bank. The Food Bank is especially in need of our donations during the summer. Look for the basket at each meeting and take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate that we care about our community. Contributions may be made by cash or by check. Checks should be payable to Community Food Bank and should have your name and address if you wish to receive a receipt. Community News and Features In Remembrance The Center for Inquiry of Southern Arizona would like to recognize two noted individuals who died earlier this month. Herbert Shapiro, July 9. Larry Cowell, July 12. Expressions of sympathy and support for their families and friends can be send to cfisazeditor@gmail.com and will be published in the next edition of the newsletter

6 Celebrations & Concerns If you have an event that you would like to have noted in the newsletter, please a brief announcement to cfisazeditor@gmail.com with the subject Celebrations and Concerns. Please include a contact number where you can be reached to verify the information. Alternatively, you can provide the editor with a written summary before or after the featured speaker at our monthly meeting. Center for Inquiry Launches Office of Public Policy Blog CFI's Office of Public Policy recently launched an online blog to inform members about CFI's legislative activities on the Hill. The OPP blog will include press releases, OPP updates, and action items which will allow readers to learn about and participate in the legislative process. The blog is located at and can also be found on the CFI-Washington, D.C. website at For more information about CFI-OPP, please contact Toni Van Pelt, the Director of Government Affairs, at tvanpelt@cfidc.org. Upcoming Television Programs The Center for Inquiry for Southern Arizona broadcasts CFI programs on the local community access channels. Check your listings for more information. Secularism in the News Anti-Defamation League Calls for Congressional Inquiry of Proselytizing in the Military Reprinted from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation s Weekly Watch Newsletter July 2, 2008 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), concerned that religious harassment and unwelcome proselytizing are an ongoing problem in the military and the nation's service academies, today called on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to hold clearly needed hearings on religious activity in the military. Charges of religious harassment and unwelcome proselytizing are disturbing in the context of the command structure within the military and our nation's service academies, said Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair and Abraham H. Foxman, National Director. Instructors, officers and upper class cadets have virtually absolute command authority over their students and subordinates, creating a unique potential for undue pressure on an individual to conform in order not to jeopardize his or her military career. In letters to ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, ADL said congressional oversight and hearings that could lead to the adoption of consistent guidelines are necessary to address reports of religious intolerance and proselytizing in the armed forces and at government institutions such as West Point and the Naval Academy

7 Government institutions like West Point, the Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy bear a special responsibility to avoid religious coercion and to respect the rights of religious minorities guaranteed by the Constitution, said Mr. Lewy and Mr. Foxman. We urge the committees to hold oversight hearings on religious activity in the military and to establish a mechanism to redraft appropriate guidelines and training materials to define the constitutional and policy limits on this activity in the military. ADL has long urged Congressional oversight of reforms proposed in the 2005 report of the Headquarters Review Group, which concluded that religious intolerance was a persistent problem at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In January 2007, the League called for Congressional hearings after the Department of Defense authorization bill directed the secretaries of the Air Force and Navy to rescind their existing guidelines on religious activity. CFI Files Amicus Brief in Establishment Clause Case Excerpted from the Center for Inquiry s Website June 23, 2008 The Center for Inquiry and its affiliate, the Council for Secular Humanism, filed a brief with the Supreme Court in the case of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, Case No CFI and CSH filed their brief as amici curiae (or friends of the court). Because of the unusual posture of the case, CFI/CSH s brief was filed in support of neither party. The case involves the request of Summum, a religious group, to erect a privately donated monument of Summum s Seven Aphorisms next to a similarly sized, privately donated monument of the Ten Commandments that is located in a municipal park. After Pleasant Grove City denied Summum s request, Summum brought a lawsuit and ultimately obtained a favorable judgment from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. The case was decided under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment and the appellate court s decision did not consider the implications of the Establishment Clause for Summum s claim. A Supreme Court decision in favor of either party, the city or Summum, could be misinterpreted as suggesting that permanent freestanding religious monuments are permissible on government property. Activist's New Mexico Home Targeted Reprinted from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency June 19, 2008 A swastika and cross were drawn on the home of a leading Jewish critic of Christian activity in the U.S. military. The vandalism was committed Sunday night on the Albuquerque home of Mikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, according to news reports. Weinstein, an alumnus of the U.S. Air Force Academy, has been a vocal critic of Christian proselytizing within the ranks of the military. He says he has been the target of regular harassment since filing a lawsuit charging that the military has violated the religious liberties of its members. This is the first time I think I've ever felt outrage, humiliation and embarrassment at the same time, Weinstein told the Albuquerque television station KOAT

8 Editorials & Opinions Spiritual, Not Religious: Damning With Faint Phrase By Mark Jones Go to any twelve-step meeting and you will hear reassurances like, We re spiritual, not religious, or I m just spiritual. I don t have any religion. Ostensibly, their purpose is to reassure the newcomer, who may be scared off prematurely by the so-called God-talk. I wonder how the twelve-step organizations that insist on the necessity of God-as-weunderstand-Him as an integral requirement for personal recovery can also claim with a straight face that they are spiritual, not religious. There is something very religious about a proper-named deity of the male gender. The insistence that one must believe in a supernatural agent has all the trappings of dogma, a key component of any religion. Use of this phrase, spiritual, not religious, has also come into some vogue by many people outside of twelve-step groups who reject formal religion, yet who nevertheless believe in something more. Even so, the latest survey of the American Religious Landscape from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life does not include a specific category for the spiritual but not religiously-inclined. The closest match would be the Unaffiliated category, in which atheists are also placed. That hardly seems fair to either group. This phrase remains largely unsatisfying because the first term is defined as a negative relation to another thing. No assertion is made as to what is actually meant by spiritual, other than not religious. That s a cop-out, not a definition. A Google search of the term religious yields the fairly straightforward results one would expect: concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church; having or showing belief in and reverence for a deity; of or relating to clergy bound by monastic vows, and so on. Even the minor variations still describe something formal, something very big and important and very full of itself (well, that s how I read it; your interpretations might vary). Ironically, the term spiritual is defined as concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church; concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul; lacking material body or form or substance. Religion, church: the very terms spiritual people wish to avoid! Spirit, soul, lacking material body or form or substance: in other words, supernatural. Ask anyone what a spiritual person is, and I think it likely you ll come up with descriptions similar to these: truth-seeker, teacher, explorer; someone who understands that he is more than the sum of his physical parts, someone who has a larger vision of the universe and her place in it. But is this truly spiritual, or is this simply the nobler part of the human condition expressed in delusional terms for the sake of religious propriety? Can we honestly say that Richard Dawkins is being spiritual when he describes the uneasy tension between the gene and the body during the struggle for survival or when he responds to William Paley s often-quoted and often-misunderstood Argument from Design? Certainly not. [It] is made with passionate sincerity and is informed by the best biological scholarship of his day, but it is wrong, gloriously and utterly wrong [O]ne thing I shall not do is belittle the wonder of the living that inspired Paley. When it - 8 -

9 comes to feeling awe I yield to nobody. (Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker, pg. 5). If you were to ask a person to list examples of spiritual-not-religious people in the world, you would not find a single atheist or naturalist, not a Dawkins, Dennett, Sagan or Darwin among them. Yet, there is clear evidence these people do struggle or have struggled, often passionately and eloquently, with the Really Important Questions. I think spiritual, not religious is the socially-acceptable (and misunderstood) response to the question, So, what tribe do you belong to? Wishing to remain polite, people often resort to this fuzzy, if not truly delusional, peace offering to avoid possible confrontation and expulsion from the group. Spiritual, not religious is the rhetorical trick of saying something while saying nothing of any substance. I find this phrase very troublesome. It sounds very progressive and forward-thinking, but it establishes an (unjustified) elitist group at the expense of the non-believer. Why not find a more inclusive and meaningful description? Why this contempt prior to investigation? Secular humanists are not doing society any favors by silently accepting this nonsense. While it may not always be appropriate to engage in a full-on broadside attack of the H.M.S. Gobbledygook, one can at least try to trim her sails a bit by elevating the conversation: So. You re spiritual? What do you mean by that? Bill Sneaks Religion Into Schools By Gilbert Shapiro Editor s Note: the following guest editorial was published in the Arizona Daily Star on June 25, On June 18, preliminary approval was given by state senators to House Bill 2713 relating to religious liberties in public education. Passed in the House, it still requires a final Senate vote before going to the governor's desk. The Center for Inquiry Community of Southern Arizona opposes this bill because it is a transparent attempt by conservative Christian groups to get their theology into our public schools. It is a classic wedge strategy/trojan horse type of initiative, consistent with the approaches used to teach creationism. It will allow Christians to evangelize and proselytize. In addition to making many uncomfortable and distracting from the educational process, it will also lead to time-consuming and expensive litigation in our courts. Public-school-system children, parents, teachers and administrators should not be held hostage to competing, conflicting and extreme religious dogmas. Imagine the shouting matches (and worse) that would occur between groups that are each convinced that only their moral, ethical, historical and scientific viewpoints are correct. Indeed, students who claimed that only their holy book was accurate in these areas would be immune from criticism. The Only one truth assertion followed closely by the Let's be fair and Teach the controversy ploys do not work in the more objective realms of history and science. In other classes however, such as creative writing, essays reflecting religious or secular inspirations or affirmations should never be penalized. Teachers and administrators must - 9 -

10 develop and follow guidelines that are sensitive to students who hold strong religious or secular commitments. According to the bill, there is the potential for non-protected religious activities which violate the principle of state and church separation to occur at any time during the school day. A public school is a microcosm of our larger society, which is governed by a secular Constitution that takes a neutral position on religion. Parents who want their children to engage in faith-based activities during the school day have the right to send them to the religious schools of their choosing. A public school is no place for religious expression. Since each faith, by definition, asserts that it alone speaks the truth about reality and morality, public expressions of such assertions would most assuredly open a Pandora's box of conflict and hostility. Imagine children handing out flyers or wearing T-shirts that say non-believers are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good (Psalm 14:1); that homosexuals shall surely be put to death (Leviticus 20:13) or death to infidels, a slogan supported by the Quran. Similarly, a public school should not be a place for secular expressions that may be inflammatory. Gay students and their supporters should not be allowed to, in like fashion, incite the sensibilities of fellow classmates who have strong opinions regarding sexual orientation. A T-shirt saying, Evolution is a fact get used to it! should be prohibited. While religious beliefs are no different from other world views that deserve to be aired, discussed and openly debated in the public arena, the public school system should be offlimits to such activities. Children, especially in the lower grades, should not be introduced to theologies that they are too immature emotionally and too unsophisticated intellectually to understand. They can receive their religious exposure as intended by our federal Constitution in their home and in houses of worship. What is needed in lieu of this ridiculous bill is a public-school curriculum that emphasizes common human decencies while allowing and respecting the right to be different. The Center for Inquiry Community of Southern Arizona encourages opposition to this counterproductive bill

11 Religious Instruction is a Private Matter By Steve Uhl As a retired public school teacher who spent 33 years in the classroom, I totally agree with Mr. Shapiro when he states, A public school is no place for religious expression. The public schools are not the place for religious teachings. That should be the role of the parents and other institutions. If a parent or student prefers to have a religious-based education, then there are schools and institutions that would accommodate that type of education. Public taxes should not and must not be used for the teaching of religion. Our public education faces a number of crises: lack of funds, lack of good teachers, and lack of adequate facilities. Let's not introduce another bone of contention that does not belong in our public schools. The public schools and their teachers should model, teach, and encourage common human decencies and respect for the right to be different. The bottom line comes down to the common sense of treating others as you would like to be treated, were circumstances reversed. About the Newsletter The CFI Community for Southern Arizona publishes a monthly newsletter for the purpose of informing our members, guests and interested readers of upcoming events sponsored by the community and its Special Interest Groups. Editorial Staff Paul Taylor: Community Coordinator Mark Jones: Managing Editor Gil Shapiro: Contributing writer and editorial consultant Esther Schnur-Berlot: Contributing writer and staff researcher Jane and Warren Tisdale: Proofreaders Editorial Guidelines Original articles, opinion pieces, letters to the editor or other original written works on a single topic related to the Center for Inquiry and its concerns should be submitted in plain-text format to the following address: cfisazeditor@gmail.com. Alternatively, you may hand-deliver a printed copy to the newsletter editor before or after the featured speaker. The submission deadline is the first Friday of the publication month to allow time for editing and revisions. Submissions received after that deadline will be reserved for a later date. We reserve the right to accept or decline any material submitted to us, with or without explanation, and to edit submitted material for space or grammatical considerations. Works requiring significant revisions may be returned with editing suggestions

12 Submission Guidelines Must be topical, timely and truthful, and up to 1,000 words in length. We are a newsletter, not a literary magazine. Must be original. Reprints are acceptable provided the original date and publication are included. Must conform to the conventions of American Standard English. Some license may be granted for creative works. Must be written in the spirit and language of public discourse. Controversial opinions and views are welcome. Verbal abuse, threats, unsupported accusations and personal attacks are not. Questions and Answers What is the Center for Inquiry? The Center for Inquiry is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote and defend reason, science and free inquiry into all areas of human endeavor. What are CFI Communities? A CFI Community sponsors local events, lectures, activism and education programs consistent with CFI s mission. The community consists of rationalists, skeptics and secular humanists in the local area. Communities draw upon volunteers as well as Friends of the Center who are enthusiastic about our agenda and wish to take an active role in promoting our cause. Do I have to convert to Atheism or Secular Humanism to Attend Your Meetings? Absolutely not. We are not an evangelical or missionary organization. We feel that religious affiliations, if any, are a private matter. Do I have to be a Liberal Democrat? Again, no. CFI has no interest in promoting the agenda of any specific political party