-Caveat Lector- from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS subject: AANEWS for May 20, 1999 A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S AANEWS #574 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5/20/99 http://www.atheists.org ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/ http://www.americanatheist.org --------------------------------------------- A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS "Leading The Way For Atheist Civil Rights And The Separation Of State and Church" ---------------------------------------------- In This Issue... * Ten More Commandments for Tennessee -- Sims says she'll fight * "Tear Down The Cross" rally this Saturday in San Francisco! * Oregon abolishes some faith-based exemptions for child abuse * TheistWatch: Listen up, Reggie! * Resources * About this list... ATHEIST DIRECTOR SAYS SHE WILL CHALLENGE LATEST TEN COMMANDMENTS PLAQUE IN TENNESSEE Commissioners in Greene County, Tennessee unveiled a plaque of the Ten Commandments on Monday which now graces the local courthouse. The move is the latest in an escalating war by religious groups to have the Decalogue or other faith-based messages displayed in government buildings. Funds for the Green County plaque were raised by a group known as United Prayer Fellowship; the chairperson of the organization told WJHL-TV news that 467 individuals or families contributions donations. The display, measuring approximately 4' x 6' feet, is prominently displayed above the main elevator in the Green County Courthouse. Carletta Sims, Tennessee State Director for American Atheists says that she is already beginning preparations for a legal challenge. She noted that County Attorney Roger Woolsey "stated that Green County's actions on the Ten Commandments came out of several counties not liking the opposition to the request to remove the Ten Commandments from the Jonesborough Courthouse in Washington County, TN," and that the proposal for a similar Decalogue display in Green County "brought about a flurry of religious support." Sims added that county officials expect their decision to approve the Ten Commandments plaque will be challenged. Tennessee has been the recent focus of numerous battles over the display of the Ten Commandments on public property and other potential violations of state-church separation. Last year, Sims was involved in efforts to have a Decalogue monument removed from the Washington County Courthouse; the plaque had been erected in the 1920s to honor the memory of a local Presbyterian ministers. Civic and religious groups supporting the public display of the Commandments then announced efforts to encourage other counties to erect Decalogue displays of their own. In neighboring Sullivan County, commissioners voted to support the Washington County effort to preserve the religious monument; one officials said that the board's vote was "a clear signal that Sullivan County doesn't lay down for atheists..." Sullivan County officials say they will install their own Ten Commandments plaque at a ceremony on July 4, 1999. The display will also include copies of the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence -- a ploy which Decalogue boosters sometimes use in hopes of "secularizing" the Commandments and rendering them less violative of state-church separation. Sims reports that other plaques may be erected in other parts of the state as well, including Blount and Knox Counties. As for the new display in Green County, Sims reports that supporters of the Decalogue, including the Prayer Fellowship, are attempting to justify the Commandments monument saying that it is "not connected to the government in any way," although it sits as an attachment in a government courthouse. Ms.Sims notes that the Decalogue "has no place on government property," and adds that attempts by religious groups or public officials to display the Ten Commandments in government buildings advances a sectarian faith-based agenda. "How would they react if a Buddhist or Muslim group wanted to put up its creed?" ** "TEAR DOWN THE CROSS" RALLY SLATED SATURDAY IN S.F. American Atheists will host a "Tear Down The Cross" Rally this Saturday, May 22 in San Francisco to support plaintiffs in a court suit which calls for the removal of the Mt. Davidson Cross. Visit http://www.atheists.org/flash.line for background on this important state-church separation case. The rally begins at 12 noon at the foot of Mt. Davidson, Lansdale and Dalewood in San Francisco. Appropriate signs and banners will be provided; the march will proceed up to the cross in the middle of historic Mt. Davidson cross. Ray Romano, First Amendment activist and host of the "Religiously Incorrect" television program, will address the rally. For more information, visit http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/affilcal.htm or contact the California American Atheists at [EMAIL PROTECTED], or 415-771-9872. ** OREGON HOUSE VOTE STIRS DEBATE OVER RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS IN HEALTH CARE Oregon's House of Representatives has passed a bill which would change the status of most of the state's legal exemptions which shield religious parents and faith-based practitioners from legal prosecution if children in their care die of a treatable illness. Introduced by Rep. Bruce W. Starr (R-Dist. 3), H.B. 2494 eliminates the religious exemption for the "spiritual treatment defense to murder, kidnapping, criminal mistreatment and criminal nonsupport." The original proposal also called for elimination of "spiritual treatment exception in definition of abuse for purpose of child abuse reporting." Cosponsors of the measure included Reps. Snodgrass, Bowman, Jenson, Knopp, Krummel, Kruse, Minnis, Rasmussen and Schrader. A Senate version which now faces action is supported by Sen. Brown, Burdick, Qutub, Shannon and Starr. A similar House measure was ntroduced by Rep. Kathy Lowe (D-Milwaukie). Oregon, like many other states, has had a number of legal statutes which exempt faith practitioners and believing parents from any prosecution should patients, including children, die from medical neglect. Some form of faith-healing is practiced by "literally thousands of Christians across the nation," noted The Oregonian newspaper earlier this month, with the largest organized body being the Christian Scientists sect founded by Mary Baker Eddy. The new Oregon legislation was prompted, in part, by stories which appeared last year in The (Portland) Oregonian newspaper about youngsters whose parents were members of the Followers of Christ, a 1,200 member sect that shuns conventional medical treatment in favor of prayer. The paper's investigation revealed that officials were aware of "preventable deaths and injuries of Follower's children as early as the late 1960s," but took no action to hold parents or the Church legally responsible. There were no formal investigations by the State prior to 1985, when the deaths of children belonging to church adults were considered "the tragic consequence of the parents' religious freedom..." Reacting to the tragedies, Rep. Starr declared, "When, because of religious beliefs, parents refuse to intercede in life-threatening situations of their child, it is the right of the state to intervene in order to prevent the death of that child." Hearings on the proposed legislation included testimony by Bruce Fitzwater, a Christian Scientist "caregiver" and lobbyist for the church. He claimed that the church supported any decisions which parents made, adding that Christian Science did not disapprove of those members who do seek medical treatment after prayer and "getting close to God" does not work. Weighing in for the new legislation, however, was a range of groups including the Oregon Pediatric Society, the state Medical Association and Nurses Association, Children First, Oregon Center for Family Policy, and Childrens' Healthcare Is A Legal Duty (CHILD) headed by Rita Swan. Newspaper endorsements came from The (Portland) Oregonian and the Eugene Register-Guard. Ms. Swan told AANEWS that while the passage of Rep. Starr's measure was good news, "it doesn't go far enough in guaranteeing protections for children." She noted that the respective Republican and Democratic bills changed the status of only about half of the religious exemptions now on the law books. "If Oregon wants parents to provide necessary medical care for sick and injured children, it makes no sense to having a law stating that 'In a prosecution for failure to provide necessary and proper medical care, it is a defense that the medical attention was provided by treatment by prayer through spiritual means alone...'" Swan noted. She quoted Oregon Statute 163.555(2)(c). "If such a law remains, religious leaders may still advise their parishioners that Oregon recognizes prayer as a legal substitute for medical care." The version passed by the House will make parents or practitioners who rely solely on faith-healing legally responsible for any non-lethal injuries -- but only in the case of children up to the age of 15. Swan attacked a Minority report on the legislation that claimed that persons 15-17 years old "have the legal ability to refuse medical care." "Such a claim is misleading," Swan wrote in testimony on the proposal. "While teenagers are given some rights to make medical decisions, current law does not give people under 18 years old the right to refuse medical care that is necessary to prevent substantial or permanent harm." Swan also lamented that the House version is still a compromise on other key points. "Even after the Oregonian's massive publicity ...(about) injuries of children because of Christian Science and Pentecostal faith-healing sects and even after so many organizations have called for the repeal of the religious exemptions, the Oregon House chose to make many concessions to the Christian Science church that lower protection for children." She added that those concessions "also benefit the church financially," and cited the fact that Christian Science practitioners charge money for their prayer services, and in many even cases even have their bills covered by insurance compensation. "The House has retained a law that allows criminal mistreatment if a caretaker retains an 'accredited practitioner' of 'spiritual treatment' from a 'recognized' church to pray for a dependent person. If the caretaker does the praying himself or asks a neighbor to pray, he is not allowed to commit the harms defined as criminal mistreatment..." Faith-Healing: The RFRA Connectio Ironically, Rep. Starr -- an evangelical Christian -- managed to defuse some of the expected opposition to reforming the Oregon religious exemptions. But he is also a sponsor of House Bill 3469, which proposes a version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, RFRA. It would require that government use a "compelling interest/least restrictive means" test when dealing with any faith-based groups, activities or practices. Would an Oregon RFRA trump any other legislation which attempts to punish faith healers who flout the law and allow children, or others in their care, to die or suffer other adverse effects through neglect? Constitutional attorney Marci Hamilton says it would. "It's just another example of the unintended consequences of RFRA," Hamilton told AANEWS. "A group like Christian Science could easily use the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to circumvent any the reforms passed by the Oregon House which would otherwise hold these churches accountable for neglect." In a letter being sent today to Rep. Starr, Dr. Hamilton expressed "my concern that this bill (RFRA) is inconsistent with your laudable efforts to repeal exemptions for religious parents from the child neglect, abuse, and murder laws." ** THEISTWATCH SHORT SHOTS How far should government and religion go in monitoring personal behavior? All the way to the bedroom, at least if one California woman has her way. Laura Onate-Palacios, a twice-married 52-year old woman, has filed a $200 initiative fee to support a proposal that would be make extramarital affairs a crime in that state. According to CNN, those found guilty of adulterous dalliances would be "forced to make a public apology and pay for therapy..." Another law ... just what we need, right? But as a Field Poll researcher observes, the proposal will likely have stiff opposition, even it Mrs. Onate-Palacios and other busybodies do manager to obtain the 419,250 voter signatures to put the measure on the 2000 ballot. Mark DiCamillo noted, "It doesn't seem to me to conform to the main tenet of Californians' attitude, which is a kind of openness, sense of tolerance and acceptance of lifestyles." ** Rev. Robert Schuler, the California evangelist whose "Hour of Pour" television program claims an audience of 30 million viewers across the globe, says that he is still troubled by the flap and scandal over his arrest in 1997 following a altercation with a male flight attendant. The 72-year old electronic preacher is best known for his broadcast sermons from the "Crystal Cathedral" temple, a lavish glass palace which serves as Schuler's ministerial base, and his promotion of feel-good Christianity. But he told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper recently that he was still disturbed over the incident, where the United Airlines steward claimed he was roughed-up by Schuler and shoved after the reverend demanded more grapes on his cheese and fruit place, and following an earlier dispute over where to place a bag. The flight attendant filed a $5 million lawsuit, which was settled out of court. Schuler lamented, "The most practical thing I've learned is that American civil liberties don't exist when you cross state lines in a plane." The folksy preacher, author of inspirational books like "Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do," was in town to appear on a taping for evangelist Pat Robertson's "700 Club" program. The Pilot noted that Gordon Robertson, son of the elder Robertson, called Schuler "one of the great Christian leaders of our day..." ** Remember the Rutherford Institute, the "religious liberty" group that decided to defend Paula Jones in her groping lawsuit against Bill Clinton? We were certainly puzzled why a "religious" rights organization found cause to intervene in the alleged presidential dalliances. It seems, though, that Rutherford has fallen on rougher times, amidst reports of declining contributions and interest. Now, the group has decided to represent the Sons of Confederate Veterans in a federal lawsuit this summer against the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The Sons maintain that their rights were violated when the state House of Delegates votes against displaying the Confederate flag on the Sons of Confederate Veterans' vanity license plates. While the General Assembly did approve the creation of the special plates -- similar to those used by fraternal and civic groups -- it rejected the Dixie flag logo. Opponents charged that the stars-and-bars were a racist and offensive symbol of hatred. Sons of Confederate Veterans must show direct lineage to a Confederate soldier; the organization has 6,000 members in Virginia, ** A Roman Catholic church in San Antonio, Texas is leading a morality crusade to have the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission repeal the liquor license of a local topless bar. The ABC filed a petition on April 1 citing a number of alleged violations at Giorgio's, one of eleven local topless clubs that are trying to remain open under that city's new 1998 Sexually Oriented Businesses ordinance. The regulation makes it illegal for any kind of adult enterprise, including a topless club, to operate within 500 feet of a school, church or residential neighborhood. Why a church? How would religious groups feel if a law were passed that decreed that no "house of worship" could open within 500 feet of an adult entertainment store, or any other business for that matter? But that trivial concern isn't stopping parishioners of St. Luke's Catholic Church who have come out in favor of shutting down Giorgio's. Your editor recalls a similar flap years ago, when local church leaders were conducting one of their periodic crusades to shut down local adult bookstores. A meeting was held by the local City Council on a control ordinance. Following the impassioned plea of a local clergy to "cleanse the community" of "pornographic filth," one of the adult store owners stood up and remarked, "Yes, Reverend, you might be right ... but the big difference between your church and the neighborhood peep show is that we at least pay taxes." ** Reggie White, "Minister of Defense" for the Green Bay Packers and an outspoken advocate of Christian evangelism, is becoming even more belligerent in advancing his sectarian religious agenda. Recall that White has already offended gays and ethnic groups for his comments made before the Wisconsin state legislator; he blasted homosexuals as sinners, and said that God instilled certain "differences" -- like the ability to dance in blacks, or make money in Jews -- with various ethnic groups. He and other "spirit filled" athletes have prompted concerns that they are using the ball court or gridiron as a pulpit to promote god-belief and worship. The National Football League has even investigated the activities of some "ministries" who seem to target high-priced super stars for recruitment. White has become a darling for religious right televangelist Pat Robertson; recently, the 14-year NFL veteran made another appearance on Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network program "700 Club," and declared "It's time for the athletes to minister to the athletes." CBN noted that White now views his fame as an NFL hero "as an awesome opportunity to influence others for Jesus Christ." White spoke of his desire to "use this game as a platform to spread the gospel and to do good things for people..." Athletes certainly should not lose their civil rights because they happen to play pro ball. But the "muscular Christianity" that is increasingly being embraced by superstars like White should raise concerns about whether or not this on-field proselytizing runs counter to the more democratic and equalitarian aspects of sports. It used to be the case that the sports world was for every stripe of fan -- regardless of ethnic identity, social class, sexual or religious affiliation. As long as you loved the game, followed the action and rooted for the home team, that was enough. Is it now? Must a touchdown be acknowledge with a prayer in the end-zone? All of the fans happen to pay the salaries for guys like Reggie White -- not just those who happen to embrace his distinct brand of Christianity. Even if he doesn't return to the Packers next year, number 92 -- and the rest of the athletes who feel compelled to "share the good news" in an almost compulsive manner while in uniform -- should reflect a bit on their audience. People come to see Reggie make mincemeat of quarterbacks, not conduct Solemn High Mass, or organize endless "prayer huddles." . Imagine if an athlete who happened to be an Atheist chose every touchdown or basket as the opportunity to hold up a sign declaring "God is Make Believe!" It would not only be foolish, it would be poor form to say the least. Reggie, take note ... please. ** RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS... * For information about American Atheists, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please include your name and postal mailing address. * For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and other products, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kindly include your postal mailing address. * The American Atheist Magazine is now on the web! Check out select articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheist.org * If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and lots more! Contact Margie Wait, the Moderator, through [EMAIL PROTECTED] ABOUT THIS LIST... 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