-Caveat Lector-
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for June 28, 1999
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
#599 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6/28/99
http://www.atheists.org
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A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"Leading The Way For Atheist Civil Rights
And The Separation Of State and Church"
----------------------------------------------
In This Issue...
* Separation, free speech tested in California, New York cases
* "Dental miracles" or molar madness?
* Resources
* About this list...
SUITS OVER COMMANDMENT BILLBOARD, HANDBILLS IN SCHOOL
TEST BOUNDS OF STATE-CHURCH SEPARATION
How far should the separation of church and state go in public
schools? And what happens when guidelines on religious expression
seem to collide with the right of students and others to free
expression?
Those are among the questions underpinning lawsuits in New York and
California which involve the rights of students and outsiders to
promote religion in the context of schools, but without the direct
support or intervention of administrators or other officials. For
separationists, these cases lack the clear-cut features of earlier
legal controversies in states like Alabama or Michigan, where teachers
and other school officials promoted sectarian religious activities and
statements. Some say that the circumstances even fall short of the
controversy over "student led" prayer in classes and graduation
ceremonies.
The first involves three students at Rush-Henrietta High School, who
say that their rights to free expression where violated when the
school principal threatened them with disciplinary action for
distributing leaflets inviting other students to social events at the
nearby Victory Baptist Church. The parents of Shannon Sperling,
Christy Bell and Elizabeth Lander are asking the U.S. District Court
to stop school officials from limiting their children's right to free
speech and religious exercise. The plaintiffs say that their civil
rights were violated on five occasions beginning in October, 1997. In
each situation, they say that principal Christopher Tanski informed
them that they were forbidden to hand out religious materials; one of
the students was also admonished for reportedly sending handwritten
notes to classmates that contained "religious themes and Biblical
quotations," according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
newspaper.
The school district does not appear to have any set of guidelines
pertinent to the distribution of religious material. But the Equal
Access Act, passed in Congress in 1984, was designed to protect the
right of students to organize religious clubs and distribute
literature in schools where other non-curriculum related groups were
permitted. A Bible study group, for instance, would be given the same
rights as, say, a chess or ham radio club. In some communities, the
Act has been used selectively as in the case of a Gay and Straight
Alliance at a Salt Lake City high school. When that group organized
and cited the protection of the Equal Access Act, even backers of the
original legislation including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) declared
that the law "wasn't meant for those kinds" of clubs.
For some, the Rochester case is an issue having to do more with free
expression than with the separation of church and state. The students
distributed the fliers in the cafeteria and study halls; the handouts
promoted events like a Teen Night at the Victory Baptist Church that
features video games, roller hockey and other activities, and ends
with a Gospel reading. The pamphlets were not distributed in classes,
students could presumably refuse to accept the broadsides, and school
officials were not involved in promoting the events. But district
attorney George DesMarteau says, "The issue is how this religious
material was distributed." He told the Democrat and Chronicle, "Any
action done in a disruptive manner is subject to restriction." The
paper adds that principal Tanski "entered the cafeteria one day and
confiscated" the fliers, and threatened to discipline one of the
students "saying that parents of other students had complained..."
But the case is poignant for another reason. Whatever the free speech
merits of the suit, it clearly shows that religion in the schools
remains a contentious and sensitive issue. It also suggests that
student religion clubs and related activities are often extensions of
off-campus sectarian groups. Finally, there is a trend by religious
groups and parents to "use" their children to proselytize in public
schools.
The California case involves an effort by a resident of Downey, who
paid $400 to a booster club to purchase advertising space at the
Downey High School Field and then announced that he wanted to post a
version of the Ten Commandments under the title "Rules to Live By."
Edward DiLoreto, the 85-year old owner of a local engineering firm,
said that he was attempting to inspire youngsters to high ideals by
posting the Commandments, but was being opposed by forces which he
described as "antigovernment, and anti-God."
After DiLoreto purchased the space, the School Board decided to
eliminate all advertising from the field walls. Up until then,
revenue from the billboards had been used to purchase new uniforms for
the athletic teams. DiLoreto challenged the board decision but on
June 1, 1998, Norwalk Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew approved a
motion by the school district for a summary judgment, noting that the
Establishment Clause of the California Constitution prohibited posting
the Commandments at any public school. A federal court also agreed.
Last Thursday, the California Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in
the case. The school district suggested that DiLoreto had led the
district into what the First Amendment Center described as a "cycle of
litigation." Judge Michael Mott said that it "could cost (the
district) a fortune," adding that the case "could go to the Supreme
Court and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over a $400 sign."
Under questioning from the bench, DiLoreto's attorney agreed that the
school board, to be consistent, would have to "allow for a sign for
Satanism," or other unpopular ideas. Another member of the
three-judge panel, Robert Mallano, asked the lawyer for the district
why the school permitted ads from Coca-Cola and a psychic, but not the
Ten Commandments. "If you put up no signs at all, we wouldn't be
here," he added.
**
DENTAL MIRACLES ARE LATEST FASHION IN "ANOINTING" CHURCHES
Is God Turning Old Dental Filings Into Gold? Some Say Yes
Chew on this. Another bizarre wave of convulsive religiosity, proof
that god is showing His presence through mysterious "signs and
wonders," may be about to explode on the nation's Pentecostal
religious landscape. The Man Upstairs is working miracles again,
according to some. No, he's not providing us with a cure for cancer,
a recipe to end baldness, even the solution to Fermat's Last Theorem.
Answers like that might give even a hardened skeptic cause for pause.
Instead, He's coming with a mouthful of miracles. Literally. Some
say god is turning their dental filings into gold, although there is
argument as to why exactly the corypheus of the Universe would be
doing this.
The story begins last March, when two high-profile evangelical
ministers in Canada claimed that following a round of intensive
prayer, God implanted a gold tooth, or turned a preexisting silver
amalgam filing to solid gold. Dick Dewart told a radio audience
during a fundraising marathon of this incredible event. A similar
claim was made by Willard Thiessen, host of a Winnepeg religious radio
show and President of Trinity Television. By May, however, the
stories changed. According to the Canadian Press, a "chastened"
Thiessen admitted that the gold tooth had actually been implanted by
his brother Elmer, a dentist. "I'm embarrassed to tears about this, I
thought I had a miracle," Thiessen lamented. "Please check with your
dentist," he hastened to add, before claiming such divine
intervention.
Thiessen continues to maintain that God does work through dental
miracles, though, and says that in the 1970s, cavities in his wife
Betty's mouth were mysteriously filled without the benefit of a
session in the dentist's chair.
Dewert also recanted, admitting that his longtime dentist, Dr. jack
Sherman, put the tooth in about ten years earlier. "It was an honest
mistake," Dewart insisted. "I was sincere in what I said. When
miracles appear to be happening, it's easy to get excited and, in my
case, jump to conclusions."
The case of the Divine Dentist would have ended there, at least for
most folks. But now, a wave of "dental miracle" claims has erupted in
Omaha, Nebraska, where more than a dozen people in four churches
insist that their dental work has miraculously been transformed into
gold. According to the Omaha World-Herald newspaper, the reports
began around June 2 and have increased since then. The claims have
"triggered widespread excitement and talk among Omaha Pentecostals,"
notes the paper, and "two pastors have addressed the issue from their
pulpits. They call it the work of God."
Reporter Julia McCord cautions, "None of the reports of
transformations has been verified scientifically..." and "Independent
dental professional are skeptical. They say it is impossible for one
metal to be transformed into another."
Even so, a minister at one "mega-church" where the dental miracle
claims first surfaced insists that those claiming the divine fillings
"are reliable people." Most have been with the church for "several
years." Some pastors are accepting the authenticity of the miracles,
while others fear that their churches will be ridiculed as a result of
the outlandish claims. Rev. Les Beauchamp, a senior pastor at the
Trinity Church Interdenominational where the first miracles were
reported on June 2, told his congregation that these amazing dental
procedures are in the "signs and wonders" category referred to in the
Book of Acts. That Biblical account describes wondrous events
preceding the "last days" before Final Judgment. Beauchamp added that
similar dental miracles "had been reported for at least 15 years" at
religious revivals in South America, England, Canada and elsewhere.
Dental miracles have also appeared in Portland, Oregon according to
one church member.
Why would god be doing this, wondered the reporter? Beauchamp replied
that he does not know why the Divine would bother turning filling into
gold, but suggested that perhaps the lord wanted to "encourage people"
or persuade them to "give gifts for no practical reason."
The dental miracle claims seem to be anecdotal. In some cases, the
"gold" may really be copper in dental filling amalgam, which sometimes
can give a cavity filling or crown a golden hue. Many cases involve
"self-confirmation," where people in a congregation hear of the claim,
then find similar evidence in their own mouths. One woman insisted,
"I never had a gold filling ... and there was this gold tooth."
Confirmation does not seem to be rigorous. After the first claims,
the board of elders of Trinity Church sent three women who claimed
miraculous oral intervention to local dentists. One confirmed that in
one of the women, an upper left molar appeared to have a gold crown
where before the woman claimed to have only an amalgam filling. "But
without...dental records," noted the paper, "dentists could not
confirm that fact."
Some of those claiming surreptitious and divine dental work said that
they would not bother going to a dentist to confirm that a filling
was, in fact, gold. One described the alleged miracle as "a release
of God's power among us," and proof that "God is at work on a level
more than we've ever seen before (sic)." Others saw it as evidence
that their prayers "for the city" of Omaha were being answered.
Due North To Blessing (And Gold) Country
Where did such a fantastic idea originate?
One explanation may be in what has become a touchstone of belief
within America's Pentecostal and charismatic religious community, an
event known as The Toronto Blessing. Starting around 1995, a small
church located near the end of the runway at Pearson International
Airport in Toronto began attracting media curiosity -- and religious
converts -- due to claims of a "miraculous anointing." Dubbed "The
Toronto Blessing," this "anointing" included reports of physical
healings and bizarre spontaneous behaviors including convulsive
movements and hysterical laughter -- all of which was seen by
believers as evidence of the presence of the "holy spirit." Other
symptoms included weeping, trembling, shrieking, shaking, "a spiritual
kind of drunkenness" according to one report, and "falling under the
power of the Holy Spirit."
The "blessing" spread to churches in England -- normally a venue of
more restrained and sober worship -- and down into the United States.
As the "anointing" manifested itself in congregations, ministers
divided over the nature of the "Toronto Blessing," and debated whether
or not they should consider it a legitimate spiritual phenomenon.
Since that time, the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship -- part of
the "Vineyard" network of churches that grew out of the "Jesus" freak
movement in the 1970s-- has become a center in this controversial
religious revival. The sect's leader, John Arnott, has been accused
of being a cultist, and some Christian groups suggest that the Toronto
Blessing is evidence of a "false doctrine" to lead people away from
the true faith. Others insist that the "anointing" is genuine.
Part of the Toronto Blessing now involves claims of dental healing.
"Why would God fill people's teeth with gold?" asks the Blessing's
website. "Perhaps because He loves them and delights in blessing His
children. Perhaps it is a sign and a wonder to expose the skepticism
still in so many of us..." Indeed, on May 3 during a TACF conference,
"a new dimension of the Holy Spirit's presence fell, this time in
healing power and signs and wonders" when two women from South Africa
told 4000 audience members that their father had received a gold
filling while watching a video of John Arnott. An official statement
from Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship adds, "After their
testimonies, John Arnott asked everyone who needed healing or a touch
from God in their mouths, necks, jaws, teeth or gums or who wanted to
ask God to supernaturally fill their teeth to stand... Within moments
approximately twenty people began to stream to the altar reporting
that gold teeth had miraculously appeared in their mouths immediately
after prayer."
More streamed to the altar as the emotionally charged service
continued, and "By the next day, the air of expectancy in the
conference began to escalate dramatically." People filled out
"testimony forms" which had questions "about the miraculous changes
taking place in their mouths." The statement adds that a
"professional dental hygienist" was among those reporting miraculous
changes in the color of tooth fillings. "The room was filled with
people in awe..."
Questions -- And Possible Explanations
What's going on here?
Obviously, such claims can involve fraud; an individual who has had
gold fillings could insist that they are "miraculous" in origin, proof
of a miracle or intervention. People making a claim of a dental
miracle may also be sincerely mistaken; they may have had a gold
filling or crown, and simply forgotten that it was gold. Rev.
Thiessen's on-air miracle story likely falls into this category.
Without rigorous verification, including checks of early dental
records, claims of transmitted dental fillings cannot be accepted at
face value or (no pun), simple word-of-mouth testimony. There also
seem to be cases of mistaken identity, where an amalgam filling that
includes copper appears to have a gold hue. In addition, those who
insist that they have undergone a dental miracle may be unlikely to
seek definitive verification, or admit to a congregation that there
were erroneous in their original assumption.
On a deeper level, though, the dental miracles -- while seeming absurd
to outsiders -- may reflect a desire by some religious believers to
witness "signs and wonders" of the final days, and evidence that a
supernatural force is personally interacting with them, and touching
their lives in some way, perhaps for some yet-to-be-revealed purpose.
In the Omaha churches, for instance, some claiming to have received a
dental miracle are not sure why they were chosen; one mused that the
miraculous fillings may show "that God's grace is for everyone all the
time." Another suggested that God is "trying to get people's
attention that He's alive and well," a poignant message in a secular
culture.
Like many "signs and wonders," the evidence put forth by believers is
usually anecdotal and elusive. Several members of one church, for
instance, reported that they woke up in the morning with "gold dust"
in their hair, and new gold fillings. "Gold dust on hands and heads
is a companion phenomenon of reports of dental miracles," notes the
Omaha paper. The dental miracles are also similar to other events and
behaviors associated with the Toronto Blessing and other "revival"
events. Certain behaviors (laughter, speaking in tongues, convulsive
shaking) and claims spread within a tightly knit community of
like-minded believers, assuming a contagious quality. Behaviors and
claims can manifest themselves in "epidemics" within a geographical
area, before spreading elsewhere or burning out.
Finally, the notion of dental miracles is not absurd to those who
believe in the inevitability of "signs and wonders," and accept
similar accounts from the Bible. Healings, multiplication of loaves
and fishes, walking on water or changing water into wine are just some
of the claims accepted as literal truth by many modern Americans. To
Atheists and even some religious believers, those accounts are absurd
or, at best, symbolic rather than a literal description of events.
But many believe. And if god can create the universe and everyone in
it in just seven days, they argue, well, He certainly has time, and
the ability, to give some people a mouth full of miracles.
(Thanks to Margie Wait for information used in this story. -- Ed.)
**
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