NASA Scientist Shows How Anyone Can "Make the Break" With Gods & Religion

Dr. Reginald J. Exton, a NASA scientist for five decades, shares clearly and succinctly the evidence that points to the human origin of religions in Make the Break (If You Can), the latest title from Humanist Press. To this end, Exton has gathered a representative list of events, scientific observations, and religious developments that lead the reader to the eventual realization that there is voluminous evidence that humanity itself created gods and religions to shield itself from the unknown.

The printed book is in magazine format, making its 64 full-color pages—including pictures, charts and graphs—easy to read and comprehend. The ebook version contains links to additional online content, including a forum where readers can communicate with one another.

“My sincere hope is that the book will help to relieve people of their historical guilt and clarify the individual rights and responsibilities of all human beings,” Exton said. “These hopes are particularly meaningful at the beginning of the twenty-first century as two major religions again conduct crusades against one another, and the political arm of religion in the U.S. strengthens itself to secure by ‘democratic’ means what it cannot obtain by argument.”

Outlining the human origin of religions, Make the Break (If You Can) begins with a brief synopsis of the major developments in the formation of our universe; a description of more recent events in the development of civilization, including the period of religious fervor; and the evolutionary process leading to modern man. From these initial chapters, Exton discusses why religious beliefs are so strongly entrenched in peoples’ thinking and why many maintain these beliefs today. The subsequent chapters list some of the worldwide conflicts that have arisen out of religion; an outline of an astrophysical projection of the ultimate fate of our universe; and offers an alternative to god-based religions that captures the best parts of the various religious rules and philosophies practiced today.

Dr. Exton’s scientific career began in 1954 at the University of Richmond, where he majored in physics, graduating with a B.S. in 1958. He completed is education in physics with an M.S. and a Ph.D. at West Virginia University. For the past 50 years, he has been a researcher with NASA at Langley Research Center. During his interesting career, he has worked on reentry physics, atmospheric and oceanographic pollution, laser spectroscopy, hypersonic combustion, aerodynamics, and plasma physics. A list of his publications in these areas can be found here.

The ebook is available through HumanistPress.com and major online retailers.

Rep. Nadler to Speak at Secular Summit

The Secular Coalition is excited to announce Congressman Jerrold Nadler, as the breakfast keynote speaker at the SCA's Secular Summit & Lobby Day on April 25th! Rep. Nadler (D-NY) is the former chair, and current ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Constitution who, in December 2010 held hearings on taxpayer dollars going directly to pervasively sectarian organizations through the White House Office Faith Based Funding.

The Secular Coalition is expecting to soon announce another member of Congress and a representative from the White House to address participants as well, for the Secular Summit & Lobby Day. There is less than a month left until the big event, so be sure to register now if you haven't already. A student rate of $25 is now available.

SCA Executive Director, Edwina Rogers, met with several House offices this past week to speak about tax issues, including Reps. John Lewis (D-GA) and Dave Reichart (R-WA). She also met with the staffer tasked with faith-based issues in the office of Rep. Mike McIntyre, co-chair of the Congressional Prayer Caucus. The meetings were scheduled in advance of the Ways and Means report on tax reform for charitable and nonprofits, due April 15th to the full committee.

This week the Supreme Court heard two cases on marriage equality. The Secular Coalition for America was out in full force educating people on the issue and sharing information about the SCA and our goals.

Finally, we are proud to announce a new service now available to all of our members: the Morning Read. If you'd like to receive this daily roundup of secular and related news stories click update subscription preferences (link also available at the bottom of this email) and check the box "Morning Links." It's that easy! You can view past issues of the Morning Read and other news updates at Secular News Daily.

Track the past week's most troubling federal and state legislation.

Are you a secular insider? Get the complete picture of what's going on in the secular movement. View this week's Movement Update Agenda or listen to the weekly call here. Or, view all of our newsletters and movement updates.

Register for SCA's Secular Summit & Lobby Day April 24-26 in DC! Can't make it? Support the event with your donation now.

New Online CFI Seminar

Science and Ethics: Crossroads and Conundrums

(SEC 238-0413)April 1 – April 30, 2013

Instructor: David Koepsell, JD, PhD

In this course we will look at two facets of the fields broadly defined as "science" and "ethics." First, what relation does science have to ethics, if any? Is there a way to reconcile them, as some philosophers have tried, by attempting a scientific approach to ethical theory, or are they, like religion and science, "non-overlapping magesteria?" Second, we will also look at how ethics and science have intersected and interacted in modern "applied" ethics, specifically bioethics, but also in other fields broadly described by the term "research ethics." In preparation for the course, students are recommended to purchase and read Science and Ethics by Paul Kurtz and David Koepsell (Prometheus, 2007).

For more info and to register: http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/Calendar?id=103481&view=Detail.

Was Lincoln Jewish?

On the twelfth of February, 1809, 200 years ago, a young, poor illiterate woman from Virginia, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, gave birth to a son, in a log cabin built along the banks of the south fork of Nolin Creek, near what is now Hodgenville , Kentucky .

 

That baby, whom she named Abraham, grew to become one of our greatest, and most tragic, national leaders. Lincoln was a man of great spiritual conviction. Yet, and I find this fact fascinatingly instructive, Abraham Lincoln was the only American president not to have declared himself a member of any particular religious faith.

 

That fact has given rise to a great deal of interesting speculation. In fact, there are those who believe that Honest Abe was Jewish.. After all, his name was Abraham. His great-grandfather was named Mordechai.

 

Lincoln was the only President not to have a formal religious affiliation. He was neither raised in a church nor did he ever belong to a church.

 

And there's more... the town of Lincoln, in eastern England, whence his ancestors came, has an interesting Jewish history. A Jewish community was established there in 1159. During Crusader riots, the Sheriff of Lincoln saved the Jews by giving them official protection. St. Hugh, the great Bishop of Lincoln, taught love of Jews to his parishioners. His death was marked by an official period of mourning among Lincoln 's Jews. Rabbi Joseph of Lincoln was a scholar mentioned in the Talmud; Aaron of Lincoln was a financier whose operations extended all over the country.

 

In 1255, Lincoln 's Jews were accused of ritual murder. Ninety-one Lincoln Jews were sent to London for trial and 18 were executed. Notwithstanding, the Lincoln Jewish community flourished until 1290, when they were forcibly expelled by edict. Most Jewish historians assume that all the Jews of Lincoln left in 1290.

 

But could it be possible that some remained, practicing their Judaism in secret....passing the family secret from generation to generation? The more we learn of the secret life of Spanish Jewry following the Expulsion of 1492, the more we must at least consider the possibility of the same thing occurring elsewhere.

 

When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, whole Jewish communities sat shivah. Rabbis all over the country eulogized the fallen President. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the manwho created Reform Judaism in this country, began his eulogy with the words... "Brethren, the lamented Abraham Lincoln believed himself to be bone from our bone and flesh from our flesh. He supposed himself to be a descendant of Hebrew parentage. He said so in my presence."

 

Lincoln was often questioned about his religious beliefs. Time and again, he told of a special passage from Scripture that summed up his theology. It was the twentieth the Book of Exodus he recommended that every American study, learn and follow.  In English it is usually referred to as the Ten Commandments.

 

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Temple Har Shalom

 

PS: Abraham Lincoln was Jewish. An extensive research paper from a Professor in Rutgers who studied this topic extensively and found, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Abe Lincoln was Jewish.... She has absolute proof from checking out his ancestry and going back to his hometown where she did years of work on this topic. Her research was complete and absolute. Her name is Professor Elizabeth Hirschman, Rutgers University .