In Memory of Senator Lautenberg

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a long-time ally of secular and church state issues, passed away this morning due to complications from viral pneumonia in New York. He was 89 years old.

As a Jewish member of the Senate Lautenberg was a strong supporter of church/state separation. He received an “A” grade on the Secular Coalition for America’s most recent Senate Scorecard.  Representing secular New Jersey constituents, Senator Lautenberg’s office met with David Silverman and Amanda Knief from American Atheists during SCA’s Secular Summit & Lobby Day on April 26^th.  American Atheists is a member organization of the Secular Coalition for America and headquartered in New Jersey. Sen. Lautenberg’s office is also scheduled to meet with SCA staff on June 13^th. His Chief of Staff, Dan Katz formally worked for Americans United for Separation of Church and State before moving on to work aside the Senator.

Lautenberg opposed school vouchers which would use taxpayer money to pay for religious schools as well as opposed abstinence-only education. In 1995, Lautenberg urged then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to withdraw his invitation to pseudo-historian David Barton because Barton promoted the idea of America as a Christian-only nation.

In 1998, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) passed a resolution “lauding the Ten Commandments and urging its display.” The resolution said the display should be featured, “in the Supreme Court, the Capitol building, the White House, and other government offices and courthouses across the nation.” It was Senator Lautenberg who reformed that resolution with the phrase, “…as long as it is consistent with the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”   

Sen. Lautenberg was the last World War II veteran serving in the U.S. Senate and held the record for the number of votes cast by a New Jersey Senator. He was a strong ally for church-state separation and will be missed by the Secular community. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg; six children and their spouses. 

Copyright © 2013 Secular Coalition for America, All rights reserved.

Chabad Lubavitch Jews Caught on Video Pretending to Get Wine from Their Dead Rabbi

Hundreds of Chabad Lubavitch Jews were seen on video pretending to receive wine from their imaginary rabbi who died nearly 20 years ago, according to video uploaded to the internet.

The Jewish men stood in line to receive their imaginary wine from the dead rabbi. Some children and even toddlers were seen waiting on the line for their chance to receive imaginary wine from their beloved dead rabbi.

A large portion of Chabad Lubavitch Jews believe their late Rabbi, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, is the King Messiah, therefore, they believe the rabbi never died.

The imaginary rituals are held regularly at the main Chabad Lubavitch synagogue, which is located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York.

On another video, Chabad Jews can be seen receiving one dollar bills from their imaginary dead rabbi, according to video uploaded to the internet. The ritual is performed while the large crowd chants: “Let the King Messiah live forever.”

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was born on April 5, 1902 and died on June 12, 1994. He was known around the world as the Lubavitcher Rebbe and just the Rebbe among his followers. A year after the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, he assumed the leadership of the Lubavitch movement.

He led the movement until his death in 1994, greatly expanding its worldwide activities and founding a worldwide network of institutions to spread traditional Judaism among the Jewish people, and moral values of justice and honesty among all mankind.

These institutions include schools, kindergartens, synagogues and Chabad houses. He successfully built a network of more than 3,600 institutions in over 70 countries and 1000 cities around the world.

During his lifetime some of his followers had considered him to be the Jewish King Messiah but Rabbi Schneerson discouraged such talk.

See more here: http://www.yourjewishnews.com/2013/05/27396.html#.UaiqyPPEobo.email

Support a Brave Atheist

From an email I received from the American Humanist Association:

Dear Friend,

The devastating tornado that tore through Oklahoma earlier this week continues to affect thousands of families whose homes have been destroyed. Often after natural disasters, mentions of prayer, God and religion play a big role in the media---leaving out humanists and atheists who find greater value in taking direct action to support the victims.

You may have heard about the recent CNN live interview after the tornado---Wolf Blitzer spoke to Rebecca Vitsmun after her decision to leave Moore, Okla. at the last-minute to avoid the tornado that ultimately destroyed her own home. Blitzer asked, "You've gotta thank the Lord, right?" Carrying her baby in her arms, Rebecca replied, "I'm actually an atheist."

Rebecca didn't let Wolf Blitzer assume she "thanked the Lord," even though it would have been easier to do, and in so doing showed that you can be good without a god.

The response from our membership to the CNN story was already overwhelming: many American Humanist Association members saw the CNN interview and wanted to support Rebecca directly. I'm writing now, because we made contact with Rebecca, and have a means to give her direct support. We've created a special fund for Rebecca and her family, money that will be used to rebuild her home and support her family during this difficult time.

Rebecca spoke honestly and bravely, and she deserves our community's special support. Please donate to Humanist Charities' Rebecca Vitsmun Fund and see your donations given directly to support a brave atheist whose home was destroyed.

Natural disasters are a product of our environment, not supernatural forces. We, as fellow human beings, have a responsibility to help those in need when we can. And we applaud Rebecca for standing up to religious assumptions. I hope you will donate generously to the Rebecca Vitsmun Fund and see your dollars put to direct use.

Sincerely,

 

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director

Controversial New Book on Atheism

Mike Newell just published a new book, No God! 400 Famous Atheists and Agnostics Plus 60 Infamous Theists! An Antidote for America's Religiosity!


Here's what 460 famous thinkers think about religion!   Priests, Popes, Prophets, Pagans, Pop Stars, Presidents, Poets, Politicians, Comedians, Actors, Artists, Scientists, Saints, Film stars, Philosophers, and Founding Fathers! Searchers for TRUTH  from the  earliest times to the present day. Their views are outrageous, moving, shocking, bloodcurdling, infuriating, and funny!

Visit http://www.driftwoodbeachbooks.com/ for more information.

Support Imprisoned Atheist Bloggers In Bangladesh

Police recently arrested these atheist bloggers in Bangladesh after they were accused of "defaming Islam and the prophet Mohammed." As a result of their atheistic blogs, each faces up to 10 years in jail for something that should never be a crime in any country that claims to respect religious freedom and the freedom of expression.

This isn’t the first case of atheist bloggers being arrested for a “crime” against religion. We informed you last year about Egyptian atheist Alber Saber, who was arrested and remains in prison for insulting Islam and the prophet Mohammed.

This alarming trend of arresting atheists is spreading throughout the world. I need your help to raise awareness of the situation to high-level government officials who must take action now.

Please do your part in protecting freedom of speech by demanding that the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh lodge a formal complaint with the Government of Bangladesh over these anti-democratic arrests.

Religious beliefs should be respected, even if they differ drastically from our own. However, religious groups and individuals must remember that they are not immune from having their beliefs questioned, nor do they have the right to imprison others who they feel have insulted their faith.

Stand up to the international prosecution of atheists by contacting the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh today.

April Fools in North Carolina Pursue State Religion

Without intended irony on April Fools' Day, Republican Rowan County Reps. Harry Warren and Carl Ford introduced House Joint Resolution 494 to establish a state religion in North Carolina.

Unbelievably, the bill has already attracted 12 other equally ignorant sponsors. It’s no joking matter that 14 people who have absolutely no understanding of our Constitution have been elected state legislators.

Someone needs to tell these legislative Rip Van Winkles that under the 14th amendment adopted in 1868, state citizens have the same protections under the federal Bill of Rights as federal citizens:

“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, reading “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .” also means “State legislators shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state” extends to state as well as federal citizens.

These legislators refuse to acknowledge any federal judicial ruling over a constitutional topic, such as government prayer. Their rancor over the First Amendment stems from conflicts over government prayer. They’re especially mad at the ACLU right now, which is suing over sectarian Christian prayer by the Rowan County Board, N.C. They’re also mad at complaints over statehouse prayer. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has formally complained over overtly Christian prayer in the state Senate, for example, where a state Senate chaplain routinely offers overtly Christian prayers.

Read the Freedom from Religion Foundation's letter to the Senate.
Read FFRF’s letter to the House.

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.