Monthly Archives: September 2021

At the end of August, the Times ran a story about a Harvard chaplain named Greg Epstein, an avowed atheist and humanist rabbi, who had been selected by his fellow-chaplains at the university (there are more than thirty of them, of diverse faiths) to serve as their president. Here was an ivory-tower man-bites-dog tale that elicited some context about the ascendancy of secularism, both at a particular institution (one founded, almost four centuries ago, essentially as a seminary) and in the culture at large. We dont look to a god for answers, Epstein told the paper. We are each others answers.

In response to this relatively mild provocation, readers aligned themselves according to their own cosmologies. In the comments online, nonbelievers, generally, expressed versions of Right on!, while believers tended toward How could they? For the former, it was good to encounter an affirmation that a godless earthling could pursue spiritual and pastoral paths. To the latter, it seemed absurd to apply the word chaplain to a nonreligious, chapel-less counsellor, and to elevate such a figure to a position of authority over people of faith; would the College of Cardinals elect a nihilist Pope?

Other outlets, including the Boston Globe and NPR, took up the story. Some suggested, erroneously, that Epstein had been tapped to head the divinity school, while the Daily Mail seemed to imply that Harvard had empowered Epstein to lead the entire university. Religious leaders took offense. Of the Times piece, the Harvard Christian Alumni Society stated, It seems written in a way to prompt secular triumphalism and to provoke Christian outrage. An auxiliary Catholic bishop in Los Angeles, in a column in the Post, lamented the complete and abject surrender on the part of the presumably religious leaders at Harvard who chose this man. All predictable enough, in year whatever of the culture wars.

Some of the other chaplains at Harvard were put off by the coverage, and by the implication that Epsteins gain was faiths loss. The chaplain who preceded Epstein as president, Rabbi Jonah Steinberg, the executive director of Harvard Hillel, sent Epstein a letter and ccd the other Harvard chaplains. He described his missive as a public rebuke, which he justified with references to Leviticus, Maimonides, and the Talmud, but it also served as a supple denunciation of self-aggrandizementa plea for humility in a look-at-me age and in a dont-look-at-me line of work.

Steinberg wrote, A story has been told that has promoted you beyond any status our body of Harvard Chaplains has remit to confer, causing misunderstanding and distress and bringing about damage to colleagues reputations and to communities trust in their pastors and advisors. Let me suggestif there has been a degree of self-promotion in this course of events, there must now be a matching degree of remediation on your part.

The rabbi granted that the outrage of some of their colleagues would be justifiable if, as he wrote, the role of President of the Harvard Chaplains were as the journalists who have reported about you in recent days have taken it to bebut I believe the failure there may be on your part in allowing or encouraging a journalistic perception without correcting the public story yourself.

Steinberg did not seem to think, or want to think, that Epsteins appointment had much to do with secularism or with a decline in faith. The position of president, as Steinberg, having occupied it, understood it to be, is more point person than director, it being a matter of convenience to have a liaison between the dozens of disparate chaplaincies and the universitys administration. And yet when the Harvard Catholic Center also downplayed the position as purely administrative, the Crimson scoffed. Its editorial board wrote last week, Epsteins presidency is indeed significant, a bit of a shock, andmost importantlycause for celebration. The a-religious, heavily represented in Cambridge but hardly at all in, say, Congress, had a champion.

For Steinberg, the greater indulgence was that of self-assertion, in a reputation economy that encourages it. The most striking and disappointing headline to me was the one you gave your own email message sharing the New York Times article with our body, he wrote. Im in the NYTimes Today.

Epstein, the author of a book called Good Without God, has been the humanist chaplain at Harvard since 2005 and serves in a similar role at M.I.T. For a time, he was an ethicist-in-residence at TechCrunch. He grew up in Flushing, Queens, as a self-described assimilated and disinterested Reform Jew and discovered Buddhism and Taoism in high school, at Stuyvesant. Hes a graduate of Harvard Divinity School but has no connection to it in his current role.

Perhaps, in the midst of the High Holy Days, Epstein, having digested the rabbis rebukes, offered some private remediationbut all hed say, last week, about Steinbergs letter was I appreciated it and thanked him for it, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him. Steinberg, for his part, declined to say anything more, citing Rosh Hashanah. He also, true to his dispatch, expressed a reluctance to center myself further in these recent events.

Here is the original post:

Harvards Atheist-Chaplain Controversy - The New Yorker

Image source: Atheist & Christian Book Club, via YouTube.

I really enjoyed the interaction between Stephen Meyer and a group of atheists and Christians, discussing MeyersReturn of the God Hypothesis. They are the Atheist & Christian Book Club, and they talked with Dr. Meyer for over two hours.

Heres something interesting. Steve at one point observes that he has found it encouraging that what resistance hes experienced to his thesis regarding the Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe has been mostly meta in nature. In other words, skeptics are asking variations on the question, Why would God have done it this way? For example, Why does the designer take so much time between explosions [of information into the biosphere]? One atheist wonders why God would have dawdled about creating man in particular, and observes cutely that isnt curious how the creator has such a thing for trilobites? The pushback, however, has not really included much serious criticism of Meyers novel arguments from physics and cosmology. And why is that?

Its encouraging, too, that Christians and atheists can be so genial and respectful toward each other. Check out this very thoughtful interchange:

Also, if youre in the area of Genesee, Idaho, Meyer and Discovery Institute president Steve Buri will be leading an event tonight about How Science Points to God. The main program runs from 6:30 to 8 pm.More information is here. Still another rich resource is the 2021 Science & Faith Simulcast, which you can see with your community or by yourself. Speakers include Meyer, William Dembski, Marcos Eberlin, Casey Luskin, and Melissa Cain Travis. Look for more information on that here.

See more here:

Atheists and Christians Discuss God Hypothesis - Discovery Institute

Jeanie Suter| Special to The News

I wish you would write a column recruiting teachers for our parish religion program. We arent getting much response. The request nagged at me even after I laughingly dismissed it. I rethought my answer when Harvard, a once prestigious Christian college, appointed an atheist as the lead chaplain. I rethought it again when, according to Pew Research, 10% of the population is atheist. Another 20% is not affiliated with any religion.

I rethought my answer, not in the light of organized religion, but in concern for the integrity of our nation. In each of the 50 state constitutions, God is mentioned at least once and 200 times in all. The Declaration of Independence states that our right to independence is rooted in the fact that the ultimate source of our rights and duties comes from God.

Who is God? Do people learn about him in the air they breathe? When children handle currency do they wonder who this God is that we trust? Or what it means to be one nation under God? Will they question Google searches defining Islam as the most peaceful religion? Will they be capable to compare our legal system, based on the Judaeo-Christian tradition, to Sharia law?

Without well-versed teachers of our countrys history regarding religion, we are cultural citizens and cultural members of our respective religious denominations. In short, we dont know our own religious or civil history. We dont know the why of who we are and what we are about.

The founders of our nation came from divergent religious backgrounds. They all believed that the most acceptable service we render to God is in doing good to others. They recognized the possibility that at the end of life each person will answer to God for how they lived that Golden Rule. They did not establish a state religion. They worked as though it all depended on them but prayed for divine assistance as though it all depended on God. The result of this tremendous conviction is a nation that allows people to practice the religion of their choice or to practice no religion at all.

This past summer various church educators assumed the risk of providing vacation Bible schools in the Hutchinson area. The media continued dire predictions of future Covid outbreaks and the dire consequences thereof. Many denominations, quietly prepared their campus and classrooms. It was an act of faith, courage and an outward sign that our soul suffocates without prayer and the presence of God in our lives. Teachers and volunteers risked their health and reputations; pastors risked these as well in the decision to provide the summer Bible schools.

I had the privilege of assisting in my parish summer program. It was the best Ive ever seen there. Maybe the caution was the energy that made the program so joyful and successful. On Wednesday students, parents, relatives and church members gathered for a potluck. Extra tables were hurriedly set up to accommodate a record number of attendees. Surrounding the students were the people who are the foundation of a childs faith and spiritual journey.

Of great importance is the teacher who presents a simple, orderly set of lessons. This is a necessary structure to support faith which, if based only on emotion, can fizzle, especially if questioned or persecuted.

Teachers can select lesson plans and creative resource materials from Christian publishers. Lessons and supplemental videos can also be lifted off the internet.

Some church members are willing to help in a classroom but dont want the full teaching responsibility. Their help as aides is often what makes each child feel special and capable of learning. The rest is left to Divine Providence.

I have heard numerous adults recall childhood memories of fun and educational times in vacation school, church camp or Sunday school. They remember the love, security and faith example of church members. Occasionally I have heard others admit that they know nothing of God. They recognize advertising slogans and know all the characters in current movies but they are strangers to Bible characters or Bible verses.

I would hope that their lack of knowledge comes from choice, not from a lack of a teacher. Every child, yes, every person, deserves to know the why of who we are and what we are about.

Read the rest here:

Suter: For lack of a teacher - The Hutchinson News

IN an article written for CentralMaine.com, atheist Tom Waddell, above President of the Maine Chapter of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) revealed that the US government is losing around $90-billion a year by not taxing churches.

He pointed out that in 2012 both the Center for Inquiry and the authors of How Secular Humanists (and Everyone Else) Subsidize Religion in the U.S. calculated America lost over $71 billion in tax revenue by not taxing religious institutions.

The authors, Ryan T Cragun, Stephanie Yeager and Desmond Vega, also found the parsonage exemption cost the nation over $1.2 billion.

In 2018, a University of Tampa study found the US budget was denied $83.5 billion in lost tax revenue from tax-exempt religious organisations. Thats an increase of over $12 billion in six years or a rate of over $2 billion per year. By 2024, six years after the 2018 estimate, religion will have added over $445 billion to the national debt.

Said Waddell:

Cragun, Yeager and Vega concluded what religion has to offer is nothing more than spiritual entertainment

He also pointed out that Susan Jacoby, above, a journalist and author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism and wrote:

The question is not whether the United States is a Christian nation. Instead, it is whether church authorities adhering to a deeply conservative brand of Christianity get to use taxpayer money to further their parochial (and political) agenda.

Waddell explained:

To meet the requirements of tax-exempt nonprofits, churches and secular 501(c)(3) charitable organizations may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate at all in campaign activity for or against political candidates. Yet, according to the Freedom Forum Institute, it is common for religious organizations, primarily Christian, to endorse candidates and influence legislation by continuously lobbying Congress.

Because of conservative Christian lobbying, every session of the House and Senate is subjected to a prayer, predominately Christian. The Congressional Prayer Caucus, a conservative Christian group and an official caucus of the U.S. Congress, meets each week Congress is in session to pray that the bills they sponsor become law.

The Senate Prayer Breakfast meets weekly, and the National Prayer Breakfast meets annually. The Christian Nationalist agenda is represented in our secular laws, yet churches pay no taxes. In effect, Christians have a PAC funded by the taxpayer.

Wadell, who began his piece by saying churches want to turn American democracy upside down by advocating for representation without taxation, concluded by writing:

We spend about $90 billion a year now, with an annual increase of $2 billion.

Given that the the federal government will be swimming in $3 trillion of red ink by the end of fiscal 2021 it is an outrage that spiritual entertainment should should enjoy tax exemptions while shamelessly meddling in matters of state.

Waddell provides some examples of the Christian Nationalist agenda:

Because of conservative Christian lobbying, every session of the House and Senate is subjected to a prayer, predominately Christian. The Congressional Prayer Caucus, a conservative Christian group and an official caucus of the U.S. Congress, meets each week Congress is in session to pray that the bills they sponsor become law. The Senate Prayer Breakfast meets weekly, and the National Prayer Breakfast meets annually.

Waddells piece raises the question of what would happen if the UK were to tax the Church of England. In 2014 The Huff Post reported:

If the Church of England were a taxable business it would be bankrupt. Despite its investment portfolio, its deficit still stands in the millions.

By contrast, the amount of profit made by the Catholic Church in the US rivals some of the largest corporations in the world. The exact amount is unknown, largely because the Catholic Church does not disclose its annual figures and there are no sanctions holding it to account.

It has the money of a corporation without the imposed financial control and its finances are notoriously messy and impossible to measure accurately several top global publications have attempted to discover the exact amount of the churchs wealth and failed.

According to the FFRF, Waddell is a lifelong Out of the Closet atheist. He fought and won to have the US Army change his dog tags to read Atheist before being deployed to Vietnam (he told the Army he was an atheist but they put No Preference there instead).

He has campaigned for same-sex marriage and gave the first secular invocation ever given to the Maine House.

Id love a cup of coffee

Link:

US would gain $90-billion a year if it taxed 'spiritual entertainment' - Patheos

Hyderabad: Indian netizens on Thursday intensified their campaign against halal certification. They started raising their objections over the certification by including #SayNoToHalal in their tweets.

Halal is a term used to declare that the product is allowed in Islam. If a food item is labeled as halal, it is consumable under Islam. Several Islamic counties too import meat that is halal certified.

However, some persons in India are against halal certificate and term it as parallel systems within the country.

Earlier, a petition was also filed seeking direction to ban the slaughtering of animals by way of halal. It was filed by Akhand Bharat Morcha.

However, Supreme Court has refused to entertain such plea. The bench said, Court cannot determine who can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Those who want to eat halal meat can eat halal meat. Those who want to eat Jhatka meat can eat Jhatka.

Now, the Twitterati started raising objections over halal. Most of them are demanding a ban on the practice.

One of them wrote, Why are we forced to eat halal food without our consent?.

Another Twitterati wrote, If they can bring their religion into everything then why cant we If you want to be atheist or secular, then be it both ways Otherwise get lost.

Here are some of the tweets that are in favours of the ban on halal practice.

View post:

Why #SayNoToHalal is trending on Twitter? - The Siasat Daily

Astatula Elementary School in Central Floridas Lake County already had a daily moment of silence in place long before a new law demanded it.

Prior to the current school year, Astatula students would stand for the daily Pledge of Allegiance, and remain standing for another 10 to 15 seconds for a moment of silence.

But now, public schools across Florida are under a new requirement to hold a daily moment of silence for at least a whole minute and up to two minutes, according to a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June. How that plays out could mean less instruction time for teachers, improved mental health for students or maybe just a waste of time.

The new school year is only about a month in, and schools are still experimenting with how the moment of silence will be incorporated into daily school life.

Will more schools choose one minute or the full two minutes? Does the moment of silence seem especially lengthy? How will students benefit?

Anne Leatherbarrow, a staff member at Apopka Middle School in Orange County she is retiring Wednesday told the Phoenix that the school uses the one minute of silence after the Pledge of Allegiance.

We love it, she said.

The seemingly simple law was actually a contentious topic during the 2021 legislative session, with critics saying it took away from classroom instruction or was a sneaky way to put prayer back into schools. In fact, some members of atheist organizations spoke out against the measure during the 2021 legislative session.

But legislation pursued in the session said it was a way for students to get even a moment of quiet reflection and that, young persons are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection, according to language in the bill.

In addition: The Legislature finds that our youth, and society as a whole, would be well served if students in the public schools were afforded a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law at the Shul of Bal Harbour, a synagogue in Miami-Dade County, promoting the idea of protecting religious freedom. The law involves only public schools.

The idea that you can just push God out of every institution and be successful Im sorry but our founding fathers did not believe that, DeSantis said. So we have an opportunity here to protect the religious freedom of everybody going to school, K-12, in the state of Florida.

The law requires at least one minute devoted for a moment of silence and not exceeding more than two minutes. That means a moment of silence every school day, roughly 180 days in the academic year.

In Leon Countys school district, elementary school kids do the moment of silence in the morning, according to Chris Petley, a communications staffer with the Leon district.

Leon middle and high schools use the moment of silence during homeroom, which for some schools is during third period. The Phoenix asked Petley how its possible to do the moment of silence during third period when the law says that the first period teacher should initiate the moment of silence. The Phoenix is awaiting a response.

Petley told the Phoenix that he was not aware of any issues following the implementation of the new moment of silence law. But if there are issues or problems, the district would contact the principal.

Schools were provided training over the summer and additional communication once students were back on campus, Petley said in an email. If we are made aware of the schools or classrooms that are not providing adequate time we will work with them on ensuring compliance.

The new law was designed to give kids time to reflect in schools, and a teacher may not instruct or recommend how the time is spent on a moment of silence. Instead, the teacher shall encourage parents or guardians to discuss the moment of silence with their children and to make suggestions as to the best use of this time.

Lare Allen, the president of the Osceola County Education Association, told the Phoenix that the moment of silence is not the magic pill for student stress.

Not speaking as a president, just speaking as an individual I think its great that we have time to reflect and prepare. Is that something we need to put that into law? No, I dont think so, Allen said.

I think it could be beneficial, but at the same timethe teacher cant say what this moment of silence is for. I think it would be better if we taught them relaxation techniques for the test takers that have test anxiety. Maybe it would be good if we set aside some time for conflict resolution and de-escalating situations so we know how to get along better with each other better.

The new law also expects the first-period classroom teacher to initiate the moment of silence, meaning that a first-period teacher could potentially lose 180 to 360 minutes during a school year in total.

Allen said that schools would likely hold the moment of silence during the morning announcements to ensure that a teacher does not lose instruction time.

The rest is here:

FL students now have 1 to 2 minutes of silence to start their day -- but will it make a difference? - Florida Phoenix