Religion

Ed Babinski, in a lengthy post at Debunking Christianity, points out that several early abolitionists were denounced as atheists and infidels because of their attacks on the slave trade, that William Lloyd Garrison’s first anti-slavery speech in Boston was in “the infidel hall owned by Abner Kneeland … who had been sent to jail for blasphemy” because “every Christian sect had in turn refused … Garrison the use of [their] buildings,” and that Pastor John Newton, the author of the song “Amazing Grace,” was a slave trader for years after his conversion to Christianity, contrary to the story Arlo Guthrie has told on stage: “Editor’s Bookshelf: Amazing Myths, How Strange the Sound: An interview with Steve Turner, the author of Amazing Grace: The Story of America’s Most Beloved Song” by David Neff, Christianity Today, March 31, 2003) John Newton was a pastor and author of “Amazing Grace” and “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.”… INTERVIEWER: What mythology did you yourself hold that you discovered was wrong when you did your research? TURNER: I think I just knew the basic skeleton of this story. I knew Newton was a slave trader, I knew that he had been in a storm, and I knew he’d written a song. I didn’t really know the sequence in which that happened. Arlo Guthrie tells the story on stage that Newton was transporting slaves and the storm hit the boat, he was converted on the spot, changed his mind about slavery, took the slaves back to Africa, released them, came back to England, and wrote the song. That would be nice. That would be the way we’d like to write the story. But the fact is that he took years and years before he came to the abolition position. And he never captained a slave ship until after he became a Christian. All his life as a slave captain was actually post-conversion. The majority of Christians were in favor of the slave trade. The ship owner that he worked for had a pew in the church in Liverpool. It was not uncommon at all for prominent Anglicans to also be involved in the slave trade. And it made me wonder, what things are we involved in that we think are fine but in centuries to come people will think, How could they possibly have done that? […] Newton’s tender ship captain’s letters that he sent home to his beloved Mary showed complete lack of concern for the African families he was breaking up. A telling passage from one letter cites “the three greatest blessings of which human nature is capable” as “religion, liberty, and love.” But referring to those he had helped to enslave, he wrote, “I believe… that they have no words among them expressive of these engaging ideas: from whence I infer that the ideas themselves have no place in their minds." When it came to denouncing the slave trade, Newton would not commit himself publicly until the mid-1780s—nearly 30 years after the issue was first broached in Parliament, 20 years after the Countess of Huntingdon began campaigning for equal treatment of the races, and 14 years after John Wesley wrote his Thoughts on Slavery.Ed has much more at Debunking Christianity. ...

On Time magazine’s Middle East blog, it’s reported that James Cameron is producing a documentary directed by Simcha Jacobovici which “make[s] the start[l]ing claim that Jesus wasn’t resurrected –the cornerstone of Christian faith– and that his burial cave was discovered near Jerusalem. And, get this, Jesus sired a son with Mary Magdelene." The blog claims that 27 years ago, while a new industrial park was being built in Jerusalem, a 2,000-year-old cave with ten caskets was discovered, and the names on the ten tombs included “Jesua, son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Mathew, Jofa and Judah, son of Jesua” and that “film-makers Cameron and Jacobovici claim to have amassed evidence through DNA tests, archeological evidence and Biblical studies, that the 10 coffins belong to Jesus and his family." It’s not clear how DNA evidence could show anything about remains belonging to Jesus (as opposed to relationship between the individual remains), but the comments on the Time blog entry make it clear that we are in for some entertainment in the form of hysterical reactions to the documentary. UPDATE (February 25, 2007): There’s a bit more information at YNetNews. UPDATE (February 27, 2007): And better coverage at CNN, where experts point out these claims were previously made back in 1996. UPDATE (March 6, 2007): The Jacobovici/Cameron documentary claims that the James ossuary with the faked “brother of Jesus” inscription was the missing 10th ossuary from the site they claim to be the Jesus tomb. This, however, is definitely not the case, since the person who catalogued the ossuaries at the time of the original find says that the 10th ossuary was a plain, blank ossuary with no inscription at all. Also, P.Z. Myers watched the documentary so that you don’t have to… UPDATE (April 12, 2007): The Jerusalem Post reports that scholars in the documentary are backing away from their statements made therein… ...

When Matt LaClair spoke before the Kearny board of education earlier this week, he gave the board a CD recording of his initial meeting with David Paszkiewicz and Kearny High School principal Al Somma, in which Paszkiewicz denied making the statements that LaClair attributed to him. LaClair had also recorded those, and proved to Somma that Paszkiewicz had lied when he denied making the statements. This recording now proves to everyone other than LaClair, Somma, and Paszkiewicz that Paszkiewicz actually made the denials. The recording of the meeting is available via the website of The Observer editor Kevin Canessa. Canessa also has photos of the board meeting, where Paszkiewicz supporters in the audience held up signs to prevent camera crews from recording the statement made by Paul LaClair, Matthew’s father.

Matthew LaClair will appear tonight on Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN, 10 p.m. EST. UPDATE: Unfortunately, Matthew was bumped from the show.

A heckler took on Mitt Romney for not “stand[ing] for the Lord Jesus Christ” because he’s a Mormon (video clip). This resulted in boos from the audience. Romney replied by saying that “one of the great things about this great land is that we have people of different faiths and different persuasions, and I’m convinced that the nation does need to have people of different faiths, but we need to have a person of faith lead the country.” This led to audience applause and a standing ovation. Radley Balko observes: “Romney and his supporters have already deflected as religious bigotry (correctly, in my view) the idea (supported by polls) that America isn’t ready for a Mormon in the White House. But Romney has no problem declaring that America isn’t ready for an atheist or agnostic in the White House. Frankly, that’s offensive." I agree, but also note this comment from the above video link: ...

The ACLU and People for the American Way held a press conference today regarding the David Paszkiewicz situation at Kearny High School. On Tuesday, February 13, a tort claims notice was filed with the federal court to preserve the LaClair’s right to file a civil suit should the district not resolve their complaints. Predictably, Kearny education board president Bernadette McDonald was quoted as saying, “It is unfortunate that public dollars will be spent in defending our school district when this matter is already being addressed through dialogue and action.” Those actions included banning taping in the classroom without the teacher’s permission (which would have prevented Paszkiewicz from being caught lying about what he said in the classroom) and switching Paszkiewicz’s U.S. History class with another (so that he no longer has Matthew LaClair in his classroom). More information at the Jersey Journal and 1010 WINS web pages. The Jersey Journal story emphasizes the education board’s position, while the 1010 WINS story emphasizes Matthew LaClair’s. UPDATE (February 20, 2007): The audio of the ACLU/PFAW/LaClair press conference and the text of the Kearny education board’s response may be found at Kevin Canessa’s Corner at The Observer blog. UPDATE (February 21, 2007): Looks like CNN picked up the story yesterday. ...

The latest news from Kearny High School, via Kevin Canessa at the Observer, is that David Paszkiewicz has removed what he sees as the source of his problems from his classroom by switching classes with another teacher. Now, Debbie Vartan teaches Paszkiewicz’s class and vice versa. Principal Alfred Somma confirms that Paszkiewicz requested the switch. Apparently the ban on classroom recordings wasn’t enough–Paszkiewicz must realize that Matthew LaClair has more credibility than he does with the mainstream media, and his presence in the classroom was cramping his style. Here’s hoping that there’s someone who was in Debbie Vartan’s class who’s got as much integrity and brains as Matthew LaClair, and who will keep the public informed of any further misrepresentations or Establishment clause violations in Paszkiewicz’s classroom.

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As the result of a lawsuit in Michigan based on its 2004 constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that domestic partnership benefits in negotiated contracts with public employee’s unions are null and void. The 2004 amendment was written by Citizens for the Protection of Marriage, who wrote in a pamphlet at the time that: Proposal 2 is Only about marriage. Marriage is a union between husband and wife. Proposal 2 will keep it that way. This is not about rights or benefits or how people choose to live their lives. This has to do with family, children and the way people are. It merely settles the question once and for all what marriage is-for families today and future generations.The Alliance Defense Fund, which backed the similar constitutional amendment here in Arizona, has made similar statements. Yet it was Patrick Gillen of the Thomas More Law Center who wrote the amendment for CfPM, and he was also behind the lawsuit that eliminated partnership benefits. Clearly, these people cannot be trusted, and Arizona was wise to reject the similar constitutional amendment here. UPDATE (May 14, 2008): The Michigan Supreme Court has upheld the denial of domestic partnership benefits as a result of their 2004 constitutional amendment. UPDATE (November 16, 2008): Patrick Gillen was also lead counsel for the Dover Area School District in the Kitzmiller v. Dover case, in which he defended the failed attempt to inject intelligent design into the public schools. ...

Scientology critic Keith Henson was arrested on Friday evening in Prescott, Arizona. Henson had been a fugitive since his conviction in Riverside County, California on April 26, 2001, on charges of interfering with a religion for his picketing of Scientology in Hemet, California and online jokes about a “[Tom] Cruise missile.” Henson was sentenced to six months in prison, but he fled to Ontario, Canada, where he unsuccessfully sought asylum as a victim of religious persecution. His application for refugee status was rejected in 2004, and he voluntarily left the country in September 2005, and has apparently been living in Arizona. Henson’s arrest has also been covered by the 10 Zen Monkeys blog and Sentient Developments blog. UPDATE (February 7, 2007): Declan McCullagh has reported more details at News.com. Henson’s bond was raised from $7,500 to $500,000 at the request of prosecutors, then reduced back to $5,000. He was released from jail Monday night, and must appear for an extradition hearing on March 5. He is being defended by a local libertarian of my acquaintance, Michael Kielsky. UPDATE (February 9, 2007): For a deeper look at exactly what caused Keith Henson to be convicted on a misdemeanor charge, see this ex-Scientologist’s web page of postings from Henson and Scientology critic Diane Richardson. Diane Richardson is a meticulously accurate critic who has come under fire from fellow critics for negative posts about critics rather than restricting her focus to Scientology. While I’ve disagreed with her from time to time, when it comes to facts she is quite reliable. She is, as am I, a skeptic of claims of “cult mind control." UPDATE (March 27, 2008): I’m quite remiss in updating this. Keith Henson was extradited to Riverside, California, after his hearings were delayed into May 2007, where he was jailed on August 11. He was subsequently released from jail in September and is now a free man. UPDATE (July 7, 2008): Keith served four months of a 180-day (six-month) sentence, and is currently on probation. The Riverside County Superior Court website lists the terms of his probation: Case HEM014371 Defendant 547981 HENSON, KEITH Probation Type: SUMMARY Granted: 05/30/2007 Expire: 05/29/2010 SUMMARY PROBATION GRANTED FOR A PERIOD OF 36 MONTHS, UNDER THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 1) OBEY ALL LAWS, ORDINANCES, AND COURT ORDERS. 2) BE COMMITTED TO THE CUSTODY OF THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF FOR 180 DAYS; 3) PAY A FINE AND ASSESSMENT IN THE TOTAL OF $346.00, PAYABLE TO THE COURT, AS DIRECTED BY FINANCIAL SERVICES. 4) PAY VICTIM RESTITUTION, TO BE DETERMINED BY FINANCIAL SERVICES; ANY DISPUTE TO BE RESOLVED IN A COURT HEARING. PAY RESTITUTION (VICTIM) IN AN AMOUNT DETERMINED BY AND PAYABLE TO THE COURT, AS DIRECTED BY FINANCIAL SVCS; ANY DISPUTE TO BE RESOLVED IN A COURT HRG 5) NOT HAVE ANY NEGATIVE CONTACT WITH ANY MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY. 6) ADDED TERM: DONT KNOWINGLY COME WITHIN 1000FT OF ANY 7) ADDED TERM: DONT ANNOY OR HARASS ANY MEMBER OF CHURCH OF