Attack of the Theocrats!: How the Religious Right Harms Us All—and What We Can Do About It

by Faircloth, Sean

  American Humanist Association board president David Niose, a well-spoken attorney, seeks the recognition of “Secular Americans” as a demographic category. Secular Americans is an umbrella term for all agnostics, freethinkers, atheists, humanists, and other nonreligious people who place their fellow human beings in the real world as those to whom they owe their paramount obligation. Dave Niose’s umbrella term is wisely chosen. Secular Americans represent a distinct and valuable slice of the American demographic pie. It’s entirely appropriate that various religious groups (Muslims, Catholics, etc.) are identified by population in the census results, but Bill Gates and Warren Buffet embody a form of rationalism and reasonableness that’s also worthy of its own distinct demographic category.

  The American Humanist Association has for some years been led by its understated and savvy executive director Roy Speckhardt. His presence has been a significant reason for its strength in the twenty-first century.

  American Atheists

  Madalyn Murray O’Hair stormed onto the scene in the 1960s with perhaps one or two more curse words than might be strictly necessary—yet she made quite valid constitutional points about prayer in school and numerous other issues. American Atheists has maintained its edge by design. The organization sometimes describes itself as the Marine Corps of atheism. No celebrants for weddings offered here, no churchlike services. Instead, American Atheists offers a clear, forceful rejection of religious dogma. Its past president, Ed Buckner, issued these rejections with an avuncular and folksy style reminiscent of Mark Twain. Its current president, Dave Silverman, is a forceful and unequivocal voice and a strong leader who will very likely succeed in growing this organization significantly by remaining proudly on the cutting edge. Its central mission is to bring smart lawsuits and to generally articulate the clearest and boldest cases for nontheistic positions.

  Society for Humanistic Judaism

  As a student of public speakers, I enjoy listening to and learning from public speakers that understand the craft. Rabbi Sherwin Wine, an excellent public speaker, died in a 2007 car crash. I wish I’d had the opportunity to hear him speak. Rabbi Wine in the mid-1960s knew there were a lot of secular Jews in America. Believing they needed a spiritual home, he founded the Society for Humanistic Judaism. Humanistic Judaism, like Ethical Culture, is a religion. If you’ve ever attended a Reform synagogue, as I did with my ex-wife, you might think of Humanistic Judaism as the “just-come-out-and-say-it” version of Reform Judaism. I’ve met numerous Jews in the Reform tradition who, like many Unitarian Universalists, are essentially agnostic or atheist—even if they don’t use those terms. The Society for Humanistic Judaism is proud of its Jewish traditions and heritage. Today, it is led by its Harvard-trained board president Lou Altman and executive director Bonnie Cousens. Its rabbis celebrate at weddings, funerals, and coming-of-age ceremonies, and its synagogues hold weekly services. Many Humanistic Jews, often termed secular Jews, simply don’t need the trappings of believing in the inerrancy of some ancient document to believe that you should be good to your neighbor and your family or to celebrate a proud ethnic heritage.

  Council for Secular Humanism

  Philosopher Paul Kurtz founded the Council for Secular Humanism in the early 1980s to advocate and defend a nonreligious life stance rooted in science, naturalistic philosophy, and humanist ethics. The council debunks supernatural claims of any sort—astrology, homeopathy, space aliens, and the like. The council’s name stems, in part, from a response to the many public references to “secular humanism” by the late Jerry Falwell. Falwell, of course, used the term as a pejorative, seeing it as a font of atheistic evil. The council’s current president and CEO is Ron Lindsay, and its executive director, Tom Flynn, is also editor of the excellent Free Inquiry magazine.

  Atheist Alliance America

  Atheist Alliance America, one of the newer organizations on the scene, has thrown some whiz-bang conventions. It is an umbrella organization of local affiliates in the United States. It provides support to them in terms of organizational and leadership development and assists them in carrying out nontheist actions in their local communities. Its new president, Nick Lee, is focusing this organization on local community efforts, creating the ability to respond to local issues from a nontheist perspective.

  Institute for Humanist Studies

  This organization works as a think tank for humanism. Founded by a grant from a key secular leader named Larry Jones, the institute produces a font of ideas and promotes educational programming in humanism. Part of its brainpower derives from Anthony Pinn, the institute’s research director. Dr. Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religious studies at Rice University, earned his PhD in the study of religion at Harvard University. His work has focused on liberation theology, black religion, and black humanism. The board president is an experienced business leader, Warren Wolf.

  Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers

  Jason Torpy, a West Point graduate, speaks out for thousands of members of the Armed Services who are sometimes treated as second-class citizens by the fundamentalists who make concerted efforts to impose their religion on our military and who undermine our Constitution in doing so. The change in character of the military from a religiously unaffiliated organization above politics to an organization that sometimes permits proselytizing and religious discrimination makes for a historic and regrettable story. Jason has an important job helping to return our Armed Services to their true heritage.

  Secular Student Alliance

  Campus Crusade for Christ has flourished for decades. This past decade, its founder provided biblical justifications for the invasion of Iraq—ideas that President George W. Bush embraced. Founded in 2000, the Secular Student Alliance offers a reasonable and rational alternative to organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ. Many young people on college campuses and in high schools wish to network with other young people who stand for what college and education are all about: free inquiry, evidence-based analysis, critical thinking, and plain old-fashioned rationalism. August Brunsman serves as executive director of the Secular Student Alliance. It turns out there are quite a few young people who believe in the collegiate ethic of closely reasoned analysis. Thus, the alliance is growing rapidly, with new chapters continuously being founded on campuses across the country and now in high schools as well.

  Camp Quest

  Children should be allowed to view the world freely without being boxed in. Children should not be indoctrinated as Communists or Libertarians, or Republicans or Democrats. Let them gather information and draw their own conclusions as they mature. Similarly, why is someone who is five a Catholic? The answer, of course, is she is not. A child is merely labeled by someone else when she is not old enough to consent. Why is a ten-year-old being sent to a fundamentalist school that teaches female subordination and the rejection of evolution? Amanda Metskas serves as executive director at Camp Quest, where children aren’t subjected to propaganda but are instead provided with information and challenged with questions. Camp Quest offers weeklong secular summer camp programs for children ages eight to seventeen, with ten locations in America and three overseas. No one at Camp Quest forces children to embrace nontheism or any other worldview. However, children are taught to seek truth and to use critical reasoning and the scientific method to arrive at their own conclusions.

  Camp Quest, founded in 2006, embodies in many ways the highest and most long-standing aspirations of the Secular Coalition for America: Will our young people have the opportunity to move to the uplands of Enlightenment reasoning? Or will they be muffled and subordinated by unjust laws, laws overtaken by religious bias embedded in ancient texts on parchment and lambskin?

  Acknowledgments

  Just twenty-one copies of the gorgeous Gutenberg Bible now exist. About two hundred original editions of the justly revered King James Bible still exist. The book market has changed slightly since those days. An estimated eight hun
dred books were published every day in the United States—before the Kindle revolution.

  Among these books, there is a vast literature on the separation of church and state in particular and secularism in general—a literature chock-full of great writers. Is there something unique that I can offer? I like to entertain the thought (in the shower, when no one is listening to me sing) that I offer in this volume a distinct case for why the separation of church and state remains a pivotal and neglected issue at our time in history. In the nation that originated the concept of separation of church and state, we see how that wall has dramatically crumbled in less than four decades. I also offer what I hope is a distinct strategy for reframing the issues in a way that can garner widespread support for Mr. Jefferson’s wall and a specific plan for restoration of that wall.

  I’m sure this book has many flaws for which I take responsibility, but many flaws were avoided because of the wisdom of others.

  Kurt Volkan, my publisher, made this book congeal by suggesting essential reorganization. His excellent paring, editing, and prodding were indispensible, and his ideas for strategically reframing elements of the book vastly improved it.

  My non-Samoan attorney, Mike Schacht, went far beyond the call of “intellectual property” duty and read an early and, shall we generously say, imperfect version of this book. He improved it significantly in its first of several revisions. I appreciate that he allowed me to abuse our friendship with this imposition.

  Robert Frank’s newspaper-editing skills were indispensible to improving yet another draft of this book. Since childhood, I’ve known that Robert can cut through the blather, and I found his comments very helpful.

  Serah Blain reviewed my manuscript using a blade with a serrated edge. For that I shall always be thankful. She never hesitates to be intelligently and honestly forceful, causing me to think again and revise again.

  Mike Meno, Secular Coalition for America’s communications manager, read an early version of a chapter of my manuscript and spoke scathingly of it. This led to helpful and needed changes.

  After seeing some of my speeches early on, Robin Cornwell, of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, became an advocate on my behalf, making the case that my speeches would work as the kernel of a useful book.

  Todd Stiefel, of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, drew on his successful business background to suggest improvements to the Secular Decade plan presented in chapter 9. Todd offers positive reinforcement as well as specific questions that gently highlight gaps that must be addressed. Todd and I got involved in Secular Coalition for America at almost the exact same time. In his optimism and can-do spirit, I find a mirror for what I aspire to be.

  Janet Strauss and her partner Jeff Hawkins have been hugely influential in calling on me to “think big” about Secular Coalition for America. Their business sense tells them that we must all make a major investment in time, money, and human capital in order to succeed. Their vision has been essential to the success we have had so far, but perhaps even more importantly, they have made clear to me that, unless we set our sights high, we will surely fail. This book offers a pragmatic way to aim high.

  Herb Silverman, president of the board of Secular Coalition for America, is one of the best writers and public speakers in secularism. His suggestions regarding a later version of this volume were wisely chosen and very helpful.

  Woody Kaplan (relentless in his drive and disarming with his wit), Roy Speckhardt (steady, calm, and savvy), and Maggie Ardiente (effervescent and the embodiment of positive secularism) have been indispensible guides to my rather recent education in the secular movement. Their detailed knowledge and kindness offered to a newcomer has helped me learn the “who’s who” and “what’s what” necessary to making this book relevant.

  Greg Stikeleather has consistently offered strategic advice pertaining to the Secular Decade plan that has aided my thinking and raised our sights. The same holds true for Michael Lewis and Amy Boyle who offered very valuable advice. Similarly, Heather Ammermuller and Bentley Davis offered valuable comments on the text.

  Thank you, Richard Dawkins. He honored me by believing that my ideas could lead to a strong book that serves the vision of Jefferson and Madison. Without him, I would likely not have written this book. Rarely has an Irish-American pol been so thankful to an English gentleman.

  Thank you to the many gifted writers and thinkers whose work informs and inspires me. In the selected bibliography, I note several of the books that were most helpful to me in crafting the arguments offered in these pages, and I am especially grateful to their authors.

  Thank you to the entire staff at Secular Coalition for America. We together must face the nuts and bolts necessary to reach our goals. It is bold and exciting work, and I am proud to work with them.

  I owe my mother, Jan Spicer, unique editing kudos. In years past, I wrote regular columns for my hometown daily paper and for a monthly magazine. With these columns, as with my speeches, I always looked to my mother for the ability to turn a 1,000-word piece into a 700-word piece, all while retaining the essence of the material. My mother applied those same skills to this manuscript many times. With the exception of Kurt Volkan, no one read this manuscript so thoroughly and I am forever thankful.

  I thank Aymie Walshe. Ever since I wrote an editorial for my high-school paper (supporting equal treatment for gay teachers), I’ve been fascinated by the goal of persuading people to causes in which I passionately believe. Logic is essential but insufficient. The arrangement of words, leading to a crescendo, lies at the heart of persuasive speaking and writing. Aymie possesses a theatrical instinct for how a written text will translate into emotion and action. The title of this book was her idea.

  Finally, I thank my good-hearted sons. I ask that they always remember these profound and immortal words from Life of Brian:

  Brian: “You are all individuals.”

  The crowd in unison: “Yes, we’re all individuals!”

  A lone voice: “I’m not.”

  Selected Bibliography

  Many books that deal with the separation of church and state and America’s secular heritage informed this book, but those that most directly influenced this book and to which I am most indebted include:

  Allen, Brooke. Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006.

  Boston, Robert. Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1993.

  Dwyer, James G. Religious Schools v. Children’s Rights. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1998.

  Ehrenreich, Barbara. Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2009.

  Hamilton, Marci A. God vs. Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

  Jacoby, Susan. Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2004.

  Ketchum, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 1990.

  Kramnick, Isaac, and R. Laurence Moore. The Godless Constitution: The Case against Political Correctness. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.

  Peters, Shawn Francis. Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children, and the Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

  Putnam, Robert, and David E. Campbell. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.

  Sharlet, Jeff. The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. New York: Harper Collins, 2008.

  Index

  Abernathy, Ralph, 101

  abortion, 9, 15, 16, 46, 92, 94, 97, 99, 103–106

  Abraham, 23, 98, 140

  abstinence (programs), 47, 105

  Abu Ghraib, 25

  Access to Birth Control Act, 45–46

  Adams, John, 30, 35

  Adams, Sandy, 92

  Adler, Felix, 149

  adoption by same-sex couples, 93–94
r />   affirmative action, 26

  African Americans, 128

  agnosticism (defined), 115–116

  AIDS, see HIV/AIDS

  Air Force Academy, 44

  Alabama Christian Coalition, 24

  Alabama, 56

  Allen, Woody, 142

  Altman, Lou, 151

  American Academy of Pediatrics

  and abstinence-only programs, 47

  and faith-healing, 61

  and sex education, 47–48

  American Atheists, 151

  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 47, 149

  American Ethical Union, 148–149

  American exceptionalism, 30, 41, 138

  American Family Association, 106

  American Grace, 111, 117

  American Humanist Association, 150

  American Medical Association, 61

  American Revolution, 131

  Arizona immigration law, 98

  Armstrong, Neil, 146