Notes from the Editor

Paul Kurtz The Need for Free Inquiry into Religious Foundations

e have consistently argued that the sacred cows of society, especially

traditional religious doctrines, need to be placed under the critical scrutiny of free inquiry. We have especially focused upon the claims made on behalf of "Holy Scripture" by various denominations of Christianity, Orthodox Judaism, Islam, and other traditional religions. These ancient religious institutions often presuppose archaic beliefs that are irrelevant to present human concerns. Based upon alleged revelations and the morality of outdated nomadic and agricultural societies, they nonetheless function as powerful moral, political, and social instruments, and when taken to extremes can spill out into the world with vengeance and horror. Religion, intermixed with culture, ethnicity, and tradition, so often defines who and what a person or a society is, and it is difficult to challenge.

We have defended reason, a scientific outlook, and secular and democratic values as presenting an alternative to the supernatural interpretations of the universe. We believe that the world would be a better place if tolerance prevailed and if people could live together without the imposition of other-worldly myths. The critics of secular humanism have remonstrated that the ideals of the Enlightenment are not sufficient to guide human behavior, and that theism—however false—is a neces-sary balm for the aching heart. They charge that atheism does not provide enough existential force to make life meaningful. The question debated in this issue of FREE INQUIRY iS whether theists or atheists are more healthy psycholog-ically. Most of my friends and colleagues are unbelievers, yet they seem to live

4

normal, productive, even exciting lives without the need for the illusion of immortality or divinity.

The critics of secular humanism also maintain that religion is necessary for the moral fabric of civilized society. We have argued on the contrary that we need to build a new humanist eupraxophy—a cosmic outlook and an ethical life-stance—as an alternative to superstition. This can fulfill the aspirations of creative and autonomous individuals who seek the good life, and it can provide a basis for morality and building a world community.

Although religions have undoubtedly made positive contributions to human civilization, they can have a negative and often destructive impact. A case in point is the immolation of a Branch Davidian group in a Die Gotterdammerüng finale of fanatic self-destruction. David Koresh was mad, we are told, but in his teaching he was drawing upon the Book of Revelations, and his end-of-the-world scenario is shared by millions of funda-mentalist and evangelical believers. His reference to the seventh seal and his apocalyptic interpretations of the Bible are reminiscent of the Armageddon belief systems held by Baptist fundamen-talists, Seventh-Day Adventists, and other so-called traditional religious denominations. Unless sustained criti-cisms of the premises of biblical faith are carried on, they will continue to go unchallenged—with often disastrous consequences.

Academic Freedom at Brigham Young University

If free inquiry should proceed any-where, it should be in the university.

The classical idea of the university developed over the centuries is that it will seek to extend the frontiers of

research, requiring it to be receptive to a wide range of new ideas and values. A university has an obligation to provide a basis for civilized discourse and to put its students in contact with the best minds expressing diverse viewpoints. The essen-tial idea of education, going back to Pla-to, is that it seeks to nourish and devel-op the capacity for rational questioning.

But this concept presupposes aca-demic freedom, mutual tolerance, and respect for differences of opinion. It is thus with consternation that we read about events at Brigham Young Univer-sity, an institution that is betraying the basic idea of a university. BYU is spon-sored by the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). The university administration has declared that no students or faculty at BYU will be permitted to deviate from official church doctrine or stray from the faith. Those that dissent or leave Mormonism to affiliate with another religion will be permanently barred from the university.

The Spring 1993 issue of Dialogue, a liberal journal of Mormon thought, outlines the tremendous conflict at BYU now going on between "obedience to ecclesiastical authority" on one hand and "the integrity of individual conscience," so essential for a university, on the other. It points out that the academic freedom of members of the faculty is in constant jeopardy. Indeed, in 1992, Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society, for the third time denied BYU's application to establish a chapter. The reason for this was BYU's opposition to "a liberal arts education which ... foster(s) free inquiry."

Last fall BYU's trustees adopted a new statement on academic freedom. This restricted the faculty from acts or speech in three areas: (1) attacks on the church or its leaders; (2) violations of the honor code; and (3) speech that

FREE INQUIRY

"contradicts or opposes, rather than analyzes or discusses, fundamental church doctrine." On the positive side, for the first time faculty who are repri-manded have the right to a hearing and review by their peers. Yet prohibition of "contradictory speech" especially under-mines the very integrity of the university. Many faculty are deeply disturbed by these policies. Cecilia Fan, an assistant professor of English and ardent feminist who publicly supports abortion rights, is threatened with a denial of tenure; Samuel R. Rushford, a professor of botany, claims he was reprimanded for advocating population control; and Professor Bonner Ritchie, who chairs the Sunstone Foundation, a liberal Mormon organization often critical of the church hierarchy, maintains that "This is the most angry I've seen BYU in my time here [twenty-three years]."

It is incredible in this day and age that the mission of a university has to be justified in any state, and that intimidation and harassment of students and faculty by a repressive administra-tion can continue. Is there an irrecon-cilable conflict between religious indoctrination and the classical idea of a university? It surely has been a long and hard struggle in Western civilization to defend academic freedom and the integrity of the university; and most church-related institutions, at least in the United States and Europe, recognize the necessity of academic freedom. Unfor-tunately, the same recognition appar-ently does not extend to the Mormon church. Perhaps the only solution is to strike the term university from the name of BYU; but to do this might harm many fine students and faculty who attend that institution. It is the narrow-minded censors in the administration and trustees who would restrict the human mind, and who, in the last analysis, are responsible for betraying the university.

Ethnic Cleansing or `Religious Purification'?

The battle in Yugoslavia now going on is as much a conflict of religious

faiths as it is a case of nationalistic and ethnic intolerance; for what is being enacted in bloody confrontation is the

age-old struggle between Roman Cathol-icism (largely in Croatia); Islam (Bosnia); and Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Serbia). It is not simply ethnic cleansing, but competing religious chauvinisms that are fueling the genocidal war. These ancient faiths feed irrational impulses, and in the name of nationalistic eccle-siastical hierarchies, rationalize brutal murder.

Spanish Freethought

Ihave just returned from Spain, where we have been attempting to initiate

the formation of a new humanist organization. Spain has been rapidly secularized in the past twenty years, especially since the death of Franco. Church attendance is down and the young people in this consumer-oriented society are looking elsewhere for gui-dance and inspiration. The principle of separation of church and state has been proclaimed, and abortion and divorce, anathema to Roman Catholic ideology, have been legalized. Though modernist tendencies seem to be growing, I was told that Opus Dei, the powerful Catholic reactionary organization, is attempting to extend its tentacles, and that liberal and socialist forces, which defend secularism, are likely to lose heavily in the next election, especially because of the deep recession in the Spanish economy.

While in Spain I had a chance to visit Toledo, the ancient capital of Spain, seventy kilometers from Madrid. Toledo was originally occupied by the Visigoths and was declared the seat of its kings in the sixth century. Spain was subse-quently invaded by Islam. The year 807 is especially tragic because of "Jornada del Foso" (The Day of the Trench). Al-Hakan, ruler of the area, sent a governor to quell the restive Toledians. All of the influential citizens of that city were invited to a grand feast. As they entered the fortress, the executioners decapitated them and flung their bodies into the trench. It is estimated that more than five thousand were sacrificed that day to religious intolerance. In time the Muslims prospered in Spain and deve-loped a rich culture. A growing sephardic Jewish community also flourished.

Toledo became a major center for Arabs, Jews, and Christians, who co-existed in relative harmony in a pluralistic society. One can still see the remains of ancient mosques and synagogues in Toledo.

A brutal form of religious purification that overtook Spain was the Inquisition, which was launched by Ferdinand V and Isabella in 1478. All the Jews and Moors were expelled from Spain, and the Roman Catholic ideology was officially imposed by terror.

The Movement Toward a Polish Theocracy

Inote with some sadness that the Roman Catholic hierarchy has had

another significant victory in Poland by establishing compulsory religious teach-ing and prayer in the public schools. A constitutional tribunal has dismissed a legal challenge to a new, church-sponsored law. Tadeusz Zielinski, a liberal Catholic law professor and parliament ombudsman, had maintained that teaching of religion in the public schools was establishing a theocracy. The tribunal declared that it was "constitu-tional" for compulsory religious (Roman Catholic) instruction to be given, for a cross to be displayed in all classrooms, and for prayers to be said at the beginning and end of each class. As a concession to non-Catholics, the law states parents may withdraw their children from religious classes, but many complain that the social pressures are such that it is difficult for the children not to attend. Last year, an anti-abortion law was enacted, and this year a new law has been passed that requires "the news media to conform to Christian values." Professor Zielinski is quoted in the New York Times as stating, "We observe a growing interference and pressure of the church in all three branches—legislative, executive, and judiciary. I am afraid that we are now standing at the gates of a religious state."

The battle for church domination of Poland has been led by Joseph Cardinal Glemp, who recently declared that "believers have the right to be present in public life," seeking to justify the erosion of freedom of con-

Summer 1993 5

science for non-Catholics. What is happening in Poland only confirms the apprehension expressed in previous editorials that, where the Roman Catholic church is in a minority, it is willing to defend freedom of conscience, pluralism, and tolerance; but when it becomes a majority (Poland is now

virtually juden frei and without a significant Protestant presence) it has no compunction about officially establish-ing the church. Today, many Poles do not attend church regularly and the younger generation is indifferent to its message. Not content with gentle per-suasion, the Vatican, under a militant

Polish pope, is seeking to impose its ideology by the use of state power, the classic response of the authoritarian mind. Hopefully, our liberal Catholic friends in Poland who believe in the secular state will work with others to restrain this dreaded movement toward a theocracy. •

Editorials

The Secular State in India Abe Solomon

The events leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid temple at

Ayodhya and their aftermath of com-munal carnage mark a watershed in the history of free India. These traumatic events clearly expose the fragile nature of secularism in our country. The cost in human lives and property from the destruction that took place in December 1992-January 1993 were beyond mea-sure and it may take several years for those affected to restore their old means of livelihood.

However, the crises generated by the Ayodhya events go beyond death and property damage. An almost unbridge-able gulf has been created between the two major communities in India. There is greater distrust and feelings of hostility today between the Hindus and Muslims than ever in the past. The militant Hindu is on the rise and has blatantly rebutted the belief that Hinduism is rooted in tolerance and compassion. The Muslim community, on the other hand, consid-erably shaken by these events, has become more vulnerable to the blandish-ments of their fundamental leaders.

The increasingly strident propaganda unleashed by Hindu fundamentalist parties has affected a large number of

Abe Solomon is president of the Indian Secular Society.

6

educated Hindus who have become more susceptible to the vicious arguments of the fundamentalists. There is no denying that India is faced with a crisis of unprecedented gravity. It is a crisis which may not only destroy the delicate fabric of secularism in India but also the democratic framework. Democracy in India can survive only if secularism survives.

One silver lining that we may discern in this dark and dismal scene is the newly awakened consciousness among some Hindus, as also some Muslims, of the vital necessity of promoting secularism in this country. Many have now come to realize that secularism is not just an abstract system of ideas but an essential prerequisite of a humane and pluralistic society. The very survival of the nation depends on its commitment to secular-ism. A large number of persons, par-ticularly the young, have been startled into examining the basis of our society and the need to clearly define its natural goals.

The Indian Secular Society welcomes this new awareness, because the struggle to realize a secular and humane India has now become more difficult and hazardous. The fight is going to be long and protracted. Since its inception, the Indian Secular Society has insisted that the Hindu-Muslim problem is essentially an aspect of the larger problem of the

liberalization and modernization of Indian society. What is therefore neces-sary, in order to ensure that Hindus and Muslims will not merely live together but also enter into a dynamic cooperative relationship, is the relegation of religion to the status of a personal relationship between the individual and his God. Unless this is done, both Hindu and Muslim communalists will continue to define the political and cultural identities of their communities exclusively in religious terms. If this is to be prevented we need to take urgent steps to separate religion-based identities from secular, political, and cultural identities. If this is not done soon, the future for India is indeed dark. To promote a secular democratic movement in India is there-fore the first task of those who believe in the need for developing an open, liberal, and just social order in this country. •

EUROPEAN HUMANIST CONFERENCE DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS,

AND HUMANISM 'The Future Ethics of the Twenty-First Century"

Sunday, July 25-Friday July 30, 1993 Organized by the German Freethinker Association Berlin (with the backing of the European Humanist Federation and the International Humanist and Ethical Union), this conference will focus on the exchange of experiences between Western and Eastern Europe, with the aim of supporting the spread of the humanist life-stance in Eastern European countries after the collapse of Communism. For more information: Congress Secretariat c/o Deutscher, Friedenlrer-Verband, HotrechtstraBe 8, D-1000 Berlin 44, Germany, Tel. +49 30 623 70 33/ 34. FAX +49 30 624 27 23 6/93

FREE INQUIRY