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This is the web-site of a Secularist, Humanist, Atheist........... Latest - 'Atheist Perspectives' on sexism in Education, Health & Sexuality This site is dedicated to subjects in which there is an overlap between politics, atheism, culture and gender in matters of current interest. Much discussion is constricted by those who cannot see that on many subjects lateral thinking is necessary in order to fully understand and address the issues, their causes and solutions. It is important that as some religions recede and we enter a more sceptical era, we must examine the many ways in which religion has permeated all aspects of our lives. We need to expose these influences and also consider how we can help people to do without the props that religion has persuaded people that they need. This is a difficult area in which to operate since there are any number of combinations of opinion, atheists and feminists who hold any and every political position, some humanists who do not like to discuss politics or atheism, secularists who dislike humanism and/or gender issues, and those with political views who deny religious or gender views as being relevant to their political stances. There are even 'freethinkers' who's views are anything but 'free' .This is my attempt to bring one personal perspective to bear on some of the issues. Feminism is the elephant in the halls of secularism just as religion is the elephant in the halls of feminism.
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4. Better Dead than Defiled? (word count 618)
'The Freethinker' (Vol.119 No 8 August 1999)
Recently, the idea that the law should recognise degrees of rape, surfaced fleetingly, only to be immediately attacked from opposite directions by the disparate forces of feminists of the 'Women against Rape' tendency and people who think rape is all in the mind (women's minds of course).
I for one, agree that there are degrees or categories of rape just as there are of murder and assault. In the same way that we do not equate violent killing during a robbery or on the street, with killings for which there may be mitigating circumstances, similarly we differentiate assaults, & we should be able to discriminate between rape as part of violent attack and an incident, perhaps sordid or unwanted sex after a party or date during which one or both parties under the influence of alcohol or drugs let the fooling around go too far. The law should recognise this difference.
If all killings regardless of the circumstances attracted the maximum penalty, many killers would go unpunished for fear of injustice. We accept murder, causing death, and manslaughter, the Americans have degrees of murder. As the situation is at present, with no differentiation between 'proper' rape and 'date' rape many rapists are given the benefit of the doubt & walk free, the women accusers branded as liars. The current conviction rate is about figure 10% .
What is interesting for secularists is the degree to which the issue of rape in general is coloured by cultural attitudes, engendered and reinforced by religions. That a woman's worth depends on whether she is a virgin, a mother, has sex inside or outside of marriage, is called a 'spinster' a 'slut' or a 'whore', has ten children or is childless, must be challenged
Traditional religious ideas of chastity, virginity and the worth of women in relation to fertility and sexuality are still reflected in, and dictate current attitudes to rape and raped women. (not to say women in general).
Women are expected even encouraged to feel guilty, sullied, dirty & worthless when they have been raped.
The popular picture painted by the media accentuates this view (to its own ends) and women are encouraged to wallow in trauma & at least some must feel that there is something wrong with them if they feel angry, humiliated for a while, then get on with their lives. Forced sex is in no way acceptable whatever the situation, but certainly it in no way compares, even as a weapon, with other serious personal attack maiming and killing! These extreme attitudes seem to me to be putting the sex act itself out of all proportion to its real importance. The media obsession is another aspect of the same lack of proportion & feminists who take on this view uncritically, are in my opinion playing along with the notion to the detriment of most women.
The most serious manifestation of this idea is the fact that there are whole cultures in other countries and cultural groups in this country today in which a woman is considered better dead than defiled. Fathers and brothers will pursue and kill daughters or sisters for disobeying or being forced to disobey their cultural rules. Marital or sexual 'crimes' can lead to women being beaten, imprisoned, maimed or outcast from their families.
Once again the reluctance to seriously examine the roots of these attitudes in order not to upset the religionists, and the unwillingness to criticise aspects of culture, however harmful for fear of being called racist by upholders of these cultural-religious values is preventing discussion in the wider media. As usual politicians are unwilling or unable to address these issues
During the reporting of earthquakes in Turkey and Iran, mosques, with their delicate decoration withstood the earthquake, modern buildings around them crumbled. At about the same time it was reported that in Italy buildings including blocks of flats, put up in the last thirty years were found to be in imminent danger of collapse, as one had already done, killing more than a hundred people. In this country over the 20th century, one set of slums was replaced with another & the lives of thousands have been blighted by having to live in substandard housing. In many parts of the world money and resources are spent on prestigious churches, while the population live in shanty towns or jerry-built estates.
The religious interpretation of the quality and beauty of religious buildings, is that it was attained because of the buildings religious purpose and that this accrued credit to the almighty.
The reason in fact is that while the mosques, churches, and other religious buildings, had been well built, presumable with great care, materials and time and expense being no object in works dedicated to the glory of god; the modern buildings had been thrown up as quickly as possible, using cheap materials and cutting corners in order to maximise profit. In the past, up to the Victorian age of magnificent central railway termini, bridges and viaducts, and other prestigious buildings, and elegant squares, only grand houses for the gentry, and churches and monasteries, were considered worthy of the best fruits of such human endeavour. They were of course paid for ultimately by the compulsory taxation, tithes, labour and deaths of the peasants, labourers and artisans of the times.
A Humanist perspective might be that if more effort was put into the secular values in a society everyone would be better off. That if the human effort and skills were to be put into public buildings of all sorts, more people would be able to appreciate and benefit from the skills of engineers and builders, and enjoy in their daily lives the beauty of architecture, arts, and decoration and the advantages of good design.
If hospitals, libraries, schools, town halls, registries for weddings and other ceremonies, had been considered as deserving of care and quality in every aspect of their construction as churches ; places deserving of the best art, stained glass, sculpture and design all our lives would have been enriched.
Even more important to the lives and well-being of everyone, every individual, every family, is the devotion of as much care and skill to ordinary family dwellings, and their environs, which seems to have been so sadly lacking after a brief renaissance from the late nineteenth century up to and including the Edwardian era.
Does the consideration of alternative therapies give us clues to the persistence of religion?
We freethinkers often ask ourselves why otherwise normal, rational, intelligent, educated people stick to the mumbo-jumbo of religion. How come scientists, academics, lawyers of the western world, continue to believe the unbelievable and have faith in the irrationality of religion, and other superstitions.
How can sensible human beings persist in believing in astrology, alien abductions, and the power of faith, and turn to alternative therapies in preference to science based, even tried and tested medical and surgical remedies? How can sane, otherwise rational people turn to aroma therapy, relaxation techniques, massage, feng shui, even 'laying on of hands' and the rest. (I would not include here physical therapies such as Osteopathy)
And this, I think, is the clue, because although they are lumped together by rationalists, with other irrational beliefs, they are in fact quite different, and to do this explains much of confusion on the subject. The knee-jerk dismissal of this subject is a great mistake, because it may also explain much of the persistence of religion.
I believe that to deny the role of the intangible manifestations of human behaviour - psychology - leaves rationalists of all kinds, atheists, humanists, secularists, etc. as much in the dark as religionists. It is central to the understanding of much religio/superstitious behaviour.
It seems that many people, including rationalists find it difficult to fully accept that the 'mental' processes involved in human behaviour, perceptions, rationalisations, beliefs and the sustaining of 'faith' are as 'real' in a psychological sense as the physical manifestations observable by others...............
But by 'real' I do not mean 'true'.
One example of this is the dismissive attitude towards any discussion of 'alternative' therapies. The fact that many of these are reportedly effective, does not mean that, when they are effective, they 'work' in the same way as the generally accepted physical therapies of medicine or surgery. (Nor, would I suggest, should they be used instead of scientifically validated treatments). Neither are they necessarily superstitious, but appear so if you do not understand how they affect the body. This explanation would also explain poor results when they are used alone and not in addition to tried and tested therapies.
Placebo
One reason they may 'work' when they do, is on the same principle as the placebo effect. No-one, as far as I know denies the existence of this process, so why should other therapies that 'work' on the same principle be automatically dismissed. It is known that dummy pills regularly 'work' in a proportion of cases, and researchers accept that they have to take this into consideration when designing their research methods in testing products or treatments. Presumably this effect is a psychological process, that we do not understand, and would explain a proportion of the 'successes' of any therapy whatever its nature. It also affects conventional treatments, produced by a doctor with a manner that invites confidence and stress reduction.
The Immune System
Another way in which 'alternative therapies' may be explained is through the link between these psychological processes and the equally 'intangible' immune system. Most recently reported was the study presented to the British Psychological Society by Leslie Walker of Hull University, showing that using relaxation techniques produced demonstrable changes in the bodies own natural defence system - the immune cells. Again it is well known and partly understood that one's ability to 'throw off' or succumb to illness is affected by one's state of mind; and recent research has shown that immune response is affected by a person's state of mind and personality. It has been noted that illness often follows states of shock or stress. In some way ones immune system is affected, presumably by chemical interactions and changes, brought about through the endocrine system and the complex interactions of the hormones that these glands produce. For example, stress stimulates the production of hormones that affect the circulatory system, resulting in heart disease. It is also known that the body has its own analgesics, endorphins, which may be blocked by fear or stress. In addition there are many physical diseases in which there are psychological aspects, (signs and symptoms aside from the emotional reaction to the illness itself or its effects).
Hypnosis
The third way in which 'alternative therapies' may 'work' is through another well known, well demonstrated, and equally little understood phenomenon - hypnosis. There are many conditions, physical and psychological, which are susceptible to amelioration or 'cure' by hypnotherapy, certainly phobias, and stress reduction are an obvious example of its efficacy. It could be that hypnotherapy works through the placebo or immune system effects, but I believe that many of the other therapies 'work' on the hypnotic principle. The research previously mentioned used 'positive thinking', relaxation and visualisations to produce the cell changes they reported. This is presumably most likely to be how the 'hands on' therapies, aroma therapy and even cognitive therapy to some extent and is used in maintaining adherence to beliefs.
Electromagnetism and brain activity
In 1987 Michael Persinger, Professor of Neuroscience at Laurentian University, Canada wrote a book , in which he outlined his theory of 'Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs' (Praeger-New York). In the preface he remarked "An objective explanation for why people believe in God is not very popular, Scientists may encounter resistance, ranging from quiet but cordial avoidance to outright physical violence. During the development of the explanation in this text I have experienced both."
This is a fully referenced, scholarly work by an expert in his field. He has also published the results of a series of research projects, since the early 1980s, in which he has been able to demonstrate that electrical activity in the brain produces perceptual experiences, such as 'visions' 'sense of presence' 'out of body experience', 'lights' and what he calls 'god' experiences. He relates it also to the similarities in 'near death experiences'. They occur in many people to a greater or lesser degree and produce a range of perceptions that are described in the language of their 'cultural expectations or learned experience. The stimulus for these altered perceptions he considers are similar to mini-epileptic siezures but without convulsions. His particular theory is that they are caused by fluctuations in electro magnetism on the brain in susceptible individuals. These structures of the brain in the Temporal and Frontal areas of the brain are ones which we already know are involved in memory, mood and perception. When these areas specific areas of the brain are stimulated 'god' experiences as he calls them are triggered and their contents "tempered by the person's leaning history are evoked", religious visitations or conversions, alien abductions and the seeing of ghosts etc..
We also know that certain neuro-toxins produce altered perception, with a range of bizarre manifestations, pointing again to disturbance of brain cell function, and the associated perception of 'experience', memory and behaviours.
He has on occasion been on TV on the continent where I am told he demonstrated the technique but have not seen any reports of this.
The published reports of his research can be accessed through Medline.
Is Religion sustained by Psychological Techniques?
I believe it is. One of the reasons that people do not grow out of religion in the same way that they grow out of believing in fairies or Santa Clause is that when people are strongly conditioned to believe their religion, from parents, family, community and state, and that conditioning is constantly reinforced, they will maintain those beliefs, or find it very hard to reject them..
This conditioning may be from very early childhood or later conversion, often during periods of personal stress, loneliness or grief, when they will be susceptible to the embrace of such proselytising communities.
'Rite and Ritual' are 'Conditioning and Reinforcement' - using repetition, of language, themes, phrases, and actions, use of signs and symbols, linking of ideas, visualisation and imaging techniques. The same mechanisms and techniques used to induce hypnosis or self-hypnosis. This explains why when children are not 'indoctrinated' early in life, and the whole reinforcement process of church going is weak such, there is a falling away of religious faith. It explains the importance to a successful religion of communal praying, singing or chanting, repeating mantras, smelling incense etc. This is why going through rituals such as confirmations, initiations, food rituals, kissing of rings, mass and bowing to Mecca etc. are so crucial to the maintenance of religion. It certainly explains the weakness of the C of E, compared with Islam. The more vigorously these reinforcement techniques are enforced, the stronger is likely to be the psychological dependence of the individual.
If I am right it would also explain various other religious phenomena; mass psychology, or 'mass hysteria', tens of thousands of individuals rallying in ecstatic unison religious leader, from the Pope to Billy Graham, (or to political figurehead or pop music icon come to that) ; the adoption of fanatical, fantastical, ideas and cults by otherwise apparently normal individuals: the seeing of 'visions' and perception of 'miracles'; the 'speaking in tongues', falling and snake handling, and success of the religious movements led by 'charismatic' evangelists. All of which appear to cause nervousness even among some of the church hierarchies.
Harmless?
If the whole process of religion and its language, can be described almost word for word as a hypnotic experience, we have to ask ourselves whether, if psychological treatment works to the advantage of mankind in the fields of health and well-being, does the same apply to religion? And many apologists for religion, give this as a reason for not undermining (criticising or opposing) religion, quoting the comfort factor to deter secularist challenges.
I think not, for several reasons:
The difference being that while hypnosis as a therapy is employed to address a human illness or neurosis, as a tool : used to enable an individual to overcome some disruptive or unpleasant condition, by affecting their own innate responses. Religion and other superstitions use the same techniques to maintain adherence to and dependence upon a religion, cult or belief.
Alternative therapies however, though they may use the same techniques, do not claim for themselves 'ultimate truths' on which are based vast organisations, powerful superstructures, affecting millions of people. They do not seek to dominate, insisting on superiority over all other therapies, let alone people, cultures, states. Their aim is to enable the individual to take control of their own lives not those of others, and do not, if used responsibly, encourage people into dependency. Providing they are used rationally as an adjunct to evidence based treatments and do not make false claims or raise false hopes, like the placebo, however it works, if it does work, let us accept that one day we may understand how it works.
The Relevance to Humanism/Secularism
Why do I think that it is important for us to take on board this explanation of religious experience?
Because it goes some way to explain why otherwise ordinary intelligent people, continue to follow religion. If it were more widely understood it could also help people to break free from belief in gods knowing that they do not have a 'god shaped hole' nor suffer the dire effects of 'unbelief' predicted by the religions.
By providing a rational explanation for phenomena that are not easily understood, and which because of their apparent 'mystery', encourage superstition. Hearing of supposed 'miracles' for instance, leads people to view them as proof of the 'spiritual', or as religious manifestations.
It might also help more people to understand how organised religion works, and why the policies and stances it takes, such as maintaining places of worship, church schools and constant support and promotion on radio and television are so important to its continuation, in their own brand of power politics!
For this and other publications a see also - www.c.s.e.freeuk.com/AtheistPerspectives
The BBC Charter stipulates that the organisation should maintain fairness and balance. We ALL pay for it through the license fee and tax revenue.
In most matters especially politics, the BBC does try to maintain a balance, and when one view is put, if there is a counter view it is usually given a hearing.
The BBC is also not expected to endorse, promote or support one point of view, or advertise one over and above another, especially on controversial issues. With the exception of racist extremism matters which are against the law, and paedophillia, it is assumed that a point of view has a right to expression.
Only in matters of religion and the church do these rules not apply. Why?
8. Why Humanism Must Maintain its Secularism (word count 767)
There are many areas in which secularist ideas are well developed, but the challenging of a public view of religion in general and Christianity in particular as a benign force is not. Unless we explain why we oppose religion, the general public, writers and broadcasters will remain apathetic to, confused, and unconvinced by secularism and humanism. Atheists and agnostics spend a lot of time discussing the existence, or not, of god, and we have many scholars adept at refuting the veracity of the bible as either a historical document or reference book for living a good life. We comment on and entertain ourselves with the endless stream of absurdities of various superstitions/religious beliefs, erring clerics, and so called miracles and conversions.
Religion Good or Bad?
The very basic assumption that I think we do not address enough is the automatic belief by non-secularists, including many 'Humanists' that belief in god and the pursuance of religion, if not actually a good thing, is a harmless irrelevance, or personal comfort for the old, ill or disadvantaged, and for this reason if for no other should not be criticised!
Opposition to religion has also been deliberately associated in the public imagination with authoritarian communism, which in no way reflects our views. Do we take the reasons for our secularist views for granted? Too many atheists do not see the need to spell out what it is about religion that we oppose, very often in words of one syllable? In my view, if we do not explain in detail, what it is about the attitudes and doctrines of religion on each issue, much of our other activity will fall (as it does) on deaf ears. It is not enough to persuade people that god is a figment of human invention, and the bible only relevant to that myth. Many people do not seem to mind that, consequently, if all that stems from it, both for individuals and society, in terms of attitudes and public policy is not understood, it is easy to understand why they feel that way.
Many people do not seem to understand why secularists oppose religion. There are two distinct levels on which this criticism is needed.
Challenging Superstition
The first is on a personal, private level. We accept entirely that as a private occupation, raison d'être, personal, moral guide, any belief system however bizarre, is a person's legal 'right' and presumably non of us would challenge that. We do however have a right to express our views, and debate our opinions, that reliance on superstition, or inflexible code and doctrines, is a poor substitute for a confident, rational, evidence based, view of life and its physical and physiological problems. It is at least part the cause of lazy, uncritical acceptance of unproved notions and current anti-science culture.
Asserting the Need for Secularism
The second is at the public level of religious activity; the many areas of public policy in which religious traditions set the agenda. In areas such as discrimination issues, poverty relief, health, education, housing, international relations, the organised religions insist on their dominant role. Typical is the current difficulty for the UN and its inability to address population and development issues because of opposition by America's 'Moral Majority' and the Vatican, (and the effect that has on finance). At a national level the insistence of the religions of their right to indoctrinate children in sectarian schools, or teaching religious opinion as fact, in all schools; and at a personal level, guilt and punitive attitudes on gender issues, exemplified by the 'Section 28' issue.
Countering Religious Domination in the Public Sphere
We also work very hard to stem the continual pressures of the organised religions to maintain or increase their power and influence, personal and political, public and private - constitutional issues such as Bishops in the legislature; prayers and services in civic and parliamentary ceremony; media bias, and religious exclusivity in all its forms in local and community life. All this takes a huge amount to time and effort from our small organisations, from people, for almost all of whom, it is a secondary activity. It is an uphill task against the army of paid activists whose job it is to service and promote the churches. With all their backup of premises, traditional and historical resources, and educational conditioning, publicity and public financial subsidy it is easy for them and they use it to full advantage. Their ability to do this also has the effect of leading humanists to think they should do the same, diverting attention from the causes and real solutions to the problems. I do not underestimate the size of the task.
Facing up to the 'Sacred Cows'.
The fear of treading on 'religious corns' is at the root of the paralysis that prevents action on human rights abuses, such as those inflicted on women in Islamic states, genital mutilation, and the severing of limbs as punishment. At home and abroad, the 'charity' model -tin rattling, voluntary work, 'ad hockery'; sermonising, prayer and exhortation; is preferred to rational, flexible, scientific, political, evidence based solutions that might actually address questions of prevention of deprivation and 'provision as of right' .So much of the kudos of the churches is based around 'doing good' or 'missionising' that no-one dare question the motives and efficacy of 'charity as a religious activity', and the stifling effects of charity law with it's built in religio-political bias.
"For those of us who have been non-believers of one sort or another for a long time, and have been able to discuss the whole range of issues, with many others, and over many years, and in this long process refined and confirmed our views, having to go over the same old discussions again and again can become a problem.
Newcomers to unbelief want to discuss these issues from a standing start and it is important that there is an ongoing process for them to make up ground easily, so that there is not always a yawing gap with irritation at both extremes.
These suggestions are in two parts, the first, specific material that would help novice unbelievers catch up quickly without having to go through a near lifetime of reading and discussion. The second part would be a longer list of recommended material. The material includes printed matter and Web-sites, collated to direct people to the 'best bits', chapters or items. They can then go back over the range, subjects, authors, books and web-sites as they wish." (Comments and suggestions for inclusions welcome)
Part I -
1) 'The Demon Haunted World' subtitled 'Science as a Candle in the Dark' by Carl Sagan Chapters 10, 7, & 12 ISBN 0 7472 5156 8 1996 Headline Book Publishing
2) 'Why I Am Not a Christian' by Bertrand Russell published by the Rationalist Press Association and National Secular Society 1983
3) 'Our Pagan Christmas' by R.J. NSS 1974
4) 'Viruses of The Mind' by Richard Dawkins British Humanist Association 1992
5) 'Morals Without Religion' by Margaret Knight (available from the BHA/NSS or RPA )
6) 'All in the Mind' -Ludovic Kennedy In this section because although it is a book, it is an easy read.
Part II - 1) The rest of 'The Haunted Demon World' see above.
2) Richard Dawkins 'The Blind Watchmaker' and 'The Selfish Gene' Mainly on Darwinism
3) Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel C Dennett is another excellent book. It's a little heavy, but fits well with Saigon's Demon Haunted World and (anything by) Dawns.
4) Atheism: The Case Against God by George H Smith ISBN 0-87975-124-X
5) Some
Mistakes of Moses : Robert Ingersoll
ISBN 0-87975=361-7
Both books are from Prometheus Books. The Robert Ingersoll compliments
Paine's Age of Reason.
'Erewhon' by Samuel Butler, a fascinating satire published shortly after Darwin's 'Origin of Species', and full of amusing and clever arguments directed against religion, education, moral standards, etc. The Wordsworth Classics version can be purchased very cheaply.
For a full range of mainly UK Secular web-sites :- www.secularsites.freeuk.com
10) Well? What IS So Bad About Religion?
Religion is not a benign force for good in our society. It is divisive and responsible for reinforcing many narrow minded, anti-humanitarian attitudes. hindering our progress to a more rational, freer and happier future
1) It is divisive, self-promoting and a hindrance to personal, social and scientific progress. The church seeks to impose its views and practices on everyone, through the law.
2) Organised religions promote their demands at the expense of all else, by pressuring politicians, with threats of organised electoral opposition, and influencing selection of candidates.
3) The church uses community facilities for its own advantage and kudos. This is divisive and 'excluding' and often prevents fully inclusive secular activity and provision.
4) They exploit to the full their historical, privileged position, with regard to meeting places, and paid clergy in every area and every locality, to dominate community activities social clubs, fairs, fetes and ceremonies, both national and local, public and private.
5) Nationally the church promotes care and welfare through 'charity' and 'tin rattling' rather than political analysis, political action and rights. This is institutionalised through the 'charity law' which while giving automatic privilege to churches, prevents political lobbying activity by charities and secular pressure groups if they are to have 'charity status' .
6) The Anglican church in particular claims ownership of national events, and celebrations, even when they have no religious connotation, or pre-date Christianity, e.g. Remembrance and holidays such as Christmas and Easter.
7) Religious influence is institutionalised by the position of more than a score of Anglican Bishops sitting as of right in our legislature, to be joined before long no doubt by other religious representation as of right as the religions strive to keep up with each other.
8) Internationally In numerous conflict situations, religious activity and organisation, even if not the initial cause, is instrumental in preventing the protagonists from resolving their problems.
9) Organisations such as the UN have to comply with religious sensibilities if they do not want to suffer financial penalties, thus hampering their ability to address overpopulation and AIDS. Anti-science attitudes also hold back technologies that may present answers to starvation .
10) On a Personal level Many religions promote a fatalistic view of life, and thereby an acceptance of the status quo (This aspect makes it a useful tool of social control).
11) Religion provides a basis or excuse for sexism, racism and homophobic attitudes - its adherents use the bible to reinforce narrow minded attitudes and bigotry.
12) Many attitudes of prudery towards the human body have religious roots, which I believe is bad for the individual, encouraging and exploiting feelings of guilt and shame about the human body and sexual activity.
13) Puritanical attitudes towards human happiness are at the root of irrational drugs policies, sexual activity for other than procreation, and fear of scientific discovery.
14) Culturally many of the big religions seek to subvert other cultures, sending missionaries to convert them, often using medical or educational skills as 'bait', while claiming credit as selfless humanitarians.
15) While they themselves hide behind 'culture' in order to put its beliefs and practices such as death for adultery, amputations for theft, sexual mutilation and other abuses, beyond criticism.
16) The religions claim morality as it's own, preventing at every turn attempts to develop an inclusive secular morality relevant to our present day needs.
17) 'Blind faith' and acceptance of the hierarchy, stifles the critical faculty and hinders open discussion and enquiry. Superstitious attitudes are the antithesis of critical, rational, evidence based, approach to life's problems and options. It also helps to create mass movements of 'following' and 'worshipping' charismatic leaders - prophets, pop stars or political tyrants.
18) On Education 'Religious Education' is an oxymoron. 'Education' is the teaching of fact as fact, and opinion as opinion. For schools to teach opinion as fact is dishonest, and an abuse of trusting young minds.
Sectarian schools are bad for the cohesiveness of society and the social development of children, and encourages ghettoisation.
The requirement for schools to have and 'act of worship' is beyond all bounds of rationality, nothing more than an anachronism in the UK in the 21st century.
Based on myths and legends it retains its followers with a combination of social 'glue', promises of an afterlife and promotes dependence and exclusivity, using conditioning and reinforcement techniques (as used in hypnosis), which is why rite and ritual are so important in keeping adherents.
11) Celibacy - The New Taboo ? (word count 1203)
Earlier this year I read a refreshing and uplifting letter in the Freethinker in defence of celibacy - and regardless of ones individual views on sex his letter was courageous enough to point out that celibacy is a valid and acceptable state - a view not often heard. I concur with this sentiment and would like to expand the argument to look at why this is necessary and how it has come about.
Last year an article in' The Freethinker' entitled 'Better Dead than Defiled' highlighted the dangers of the traditional religious, and current commercial, elevation of sex as the most important thing in life. Adverting, exploits sex for its own purposes, as does the media and business, to sell anything and everything, from soap to cars. The emphasis and all pervading use of sexual imagery, which is out of all proportion to its real place in many people's lives, (far more people than are willing to admit ) and the emphasis that is given to it leads to a distorted notion of its value even above life itself, especially women's lives, and causes cruelty and violence of the most extreme kind.
One of the results of this obsession has been to make celibacy at once abnormal, a sign of failure, a punishment and even a perversion. While much has been said and written about all forms of sexuality, homosexuality, transexuality, impotence and frigidity, celibacy as a choice remains largely undiscussed. It is associated in the public mind with 'oddness', sexual repression, sexual assault, child abuse and Catholic nuns and priests!
While enforced celibacy may well distort a person's sexual development and lead to sexual problems, if it is a freely chosen lifestyle it is likely to be an enhancement for those people who choose it. While sexual activity may for some, be a very high priority throughout their adult lives, and for most at some stages of life, for many its real priority is somewhat lower down in the scheme of things. As I read somewhere recently, "When did you last hear a bloke say, 'When I get home I'm tired, I just want a meal a good book and a good nights sleep?'" .The more usual image most men seem to prefer is the youthful "up for it any time", as often and for as long as possible and even with as many people as possible.
It is the combined and competing forces of religion and commerce that fuels this distorted image.
Although at first it may appear contradictory, a strong contributory factor has been the religious, especially the Christian religion's, attitudes to sex and procreation and the guilt and shame that it has engendered about sexual activity and the human body. Their attitudes to sex are themselves contradictory, at once sinful if indulged in for pleasure, acceptable for the expression of love but only within marriage, but really desirable only for procreation. The very notion of a religion dedicated to the worship of an asexual god, born to a virgin mother, administered by celibate men and women, priests and nuns (Brides of Christ) whose celibacy is supposedly the highest sacrifice and yet the purest form of life, is odd to say the least and says a lot about its attitudes to sex, and the social problems they cause on divorce, contraception and abortion.
The church's sexual symbolism and doctrines have had a profound effect in shaping our cultural attitudes, mores, etc. In fact the more they preach against it, the more people are likely to react with 'equal and opposite' behaviour, now that there is less susceptibility to guilt caused by belief in that all knowing, all seeing god, and fear of divine retribution. So once again religion distorts life at a personal, and social level, creating confusion and problems where there could and should be choice for individuals and couples to decide for themselves how best to order their personal lives, for their own and the greater good! This confusion over contradictory messages leads to an inability for many people to discuss the subject in a rational way, and impedes the free flow of ideas and information about it, which in turn hampers the widest understanding of all the emotional, physical, and psychological and health aspects. This is mirrored in the way the drug debate has been hampered by religious attitudes to pleasure and happiness being something that can only be achieved through religion and 'spirituality', earthly pleasures being only a poor substitute! Sexual pleasure being only one of these second rate pleasures.
As is often the case, during the process of breaking away from all the gobbledegook of superstition, for some people the confusion and internal conflict leaves a vacuum, which may encourage the taking up of 'equal and opposite' reactions, which can be equally harmful if taken on with the same zeal; jettisoning values, ethics, morals and mores that have been learnt devoid of rationale.
Like every other aspect of human psychology and physiology people vary in their need for and desire for sexual activity. The problem now is that it has become almost impossible for anyone to 'admit' that sex is not all that it's cracked up to be and that they can 'take it or leave it', and that for some, many even, their lives are full enough with better things. This is the new heresy.
It is as unacceptable that people should have to feign sexual feeling that they do not have as that those whose sexual needs and desires are not fulfilled. Compulsory sex is a bad as no sex when it is desired, and it is time we got away from both, in both the pulpit and the press. The days should be long gone when women have to fake orgasms, succumb to unwanted sex for fear of being called 'frigid', when men have to make up or exaggerate their sexual prowess or number of conquests.
When every relationship is judged on the sexual attractiveness of the partners, people are from a very early age driven to a distorted view of the importance of appearance, already important enough at puberty, excesses lead to today's obsessive and widespread consumerism, design labels, alcohol to enhance an attractive view of oneself, despair for those who feel unattractive, acceptance of underage sex, anorexia and so on and so forth.
From young children through childhood and adolescence and adulthood the concentration on sexual activity and attractiveness as the 'be all and end all' of human life, blights lives, and at the other end of the spectrum is major part of the ageism of modern western society. Once ones sexual attractiveness declines, one's value is seen to decline to zero, and women are the first and most deeply affected by this devaluation of them as people with characteristics and attributes separate from their use as sexual partners.
So much human misery has been caused by the twin Gorgons of the value of virginity, abstinence and prudery on the one hand, and promiscuity, exploitation and prostitution on the other it is time to expose some of the roots of more of our attitudes to the harsh light of criticism of religion and the softer light of humanistic rationale.
