The weeks before Christmas are a beautiful and magical time in our homes and communities. The rich and mellow carols of peace and goodwill echo in the streets, in the churches and over the media. Sharing, caring and giving are spread throughout the land.
However, in driving home the other day here in San Antonio, Texas I saw a large elaborate billboard that said, "Imagine No Religion". The billboard, promoted by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) out of Madison, WI, is being placed in cities across the country. The FFRF, an association of atheists and agnostics, was formed in 1978 to promote freethought and to keep state and church separate. 1.
It is impossible to 'imagine no religion'. All persons and groups develop meaning systems that guide their decisions and behaviors which they then pursue with religious fervor.
In 1933, The Humanist Manifesto, contending that spiritual reality, worship, and prayer were false hopes, outlined the blueprint of faith for what they outlined as religious humanism based on science. 2.
In 1966, Anton Szandor LaVey contended that "The Church of Satan will be the pivotal point for an acknowledged belief system of the 21st Century". 3.
These religious faith systems, without any challenge or criticism, have become deeply involved with the state.
Nazism, Stalinism and Maoism were certainly organized as religions.
IMAGINE NO GOD!
THE POWER OF GOD PROTECTS FROM THE POWER OF THE STATE
When FFRF asks us to 'Imagine no religion' they are in reality asking us to imagine that there is no God, no higher power, no spiritual reality, or moral authority to which we are accountable, no reality or rightness that exists beyond human ability to manipulate or manage.
The attempt to remove the concept of God from our society raises deep and legitimate fears related to individual integrity, freedom and survival.
Faith in spiritual reality and authority is the sole liberating force which can supply freedom and integrity to individuals. Rights endowed by the state can be retracted by the state. Rights endowed by a Creator are beyond manipulation.
POWER TO CONTROL
Power is the ability to compel the will and action of another through influence, physical force, or intimidation. To gain total control rulers must control the authority structure, the distribution of rewards and punishments, and the surveillance mechanisms of society.
Dictators who seek to gain total control must eliminate alternatives which are beyond their ability to manipulate.
Social moral authority
In a discussion of the sources of moral authority in a sociology class, I mentioned The Ten Commandments as basic to Judeo/Christian moral understanding. A Muslim student in class raised his hand to correct me, saying "The Ten Commandments are basic to Judeo/Christian/Islamic moral understanding".
In our society, The Ten Commandments, The Sermon on the Mount, and the Declaration of Independence have been accepted as directives, truths, and inalienable rights endowed by the Creator.
Religious humanism, as outlined in The Humanist Manifesto, declares that modern science makes unacceptable inalienable human values.
The removal of The Ten Commandments from the foundation of our court system seeks to remove from our society faith in a transcendent authority and higher source of moral rightness beyond the state.
The radio commentator Dennis Prager said, "I regard the demise of Christianity in America (as a) nightmare - and I say that as a believing, religious Jew... The battle is no longer Jew versus Christianity, but Jew and Christian versus secular nihilism." 4.
Social Control
Social power requires control over the rewards that motivate people to strive and the punishments that deter. The rewards most available to managerial distribution are money, status and prestige.
Transcendent religions, however, maintain that the most desirous rewards relate to spiritual integrity rather than the transient rewards of personal gain.
Persecution for righteousness sake is the refining fire of the soul and 'great is your reward in heaven'. Attempts at coercion, harassment and intimidation lose their power to destroy, oppress and compel.
Social Surveillance
Control requires surveillance. In a nation that trusts in the all-seeing eye of a just God, control is maintained by bringing individuals into awareness of the expected and appropriate spiritual and social behaviors. People are then expected to control their own behaviors in light of this knowledge. With the elimination of the concept of God new types of surveillance must be used to ensure compliance with appropriate social norms.
STEPS TOWARD TOTAL POWER
Total power is not power for the 'good of the people' but rather power to determine what the people shall perceive as their good. It is the power to define or rather redefine right and wrong.
Transcendent religions which remove this authority from would be dictators must be destroyed by them.
A series of steps is used to de-program a society from the concept of spiritual authority, reward, and surveillance.
The first step is toleration. The word is used not as respect for religious seeking and diversity, but rather is used to imply endurance.
The second step is ridicule in the form of sarcasm, cartoons, and mocking caricature.
The third step is oppression. This includes deliberate obstruction through such avenues as economic sanctions and exclusion from the roles of social status, prestige and responsibility.
The fourth step is persecution and consists of physical harassment and removal and destruction through brainwashing or death
The most necessary step, however, is control over the shaping process of the children. Total control must be gained over the process whereby people learn to assign legitimate authority, reward, and surveillance.
VULNERABLE TO OPPRESSION
With the removal of the concept of spiritual reality and rightness, individuals are left ultimately vulnerable to being controlled (and crushed) by the capricious distribution of rewards and punishment.
The courage to dissent, the courage to live authentically, the courage to stand alone for what you believe to be right can only be born of the assurance that the ultimate rewards of personal integrity will surpass the immediate punishment.
The society that is unable to grant inalienable value, liberty and integrity to individuals cannot be good for the people.
REFERENCES:
1. Freedom From Religion Foundation. 12/18/2008. http://www.ffrf.org.
2. Humanist Manifesto I. The New Humanist. Vol. VI. No.3 (May/June) 1933.
http://www.jcn.com/manifestos.html.
3. Bugbee,Shane and Amy Bugbee. "The Doctor is in...MF Magazine.No.3.1997.
http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/MFInterview.html.
4. Laconte, Joe."The battle to define America turns violent". Christianity Today. Vol. 37. No. 12 (Oct 25) 1993:76.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The New Morality Threatens Us All.
Fifty years ago Nikita Kruschev prophesied, "We will bury you". While this statement may be ambiguous, the direction our society has taken is not ambiguous. We have become willing accomplices in our own execution. We have dug our own graves.
LIBERATION NOW
In 1884, Friedrich Engels, the lifelong friend of Karl Marx and co-author of the Communist Manifesto, wrote a major citation of 'liberation' literature entitled "On the Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State". 1. This article outlined the blueprint for the liberation of men and women from binding family relationships and the 'oppression of monogamy'.
Engels saw two problems in the practice of lifelong, monogamous marriage. The first problem: after marriage a woman becomes the private property of her husband. Consequently unmarried men are able to find very few women willing to give themselves to them outside of prostitution. Engels contended that the exchange of sex love for money "degrades the character of the entire male world".
The second problem: marriage makes women the slave of their husbands. The husband earns and controls the economic base of the family, keeping the woman dependent upon him.
A NEW MORALITY
Engels proposed the solution to both of these problems by outlining a new morality and a new social order which involved:
* drawing "the entire female sex into public industry",
* making men and women equal "in rights and responsibilities",
* passing "the means of production into common property",
* abolishing the family as "the economic unit of society",
* transforming private housekeeping "into a social industry", and
* having society "take care of all children equally irrespective of whether they were born in wedlock or not".
SEX LOVE REPLACES COMMITTED FAMILY LOVE
Engels contended that this new social organization would give rise "to more unrestrained sexual intercourse, and along with it, a more lenient public opinion regarding virginal honour and feminine shame". The new moral standard for judging sexual intercourse would not be whether it is legitimate, but "whether it arose from mutual love or not."
From these changes will spring the new morality that Engels identified as Sex Love. "If only marriages that are based on love are moral, then also only those are moral in which love continues". Because "the urge of individual Sex Love differs," when affection is "displaced by a new passionate love", separation becomes a blessing.
Engels' new morality attacked and sought to overturn the behavioral and authority patterns of committed family practices. He outlined basic changes in social and personal interaction patterns and responsibilities.
OUR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS BOUGHT IT AND SOLD IT TO US.
In the last 50 years the mainstream media, liberal influences in the universities, and social legislation have replaced the foundation of family love with support for sex love.
When changes are made, some things of value may be gained but others are lost.
Can such ideas lead us to greater happiness, or will such disposable love lead us to the even greater oppression of our own passions?
CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES
# Before 1960, the expectation of marriage was to "love and cherish, till death us do part, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health".
In 1960, the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act outlined No-Fault divorce laws where fault was eliminated as a grounds for divorce. The first No-faultlaws were established in California in 1970, and within 10 years most of the other states followed. These laws removed power from the person wanting to remain married and gave it to the person wanting to leave a relationship.
The number of divorces in the United States rose rapidly, creating large numbers of single parent homes and emotional, financial, and structural problems for adults and children.
# Divorce accelerated the feminization of poverty. After divorce, the man's income generally rises, while the income of women and children falls, often drastically.
Children suffer in a divorce in many ways. Besides losing the nurturing presence of a parent, a study by the Census Bureau found that children could expect to become 37% poorer following the divorce of their parents. 2.
The effects of divorce on children often accumulate over time, getting worse instead of better. 3.
# Another troubling spinoff of divorce occurs when one parent, in violation of court orders, violates conditions of visitation or tries to remove a child from contact with the other parent. It is estimated that 350,000 parental abductions occur each year. The child is traumatized and the offending parent becomes a criminal. 4.
# Venereal disease has risen to epidemic proportions. Sex outside of committed, monogamous relationships has become normalized in our society, even among teens. In March of 2008, researchers at the federal Center for Disease Control announced that 1 in 4 teen girls has at least one sexually transmitted disease. The most common, the human papilloma virus, causes cervical cancer. The second most common, Chlamydia, can lead to infertility. 5.
The cumulative estimated deaths of persons with AIDS in the United States in 2005 was 530,307 persons. The first cases were reported in 1981 in the homosexual community. 77% of those affected with AIDS are male. Bisexual behaviors have transferred the disease to the heterosexual community. 6.
# In the wake of Roe v. Wade in 1973, more than 45 million abortions were performed in the United States by the year 2000. 80% of abortions are to unmarried women, and 52% are to women younger than 25 years of age. 7.
WHERE WILL THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR BEHAVIOR END?
As we consider the acceleration of our descent into destruction, it becomes evident that we must change if we are to regain control of our relationships and our society.
If we are unable to remove the blinders from our eyes and see beyond the Pollyana smiles that tell us all is well, if we are unable to regain our moral convictions, and more importantly, the courage of our convictions, we may discover that the prophecy of Kruschev becomes the prophecy of the poet T.S. Eliot, who predicted:
THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD WILL END.
This is the Way the World Will End.
this is the way the world will end.
Not with a BANG, but with a whimper.
References
1. Engels, Friedrich. "The origin of the family, private property, and the state". In: The Marx-Engels Reader. Robert C. Tucher (ed.) NY:Norton. 1978 (1884) pgs. 743-751.
2. Boublin, Gina. "Study: Children lose more than just parents in divorce." Bryan/College Station Eagle (TX) March 2, 1991.
3. Wallerstein, Judith. The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 Year Study.
4. Child Abduction Statistics. The National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Throwaway Children (NISMART). http://www.lostchildren.org/statistics.htm. Nov. 28, 2008.
5. The Associated Press. March 11, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23574940.
6. Center for Disease Control Statistics. July, 2006. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheet/print/msm.htm.
7. Center for Disease Control - Abortion Surveillance - U.S, 2000.
LIBERATION NOW
In 1884, Friedrich Engels, the lifelong friend of Karl Marx and co-author of the Communist Manifesto, wrote a major citation of 'liberation' literature entitled "On the Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State". 1. This article outlined the blueprint for the liberation of men and women from binding family relationships and the 'oppression of monogamy'.
Engels saw two problems in the practice of lifelong, monogamous marriage. The first problem: after marriage a woman becomes the private property of her husband. Consequently unmarried men are able to find very few women willing to give themselves to them outside of prostitution. Engels contended that the exchange of sex love for money "degrades the character of the entire male world".
The second problem: marriage makes women the slave of their husbands. The husband earns and controls the economic base of the family, keeping the woman dependent upon him.
A NEW MORALITY
Engels proposed the solution to both of these problems by outlining a new morality and a new social order which involved:
* drawing "the entire female sex into public industry",
* making men and women equal "in rights and responsibilities",
* passing "the means of production into common property",
* abolishing the family as "the economic unit of society",
* transforming private housekeeping "into a social industry", and
* having society "take care of all children equally irrespective of whether they were born in wedlock or not".
SEX LOVE REPLACES COMMITTED FAMILY LOVE
Engels contended that this new social organization would give rise "to more unrestrained sexual intercourse, and along with it, a more lenient public opinion regarding virginal honour and feminine shame". The new moral standard for judging sexual intercourse would not be whether it is legitimate, but "whether it arose from mutual love or not."
From these changes will spring the new morality that Engels identified as Sex Love. "If only marriages that are based on love are moral, then also only those are moral in which love continues". Because "the urge of individual Sex Love differs," when affection is "displaced by a new passionate love", separation becomes a blessing.
Engels' new morality attacked and sought to overturn the behavioral and authority patterns of committed family practices. He outlined basic changes in social and personal interaction patterns and responsibilities.
OUR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS BOUGHT IT AND SOLD IT TO US.
In the last 50 years the mainstream media, liberal influences in the universities, and social legislation have replaced the foundation of family love with support for sex love.
When changes are made, some things of value may be gained but others are lost.
Can such ideas lead us to greater happiness, or will such disposable love lead us to the even greater oppression of our own passions?
CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES
# Before 1960, the expectation of marriage was to "love and cherish, till death us do part, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health".
In 1960, the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act outlined No-Fault divorce laws where fault was eliminated as a grounds for divorce. The first No-faultlaws were established in California in 1970, and within 10 years most of the other states followed. These laws removed power from the person wanting to remain married and gave it to the person wanting to leave a relationship.
The number of divorces in the United States rose rapidly, creating large numbers of single parent homes and emotional, financial, and structural problems for adults and children.
# Divorce accelerated the feminization of poverty. After divorce, the man's income generally rises, while the income of women and children falls, often drastically.
Children suffer in a divorce in many ways. Besides losing the nurturing presence of a parent, a study by the Census Bureau found that children could expect to become 37% poorer following the divorce of their parents. 2.
The effects of divorce on children often accumulate over time, getting worse instead of better. 3.
# Another troubling spinoff of divorce occurs when one parent, in violation of court orders, violates conditions of visitation or tries to remove a child from contact with the other parent. It is estimated that 350,000 parental abductions occur each year. The child is traumatized and the offending parent becomes a criminal. 4.
# Venereal disease has risen to epidemic proportions. Sex outside of committed, monogamous relationships has become normalized in our society, even among teens. In March of 2008, researchers at the federal Center for Disease Control announced that 1 in 4 teen girls has at least one sexually transmitted disease. The most common, the human papilloma virus, causes cervical cancer. The second most common, Chlamydia, can lead to infertility. 5.
The cumulative estimated deaths of persons with AIDS in the United States in 2005 was 530,307 persons. The first cases were reported in 1981 in the homosexual community. 77% of those affected with AIDS are male. Bisexual behaviors have transferred the disease to the heterosexual community. 6.
# In the wake of Roe v. Wade in 1973, more than 45 million abortions were performed in the United States by the year 2000. 80% of abortions are to unmarried women, and 52% are to women younger than 25 years of age. 7.
WHERE WILL THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR BEHAVIOR END?
As we consider the acceleration of our descent into destruction, it becomes evident that we must change if we are to regain control of our relationships and our society.
If we are unable to remove the blinders from our eyes and see beyond the Pollyana smiles that tell us all is well, if we are unable to regain our moral convictions, and more importantly, the courage of our convictions, we may discover that the prophecy of Kruschev becomes the prophecy of the poet T.S. Eliot, who predicted:
THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD WILL END.
This is the Way the World Will End.
this is the way the world will end.
Not with a BANG, but with a whimper.
References
1. Engels, Friedrich. "The origin of the family, private property, and the state". In: The Marx-Engels Reader. Robert C. Tucher (ed.) NY:Norton. 1978 (1884) pgs. 743-751.
2. Boublin, Gina. "Study: Children lose more than just parents in divorce." Bryan/College Station Eagle (TX) March 2, 1991.
3. Wallerstein, Judith. The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 Year Study.
4. Child Abduction Statistics. The National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Throwaway Children (NISMART). http://www.lostchildren.org/statistics.htm. Nov. 28, 2008.
5. The Associated Press. March 11, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23574940.
6. Center for Disease Control Statistics. July, 2006. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheet/print/msm.htm.
7. Center for Disease Control - Abortion Surveillance - U.S, 2000.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Be Wary of Socialism, Very Wary!
Socialism is a vast bureaucracy dictated by the few for the good of the few and the control of the many. A small, elite governing body is responsible for making decisions. Socialism requires total control over the teaching of its citizenry and control over the relationships of its subjects. Citizens are asked, even required, to report their neighbor to government officials for even suspected violations of government directives.
NEED FOR CHECKS AND BALANCES
The beauty, freedom and strength of America, however, and of existence itself lies in a multiplicity of ideas and variations in cultural interpretations. This multiplicity of ideas maintains the checks and balances that prevent abuses of power and encourages evaluation and growth. It is the faith of the free system of government that open and honest debate provides a foundation where the general population can choose what form of laws and regulations will best serve the greatest good. The government is then held accountable to the people for its continuing existence.
U.S. MOVES TOWARD ECONOMIC SOCIALISM
As we watch the economic breakdown in the United States two weeks now before the election of a new president, it becomes evident that decisions by small, elite groups in both business and government have undermined our free economic system and replaced it with economic socialism. We have been misled and misdirected.
We are informed that it is in our best interest to move toward socialism in this time of economic crisis.
POLITICALLY CORRECT SOCIALISM
Socialism has been rampant in the universities for decades. I entered Cornell University to return to graduate school in the early 1970's, another era of social crisis. Watergate trials were playing non-stop on the television. The Vietnam war was waging. Minorities and women were challenging the university system for equal rights. The ideology being presented by the elite academic gurus was that we needed to move toward socialism. 'Benevolent dictatorship' was whispered to be the obvious solution. A chill ran down my spine, because 'benevolent dictatorship' is a contradiction in terms. Socialism continues to be 'politically correct' in the major universities.
In the 1800's, the historian and moralist, Lord Acton, noted the corrupting behavior of absolute power.
"POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY"
Germany, the Soviet Union, and other communist countries have shown us the tragedies related to socialist perspectives in governance, and how all citizens can be drawn into these tragedies.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in his book, The Gulag Archpelago, describes the atrocities of the Soviet prison system. He asks, "Where did this wolf-tribe appear from among our people? Does it really stem from our own roots? Our own blood? It is our own."
He concluldes, "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being."1.
THE BANALITY OF EVIL
In 1961, Hannah Arendt reported on the trial of Otto Adolf Eichmann. She describes the banality of evil, noting that while the deeds Eichmann committed were monstrous, Eichmann, himself, was quite ordinary, neither demonic nor monstrous. What Arendt noticed was thoughtlessness, an inability to think. His responses were cliches, stock phrases, and standardized codes of expression.2.
We revolt in horror when we consider what was done in Nazi Germany by medical doctors. Robert Jay Lifton researched and reported the systematic genocide in Auschwitz and elsewhere. He noted that the Nazi motivation of 'killing as a therapeutic imperative' for the good of the Volk compelled medical doctors to participate in the Nazi eugenic vision. Doctors held no authority in deciding orders. They were powerless cogs in a vast machine, a faceless detached bureaucracy.3.
Lifton outlines the principle of 'doubling' which involves the formation of a second, relatively autonomous self, which enables one to participate in evil, while maintaining a prior self that continues as a family person and humane member of society.
CALL FOR CRITICAL THINKNG
Lifton notes that most Nazi doctors were not beasts, they were very ordinary people with families and children. However, the whole society failed to exercise the faculty of thinking critically.
Our present day 'preachings of political correctness' come dangerously close to careless and thoughtless cliches, stock phrases, and standardized codes of expression. We are being intimidated into accepting behaviors that render atrocious consequences.
Lifton concludes his discussions on doubling by saying, "In light of the recent record of professionals engaged in mass killings, can this be the century of doubling? Or, given the ever greater potential of professionalization of genocide, will that distinction belong to the twenty-first century? Or, may one ask a little more softly, can we interrupt the process - first, by naming it." 4.
COURAGE OF OUR CONVICTIONS
A crisis is that point in an illness where the patient either recovers or dies. The survival of democracy and the maintenance of the free citizen is dependent upon the vital reactivation of citizen awareness and critical thinking on the part of all. Most importantly, it requires the courage to speak out in support of our convictions.
REFERENCES:
1. Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr. The Gulag Archipelago. In Literary Cavalcade. Jan. 1976. Vol. 28, No. 4. Pg. 41.
2. Assy, Bethania. "Eichmann, the Banality of Evil, and Thinking in Arendt's Thought". Pg. 1. http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Cont/ContAssy.htm.
3. Lifton, Robert Jay. The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide. Basic Books. (1986)2000. Pgs. 14-15.
4. Lifton, pg.465.
NEED FOR CHECKS AND BALANCES
The beauty, freedom and strength of America, however, and of existence itself lies in a multiplicity of ideas and variations in cultural interpretations. This multiplicity of ideas maintains the checks and balances that prevent abuses of power and encourages evaluation and growth. It is the faith of the free system of government that open and honest debate provides a foundation where the general population can choose what form of laws and regulations will best serve the greatest good. The government is then held accountable to the people for its continuing existence.
U.S. MOVES TOWARD ECONOMIC SOCIALISM
As we watch the economic breakdown in the United States two weeks now before the election of a new president, it becomes evident that decisions by small, elite groups in both business and government have undermined our free economic system and replaced it with economic socialism. We have been misled and misdirected.
We are informed that it is in our best interest to move toward socialism in this time of economic crisis.
POLITICALLY CORRECT SOCIALISM
Socialism has been rampant in the universities for decades. I entered Cornell University to return to graduate school in the early 1970's, another era of social crisis. Watergate trials were playing non-stop on the television. The Vietnam war was waging. Minorities and women were challenging the university system for equal rights. The ideology being presented by the elite academic gurus was that we needed to move toward socialism. 'Benevolent dictatorship' was whispered to be the obvious solution. A chill ran down my spine, because 'benevolent dictatorship' is a contradiction in terms. Socialism continues to be 'politically correct' in the major universities.
In the 1800's, the historian and moralist, Lord Acton, noted the corrupting behavior of absolute power.
"POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY"
Germany, the Soviet Union, and other communist countries have shown us the tragedies related to socialist perspectives in governance, and how all citizens can be drawn into these tragedies.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in his book, The Gulag Archpelago, describes the atrocities of the Soviet prison system. He asks, "Where did this wolf-tribe appear from among our people? Does it really stem from our own roots? Our own blood? It is our own."
He concluldes, "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being."1.
THE BANALITY OF EVIL
In 1961, Hannah Arendt reported on the trial of Otto Adolf Eichmann. She describes the banality of evil, noting that while the deeds Eichmann committed were monstrous, Eichmann, himself, was quite ordinary, neither demonic nor monstrous. What Arendt noticed was thoughtlessness, an inability to think. His responses were cliches, stock phrases, and standardized codes of expression.2.
We revolt in horror when we consider what was done in Nazi Germany by medical doctors. Robert Jay Lifton researched and reported the systematic genocide in Auschwitz and elsewhere. He noted that the Nazi motivation of 'killing as a therapeutic imperative' for the good of the Volk compelled medical doctors to participate in the Nazi eugenic vision. Doctors held no authority in deciding orders. They were powerless cogs in a vast machine, a faceless detached bureaucracy.3.
Lifton outlines the principle of 'doubling' which involves the formation of a second, relatively autonomous self, which enables one to participate in evil, while maintaining a prior self that continues as a family person and humane member of society.
CALL FOR CRITICAL THINKNG
Lifton notes that most Nazi doctors were not beasts, they were very ordinary people with families and children. However, the whole society failed to exercise the faculty of thinking critically.
Our present day 'preachings of political correctness' come dangerously close to careless and thoughtless cliches, stock phrases, and standardized codes of expression. We are being intimidated into accepting behaviors that render atrocious consequences.
Lifton concludes his discussions on doubling by saying, "In light of the recent record of professionals engaged in mass killings, can this be the century of doubling? Or, given the ever greater potential of professionalization of genocide, will that distinction belong to the twenty-first century? Or, may one ask a little more softly, can we interrupt the process - first, by naming it." 4.
COURAGE OF OUR CONVICTIONS
A crisis is that point in an illness where the patient either recovers or dies. The survival of democracy and the maintenance of the free citizen is dependent upon the vital reactivation of citizen awareness and critical thinking on the part of all. Most importantly, it requires the courage to speak out in support of our convictions.
REFERENCES:
1. Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr. The Gulag Archipelago. In Literary Cavalcade. Jan. 1976. Vol. 28, No. 4. Pg. 41.
2. Assy, Bethania. "Eichmann, the Banality of Evil, and Thinking in Arendt's Thought". Pg. 1. http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Cont/ContAssy.htm.
3. Lifton, Robert Jay. The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide. Basic Books. (1986)2000. Pgs. 14-15.
4. Lifton, pg.465.
Monday, October 13, 2008
It's Not Our Economy, S-------. It's Our Character! What Happened To The Dream?
The economy took a record breaking decline last week, 4 weeks before our presidential election, and the media pundits are telling us that this is all we should be concerned about. The candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, roll out their strategies for economic recovery, although we know, and they know, that they don't have a clue as to what they will be able to do about this. There appears to be enough blame to go around.
As I watch the presidential debates, I am proud that Barack, Hillary, and Sarah have stood up to demonstrate their strength of leadership, alongside John and Joe. As a teacher and professor I have encouraged equal rights for all.
But I am concerned.
What is needed at this junction in history are leaders who have the WISDOM, WILL and COURAGE to help us restore a greater loss than money.
OUR BROKEN DREAM
On August 28th, 1963 my husband and I joined a carload from our (white, suburban) church to attend the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom which was
organized by black ministers, including Dr.,Rev. Martin Luther King,Jr. We stood at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial as Dr. King challenged us to build a country where people were judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I believe that Dr. King, an eloquent Baptist minister, was calling us all to social, personal and moral responsibility.
Somewhere along the line the American Dream moved away from a focus on personal responsibility to a focus on personal indulgence and the acquisition of material goods. Hedonism was placed on the throne, with personal pleasure in the present as our primary goal.
THE DREAM TURNED PLASTIC
Credit card debt has become a major problem to many Americans. Beginning in the 1950's the convenience of plastic money enticed us into a compulsive consumer economy. Instead of saving and buying with cash, we were told that we can have it all now, so 'charge ahead'!
In 2004, the average family owed $8,000 on their credit cards. Credit card companies send us endless invitations telling us that we are preapproved to open an account. Even high school students receive them. 1.
We bought into it, buying cars, boats, houses and all the furniture.
SEX SELLS!
Sex represents the ultimate personal indulgence. Sex, a powerful motivator, is used to sell products.
Advertisements have long used provocative women and sultry men to sell products from cars to cigarettes. Perverse images of sexuality are presented repeatedly to sell us products every seven minutes. When we become bored with one level of perversity, the shock value increases to continue attracting our attention, regardless of what this is doing to our ability to respect each other and our relationships.
Previously young women were raised with the awareness that sex was related to babies and sexuality was sacred, something to be saved for motherhood and family.
When the 'pill' was introduced in 1960, sex for its own sake became possible. Women were enticed into presenting themselves as sexually available and spontaneous.
Young people were drawn into early and promiscuous sexual relationships with tragic consequences.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL TRAGEDIES - SEX SELLS AND WE BOUGHT
The hard truth is that most personal and social problems are the result of our inability to protect and nurture caring family relationships. Female headed households became the single most reason for the rapid increase in poverty for women and children.
Births Out-of-Wedlock
In 1960, 4% of births were to unmarried women. By 2005, out-of-wedlock births accounted for 37% of babies born in the United States. 2.
* In 1950, five out of six black children were born into a 2 parent home, now 70% are born outside of marriage. 3.
Divorce
Following the establishment of no-fault divorce laws in the 1970's, the number of divorces increased rapidly, In 1970, 4 million Americans had divorced. By the year 2000, the number had grown to 22 million. 4.
* Divorce and separation rates for blacks are now 50% higher than for whites. 5.
Fatherless Homes
The breakdown of marriage and family led to fatherless households. Many men are removed from the responsible and nurturing role of parenting.
Sobering federal statistics report that children from fatherless homes include the large majority of behavioral problems, teen suicides, juveniles in detention, school dropouts, children in chemical-abuse centers, youth in prison, and homeless and runaway children. 6.
Abortion
Since Roe vs. Wade in 1973, more than 50 million abortions have been performed in the U.S. Over 80% of abortions were performed on unmarried women, and over 50% to women under 25. 7.
*In 2000, blacks made up 17% of live births but 36% of all abortions. 8.
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
By March of 2008, 1 in 4 teen girls had at least one STD. The most common, the human papilloma virus causes cervical cancer. The second most common, chlamydia, can lead to infertility.
*Nearly half of black teens had one or more STD's. 9.
By 2005, AIDS in the U.S. had claimed over 530,000 lives. The first cases were reported in the U.S. in 1981 in the homosexual community. 77% of those infected with AIDS are males.
*Blacks represent 12% of the U.S. population, but represent over 50% of accumulated AIDS cases. 10.
Bisexual and casual sexual behaviors transferred this disease to women. In 2005, of the 126,964 women living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., 64% were black, 19% were white, and 15% were Hispanic. 11.
ALCOHOL ABUSE 12.
The tragedies of nicotine use and illegal drugs cause immense personal and social problems, but my focus here is on problems caused by the legal and socially accepted drug of alcohol.
Alcohol is used for sociability in our society and advertisers present it as the life of the party, without presenting the tragic consequences that often result.
Binge drinking is a major problem at colleges. Even one-third of high school students report binge drinking.
Alcohol impairs muscular coodination and mental judgment and is responsible for 22% of all auto fatalities. Over 17,000 deaths occur each year in alcohol related accidents.
The bill for alcohol related abuse may run as high as $100 billion a year in responding to lost employment, crime, date rape, family abuse and family breakdown.
About 43% of adults have experienced alcoholism in their family.
Each year 5,000 children are born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
A CALL FOR WISDOM, WILL AND COURAGE
In three weeks we will vote for the next president of the United States of America.
Who will have the wisdom, will, and courage to call us to restore the content of our character?
Who can lead us back to citizenship and social, personal, and moral responsibility so the foundation of our country can be protected and restored?
There is enough blame to go around.
Let's all decide to get rich a little bit slower and care for each other.
REFERENCES
1. "Secret History of the Credit Card". Frontline. Posted Nov. 23, 2004. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/view.
2. Associated Press. Nov. 21, 2006. MSNBC.com.
3.Cosby, Bill and Alvin F. Poussaint, MD.Come On People. Thomas Nelson. Nashville. 2007:2,14.
4. Henslin, James M. Social Problems. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 2000:371
5. Cosby, pg. 17.
6. Alexander, Mark M. "Fatherless in America". June 17, 2005. www.townhall.com/Common.
7. Center for Disease Control- Abortion Surveillance - U.S. 2000.
8. Lott, John R. and Sonya D. Jones. "Abortion Rate Among Black Women Far Exceeds Rate for Other Groups". April 9, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com.
9. The Associated Press. March 11, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23574940.
10. Center for Disease Control HIV/AIDS. 9/8/2007. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance.
11. HIV/AIDS Among Women. 5/26/2008. http://www.cdc/gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets.
12. Henslin, James M. Social Problems Prentice Hall. Saddle River, NJ. 2000:105-106.
Palen, J. John. Social Problems for the Twenty-first Century.McGraw Hill. 2001:370-371.
Parrillo, Vincent N., John Stimson and Ardyth Stimson. Contemporary Social Problems. Allyn and Bacon. 1999:58-59.
As I watch the presidential debates, I am proud that Barack, Hillary, and Sarah have stood up to demonstrate their strength of leadership, alongside John and Joe. As a teacher and professor I have encouraged equal rights for all.
But I am concerned.
What is needed at this junction in history are leaders who have the WISDOM, WILL and COURAGE to help us restore a greater loss than money.
OUR BROKEN DREAM
On August 28th, 1963 my husband and I joined a carload from our (white, suburban) church to attend the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom which was
organized by black ministers, including Dr.,Rev. Martin Luther King,Jr. We stood at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial as Dr. King challenged us to build a country where people were judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I believe that Dr. King, an eloquent Baptist minister, was calling us all to social, personal and moral responsibility.
Somewhere along the line the American Dream moved away from a focus on personal responsibility to a focus on personal indulgence and the acquisition of material goods. Hedonism was placed on the throne, with personal pleasure in the present as our primary goal.
THE DREAM TURNED PLASTIC
Credit card debt has become a major problem to many Americans. Beginning in the 1950's the convenience of plastic money enticed us into a compulsive consumer economy. Instead of saving and buying with cash, we were told that we can have it all now, so 'charge ahead'!
In 2004, the average family owed $8,000 on their credit cards. Credit card companies send us endless invitations telling us that we are preapproved to open an account. Even high school students receive them. 1.
We bought into it, buying cars, boats, houses and all the furniture.
SEX SELLS!
Sex represents the ultimate personal indulgence. Sex, a powerful motivator, is used to sell products.
Advertisements have long used provocative women and sultry men to sell products from cars to cigarettes. Perverse images of sexuality are presented repeatedly to sell us products every seven minutes. When we become bored with one level of perversity, the shock value increases to continue attracting our attention, regardless of what this is doing to our ability to respect each other and our relationships.
Previously young women were raised with the awareness that sex was related to babies and sexuality was sacred, something to be saved for motherhood and family.
When the 'pill' was introduced in 1960, sex for its own sake became possible. Women were enticed into presenting themselves as sexually available and spontaneous.
Young people were drawn into early and promiscuous sexual relationships with tragic consequences.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL TRAGEDIES - SEX SELLS AND WE BOUGHT
The hard truth is that most personal and social problems are the result of our inability to protect and nurture caring family relationships. Female headed households became the single most reason for the rapid increase in poverty for women and children.
Births Out-of-Wedlock
In 1960, 4% of births were to unmarried women. By 2005, out-of-wedlock births accounted for 37% of babies born in the United States. 2.
* In 1950, five out of six black children were born into a 2 parent home, now 70% are born outside of marriage. 3.
Divorce
Following the establishment of no-fault divorce laws in the 1970's, the number of divorces increased rapidly, In 1970, 4 million Americans had divorced. By the year 2000, the number had grown to 22 million. 4.
* Divorce and separation rates for blacks are now 50% higher than for whites. 5.
Fatherless Homes
The breakdown of marriage and family led to fatherless households. Many men are removed from the responsible and nurturing role of parenting.
Sobering federal statistics report that children from fatherless homes include the large majority of behavioral problems, teen suicides, juveniles in detention, school dropouts, children in chemical-abuse centers, youth in prison, and homeless and runaway children. 6.
Abortion
Since Roe vs. Wade in 1973, more than 50 million abortions have been performed in the U.S. Over 80% of abortions were performed on unmarried women, and over 50% to women under 25. 7.
*In 2000, blacks made up 17% of live births but 36% of all abortions. 8.
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
By March of 2008, 1 in 4 teen girls had at least one STD. The most common, the human papilloma virus causes cervical cancer. The second most common, chlamydia, can lead to infertility.
*Nearly half of black teens had one or more STD's. 9.
By 2005, AIDS in the U.S. had claimed over 530,000 lives. The first cases were reported in the U.S. in 1981 in the homosexual community. 77% of those infected with AIDS are males.
*Blacks represent 12% of the U.S. population, but represent over 50% of accumulated AIDS cases. 10.
Bisexual and casual sexual behaviors transferred this disease to women. In 2005, of the 126,964 women living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., 64% were black, 19% were white, and 15% were Hispanic. 11.
ALCOHOL ABUSE 12.
The tragedies of nicotine use and illegal drugs cause immense personal and social problems, but my focus here is on problems caused by the legal and socially accepted drug of alcohol.
Alcohol is used for sociability in our society and advertisers present it as the life of the party, without presenting the tragic consequences that often result.
Binge drinking is a major problem at colleges. Even one-third of high school students report binge drinking.
Alcohol impairs muscular coodination and mental judgment and is responsible for 22% of all auto fatalities. Over 17,000 deaths occur each year in alcohol related accidents.
The bill for alcohol related abuse may run as high as $100 billion a year in responding to lost employment, crime, date rape, family abuse and family breakdown.
About 43% of adults have experienced alcoholism in their family.
Each year 5,000 children are born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
A CALL FOR WISDOM, WILL AND COURAGE
In three weeks we will vote for the next president of the United States of America.
Who will have the wisdom, will, and courage to call us to restore the content of our character?
Who can lead us back to citizenship and social, personal, and moral responsibility so the foundation of our country can be protected and restored?
There is enough blame to go around.
Let's all decide to get rich a little bit slower and care for each other.
REFERENCES
1. "Secret History of the Credit Card". Frontline. Posted Nov. 23, 2004. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/view.
2. Associated Press. Nov. 21, 2006. MSNBC.com.
3.Cosby, Bill and Alvin F. Poussaint, MD.Come On People. Thomas Nelson. Nashville. 2007:2,14.
4. Henslin, James M. Social Problems. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 2000:371
5. Cosby, pg. 17.
6. Alexander, Mark M. "Fatherless in America". June 17, 2005. www.townhall.com/Common.
7. Center for Disease Control- Abortion Surveillance - U.S. 2000.
8. Lott, John R. and Sonya D. Jones. "Abortion Rate Among Black Women Far Exceeds Rate for Other Groups". April 9, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com.
9. The Associated Press. March 11, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23574940.
10. Center for Disease Control HIV/AIDS. 9/8/2007. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance.
11. HIV/AIDS Among Women. 5/26/2008. http://www.cdc/gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets.
12. Henslin, James M. Social Problems Prentice Hall. Saddle River, NJ. 2000:105-106.
Palen, J. John. Social Problems for the Twenty-first Century.McGraw Hill. 2001:370-371.
Parrillo, Vincent N., John Stimson and Ardyth Stimson. Contemporary Social Problems. Allyn and Bacon. 1999:58-59.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Economic Socialism Endangers Our Freedoms!
OUR FREEDOMS AT STAKE!
Our very freedoms are at stake in the horrendous request that asks taxpayers to give the government SEVEN HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS of their hard earned money to bail out fiascos on wall street.
Our free enterprise system is the foundation that allows many voices to be heard and considered and many enterprises to be established to support values.
IT'S TIME TO STOP ALL THE POLITICAL RHETORIC AND INVESTIGATE WHAT AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEBACLE.
Giving government bureaucrats at the treasury department centralized control over the money available for making business loans and more importantly giving them the authority to decide the eligibility rules as to who will receive these loans moves us into the realm of economic socialism.
Government bureaucracies are under the control of 'political correctness' that is being orchestrated by the far left. This concern becomes evident as we examine government control of the public school system.
POLITICALLY CORRECT BUREAUCRATS AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Moral and religious values of many, I would suggest most, of the students and parents are held in contempt as educational bureaucrats use the public school system to present promiscuous teenage sexuality, homosexuality and abortion as normalized behaviors, even in the elementary grades.
The importance of our religious values and heritage are dismissed within the public schools. My own 8 year old grandson informed me that "We're not allowed to talk about God in school".
As a teacher and professor I have sat through at least 4 extended 'politically correct' indoctrination sessions incorrectly promoted as diversity training. I have watched students and teachers who were 'put down' or even dismissed from their profession for failing to buy into the 'diversified indoctrination".
POLITICALLY CORRECT BUREAUCRATS AND OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Now we want to put government bureaucrats in charge of deciding who or what economic loans are justified and possible? Will similar 'politically correct' criteria be used to make these decisions? Will health industries, private schools, books stores, theaters, department stores, etc. first be required to adjust their offerings to 'political correctness' before they can receive loans? Will the 'I Love Jesus Tire and Brake Service' be required to change its name before a loan is made?
Our foremothers and forefathers, often leaving all behind, came to this country to escape the tyranny of government control over their minds and souls.
Our greed to consume is undermining the spiritual and moral values that have made our country strong. The demand for easy credit and living beyond our means is undermining our integrity.
Dying of consumption is not a good way to go!
IT'S TIME TO EXAMINE OURSELVES! IT'S TIME TO BE ECONOMICALLY RESPONSIBLE AND PROTECT OUR ECONOMIC FREEDOMS!
Our very freedoms are at stake in the horrendous request that asks taxpayers to give the government SEVEN HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS of their hard earned money to bail out fiascos on wall street.
Our free enterprise system is the foundation that allows many voices to be heard and considered and many enterprises to be established to support values.
IT'S TIME TO STOP ALL THE POLITICAL RHETORIC AND INVESTIGATE WHAT AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEBACLE.
Giving government bureaucrats at the treasury department centralized control over the money available for making business loans and more importantly giving them the authority to decide the eligibility rules as to who will receive these loans moves us into the realm of economic socialism.
Government bureaucracies are under the control of 'political correctness' that is being orchestrated by the far left. This concern becomes evident as we examine government control of the public school system.
POLITICALLY CORRECT BUREAUCRATS AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Moral and religious values of many, I would suggest most, of the students and parents are held in contempt as educational bureaucrats use the public school system to present promiscuous teenage sexuality, homosexuality and abortion as normalized behaviors, even in the elementary grades.
The importance of our religious values and heritage are dismissed within the public schools. My own 8 year old grandson informed me that "We're not allowed to talk about God in school".
As a teacher and professor I have sat through at least 4 extended 'politically correct' indoctrination sessions incorrectly promoted as diversity training. I have watched students and teachers who were 'put down' or even dismissed from their profession for failing to buy into the 'diversified indoctrination".
POLITICALLY CORRECT BUREAUCRATS AND OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Now we want to put government bureaucrats in charge of deciding who or what economic loans are justified and possible? Will similar 'politically correct' criteria be used to make these decisions? Will health industries, private schools, books stores, theaters, department stores, etc. first be required to adjust their offerings to 'political correctness' before they can receive loans? Will the 'I Love Jesus Tire and Brake Service' be required to change its name before a loan is made?
Our foremothers and forefathers, often leaving all behind, came to this country to escape the tyranny of government control over their minds and souls.
Our greed to consume is undermining the spiritual and moral values that have made our country strong. The demand for easy credit and living beyond our means is undermining our integrity.
Dying of consumption is not a good way to go!
IT'S TIME TO EXAMINE OURSELVES! IT'S TIME TO BE ECONOMICALLY RESPONSIBLE AND PROTECT OUR ECONOMIC FREEDOMS!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Holy Humanism! It's Politically Correct!
Political correctness has become the mantra of our present day culture. Where did it come from and what is involved in this often intimidating social trend?
The blueprint for political correctness is summarized in two articles of 'faith': Humanist Manifesto I and Humanist Manifesto II.
HUMANIST MANIFESTO I- POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS BORN
In 1933, 34 people signed the Humanist Manifesto I with the intent of establishing a new religion. Included within this group were professors of major universities and ethical societies. Fifteen signers were Unitarians. Included in this group was the educator, John Dewey.
This document outlined the premises of this new religion.
"Today man's larger understanding of the universe, his scientific achievements, and deeper appreciation of brotherhood, have created a situation which requires a new statement of the means and purposes of religion...To establish such a religion is a major necessity of the present...We therefore affirm the following." 1.
* The universe is self-existing, not created. Man is a continuous process of nature. The idea of dualism of mind and body must be rejected. Life exists only in the 'here' and 'now'.
* Modern science makes unacceptable inalienable human values.
* Worship and prayer must be replaced by a sense of personal life and social well-being.
* Religious institutions must be reconstituted as rapidly as possible to function in this new world.
* A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established.
HUMANIST MANIFESTO II - POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GROWS UP!
In 1973, a second manifesto was published. In this document, caution was expressed in discussing the 'faith' of 1933.
"Events since then make that earlier statement seem far too optimistic... Nazism has shown the depths of brutality of which humanity is capable...Science has sometimes brought evil as well as good." 2.
However, the 1973 document continues to deny traditional theism.
"As in 1933, humanists still believe that traditional theism, especially faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for persons, to hear and understand prayers, and to be able to do something about them is an unproved and outmoded faith."..."The next century can and should be the humanistic century." 2.
This statement affirms a "design for a secular society on a planetary scale". Technology is outlined as the key to human progress, with the 'faith' that scientific research should not be censored. Traditional religions are outlined as the obstacles to human progress.
* There is no divine purpose or separable soul.
* The use of the scientific method must be extended.
* Participatory democracy must be extended to the economy, school, family, workplace, and voluntary associations.
* The state should be responsible to encourage freedom for different moral, political, religious, and social values.
* Ethics must be considered autonomous and situational.
* Civil liberties must be extended to include:
- the right to die
- the right to euthanasia
- the right to suicide
- the right to birth control
- the right to abortion
- the right to divorce
- the right to many varieties of sexual behaviors between consenting adults.
Humanist Manifesto II proposes the development of a system of world law and world order based on a transnational federal government. This world community must renounce violence and engage in cooperative planning. The writers have 'faith' that global scientific socialism will lead to world progress and brotherhood.
The document of 1973 was signed by 118 people each of whom listed an affiliation with an organized group. Included in this group were over 40 professors at major universities and 30 leaders of ethical, humanist, rational and Unitarian societies. Among those signing were the author Isaac Asinov, the Russian dissident Andrei Sakkarov, and the behavioral psychologist, B. F. Skinner.
THE NEW RELIGION IS POLITICALLY CORRECT!
The above 'faith' statements represent the 'religion' that is being taught in our universities and our public schools. Although the ideas in the manifestos are stated in positive terms of brotherhood, peace, goodwill, human happiness, and human potential, the documents are replete with hidden agendas for far-reaching societal change.
Democracy is held up as an ideal for this new society. However, the tone of the articles is one of command. The words 'must' and 'should' appear repeatedly throughout the documents.
The proposals in these documents constitute major changes in religious, social, and political organization. What is outlined is global scientific socialism, devoid of spiritual or eternal reality.
SPEAK OUT!
Because the affirmations in these documents have been stated as imperatives, it becomes imperative that we, as students, educators, parents and citizens, study these proposals, discuss the extent of their influence in our educational system, anaylze the textbooks being used, and consider whether this is the direction in which we want to proceed, whether this is the religion we want taught in our public school systems.
Then we must make our voices heard! In the community, the school systems, in the legislature.
1. Humanist Manifesto I. The New Humanist. Vol. VI. No. 3 (May/June) 1933.
http://www.jcn.com/manifestos.html.
2. Humanist Manifest II. The New Humanist. Vol. XXXIII. No. 5 (Sept/Oct) 1973.
http://www.jcn.com/manifestos.html.
The blueprint for political correctness is summarized in two articles of 'faith': Humanist Manifesto I and Humanist Manifesto II.
HUMANIST MANIFESTO I- POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS BORN
In 1933, 34 people signed the Humanist Manifesto I with the intent of establishing a new religion. Included within this group were professors of major universities and ethical societies. Fifteen signers were Unitarians. Included in this group was the educator, John Dewey.
This document outlined the premises of this new religion.
"Today man's larger understanding of the universe, his scientific achievements, and deeper appreciation of brotherhood, have created a situation which requires a new statement of the means and purposes of religion...To establish such a religion is a major necessity of the present...We therefore affirm the following." 1.
* The universe is self-existing, not created. Man is a continuous process of nature. The idea of dualism of mind and body must be rejected. Life exists only in the 'here' and 'now'.
* Modern science makes unacceptable inalienable human values.
* Worship and prayer must be replaced by a sense of personal life and social well-being.
* Religious institutions must be reconstituted as rapidly as possible to function in this new world.
* A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established.
HUMANIST MANIFESTO II - POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GROWS UP!
In 1973, a second manifesto was published. In this document, caution was expressed in discussing the 'faith' of 1933.
"Events since then make that earlier statement seem far too optimistic... Nazism has shown the depths of brutality of which humanity is capable...Science has sometimes brought evil as well as good." 2.
However, the 1973 document continues to deny traditional theism.
"As in 1933, humanists still believe that traditional theism, especially faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for persons, to hear and understand prayers, and to be able to do something about them is an unproved and outmoded faith."..."The next century can and should be the humanistic century." 2.
This statement affirms a "design for a secular society on a planetary scale". Technology is outlined as the key to human progress, with the 'faith' that scientific research should not be censored. Traditional religions are outlined as the obstacles to human progress.
* There is no divine purpose or separable soul.
* The use of the scientific method must be extended.
* Participatory democracy must be extended to the economy, school, family, workplace, and voluntary associations.
* The state should be responsible to encourage freedom for different moral, political, religious, and social values.
* Ethics must be considered autonomous and situational.
* Civil liberties must be extended to include:
- the right to die
- the right to euthanasia
- the right to suicide
- the right to birth control
- the right to abortion
- the right to divorce
- the right to many varieties of sexual behaviors between consenting adults.
Humanist Manifesto II proposes the development of a system of world law and world order based on a transnational federal government. This world community must renounce violence and engage in cooperative planning. The writers have 'faith' that global scientific socialism will lead to world progress and brotherhood.
The document of 1973 was signed by 118 people each of whom listed an affiliation with an organized group. Included in this group were over 40 professors at major universities and 30 leaders of ethical, humanist, rational and Unitarian societies. Among those signing were the author Isaac Asinov, the Russian dissident Andrei Sakkarov, and the behavioral psychologist, B. F. Skinner.
THE NEW RELIGION IS POLITICALLY CORRECT!
The above 'faith' statements represent the 'religion' that is being taught in our universities and our public schools. Although the ideas in the manifestos are stated in positive terms of brotherhood, peace, goodwill, human happiness, and human potential, the documents are replete with hidden agendas for far-reaching societal change.
Democracy is held up as an ideal for this new society. However, the tone of the articles is one of command. The words 'must' and 'should' appear repeatedly throughout the documents.
The proposals in these documents constitute major changes in religious, social, and political organization. What is outlined is global scientific socialism, devoid of spiritual or eternal reality.
SPEAK OUT!
Because the affirmations in these documents have been stated as imperatives, it becomes imperative that we, as students, educators, parents and citizens, study these proposals, discuss the extent of their influence in our educational system, anaylze the textbooks being used, and consider whether this is the direction in which we want to proceed, whether this is the religion we want taught in our public school systems.
Then we must make our voices heard! In the community, the school systems, in the legislature.
1. Humanist Manifesto I. The New Humanist. Vol. VI. No. 3 (May/June) 1933.
http://www.jcn.com/manifestos.html.
2. Humanist Manifest II. The New Humanist. Vol. XXXIII. No. 5 (Sept/Oct) 1973.
http://www.jcn.com/manifestos.html.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
When Organizations and Families Collide
Most Americans continue to find their greatest sources of nurture, support, and meaning within their family experiences.
In our modern society, however, we are spending an increasing amount of time in bureaucratic organizational involvements, away from our families.
Organizations, while offering support and services for families and individuals, may challenge and compete with family involvements. Organizations may view members as commodities to expand and increase the organizational program, with little thought or concern about how the involvements may affect relationships within the family unit.
Social analyst, Eugene Litwak, contends that both organizations and strong family relationships are essential for the maintenance of an industrial society. He notes that organizations provide efficient, objective, transitory, and specialized services, while the family and kinship units provide the personal, emotional, diffuse, and permanent support and guidance necessary for personal development. 1.
THE FAMILY REALM IS DIFFERENT
The family realm differs from relationships in bureaucratic organizations. The expectations for interactions within these two realms are usually quite different.
Researchers in the Department of Family Sciences of Brigham Young University identified seven characteristics that distinguish the 'ideal' family realm from organizational experiences. 2.
1. Family relationships are generational and permanent.
* Organizations have specific goals of interest for a limited time period.
2. Family relationships involve 'whole persons' for better and worse with respect for the unique qualities of the members.
* Organizations involve people in a 'role' relationship, structured to avoid
contradictions.
3. Family relationships are multidimensional. Many processes are occurring at once, often becoming irrational and disordered. Actions and feelings must be juggled simultaneously.
* Organizational activities are focused, sequential, ordered, and temporary.
4. Families develop emotional intensity that includes not only feelings of love, but also feelings of concern worry, and anger.
* Feelings toward organizational colleagues are less intense and holistic.
5. Family relationships focus on measures of the quality of 'being' in an ongoing process of nurture.
* Organizations focus on quantity measures of achievement, profit, performance,
ratings, and rankings.
6. Family relationships include a sense of sacred responsibility and duty to other family members.
* Organizations include agreements and contracts for mutual advantage.
7. Family relationships are based on processes of caring, nurturing, persuading, and training to foster the growth and development of the members.
* Organizations treat members as commodities where people are hired, fired,
managed and manipulated.
LEARNING HOW TO LOVE FOREVER - EDUCATION FOR HEALTHY MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES
Our social education programs are failing to educate citizens in the skills necessary for the success of healthy marriage and family relationships. Without the ability to care and share, listen and communicate, manage anger, resolve conflicts and forgive, relationships within families become destructive and broken.
In 1995, the Council on Families, which includes prominent social researchers and proponents of religious and social policy, issued a report entitled Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation. They contend that "The divorce revolution...has failed. It has created terrible hardships for children, incurred unsupportable social costs, and failed to deliver on its promise of greater adult happiness... Making marriage in America stronger will require a fundamental shift in cultural values and public policy. No one sector of society is responsible for the decline in marriage... We are all part of the problem, and therefore we all must be part of the solution." 3.
The Council on Families concludes that educational, religious, civic, business, political, and health organizations must all work together to regain the personal
and social value of marriage and family relationships.
In light of the importance of continuing family relationships for personal support, and concerns for the tragic breakdown of family relationships and social cost to individuals and society, it is essential that our educational organizations, including our schools, churches and other community support groups, offer training in the unique processes that support marriage and family nurture and enrichment.
WE CAN LEARN TO LOVE FOREVER! It's time to move forward and make it happen!
REFERENCES:
1. Litwak, Eugene. "Extended kin relations in an industrial society." In
Social Structure and the Family: Generational Relations.E. Shanas and B.F. Streib. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall. 1965:290-323.
2. Beutler, Ivan R., Wesley R. Burr and Kathleen S. Bahr. "The family realm: theoretical contributions for understanding its uniqueness." Journal of Marriage and the Family. Vol.51(August)1989:805-816.
3. Council on Families. Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation. 1995.
www.americanvalues.org/html/r-marriage_in_america.
In our modern society, however, we are spending an increasing amount of time in bureaucratic organizational involvements, away from our families.
Organizations, while offering support and services for families and individuals, may challenge and compete with family involvements. Organizations may view members as commodities to expand and increase the organizational program, with little thought or concern about how the involvements may affect relationships within the family unit.
Social analyst, Eugene Litwak, contends that both organizations and strong family relationships are essential for the maintenance of an industrial society. He notes that organizations provide efficient, objective, transitory, and specialized services, while the family and kinship units provide the personal, emotional, diffuse, and permanent support and guidance necessary for personal development. 1.
THE FAMILY REALM IS DIFFERENT
The family realm differs from relationships in bureaucratic organizations. The expectations for interactions within these two realms are usually quite different.
Researchers in the Department of Family Sciences of Brigham Young University identified seven characteristics that distinguish the 'ideal' family realm from organizational experiences. 2.
1. Family relationships are generational and permanent.
* Organizations have specific goals of interest for a limited time period.
2. Family relationships involve 'whole persons' for better and worse with respect for the unique qualities of the members.
* Organizations involve people in a 'role' relationship, structured to avoid
contradictions.
3. Family relationships are multidimensional. Many processes are occurring at once, often becoming irrational and disordered. Actions and feelings must be juggled simultaneously.
* Organizational activities are focused, sequential, ordered, and temporary.
4. Families develop emotional intensity that includes not only feelings of love, but also feelings of concern worry, and anger.
* Feelings toward organizational colleagues are less intense and holistic.
5. Family relationships focus on measures of the quality of 'being' in an ongoing process of nurture.
* Organizations focus on quantity measures of achievement, profit, performance,
ratings, and rankings.
6. Family relationships include a sense of sacred responsibility and duty to other family members.
* Organizations include agreements and contracts for mutual advantage.
7. Family relationships are based on processes of caring, nurturing, persuading, and training to foster the growth and development of the members.
* Organizations treat members as commodities where people are hired, fired,
managed and manipulated.
LEARNING HOW TO LOVE FOREVER - EDUCATION FOR HEALTHY MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES
Our social education programs are failing to educate citizens in the skills necessary for the success of healthy marriage and family relationships. Without the ability to care and share, listen and communicate, manage anger, resolve conflicts and forgive, relationships within families become destructive and broken.
In 1995, the Council on Families, which includes prominent social researchers and proponents of religious and social policy, issued a report entitled Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation. They contend that "The divorce revolution...has failed. It has created terrible hardships for children, incurred unsupportable social costs, and failed to deliver on its promise of greater adult happiness... Making marriage in America stronger will require a fundamental shift in cultural values and public policy. No one sector of society is responsible for the decline in marriage... We are all part of the problem, and therefore we all must be part of the solution." 3.
The Council on Families concludes that educational, religious, civic, business, political, and health organizations must all work together to regain the personal
and social value of marriage and family relationships.
In light of the importance of continuing family relationships for personal support, and concerns for the tragic breakdown of family relationships and social cost to individuals and society, it is essential that our educational organizations, including our schools, churches and other community support groups, offer training in the unique processes that support marriage and family nurture and enrichment.
WE CAN LEARN TO LOVE FOREVER! It's time to move forward and make it happen!
REFERENCES:
1. Litwak, Eugene. "Extended kin relations in an industrial society." In
Social Structure and the Family: Generational Relations.E. Shanas and B.F. Streib. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall. 1965:290-323.
2. Beutler, Ivan R., Wesley R. Burr and Kathleen S. Bahr. "The family realm: theoretical contributions for understanding its uniqueness." Journal of Marriage and the Family. Vol.51(August)1989:805-816.
3. Council on Families. Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation. 1995.
www.americanvalues.org/html/r-marriage_in_america.
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