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Freethought Association of West Michigan

Meeting for Sept., 9, 1998 (#31).

"Still a non-prophet organization"

We thank Carl Bajema, professor of biology @ GVSU for presenting to us

his review of the book Skeptics & True Believers; The Exhilarating

Connection Between Science & Religion ('98, Walker, NY, 288pp $23.) by

Chet Raymo. Raymo's thesis is that religion "should embrace the reliable

knowledge that science provides, while @ the same time science should

respect and nourish humankind's need for spiritual sustenance." (from

the book jacket.)

Dr. bajema was unable to discern an "exhilarating connection" between

the scientific approach & the revelations of religion. Raymo

acknowledges the "ever-widening fault-line" between the two approaches.

The idea of awe as a unifying theme between the two was discussed. Also

the paucity of "warm & fuzzy" concepts in scientific findings was

mentioned:

i.e-- no evidence of a personal, caring, omnipotent Father figure

concerned with us and having prepared a place of eternal bliss for us

after earthly death; our place in the universe having shifted from the

geocentric center to a heliocentric one in a remote and insignificant

corner of one galaxy among billions, and rather than being a special and

planned creation, we seem to have arisen via natural & sexual selection

from blind chemcal processes during bilions of years of evolutionary

descent with an apparent purpose of making copies of our genes and

without evidence of any "ghost in the machine." Religion (by contrast)

offers an unested, scientifically invalid but very comforting story of

us as loved, planned and special creation, destined to live forever in

endless happiness with our Creator.

We talked of howw true believers look for explanations from "out there"

in supernatural or even extraterrestrial phenomena whereas the

scientist deals with the natural world where even mathematical theories

of causal agents not as yet observable are still related to and give

plausible explanations of natural, observable effects and phenomena. The

theist's proffering: "God did it by unknown/inscrutable means" offers no

true explanation nor any means by which to test or explore this

declaration, or increase our understanding of the natural world.

With the ideas of unification of knowledge and huan experiences as a

topic, sociobiologist, E.O. Wilson and his recent book Consilience was

brought up. also we talked of what constituted a religious experience

and whatever correlations there may be with the sense of reverence and

awe one feels in rationally understood experiences that are nonetheless

so feeling-fraught as to be difficult to frame in words.

We spoke of the theory of genetic predispostion toward mythic

storytelling/ religious sentiment, Richard Dawkins' concepts of "memes"

and "virses of the mind" and concepts of coevolution, sexual selection

and display, covered especially well in The Red Queen by Matt Ridley.

Dawkins will have a new book out soon called Unweaving the Rainbow. Look

for it!

We talked about the compartmentalization done byscientsts/ rationalits

affiliated with religious faith but who wear a different hat in other

aspects of their life and work.

The "hallowing of the everyday" idea was thought by many of us to be a

good summation of feeling that can be undertaken/ experienced equally by

theists and non-theists alkie.

We ended by speaking of competition, capitalism/ socialism, our constant

assessing of one another, display of wealth, health, status symbols,

patterns of selection, infanticide, "the selfish gene" and so on.

Other items: a newspaper (GR Press) article on Hastings Christian radio

personality and Promise Keeper who was convicted of being a pediaphile

was brought in.

We mentioned LAnette Grate's excellent guest comentary in the GR Press

regarding the Pomise Keepers and their agenda (as well as reaction from

writers to the Public Pulse section of the paper). One excerpt from

Grate's article: "Truth cannot be appropriated by one gender, race

class, or religion. Promise Keepers is an attempt by well-meaning but

misguided men to justify control of males over females. They give

themselves permission to dominate by assuring women they will do it

'nicely,' with God's blessing and the woman's best interest at heart."

Also mentioned was "Farewell To God"- an article in the Winter '97/ '98

FreeInquiry magazine by Charles Templeton who was regarded as "the Billy

Graham of Canada" and wrote of his break with the church and religion

and becoming a humanist.

The Bill of Right For Unbelievers was passed around to be read and

signed by any interested. This was drafted by the Campus Freethought

Alliance but has expanded beyond college campuses to include any who

wish to be allied with this potentially historic document.

John O. (FAOWM member) is organizing the Frethought Association as an

official student group on the GVSU camps with member Carl B. acting as

faculty advisor to the group.

A member directory is available. For a copy or to update see Jeff S. or

drop us a line.

Our next meeting's topic will be Separation of Church & State, moderated

by Tim V. Future topic ideas are always welcome! Let us know via the

suggestion box or e-mail.

Check out our website's "related links" to view articles on the History

of Freethought in the U.S. and Albert Einstein-- Becoming a Freethinker

and Scientist.

Next meeting is @ the UICA on September 23rd, '98 @ 7PM. Hope to see you

there!

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>From E.O. Wilson's book Consilience: "Behavioral scientists from a

different world would notice imediately the semiotic resembence between

animal submissive behavior on the one hand and human obeisance to

religious and civil authority on the other. They would point out that

the most elaborate rites of obeisace are directed at the gods, the

hyperdominant if invisible members of the human group. And they would

conclude, correctly, that in baseline social behavior, not just anatomy,

Homo sapiens has only recently diverged in evolution from a nonhuman

primate stock."