-Caveat Lector-
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for March 9, 1999
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
AANEWS
#537 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3/9/99
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/
http://www.americanatheist.org
---------------------------------------------
A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"For Reason and the First Amendment"
----------------------------------------------
In This Issue...
* Religious exemption from child labor laws?
* Churches want more "Chastity Police" funding
* Update -- The American Atheists Convention, April 2-4
* Murderer is latest "boy toy" for religion? Check out Atheist Viewpoint
* Resources
* About this list...
<snip>
**
RELIGIOUS RIGHT GROUPS -- IN SEARCH OF SOCIALISM FOR CHASTITY?
Mention spending government money for the arts, or education, or aid
to welfare mothers and many social-religious conservatives express
dire warnings of socialism and excessive government spending. But the
sanctity of the public treasury seems to hold little meaning for Rep.
Bill Archer (R-Texas) and others on Capitol Hill who now propose
tripling the size of a federal program with the purpose of
discouraging sex outside of marriage and promoting chastity/abstinence
programs in schools. Under new proposals now being made, government
would increase spending for such programs over a five year period from
the current level of approximately $250 million to $750million.
Abstinence crusades are a hot item in Washington, but their trendy
history goes back to the days of the Reagan administration. In the
1980s, amidst a political climate of cutting programs and declaring
the need for less, not more government, First Lady Nancy Reagan
proposed spending up to $20 million for a chain of "chastity centers"
across the nation. Abstinence advocates pointed to rising rates of
teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, abortions and single
moms. Critics, however, charged that sex education was a more
effective and realistic way of dealing with those problems.
The 1996 Welfare Reform Bill created the current abstinence programs
which have been criticized from both ends of the political spectrum.
In some states, abstinence programs have been implemented by cutting
sex education classes that teach teens about contraception. Critics
like Debra Haffner, President of the Sexuality Information and
Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) charges that the
chastity programs are simply fronts for those groups "trying to
Christianize the schools." Haffner recently told the Scripps Howard
news service that abstinence boosters "want to impose a single
morality on America which is that there should be no sexual activity
outside of marriage."
"That's a world that has never existed in America," Haffner adds.
Indeed, the wording of the Welfare Reform Act disturbs civil
libertarians and state- church separationists; the program is to teach
recipients that "a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the
context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual
activity," and that "sexual activity outside of marriage is likely to
have harmful psychological and physical effects."
Chastity programs are now no longer just directed at teens. Civil
libertarians worry about the intrusive specter of Big Brother telling
even adults how to organize their lives; in at least five states,
abstinence money has been directed to adult programs. In a dozen
more, women are discouraged from having abortions.
Catholic and other religious schools also qualify for abstinence
grants; in Atlanta, for instance, taxpayers are picking up the tab for
one Parochial school program that costs $35,000 and combines the
chastity message with golf and dancing lessons.
Church-Stated Mandated Virtue
Religious conservatives throughout the nation have been turning up the
pressure for more government promotion of chastity, and to counter any
attempts to dilute the abstinence programs now in effect. Leading the
charge is a loose-knit coalition of 60 organizations affiliated with
James Dobson's Focus on the Family movement in Colorado. The effects
are beginning to show according to news sources.
* The influential Washington-based Heritage Foundation is calling for
increased federal and state legislation to promote chastity. The
group's "abstinence guru," policy analyst Robert Rector, crafted that
portion of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act which implements chastity
programs. Rector urges the creation of what the Nando (News &
Observer) Times describes ironically as a "sexual pecking order" to be
promoted for public ideological consumption. "Marriage holds the
place of highest regard, followed by virgins until engaged, virgins
until they met someone they wanted to marry, virgins until they fell
in love, and on down to the bottom," a situation which Rector
describes as "extremely dysfunctional, extremely destructive
bar-hopping with casual partners to whom they have no commitment..."
* Religious groups are busy meeting with elected officials in states
like New Mexico, George, Louisiana and elsewhere to promote their
chastity agenda. In Tennessee, Gov. Donald Sundquist put more church
leaders on the state panel that handles grant applications for the
program. A program funded by taxpayers in Turner County, Ga.
underwrites meetings at a local community center where a Christian
minister often leads the youth in a prayer "asking God to control
their minds so they will be able to walk as he would have them walk,
live as he would have them live," according to an official with the
sponsoring group. That organization, the Turner County health
Coalition, is described as a "Bible-based, Christ centered and Holy
Spirit-led" outreach.
* Not everyone is signing on to the chastity bandwagon. California
and New Hampshire did not participate in the federal program last
year. Officials in Richmond, Virginia opted out as well, saying that
the abstinence-only message being delivered to teens was irresponsible
and unrealistic.
How effective are chastity-based programs? Critics say that declining
rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and
other measurable factors has more to do with increased use of
contraception, and talking with teens about choice rather than
mandated behaviors like abstinence. In addition, abstinence boosters
are coming under attack for exaggerating the failure rate of
contraceptives; there are also charges that the "chastity police'" are
attempting to terrify young people about sex by showing lurid medical
slides of untreated syphilis sores. There is actually little credible
data to measure the long-term effectiveness of abstinence programs.
Sex researcher Douglas Kirby of ETR Associates in California says that
the few studies which have been done suggest that abstinence-only
programs do not live up to the expectations of their backers. He adds
that sex education programs combined with contraceptive information do
reduce teen pregnancy and STD rates, however.
For separationists, the concern over abstinence-based programs funded
with public monies is that they often appear to cross the line into
religious proselytizing. The Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down
attempts use government funds for the purpose of promoting religious
instruction; even so, chastity programs are a backdoor solution for
putting churches or other faith- based outreaches on the public
payroll. In some cases, such as the program in Georgia, for instance,
there seems to be inadequate oversight of how the money is being
spent. The ultimate irony, though, remains the precarious position
which many social and religious conservatives find themselves in,
namely, using the power of government and the public treasury in an
effort to decide what behaviors are acceptable in the bedroom.
<snip>
**
THE ATHEIST VIEWPOINT -- NOW, SEE IT ON LINE!
"The Atheist Viewpoint," American Atheists' weekly half-hour
television program is now on the American Atheist website. Go right
to the Visitor's Center and click on the title you want. NOW PLAYING:
"Son Of Sam - Christian Role Model." Find out how a convicted,
psychopathic murderer from New York City is now Jesus' favorite
boytoy.
**
RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS...
* For information about American Atheists, send mail to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Please include your name and postal mailing
address.
* For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and
other products, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kindly include
your postal mailing address.
* The American Atheist Magazine is now on the web! Check out select
articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only
features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheists.org
* If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our
e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who
discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and
lots more! Contact Margie Wait, the Moderator, through
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ABOUT THIS LIST...
AANEWS is a free service from American Atheists, a nationwide movement
founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair for the advancement of Atheism, and
the total, absolute separation of government and religion.
You may forward, post or quote from this dispatch, provided that
appropriate credit is given to AANEWS and American Atheists. Edited
by Conrad Goeringer, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet Representative for
American Atheists is Margie Wait, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To change your email address, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with your old address in the Subject: line
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.sonic.net/~ric * ICQ# 19633976 *
*
*** SkeptiChat: sliding down the razor-blade of life ***
now featuring SkeptiNews: All The News That's Fit To Question
email INFO or SUBSCRIBE SKEPTICHAT to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
