DIAL A GAY ATHEIST 08 August 1994 FRONT PAGE RELIGION Welcome to Dial A Gay Atheist, a com

                     DIAL A GAY ATHEIST
                       08 August 1994

  
                     FRONT PAGE RELIGION
                                    

     Welcome to Dial A Gay Atheist, a communications service
of American Gay & Lesbian Atheists. American Gay Atheists,
Inc., is a non-profit, educational foundation dedicated to
keeping state and church separate and promoting the concept
as the lesbian and gay community's most important
constitutional ally. Inquiries should be addressed, in
writing, to AGLA, PO Box 66711, Houston, TX 77266. Contents
of Dial A Gay Atheist are protected under the copyright laws
of the United States and require permission for reproduction
in any manner. This is Don Sanders for Dial A Gay Atheist.
 
  A number of you have asked why Dial A Gay Atheist has
placed a disclaimer message concerning its contents being
protected under the copyright laws of the United States.
Simply, we were tired of the contents of our messages being
used by religious organizations in order to fan the flames of
their irrational followers in an attempt to bilk money and
build the cause of irrationalism in this nation. Back during
December of 1993, Christian radio loud-mouth and twister of
misinformation, Bob Larson of Denver, Colorado, called Dial A
Gay Atheist and excised portions of our Winter Solstice
message and played it over the air on his 2-hour talk radio
broadcast. Throughout his show, he would revert back to Dial
A Gay Atheist and use it to raise funds for his ministry of
hate, deception and misinformation. After consulting with an
attorney, we were instructed to place a disclaimer message
thereon. This way, anyone or any entity which abuses messages
in the same manner done by Bob Larson may be held liable for
damages. So, the answer for this disclaimer message lies in
the fact that we have been assaulted by Christian fanatics
who have taken our messages, twisted them, and used them for
their own financial gain. 
 
     This message is being prepared on Monday evening, August
8. If you are a resident of Houston, the city of origin of
this service, you may have seen the Houston Chronicle today.
Because a number of you are out-of-town and out-of-state
callers, let me tell you about Monday's front page, which was
simply spilling over with religion. The large feature color
photo highlighting the front page was that of a priest,
dressed in 12th Century drag, standing above the entrance to
Galveston Bay at Kemah, holding a magic wand of sorts, as the
brigade of shrimp boats and pleasure craft sailed by. This is
yet another "religious tradition" stemming from the depths of
the Middle Ages which has held on in tradition in our society
to the present time. Despite the annual blessing of the
fleet, there are good years and bad years for the fishing
industry, regardless of the "blessing of the fleet" by a
medieval priest. 
 
     Just below the photo of the robed medieval leftover is
the photo of a family mom and dad and two young male
children. All four are wearing baseball caps (the fashion
crossover of modern day gang-wear and bubba-wear), mommy and
daddy with about 40 pounds of excess gut hanging over their
waists, and both juniors with baseball uniforms, with the
older offspring holding a baseball bat. We're not sure if the
baseball bat is intended for hitting balls or knocking
skulls? The corresponding article explains: "In its third
year, Lutheran night at the ballpark has become a sort of
religious experience for congregation members. They rent
buses and trek into the city from all over Texas' Gulf Coast,
and sometimes from as far away as Louisiana. They do it for
love of the sport and for fellowship." They love to use that
word, "fellowship." The photo and story are in reference to
the pending strike of the grossly over-paid, spoiled,
juvenile adult men who play the game of baseball, which,
along with a few other varieties of sports like football and
basketball, comprise America's secular religion. The average
baseball player's salary in America is a measly $1.2 million
per year. Poor, underpaid babies!
 
     The other religious article featured on page one of the
Chronicle dealt with a federal investigation into abortion
clinic violence and an alleged declaration which was signed
by a number of anti-abortion terrorists supporting the
killing of abortion clinic doctors. The report claims that
the declaration was created by Paul Hill, the former
Presbyterian minister who pulled the trigger in Pensacola's
July 29 slayings. Thirty Christian terrorists allegedly
signed the document which read, in part, "We proclaim that
whatever force is legitimate to defend the life of a born
child is legitimate to defend the life of an unborn child."
According to the Chronicle report, a number of those who
signed the declaration are acquaintances of Shelley Shannon,
the woman convicted in March of trying to kill Wichita
physician George Tiller. Paul Hill has allegedly corresponded
regularly with Shannon, and during Shannon's trial, Hill came
to Wichita to show support. 
 
     Another name found of Hill's declaration of death is
that of the Rev. David Trosch, a Catholic priest from Mobile,
Alabama, who, in a July 16 letter to Congress, wrote that
Christians across America would soon "come to grips" that
abortion is murder. When that happens, the priest wrote, "we
will see the beginning of massive killing of abortionists and
their staffs." The priest's letter continued by saying that
members of the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and NOW "will be
sought out and terminated as vermin are terminated. It will
be seen as a necessity for the defense of innocent human
life." Killing those with whom they disagree is an old
Christian tradition. How fitting for a modern-day priest to
be uttering such words in light of the tradition of slaughter
of his church.
 
     Well, it does, indeed,appear that the Federal Government
might uncover an conspiracy among the right-wing, Christian-
dominated ranks of the anti-abortionist, mandatory motherhood
terrorists. Of course, as we said last week, the conspiracy
of terrorism emanates from the sweet little churches which
dot the landscape of our "one nation under God." 
 
     And on today's broadcast of Paul Harvey, the right-wing,
conservative radio news guru, Harvey was complaining about
the fringe religious elements in America who claim that it is
their right, under the Constitution's Free Exercise clause,
to slaughter and kill animals (an act known as sacrifice),
frequently and usually in gruesome manners, as part of their
right to freedom of religious exercise. Harvey said on his
program that the U.S. Supreme Court should put limits of this
kind of religious abuse. Well, I would like to remind Paul
Harvey that it was only a couple of years ago that our very
own Supreme Court did, indeed, try to place limits of the
illegal and dangerous activities in which persons could
involve themselves under the guise and excuse of "freedom of
religion." This was affirmed in the so-called Smith case.
This case involved the use of Peyote, a hallucinogenic
substance, by some groups during religious ceremonies. Then,
after the Court affirmed that the state does have a
compelling interest to regulate some religious activities
which can be detrimental or illegal, Congress immediately
jumped in and unanimously passed the so-called Religious
Freedom Restoration Act, signed by President Clinton, which
essentially opened the doors for all kinds of abuse, illegal
and dangerous activities in which anyone wishes to
participate, as long as it's done in the name of religion.
So, Paul Harvey, check your facts! The Courts did say that
enough was enough, but it was the American people who allowed
their Congressmen to pass the crazy Religious Freedom
Restoration Act which allows almost any heinous, gruesome,
crazy and dangerous activity to be done under the protection
of freedom of religion. You asked for it. You got it. So just
deal with it.
 
  America is wallowing in religious muck. With the dumbing
down of the people comes the rising tide of religious-based
idiocy and superstition. In the midst of this whirlpool lies
AGLA which firmly supports the Jeffersonian concept that
there should be a wall of separation between church and
state. More and more, we are seeing the need for that wall to
be rebuilt. If you would like to help, send a contribution to
AGLA, PO Box 66711, Houston, TX 77266. For a free sample copy
of the American Gay & Lesbian Atheist newsletter, write, and
we'll send it right along. 
 
  In Houston, tune in to the American Atheist TV Forum on
your community access cable channel on Sunday, August 14, at
7:30 PM. At the tone, tell us from where you're calling and
what's on your mind. Your comments may be selected for
playback during an upcoming segment of Dial A Gay Atheist. Of
course, you may call this American GAY Atheist again,
anytime!
 
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