President's Letter
by Mat Pauley
 
Dear CFA members:

  There is a wonderful episode of Hollywood Squares (the new version I suppose). The following is a description of what happened as best as I can remember (the show aired at 12:30 am a few weeks ago). Penn and Teller are nestled in the top, right square; both are grinning wildly. The quick Q&A between the host, the contestant and the magicians reveal that there was likely some more in depth conversation off-camera amidst the four (However, Teller, of course, was silent). The question was posed to the deceptive duo; with brief hesitation Penn answered -- his voice brimming with confidence. The contestant agreed. Before the host (his name escapes me) could announce that her assent was incorrect and that "Circle takes the square!" Penn began screaming at the woman: "No, no! What did I just get over telling you [during commercial]?" Her mistake was that she blindly accepted as true what another told her.
  Penn and Teller make a living by deceiving people's perceptions and forcing them to question what they see and hear. They have a Showtime series called "Bullshit" that addresses, well, all the bull that people go around spouting. The contestant swallowed Penn's bull. The point was (and is) obvious: people shouldn't believe statements just
because someone in authority is telling them to. It was further supported when the mistaken contestant's competitor faced P&T a round later. Again a question was posed and again Penn gave answer in a tone that was impressively confident. Circle disagreed; "There you go!" Penn exhorted. One should not interpret Penn Jillette's methods to mean that everyone is a liar and one should deny every claim heard. Rather, one should mistrust claims by authority and accept them only after some appropriate critical inquiry. Skepticism is not a bad thing. So there you have this month's object lesson. What else is going on?
  Well I think that the volunteer service committees that CFA has put together, coordinated by past-president Debbie Goddard, are a fantastic way for you to get involved in advancing the growth of the student humanist and skeptic movement, whether you are on a campus or off-campus. It's exciting that CFA just hired Debbie part-time while she is at Temple to coordinate them. It is nice to see more students volunteering with CFA nationally, and the by doing so, you gain valuable volunteer experience with a national public education and advocacy organization.
  Oh yeah, I wanted to take some time to reflect upon Mel Gibson's Passion coming out in the spring. For those who are not aware of the movie, it is a retelling of Jesus' last days. The big hullabaloo is that some Jewish groups have denounced the movie as anti-Semitic (i.e. Jews as Christ-killers). The movie will not be in English (so I hear); rather, it will be in Aramaic and Latin. As a person who has taken Latin through high school and undergrad, I know that almost every Latin teacher in the country will be urging students to see Passion. While state employees should not be encouraging patronage to the Gibson movie as a substantive method to spread the word of Christ (which I anticipate as a possible issue), let us lay off the Latin teachers. It is not everyday when a mainstream film touches the precious dead language and allows for the clash of pop-culture and ablative absolutes (Latin professors preaching the word is another matter). Ultimately, I am sure many CFA members will be geared up to see Passion as it will stir up debate on the claims of the Gospels and serve comparative religion functions. I am sure that some CFA members will construe
the movie as propaganda and argue against handing over money to a religious effort.
  November is often seen as the month to prepare for Darwin Day. Darwin Day is on February 12th and is a celebration of his work and science in general. There are a plethora of activities and events that you and your group can participate in, such as: speakers, fundraisers, recruitment campaigns, debates, and more. Check out www.darwinday.org for more information.
  Does your CFA organization need a place to chat on the web? If so, contact DJ Grothe or Thanh Ly at CFA headquarters and they can set your group up with a your own forum on the CFA website.
  Roy Moore has been denied. Yes, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal regarding the granite Decalogue he placed in front of the Alabama State Judicial Building. American United for Separation of Church and State reports on their website: The high court's refusal to hear the Moore v. Glassroth case means that the legal controversy is over and that Moore has lost his final appeal. The two-and-a-half-ton religious monument will not be returned to public display at the state courthouse.
  A few more items, if you are in the Southern California region: The first is tomorrow, when the Center for Inquiry's west-coast branch has its grand opening. Tomorrow night, there will be the dedication of the Steve Allen Theatre (Steve Allen, creator of the Tonight Show, was a big supporter of CFI). More info can be found at www.cfiwest.org. Next Tuesday, November 18, CFA director DJ Grothe will be debating best-selling Christian author David Noebel at
  UCLA on whether "secular humanism is the state-supported religion of America's public schools," as Noebel asserts in his best-selling Christian activist training videos and Christian college textbooks. Also, on Thursday night CFI's Eddie Tabash will be debating the theist philosopher Tom Frost on God's Existence at UC-Irvine. Details of both both these events can be found below. Both of these events are free and open to the public, so if you are in the area, I encourage you to attend.
  Well folks, that is all for now. Talk to you later. E-mail me with questions and comments.

-Mat
president@campusfreethought.org


Employment Opportunities with CFA
 
CFA's professional staff is expanding again, so please help us spread the word. You can see a description of the new position of "Campus Organizer" that we're seeking to fill at www.campusfreethought.org. Salary and benefits are competitive, and the job provides intellectually stimulating work with opportunities for travel, writing, and media appearances.


Events Calendar
 
11/15 - Hollywood, CA. Grand Opening of Center for Inquiry-West.
Visit http://cfiwest.org/calendar/grandopening.htm for information on this event.

11/15 – St. Louis, MO. The Ghost in the Universe: God in Light of Modern Science.
The Council for Secular Humanism and the Campus Freethought Alliance is pleased to present Taner Edis to St Louis area CFA students and off-campus supporters, in cooperation with the Rationalist Society of St Louis. Taner Edis completed his undergraduate work at Bogazici University and received his Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University in 1994, in theoretical and computational condensed matter physics. Working in diverse areas, from atmospheric modeling with collaborators at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to the philosophy of machine intelligence, he is currently assistant professor of physics at Truman State University, Kirksville, MO. Fascinated by the plethora of supernatural and fringe science beliefs around him, and concerned about the rise of Islamist politics in his native Turkey, Professor Edis first became involved with skeptical inquiry into paranormal claims during his graduate studies. He has since written numerous articles, particularly on the topic of anti-evolutionary thought, appearing in Skeptical Inquirer, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, and Skeptic. His critique of "Intelligent Design" in the March 2001 Skeptical Inquirer attracted national media attention, including notice in a front-page New York Times article of April 8, 2001. Professor Edis' writing has characteristically combined scientific rigor with an ability to reach a broad audience. His new book, The Ghost in the Universe: God in Light of Modern Science (Prometheus Books, 2002), is an accessible defense of a naturalistic view of the world.

11/17 – University of Montana, Missoula, MT. Eddie Tabash vs. Richard Swinburne. Does God Exist?
Edward Tabash is a Constitutional lawyer in private practice in Beverly Hills. He graduated from UCLA in 1973, magna cum laude, and from Loyola Law School in 1976. He serves as a part time judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Courts. He is on the board of directors of the Council for Secular Humanism and the honorary chair of the Center for Inquiry-West. He is on the First Amendment Committee of the ACLU of Southern California. He has debated Christian philosophers on God's existence, such as Greg Bahnsen, Petern Van Inwaagen, and William Lane Craig.
Richard Swinburne studied philosophy and theology at Oxford University, and is considered one of the most significant proponents of argumentative theism today. After teaching at the University of Hull (1963-72) and the University of Keele (1972-84), he assumed the position of Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at Oxford University. Among his many books are Space and Time, The Concept of Miracle, The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, Personal Identity, and The Evolution of the Soul. 6:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the University Center, University of Montana campus, Missoula, Montana. For additional information contact Richard Hull at rthull@buffalo.edu.

11/17 & 18 – UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. DJ Grothe vs. David Noebel. Clergy in the Classroom: Is Secular Humanism the Religion of the Public Schools?
DJ Grothe is Director of Campus and Community Programs for the Center for Inquiry. He has lectured widely on church-state separation in education and the Christian Right, specifically on the "Mind Siege" movement, and has previously debated David Noebel in media and public appearances. His writings have been published in newspapers throughout the US, and he has spoken on dozens of radio and television programs. He is currently writing a book on the need for public argument in a democratic society.
David A. Noebel, president of Summit Ministries, has been a college professor, college president, and candidate for the U.S. Congress. He is an author, editor, public speaker, and ordained minister. Mr. Noebel has appeared on numerous national radio and television programs, including The 700 Club, Focus on the Family, Truths that Transform, Point of View, Today's Issues, the Moody Broadcasting Network, the AFA Network, and The Josh McDowell Program. Mr. Noebel has authored numerous books, including Understanding the Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day and the Search for Truth, which is currently used in over one thousand Christian high schools, churches and colleges. Mr. Noebel is co-author of Clergy in the Classroom: The Religion of Secular Humanism, among many other works. His New York Times Best Seller, Mind Siege (with Tim LaHaye), was released in January 2001. He holds a B.A. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and a M.A. from the University of Tulsa.
Nov. 17 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. in Royce 148; Nov. 18 from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. in CS 24, Young Hall. For more information e-mail EmperorRuckus@aol.com.

11/20 – UC Irvine, Irvine CA. Eddie Tabash vs. Tom Frost. Does God Exist?
Eddie Tabash is a Constitutional lawyer in private practice in Beverly Hills. He graduated from UCLA in 1973, magna cum laude, and from Loyola Law School in 1976. He serves as a part time judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Courts. He is on the board of directors of the Council for Secular Humanism and the honorary chair of the Center for Inquiry-West. He is on the First Amendment Committee of the ACLU of Southern California. He has debated Christian philosophers on God's existence, such as Greg Bahnsen, Petern Van Inwaagen, and William Lane Craig. For more information contact Tom Frost at thomasjfrost@yahoo.com.