North Texas Skeptic - Vol 08 No 12 - 1994

Magazine Overview

This issue of "The Newsletter of The North Texas Skeptics," dated December 1994, features a prominent article by Joe Voelkering titled "U.S. was founded on natural law not as a Christian nation." The cover also lists other articles on topics ranging from "Franklin's transformation into a 'cautious diest'" to "Traveling creationism" and "The third eye."

U.S. was founded on natural law not as a Christian nation

Joe Voelkering's lead article aims to counter the historical myth that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. He clarifies that his intent is not to contest religious beliefs but to correct pseudo-historic claims using methods akin to forensic science, employing a "convergence of the evidence" protocol. Voelkering states that his lecture, which this piece summarizes, is based on extensive research using original documents rather than interpretations. He notes that while most early settlers were Christian, many fled religious persecution from other Christian denominations, seeking a government that guaranteed religious tolerance rather than supporting specific religious views. He argues that the idea of founding a new government on biblical views, from which their forefathers fled, is bizarre.

The article highlights "Early Theocratic Flops," citing the Jamestown, Pilgrim, and Puritan experiments as dismal failures, with the Puritan compact falling apart by 1700 due to issues like the Salem witchcraft trials. Roger Williams is credited with pointing out that "forced worship stinks in God's nostril's" and founding the first Baptist church in the country, as well as writing the first document mandating church-state separation. William Penn's Pennsylvania and the Quaker sect also emphasized avoiding the intermingling of church and state.

Voelkering references Nobel laureate Richard Feynman's assertion about the logic used by forefathers to "reinvent government," supported by works from Clarence Carson, George Roche III, and Henry Grady Weaver. These contentions, cross-compared with writings from Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, and Paine, are presented as making a stronger case than current authors. An expert on Christian history also validated these findings.

The article traces the philosophical roots back to Greek philosophers and the concept of Natural Law, which posits that the universe can be understood through rational analysis without supernatural explanations and that objective questioning is beneficial. Aristotle is cited for Natural Law concepts like gravity, inertia, and the preference for honest dealings. The Romans added "natural justice," Bacon contributed "inductive reasoning," Locke introduced "natural rights," and Newton validated natural law through scientific advances.

The "Awakening to Secularism" section discusses the evangelical movement (circa 1740-1800) as a force behind church-state separation. James Madison, repulsed by harsh treatment of religious factions by state-supported Anglicans, abandoned plans to become an Anglican minister. The founders, bolstered by scientific verification of natural law, formulated a government based on natural law and rights, incorporating mechanisms for revision through constitutional changes, exemplified by Prohibition.

The Declaration of Independence is described as a political argument using scientific logic, incorporating Aristotle's natural law, Bacon's inductive reason, Locke's natural rights, Newton's deductive logic, and options for revision. Thomas Jefferson was the primary author, with minor input from Franklin and Adams. Congress made deletions, including a section that would have abolished slavery.

Jefferson's religious beliefs are characterized as displeasing neither rational Christians nor Deists. A rational Christian believed in God and Jesus's philosophies but not in divinity or the literal truth of the Bible. Unitarians held similar views, with their first church forming around 1785. Deists believed in a non-intervening Creator. About two-thirds of the Declaration's signers held views like Jefferson's. Franklin and Thomas Paine were Deists, and George Washington was also a Deist. Adams and Madison were rational Christians or Unitarians.

Madison helped Jefferson's "Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom" pass and used it as a prototype for the First Amendment. A proposal to support Christianity in the Virginia statute failed, with Jefferson noting it proved the intent to protect Jews, Gentiles, Christians, Mahometans, Hindoos, and Infidels. Jefferson was proud of the Virginia Statute, listing it on his tombstone along with the Declaration and the University of Virginia.

Jefferson was attacked by the "religious right" during his presidential campaigns, partly due to his friendship with Thomas Paine, who was often mischaracterized as an atheist. Paine, a "skeptical Deist," believed that prayer indicated a lack of faith in an omnipotent Deity. His writings, like Jefferson's, were non-dogmatic and emphasized the right to hold different convictions.

The article debunks several "popular semi-myths" about the U.S. founding: "In God we Trust" was minted in 1864, and the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. The Declaration and Constitution do not mention Christ. God is noted once as "nature's God." Religious freedom is mandated twice. Most signers held Deistic or Unitarian beliefs, as did the first three Presidents. An early treaty with Tripoli, signed by President Adams in 1797, clearly states that the U.S. government is not founded on the Christian religion. The U.S. was founded on "An extremely broad tolerance of any and all beliefs."

Franklin's transformation into a "cautious diest"

Joe Voelkering also contributes an article on Benjamin Franklin's religious evolution. Franklin's ancestors were early Reformers who sought religious freedom. His father, also a religious "outlaw," moved his family to New England. Franklin, destined to be a minister, was instead persuaded by books against Deism to adopt a Deistic view himself. He adhered to a family tradition of pursuing religious freedom for all and preferred private meditation over public services, though he assisted churches and clergy with projects. An anecdote illustrates his humor: he suggested a military chaplain become the "rum steward" to increase attendance at services.

A "check-it-out-yourself" guide

This section, also by Joe Voelkering, recommends books for readers to verify his findings, including "The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson," Benjamin Franklin's "Autobiography," "Thomas Jefferson: Scientist," and "REBEL!; A Biography of Tom Paine."

Traveling creationism

John Blanton's article examines "creation science" philosophy, following up on a previous piece. He discusses a "Creation-Science Conference" advertised by the Canyon Creek Baptist Church, featuring Dr. Kent Hovind, described as an authority on "science and the Bible." The flier posed questions about dinosaurs, the age of the Earth, and carbon dating.

Hovind operates a traveling creation science lecture service. Blanton outlines Hovind's arguments and provides background from mainstream science, relying on Arthur N. Strahler's "Science and Earth History - the Evolution/Creation Controversy."

1. Carbon dating: Blanton explains the carbon-14 dating method, developed by Willard F. Libby, which dates biological samples up to 100,000 years old. Young Earth creationists reportedly dislike this method. Hovind's argument, which Blanton agrees is ridiculous on its face, is that the low ratio of C-14 to C-12 and its decay rate make accurate dating impossible. However, Blanton clarifies that carbon dating measures the ratio precisely using deflection magnets and detectors, a minor point Hovind, a former science teacher, apparently missed.

2. Conservation of angular momentum: Hovind argues that the Big Bang hypothesis, which posits a spinning mass, should mean angular momentum is conserved. He points to galaxies spinning in various directions and retrograde motion (like Uranus's axis and Triton's orbit) as contradictions. Blanton counters that conservation of angular momentum does not mean conservation of spin and that chaotic interactions can transform orderly systems into turbulent ones, which computer simulations can demonstrate.

3. The missing second: Creationists argue that the addition of a second to clock time to align with solar time indicates the Earth is slowing down and cannot be billions of years old. Blanton explains this is a paradox that arises from assuming a constant rotation rate and the precision of atomic clocks, not evidence against an old Earth.

4. The oil pressure problem: Creationists question why oil trapped under immense pressure hasn't escaped over millions of years, suggesting the Earth is only thousands of years old. Blanton explains that the flow rate depends on the pressure gradient, not absolute pressure, and this gradient exists regardless of depth.

5. Population growth: The exponential growth curve of human population, when extrapolated backward, suggests a small population at the time of the Great Flood. Blanton notes that this implies fewer than a thousand people when the Great Pyramids were built, raising questions about their construction. Hovind presented fourteen arguments for a young Earth and nineteen additional arguments for creationism or against mainstream science.

The third eye

Pat Reeder's column discusses the media's handling of supernatural claims. He critiques John Criswell's three-part TV series "Believing In Angels?" for lacking factual reporting and relying on unsubstantiated anecdotes. Reeder suggests that a more objective approach would include psychological and historical perspectives on angel sightings. He criticizes the series for presenting anecdotal evidence as proof, comparing a man rescued from a river to an angel, and a woman's successful angel store as proof of divine guidance. Reeder calls for Criswell to receive further journalism training.

Reeder also comments on "Hard Copy's" reporting on crop circles, dismissing their "startling video footage" of an unidentified object as impossible to identify and likely a mundane object. He questions the extraterrestrial communication theory presented.

He praises a Harvard Lampoon parody of Entertainment Weekly for capturing its "smug tone of left-coast political correctness." He highlights a mock news report about Hollywood stars funding a "Loch Ness Animal Fund" and attacking David Simpson for revealing the Nessie hoax, with Daryl Hannah making a comparison to President Kennedy's assassination. The parody also mentions future benefits for the "Colossus of Rhodes" and "Manimal."

Reeder then addresses an article in The Dallas Morning News about an "upsurge of interest in Christian Science as an alternative to modern medicine." He quotes Virginia S. Harris, head of the Christian Science board, who downplays the number of deaths from parents denying medical treatment to children. Harris claims healing by turning to God is like mathematical laws. Reeder sarcastically suggests that Christian Science could help stem population explosion and alleviate Social Security concerns.

Odd news stories

The newsletter rounds off with several brief, odd news stories:

• A pastor in Hillsboro, Illinois, was sentenced to community service for grabbing an eight-year-old boy to demonstrate God pitching Satan into Hell.
• Tony Sarumi, a self-proclaimed Son of God, climbed into a lion's cage at the London Zoo, was mauled, and then went to "apologize to the lion," claiming indestructibility.
• British tabloids offered various methods for picking lottery numbers, including a clairvoyant, filling tickets upside down, and rubbing a ticket over a "psychically charged" red dot.
• Exeter, England, is offering a tour of haunted sites, including a suicide site and a pub where a ghostly Roman legion reportedly appears.
• Waxahachie, Texas, is hosting its 8th annual Christmas tour of historic homes, with a mention of potentially spotting a ghost.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are skepticism towards supernatural claims, historical revisionism, and the critique of pseudoscience and sensationalized media. The editorial stance is clearly one of critical inquiry, emphasizing evidence-based reasoning and scientific understanding. The newsletter actively debunks myths and challenges assertions that lack empirical support, particularly those related to religion, history, and science. There is a strong advocacy for rational thought and a rejection of unsubstantiated anecdotes and claims presented as fact, especially when they originate from religious fundamentalism or media hype.