https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-you-re-never-too-old-to-make-plans-for-cooper-river-bridge-run/article_264032ea-c4d2-11ed-b13c-07f59724f3c6.html 
 
Abortion Bill Extreme
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A recent Post and Courier article reported that a South Carolina House bill proposes that women who get an abortion could be eligible for the death penalty. In opposing the bill, state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia, said this would be a stronger penalty for abortion than even the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, where the penalty for abortion is seven years in prison. 

Why is a member of our Legislature trying to out-Taliban the Taliban? 

Do you think government should be based on religious doctrine, that women should have fewer rights than men, that homosexuality should be outlawed, that religious doctrine trumps science, that there should be no separation of church and state, that religion should be taught in public schools, and that abortion should be illegal? These positions are held not only by extremist Muslims, but also by some extremists trying to control our state’s Republic Republican Party. 

If you don’t want Sharia, don’t vote Republican.
 
 

​https://thehumanist.com/magazine/spring-2023/commentary/herbs-corner-religion-in-foreign-policy
 
 
Problems usually arise when a country applies religion to its foreign policy. United States foreign policy should always be secular. At the same time, we should learn about the religious and cultural beliefs of people in countries where we are engaged, so we can communicate effectively and determine rational strategies to accomplish our mission. 
 
It’s helpful to look at what hasn’t worked, and not repeat it. This includes, but is not limited to, making assumptions like the following:
 
1. God is on our side, which means Satan is on the other side. This turns the engagement into a binary and simplistic battle between good and evil, with no room for compromise or negotiation.

2. American exceptionalism makes us a role model for the world, and we can judge other countries and cultures on the extent to which they adopt our values. 
3. All religions are good, and adherents who act in a manner we dislike are acting contrary to their religious doctrines.
4. Government officials may proselytize here and elsewhere, favor one religion over another, or religion in general over non-religion.
5. If we satisfy powerful religious leaders or factions, then we may ignore human rights. 
6. We must either go it alone or take the lead when we act in coalition with other countries. 
7. We can occupy a country indefinitely. 
8. Perceived economic benefit is sufficient justification for foreign engagement. 

9. We should do more talking than listening.
10. There will be no unintended consequences.
 

 
Here’s what we should do (with credit to Rabbi Hillel, who summed up the Jewish religion around 30 BCE): “What is hateful to you, do not do to others.” How’s that for a reasonable foreign policy idea? Practice a version of the Golden Rule, a core value of both religious and secular people. This would rule out almost all war, as well as occupation, domination, and exploitation. It would rule in cooperation, assistance, and leadership by good example. We’ve done this pretty well at times, and not so well at others.
 
A prime is a number whose only divisors are 1 and itself. The complete history of even primes is very short: the number 2. An argument can be made that the number of even primes is all that is needed for the complete history of “just” wars: World War 2.
 
It’s easier to count the number of just holy wars: 0. The holiest of holy wars in Western “Civilization” were the Crusades, typified by the Cathar Wars. Abbot Arrnaud Amaury, legate for the ironically named Pope Innocent III, was a military adviser during the Crusades. His troops succeeded in carrying out the Abbott’s 1209 battle orders, “Kill them all. God will know His own.” Amaury was rewarded in 1212 for his holy war service with an appointment to archbishop.
 
No country goes to war thinking its cause is unjust. While wars are viewed as “just” going in, the story is often different going out. We can’t bring back the lives of those who died in unjust wars. Any criteria for a “just war” will always have close calls. I would rather err on the side of it not being “just” enough to enter.
 
We started a war in Iraq after President George W. Bush consulted a “higher” father, rather than his “lower” father and former president who likely would have advised against it. Some government officials interpret freedom of religion as the right to promote and proselytize for Christianity at home and abroad. This could be why other cultures might rightly view us as imperialists.
 
People who choose to die in the name of their gods are free to do so, but they have no right to take innocent victims. They may believe that “the one true god” is on their side and the other side are infidels in a black and white world with no shades of gray. They may argue that this life is a dress rehearsal for an imagined afterlife, with extra eternal benefits earned for killing and being killed in the name of their god. A fictional character in Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov implies that “Without God, all things are possible.” Unfortunately, many real characters show that “With God, all violent things are possible.”
 
Shortly after moving to South Carolina in 1976, I saw the silent movie classic, Birth of a Nation. I was appalled by this horribly racist film made in 1915 that portrays Ku Klux Klan members as heroes. But then, as the Civil War was coming to an end in Griffith’s film, the camera panned a field of endless graves, with a moving caption: “War’s Peace.” We’ve seen “war’s peace” too many times. 

A peace negotiation usually requires compromise, but religious fundamentalists tend to espouse an uncompromising and absolute worldview. Territorial disputes could be practical problems to solve, but not when opponents believe their god is in the real estate business and promised the same piece of land to different religions. We must recognize the role religion plays for many conflicts in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Peace-loving people must work to marginalize those whose religious beliefs lead them to kill innocent human beings over land claims or anything else.

I won’t presume to give “proper” interpretations of so-called holy books, since passages can be found to justify either A or not A, for almost any action. But I wish religious leaders would focus on interpretations that give peace a chance. Maybe loving instead of arming against your neighbor would be a good start. 
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Recently, I walked through a lovely park near Charleston, South Carolina. My moment of peaceful bliss abruptly ended when I saw yet another prominent War Memorial. Our country formed a War Department in 1789, which euphemistically morphed into a
Department of Defense in 1947. Perhaps now it’s time to form a Department of Peace that would move war memorials to cemeteries and place Peace Memorials in local parks.
 
People who put deeds above creeds and compassion above dogma, regardless of whether they are religious or non-religious, are our allies against those who put the needs of an imagined god above the needs of humans. This should be a cornerstone of our country’s foreign policy.
 
 
 
 

​https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/March-April-2023-Ezine-to-post.pdf
Technology is our present and our future. Young people need to and, for the most part, are embracing it. Being tech-savvy is becoming a necessity for job seekers. Schools must educate students for this reality so they can transition into the work world. And workers need to be able to master new technology, expect frequent updates/changes to software, and learn how to stay on top of those advances.  Technological improvements had usually come about by chance, trial and error, or inspiration. The modern scientific enterprise matured in the Enlightenment and concerned itself primarily with fundamental questions about the natural world. Research and development directed toward immediate technical application arose during the Industrial Revolution and became commonplace in the twentieth century. Science deals with theories, principles, and laws, while technology deals with products, processes, and designs. Science has helped us gain considerable knowledge of the universe such that we can make accurate predictions on future outcomes. Technology simplifies our work by providing us with products that help us get better results in less time.

Since Nikki Haley is gaining some traction for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, Here's a piece I wrote in 2015 for the Huffington Post when Haley was Governor of South Carolina. It mentions her relationship with African Americans and the Confederate flag.
 
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-naacp-and-me_b_8136402
 
In 1976 I accepted an offer to teach at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, where the Civil War (also known as “The War of Northern Aggression”) began and was still a symbol of Southern pride. The Confederate battle flag had been placed on the South Carolina State Capitol dome by an all-white legislature in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement, purportedly to commemorate the Civil War centennial. It remained there despite many protests. Two slight racial improvements occurred in 2000. South Carolina made Martin Luther King's birthday an official state holiday, the last state to do so. (At the same time, the state also made Confederate Memorial Day an official state holiday.) Also, the state General Assembly agreed to move the Confederate battle flag from the Capitol dome to the Statehouse grounds. This flag “compromise” continued to ignite protests. The state NAACP called for a tourism boycott of South Carolina until the flag was removed from Capitol grounds. To give you an idea of the negative public response to the boycott, state Senator Arthur Ravenel, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, called the NAACP the “National Association For Retarded People.” He later apologized—to the mentally handicapped for comparing them to the NAACP. I had long been a silent supporter of the NAACP, but around this time my wife Sharon and I felt compelled to join the organization and add our voices to the protests.

​I was invited to speak at a Hindu Temple in Charleston on Sunday, Jan.15, which held an Interfaith Forum on the topic: “The Purpose of Human Existence (Why are we here?)” There were 8 other speakers from  a variety of religious faiths. Here’s what I said.
 
I’m an atheist and secular humanist, and I’ve been asked for my ideas about the purpose of human existence. I think there’s no innate, biological purpose beyond surviving and reproducing. Humans are the fortunate result of billions of years of evolution. The more we learn about our natural world, the less significant humans seem to be. Charles Darwin showed that we are all animals in a long evolutionary line. 
 
But purpose for humans is about more than mere surviving and reproducing. It’s about what we believe we should do in the brief time we’re alive. To have purpose, we need goals and plans that give us direction and meaning, and helps us engage in productive ways. I believe we each need to find our own purposes. For example, my wife Sharon has a T-shirt that says: “Be Good, Do Good.”  She says that’s her main purpose. I know and respect many fine religious people, certainly including the folks here. If loving & worshipping a god inspires a person to treat others with loving kindness, that’s great. Unfortunately, love of a god can often make people less loving of those who don’t believe & worship as they do.
 

​https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/Januray-February-2023-Ezine.pdf 
 
More than a third of the world’s countries have blasphemy laws that ban criticism of religious beliefs, symbols, and figures. In several countries, the penalty is death. Blasphemy laws supply a false legitimacy to those who commit acts of murder and terrorism. (Think Salman Rushdie.) Not only do blasphemy laws harm atheists and humanists, but also any dissident or minority faith. Surprisingly, a number of predominately Christian countries still have blasphemy laws on their books, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Finland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. However, these blasphemy laws are rarely enforced. Not so in countries where Islam is the state religion or where Muslims are a majority. For example, in Afghanistan, penalties for blasphemy may include execution by hanging. There is a death penalty for blasphemy in Pakistan as well as in Saudi Arabia. In Iran, the law against blasphemy includes criticizing the Islamic government, insulting Islam, and publishing materials that deviate from Islamic standards. In Kuwait, there is a “family values” penalty for insulting "God, the Holy Quran, Prophets, the Noble Companions of Prophet Muhammad, Wives of the Prophet, or persons who are part of the Prophet's family." 
 

https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-respect-charleston-s-history-culture/article_7f659402-6ffd-11ed-942b-531cf8433add.html 
 
Respect all rights 
I thank The Post and Courier for publishing the Dec. 4 Associated Press article by Peter Smith about nonreligious voters wielding clout at the ballot box. 

Yes, we do tilt heavily Democratic, especially with the increasing influence of white Christian nationalism in the Republican Party. I am proud to be a member of the Secular Democrats of America. We work to protect the separation of religion and government as the best guarantee of religious freedom for all Americans. We encourage the nonreligious to have an equal voice in our culture and our politics alongside people of faith. 

The statistical category called “nones,” consisting of atheists, agnostics and other people with no religious affiliation, is a fast-growing demographic. In 2021 the Pew Research Center measured the “nones” at 29% of the U.S. population, and it is steadily increasing, especially among young people. 
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We “nones” appreciate the Congressional Freethought Caucus, founded in 2018, that now includes 17 members of Congress. This caucus promotes public policy formed on the basis of reason, science and moral values. It protects the secular character of our government by adhering to the strict constitutional principle of the separation of church and state. 
During this holiday season, we need to remember that our diverse country includes people of all faiths and none, and we need to respect the rights of both. 
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That way we all win, regardless of political party. 

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When I was about five-years old, I learned a game called “War.” Two players are dealt 26 cards face down. Each then simultaneously shows the top card, and the player showing the higher value takes both exposed cards and places them at the bottom of his or her stack. If both cards are of equal value, there is a “war.” Each combatant places the next three cards face down, and the fourth face up. The card showing higher value captures all the cards played and puts them at the bottom of his or her stack. The war ends when one person has all 52 cards. I was very good at “War,” or so I thought. I hadn’t yet heard about “confirmation bias,” which was why I remembered my victories more than my defeats.
 
When I finally realized that the game was skill-free, I lost interest. Knowing that the outcome is completely determined once the deck is shuffled and dealt, I began to invent variations. For instance, I’d put all 4 aces (the highest value) in one stack and the remaining 48 cards in the other stack, and play. After playing five times, the stack that started with 4 aces won all but once. I concluded that it was better to start with the 4-ace stack. I hadn’t known at the time that I was applying a naïve version of a Monte Carlo method, a mathematical procedure in which a large number of repeated trials produce reasonably accurate predictions about the actual probability of  the outcome of an event. (For instance, if you flipped a fair coin 1000 times, you would probably get approximately 500 heads, give or take 20.)
 

https://in-sightpublishing.com/2022/11/15/neighbour-2/
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Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Are there any civilizations or periods in which humanist beliefs were simply not present in any way?

Dr. Herb Silverman: I think Humanist beliefs and values have always been present in every society, long before Humanism was defined. Many people have been and are humanists who hadn’t heard of Humanism. I used to be one of those people, as I suspect most Humanists were. Unfortunately, Humanism has not and does not dominate most cultures (think Nazi Germany, and authoritarian regimes today). 

Jacobsen: It claims Humanism as a culmination of these traditions of meaning, ethics, and reason. What does Humanism shed from other less effective traditions in the light of this culmination mentioned?
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Silverman: Humanism sheds religious beliefs based on so-called “holy” books written thousands of years ago. Many well-meaning religious people pick and choose from their preferred ancient book and ignore embarrassing parts. They haven’t taken one addition step of rejecting their holy book and treating it as any other book where we keep the good parts and reject the bad parts. A friend who supports gay marriage pointed out that that the Bible has countless passages about social justice and only five that condemn homosexuality. He didn’t have a good answer when I asked how many condemnations of homosexuality it would take to reverse his position. Humanists don’t have rules etched in stone. We have principles and values written on paper, and some of our ideas might change through a continuing process of observation, learning, and rethinking. Reason usually hasn’t been present in religious traditions, and our ethics sometimes change as we learn more about how better to interact with and treat others. 

​https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/November-December-2022-Ezine.pdf
 
It has been said, with some justification, that philosophy is questions that may never be answered, and religion is answers that may never be questioned. But some questions in philosophy have been answered—by science. Branches of science sprang out of philosophical questions, many of which were once thought to be empirically impossible to test, like the idea of an atom propounded by Greek philosopher Democritus. Ancient Greek philosophers concerned themselves with deducing what matter is made from, what the nature of the stars are, and concepts like chemistry and physics. These were regarded as philosophical issues, but many such questions have been explored and answered by scientists. Philosophy, religion, and science are all involved with a search for truth. Science describes the way the world is. Philosophy and religion attempt to answer questions about what ought to be and why. But religion, unlike philosophy and science, is usually based on divine revelation and authority.