My article in the May/June article of Freethought News. 
 
https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/May-June-2025-Ezine-for-publication.pdf
 
Herb

​From Spring 2025, The Humanist

https://thehumanist.com/magazine/spring-2025/commentary/herbs-corner-whos-who-in-hell

Herb

​https://www.postandcourier.com/epaper/page-a12/page_f95608de-f7ba-5a33-b036-1e5f20424666.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
 
In a recent letter in the Sunday Post and Courier, the writer said we were once a great God-fearing nation, but not so much anymore, and that we need to go back to the good old days.

Let’s never forget that the United States was founded by “We the people,” the first three words of our Constitution, and not by “Thou the deity.” We have always been a secular nation with the freedom to worship one, many, or no gods (as I do). Let’s keep our country secular and oppose the efforts of some people to turn it into a theocracy.
Herb Silverman

 

https://www.ftsociety.org/2025/03/07/march-april-2025-freethought-society-ezine/
 
Part 5
Some questions I have been asked about religion over the years, and my answers
 
Cooperation
Why don’t atheists have more influence in our society?                                                Despite the growing number of atheists, we have not been nearly as influential politically as most other minority groups. That’s partly because we take pride in being an independent lot. To gain influence in our culture, we have to become more cooperative and establish our legitimacy as a demographic. That’s why I helped form a cooperative organization, the Secular Coalition for Americans. https://secular.org  The organization has grown to include 21 national member organizations covering the full spectrum of atheists and humanists. The Secular Coalition advocates for the equal rights of nonreligious Americans, and defends the separation of religion and government. The Secular Coalition incorporated as a political advocacy group to allow unlimited lobbying on behalf of secular Americans, with lobbyists in Washington, DC.
 
Does the Secular Coalition for America have anything to do with donating to charity?
Just about all 21 national member organizations have a charitable component. 
 
Are we making changes fast enough?
Some of you may be discouraged because we haven’t seen change fast enough. But we are evolutionists, not creationists. Evolution takes a long time. Whenever you feel discouraged by slow progress, keep this in mind: If we do nothing, nothing will change. You don’t have to do it all, but I hope you will find something positive to do for our secular movement. 
 
What should we avoid doing with Christians?
Don’t stereotype them. They don’t like it any more than atheists do. We must not assume all Christians are fundamentalists who need to justify ridiculous biblical passages. Don’t try to fight every battle. We haven’t the good will, resources, or political capital to respond to every offense. 
 
What worked best for you in cooperating with religious people?
One of my math students once told me after class that he was a member of First Baptist Church, the oldest Southern Baptist church in the South, and had seen an article about my atheism in the local newspaper. He said both Southern Baptists and secular humanists probably had unfair stereotypes of each other, and it might be a good idea to get together for discussions. I heartily agreed, and we arranged for several members of each group to meet for brunch at a local deli. 
 
One of the participants, Dr. Mitch Carnell, was a Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church and also wrote a weekly column for the Charleston Post and Courier.  The title of Mitch’s piece on September 25, 1995, was “Good Conversation Is Lurking If You Look.” He wrote, “We were meeting to discuss religious beliefs or the lack of them. We knew in advance that we not only disagreed with each other, but that our views were directly opposite of each other’s. Yet, by all accounts the event was a rousing success. People not only enjoyed it, but also wanted to continue the discussions. Why? There was mutual respect for the individual.”
 
And that was the key. Both groups chose representatives who knew how to disagree without being disagreeable. We continued to meet periodically, and even gave a name to our group: BASH (Baptists And Secular Humanists), We had good conversation along with refreshments. We got to know each other and learn about different perspectives and worldviews. Priority was given to finding common ground, without attempting conversion. We measured success by the number of new friendships. We were successful, but none of us became talk-show hosts or politicians.
​ 
What are the problems that arise when working with theists on politics?
Politics is the art of negotiation and compromise, which rarely works with theists who claim to have the absolute truth.
 
What unites us, regardless of religious belief? 
We must respect all human beings. Humans create problems and humans can solve them—in a peaceful way if we try hard enough to do it. Far more important than nationalities or religious creeds that can divide us is our common humanity, which unites us. 
 
Any other benefits to working with different groups? 
Working with diverse groups provides the additional benefit of gaining more visibility and respect for our unique perspective. Improving the public perception of secular Americans is as important to many of us as pursuing a particular political agenda. Politicians think they are being tolerant when they express support for all faiths; instead, we hope to hear them express support for all faiths and none, with freedom of conscience for all people.
 
Where does character come in?                                                                                                         
The conservative politician J.C. Watts once said, “Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.” By that definition, only atheists are capable of showing character.
Do you believe the meek will inherent the Earth?                                                             
 If the meek are to inherit something of value, we must seek ways to understand and respect those with whom we have significant disagreements. 

What should we do when communicating with people with whom we disagree?
Listen carefully to what they say, and try to understand them. You might find that they make some sense. Look for points of agreement and see how you can work together on them. 
 
 

.
Monotheistic Religions 
Herb Silverman
https://secularhumanism.org/2025/01/monotheistic-religions/
Free Inquiry, February/March 2025. V45/No.2

First there were Jews, with their holy book. Then there were Christians, with their holy book. And then there were Muslims, with their holy book. Today they form the three major monotheistic religions, with lots in common and lots not.
 
The Jewish holy book was called the Hebrew Bible, or Torah. Christians gave that book a new name (Old Testament) because their holy book (New Testament) superseded the Old Testament.  
Christianity was originally a Jewish cult that eventually had enough members to rise to the status of sect, and then became a religion that worshipped Jesus. However, Jesus said he did not come to change one jot or tittle of the old law (Hebrew Bible). Christians argue that Jesus is somehow the god of the Jewish Old Testament. Christians also believe that God is three people at the same time—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Muslims much later added their own holy book, the Quran, with the contents revealed by Muhammad in the 7th century CE. Muslims also consider the Jewish and Christian bibles holy, but not as holy as the Quran. 

In addition to having holy books, here’s what else these three religions have in common. If you can find an interpretation in one so-called holy book to justify an atrocity, then you can find a comparable interpretation and justification in the other holy books. These atrocities include genocide, holy wars, slavery, misogyny, and death for crimes like blasphemy, homosexuality, and worshipping the wrong god or even the right god in the wrong way.  

I’m not interested in trying to decide the best and worst “holy” books because all contain both reasonable and ridiculous passages. Adherents can quote portions to justify loving your neighbor or killing your infidel neighbor. 

For atheists, it’s easy to read ancient books written by fallible humans and follow only what makes sense. Most biblical scholars say that Noah, Abraham, and Moses never existed, that Jesus probably existed but did not say most of the things attributed to him, and that Muhammad did exist, but no angel named Gabriel revealed the Quran to him. There is also no evidence that any human ever died and was resurrected, or that anyone traveled up or down to an imagined heaven or hell. 

Today, we see more Muslims than adherents of the other monotheistic religions invoke their holy texts to justify violence. Often these atrocities are inspired or justified by passages in the Quran that are similar to those from Judaism or Christianity. 

For instance, Islamic militants ransacked Mosul’s central museum in 2003, destroying priceless artifacts because Muslims said they represented idols. That reminded me of the biblical story of a young Abraham who smashed the idols his father was selling because, at the time, buyers were worshipping those idols instead of the one “true” God. And when the Islamic State indiscriminately kills innocent people, I think of the quote from a Christian abbot in the midst of a Crusade: “Kill them all, and let God sort it out.”

Fortunately, the Christian Crusades ended in the thirteenth century. Most Christians today have learned to become more tolerant and secular, and I hope most Muslims will eventually accept an updated enlightenment. Then again, Christians in previous generations (and some today) hate the Jews for allegedly killing Jesus, even though Jesus supposedly came to Earth for the purpose of being killed so that his blood could somehow “save” Christians. 

Go figure.

I’m not so concerned about people with ludicrous religious beliefs as long as their beliefs don’t interfere with those of us who don’t share such beliefs. I’m more interested in behavior than belief. 
I won’t even get into what is now happening in the Middle East, where there are an incalculable number of murders because God promised all three monotheistic religions the same territory, and is now letting his people fight for dominance. Don’t hold your breath until there is a peaceful settlement.

On the bright side, countless numbers of religious adherents don’t believe the major tenets of their religion. For instance, most Jews don’t believe in God. See https://www.simpletoremember.com/artis/a/jewsdontbelieve/
 
Lots of Christians brought up in the faith don’t want their families to know how their beliefs have changed. These “cultural” Christians may no longer believe in a resurrection or other foolish doctrines they were taught. Yet they remain Christians and often go to church with their families to maintain a tradition and a sense of community.
  
Even many born into the Muslim faith no longer believe the doctrines. But it is much harder for them to criticize the religion because fervent devotees often respond with violence to any criticism. A brave organization is Ex-Muslims of North America. (https://exmuslims.org) Understandably, its members are reluctant to come out of the closet. The organization advocates for freedom of conscience and expression in a world where all can speak freely, live freely, and pursue the truth irrespective of any authority or dogma.  

A lesser known monotheistic religion is the Bahá’í faith. I learned about them when I traveled to India in 1997, and visited their House of Worship in New Delhi. They told me that their priorities are to work for world peace and eliminate racism and poverty. They are required to abstain from partisan politics. They can’t endorse candidates or run for political office. (Thought experiment: How would our country change if Christians imposed on themselves a 10-year moratorium on running for public office?)
 
As I left the Bahá’í Temple, I offered a small donation, and heard something I never expected to hear from any religious (or secular) organization: “I’m sorry. But we can’t accept money from you. We consider it an honor to contribute, and only members of the faith are afforded this privilege of donating.” No wonder they stay out of politics.
 
Surprisingly, there are more Bahá’ís in South Carolina than Jews or Muslims. They became popular in South Carolina because of Louis Gregory, born in 1874 and raised in Charleston, who was one of the founders of the Bahá’í Faith in America. After this grandson of a slave became a Bahá’í in 1909, he travelled the country promoting racial equality. Gregory married a white Bahá’í woman in 1912, a crime at the time in many parts of the country. 
 
I attended a Bahá’í meeting in Charleston, and their reflections on the faith described the unity of God, religion, and humanity. They focused on respect for and equality of all human beings. Diversity of race and culture was praised. Racism, nationalism, social class, and gender-based hierarchy were seen as artificial impediments to unity. The participants at our service were white and black, male and female, young and old, rich and poor. In answer to a question I asked, I was told unequivocally that their faith is more about deeds than religious belief. I agreed with just about all their messages, except for the God parts.
 
In conclusion, I’m happy to live in a country where people can choose to be Jews, Christians, Muslims, Bahá’ís,atheists, and any other religion or non-religion, without being persecuted or prosecuted as a heretic. May separation of religion and government in the United States remain as long as we have a country. 
 
 

​https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/opinion-letters-law-enforcement-road-salt-new-america/article_019ef866-d44f-11ef-94e3-6f6bc3cb336c.html
 
With all the talk about changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, perhaps we should consider changing the name of New Mexico to New America. 

​EXTERNAL EMAIL: Verify sender; use caution with attachments/links.
Part 4
Some questions I have been asked about religion over the years, and my answers.
 
https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/January-February-2025-Ezine-for-Publication.pdf
 
Prayer
What do you say if someone tells you they will pray for you?
My first thought would be to say, “OK, I’ll think for both of us.” But this hurtful reply would offend a well-meaning person. I think the best response is, “Thank you.” However, I might get into a discussion about the efficacy of prayer with questions like: Why would an all-knowing, all-loving god change his mind because you asked him to? Or why would a god who ignored the prayers of starving children and Holocaust victims take a special interest in a football game? But I would only engage a person who seemed receptive to such a conversation.
 
Is it possible for God to appear before someone if they pray hard enough?
If there were such a god, she would have appeared centuries ago.
 
What is the term for when a person prays to God and their request is fulfilled?
Coincidence.
 
Is it okay to pray anywhere?
Yes, you can talk to yourself anywhere. 
.
What should I do if I can’t pray in school?
You can always pray in school silently, without disrupting others.
 
What does it mean when you feel a sense of peace after praying?
It means you believe praying is meaningful to you. It doesn't mean there is someone who hears you.
       
What are some of the best prayers to say after a disagreement or argument with someone?
Rather than praying, you should work to settle the disagreement, and try to make things work better between the two of you.
 
Faith (The F-Word) 
Is it better to have faith in humans or in God? 
Humans, because we know humans exist.
 
Don’t you see that atheism is self-refuting because it requires faith in nature?
You don’t need “faith” in nature. We know nature exists because we see it all around us.
 
How can we engage in a debate with someone who believes in God solely based on faith, rather than reason or evidence?
If a person doesn’t use reason or evidence, then there is not much to debate. The problem is that theists rely on faith because they have no evidence. 
 
Do you think it unfair that some people have the gift of faith, while others don’t?
I consider faith an illusion, not a gift.
 
Is it possible to prove or disprove the existence of God without evidence?
Sometimes the absence of evidence is evidence of absence, especially since God believers have been around for millennia, with no evidence.
 
Why do you need physical evidence for the existence of God? 
We would need some evidence—physical or otherwise.
 
Is faith alone enough to believe in God or is evidence also necessary?
If evidence were necessary, there would be no god believers.
 
Why are we told we should just have faith?
Because there is no evidence for any gods.
 
Do you have faith in anything?
I have faith in reason. 
 
Is there a correlation between being an atheist and having faith in science? 
We don’t have “faith” in science. We have faith in the evidence that science provides.
 
How can we strengthen our religious faith?
Why strengthen faith instead of searching for evidence?
 
How can I have the faith of a child, as recommended by the Christian Bible?
If you are a mature adult, why would you want to behave like a child? 
 
Death
What do atheists believe will happen to them when they die?
The same thing that happens to cockroaches. We are all just dead.
 
Are you scared of dying since, in your mind, that's it and you have to leave the party for good?
We all leave the party for good. Atheists focus on making this one and only life as good as we can. 
 
What do you think theists will say when they die and find there's no god and no afterlife?
They won’t ever find out because they will be dead.
 
Are you prepared to die for atheism?
Only theists die (or kill) for their alleged god. 
 
What epitaph would you like people to read on your headstone?
There’s no need to pray for me. I’m just dead.
 
Do atheists use the term “passed away”?
It’s certainly better than “passed on,” but I prefer saying “died.”
 
Heaven and Hell
Why would Satan cast me into hell?
Attributing malevolence to a devil removes responsibility from humans. If we are responsible for our acts, then we can do something about them. 
 
Why do bad things happen to good people if Satan doesn’t exist?
Shit happens.
 
Is it possible to get to heaven without doing good works?
No, because there is no such place as heaven.
 
Do pets go to heaven?
As surely as humans do, meaning not at all. 
 
After fasting until we die, can we still go to heaven?
Fasting only hastens your death. 
 
How do atheists live without the concept of heaven and hell?
The same way we all live, except without a belief in an imagined afterlife.
 
What is wrong with believing in heaven and hell?
Death gives you neither a reward nor a punishment. 
 
How much better is the worst person in heaven than the best person in hell?
Our binary divisions are usually quite arbitrary. People may vote when they are 18 and buy alcohol when they are 21, but neither the day before. We recognize these are distinctions without a real difference. Not so with the cutoff between an eternity of bliss and an eternity of torture. 
 
Don’t you feel sad about going to Hell?
It is difficult to believe that a loving and all-powerful god would condemn Mahatma Gandhi to an eternity of torture while the Catholic Adolph Hitler has an eternity of bliss as he looks down at Jews suffering in hell. Now there’s a final solution for all Christians to think about, and discard as nonsense.
 
 
 
 

Part 3
Some questions I have been asked about religion over the years, and my answers
 

https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/November-December-2024-Ezine.pdf
 
Morality
How can you be moral without God?
We are all without any gods. I go along with Abraham Lincoln: When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion.
 
How is your morality different from religious morality?
Morality is doing what is right, regardless of what we are told. Religious morality is doing what we are told, regardless of what is right.
 
Can atheism provide meaning for one's life?
We create or find our own meanings in life.
 
Do atheists believe in the importance of being good? 
The atheists I know feel better about themselves when they are good to others in this one life they have. Make others happy, and we will be happy too.
 
As an atheist, can you explain your philosophy of life?
My philosophy of life is based on the title of an old soap opera (which I never watched): One life to live. Atheists, who believe this life is all we have, try to make the most of it in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. This usually requires that we help others fulfill their needs, too.  
 
How would you succinctly describe how we should live?
I think the mathematician/philosopher Bertrand Russell summed it up nicely:
“The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."
 
How do you think Christians differ from secularists?
Here’s an interesting distinction: Christians have the same unifying word, but sometimes fight over theology. Secularists have the same unifying theology, but sometimes fight over words (like atheist, humanist, secular humanist, infidel, and more). At least our wars are only verbal.

What does the Bible say about how to treat atheists?
Not with civility. See II Cor. 6:14: “Believers must not commune with unbelievers. What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, light with darkness, believers with infidels?”
 
What are your expectations toward religion?
To not have religion forced on anyone or have Christians turn our secular country into a Christian nation. We’ve seen countries that were forcibly turned from secular to Muslim.
 
Do atheists try to convert theists?
If asked, we tell people why we don’t believe in any gods. Some might agree with our reasoning and convert themselves into atheists.
 
What do you think about religious texts?
Religiously justified violence is a problem of “sacred” texts and not a problem of misinterpretation of texts.
 
Since atheists base their morals on human law and not God’s law, do atheists realize that human laws can change?
Human laws should change as we accumulate new evidence. We no longer think being gay is immoral or that we should try to impose a religion on anyone. Unchanging morality in a mostly fictional bible has caused theists to promote much immorality.
 
How would the world be different if everyone identified as an atheist?
People would be more rational and work together to solve problems without thinking things will be solved in an afterlife.
 
Can you read the Bible without bias?                                                              
 Only atheists can read the Bible without bias. Theists read the Bible with a preconceived notion that what they are reading is true.
 
Do you want to eradicate religion and impose your beliefs on society?
We atheists believe in freedom of religion and freedom from religion. We think everyone should decide for themselves what to believe, as long as they don’t harm others.
 
How do atheists explain the existence of universal rights?
Humans create human rights. Gods in “holy” books oppose universal rights, and only promote rights for their believers.
 
Are atheists more likely to engage in criminal activities than Christians?
Check the prison records and you will find most prisoners are Christian, with hardly any atheists.
                 
Religious believers have holy books that tell them how to have a moral life. Are there any guidelines atheists live by to have a moral life?                                                          
 I care most about whether an individual is a good person, regardless of religious belief. Here are constructive words I try to live by, authored by sages through the ages.

Rabbi Hillel (110 BCE-10CE), when asked to recite the entire Torah (Hebrew Bible) while standing on one leg, replied: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. The rest is commentary.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826): “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899): “The hands that help are better far than lips that pray.”
John Lennon (1940-1980): “Imagine nothing to kill or die for, and no religion, too.”

Are atheists more liberal than religious people?                                                           
Since there is such a strong link today between White Christian Nationalists and MAGA Trump Republicans, you can say by default that atheists are more likely to be liberal.

Do you think religious books should be removed from public library collections?
No, but I think they should be listed under fiction or mythology. When I see a section in the library called “Religious Fiction,” I say to myself, “Isn’t that redundant?”
 

https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-08-Past-Two-Question-Answers-with-Herb-Silverman.pdf
 
 
Some questions I have been asked about religion over the years, and my answers
 
Jesus
If God doesn’t exist, why do most scholars believe Jesus was an actual person and was crucified?
Lots of people were once crucified, but none were turned into gods or resurrected.
 
Where did the people go who died before Jesus came?
The same place we all go—nowhere. They are just dead.
 
Why don’t you believe in Jesus? Don't you want everlasting life?
Believing something does not make it true.
 
How do you explain the Trinity?
By saying that 3=1.
 
What about the Holy Ghost?
He reminds me of a comic-book character worthy of laughter and derision.
 
Have you heard that Jesus desires you?
I’ve heard that from Christians but not from Jesus, because Jesus (if he existed) died a couple thousand years ago.
 
Isn’t Jesus a positive force for good?
More people have been killed in the name of Jesus than any other person in the  history of the world.
 
How do priests get assigned to different churches?
Some may be good people, but sometimes they are sent where there is no evidence they molested anyone.
 
Are there any advantages to celibate clergy?
Yes, it might suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
 
How has gay marriage affected the Church for the better?
It made it less likely that gay men would join the priesthood to have sex with children. 
 
Does it make sense to you that Jesus died to save the world?
According to the story, God is one of the biggest child abusers because he killed his son, who accepts the abuse silently as a form of love. If the Church can’t see God as a child abuser, it is no wonder that they don’t see priests as perpetrators of child abuse.
 
Have you been born-again?
I was born once and will eventually die once. Why be born again, when you can just grow up?
 
Do you know that Jesus died for your sins?
Then I better get busy committing them so his martyrdom is not meaningless.
 
Are you a typical atheist who just refuses to believe in Jesus?
Disbelief in gods doesn’t describe typical atheists any more than disbelief in the divinity of Muhammad, Krishna, and Zeus describes typical Christians. Everybody disbelieves in some gods. I just disbelieve in one more than you do.
With wars and famine, as the Bible predicted, the end-times are near. Are you prepared for Jesus’s return and the rapture?
According to your Bible, Jesus should have returned a couple thousand years ago. See Mark 9:1:
“Verily, I say unto you. There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
 
Do people really receive the gift of speaking in tongues when receiving the Holy Ghost?
Yes, if you consider gibberish speaking.
 
Can you mention a part of the New Testament that you like?
1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” One of the childish things I put away was a belief in God.
 
When you did a good deed, why did you get upset when I said it was a Christian thing to do?
I know you meant well, and I thank you for that. But you falsely equated goodness with Christianity. It was also an atheist thing to do.

LTE

My LTE in the July 30 Charleston Post and Courier.
Herb
 
https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/opinion-letters-tim-scott-guns-political-hate-10-commandments/article_c9b2bb38-3b09-11ef-86c1-47f3e71a52b8.html
 
Wrong message
Posting the Ten Commandments in government buildings allies the government in an official way with two creeds, Judaism and Christianity, and sends an unmistakable message to Americans who follow another or no religion that they are second-class citizens.

Most people seem to believe the 10 Commandments are among the finest guidelines for a virtuous life. But few can name them all.

The first four are religious edicts that have nothing to do with ethical behavior. They describe how to worship and pay homage to a jealous and vindictive God.

The 10th Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, wife, slaves, ox, donkey, or any other property,” condones slavery and treating women as property.
​
These commandments, meant to be the cornerstone of an ethical and moral life, are notable for what they omit. Instead of condemning covetousness and threatening to punish children if their parents do not worship in the correct way, why not condemn slavery, racism, sexual assault, child and spouse abuse, and torture?
HERB SILVERMAN
Charleston