Sanctuary Benefit, An Inspiring Event

On Sunday, February 24, The Bergen County Sanctuary for Asylum Seekers, held a major benefit dinner to support its cause. The Sanctuary project, perhaps the only one of its type in the New York metropolitan area, is dedicated to providing a comprehensive roster of services, inclusive of housing, medical care and education, to people fleeing political persecution in other countries and who come to the US seeking a safe haven. They are treated badly, including for those who flee without proper documentation, imprisonment for sometimes up to four yours. In short, our country now criminalizes those coming here seeking safety.

The dinner featured the blue grass group, Triple Play, and the key note speaker, Dr. Allen Keller. Dr. Keller is the founder and director of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, one the truly great human rights projects in New York City. Dr. Keller was inspiring, and laudatory about the work of the Bergen County Sanctuary.

The Bergen County Sanctuary Committee is comprised of six area congregations, and other organizations. It is now a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization. It was founded out of the Ethical Culture Society in Teaneck about two years ago.

New Survey Finds Significant Growth of the "Unaffiliated"

The New York Times on February 26th reported that a new, exhaustive survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found a marked increase in those who claim no religious affiliation. The "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" found that the unaffiliated now comprise 16.1% of all American adults. In the 1980s only five to eight per cent of Americans identified as unaffiliated, making the growth rate of the unaffiliated the largest of any religious group. Moreover, when the figures are broken down by age, the survey found that fully one quarter of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 identify as unaffiliated, signaling a growth of this sector in the future.

This sounds promising for Ethical Culture in that the pool from which we draw would seem to be dramatically expanding. However, as with all broad surveys, the picture is more complex. When the 16.1% of unaffiliated is parsed, a more subtle picture emerges. 5.8% of the American population with the unaffiliated group state that religion remains very important to them. 1.6% of all American adults are atheists, 2.4% agnostic and 6.3% secular unaffiliated.

Overall the survey depicts an American religious marketplace which is extraordinarily fluid and competitive with a great deal of religious switching. In fact, it is shown that 26% of all Americans have left the faith in which they were raised for another or have joined the unaffiliated.

Does the growth of the unaffiliated sector augur well for the growth of Ethical Culture? At first glance we would think so. But we need recall that although Ethical Culture appeals to secular people, agnostics and atheists most of all, it remains a positive affiliation. Have those who have left traditional religions done so because of the content of those religions, or because the idea of affiliation itself has become burdensome? If the former, the pool from which we draw has expanded. If the latter, maybe not. Or, perhaps, many of the switchers are likely to move directly from their traditional affiliation to affiliation with Ethical Culture without passing through the unaffiliated category. We don't know, and the survey cannot tell us that. But overall, the growth of those who have become unaffiliated does highlight the capacity for choice, growing disenchantment with traditional religion and, on its face, seems to be a challenging and promising shift in American demography.

"But People Can Believe What They Want"

Those are the words of Father Casimiro Roca of the Santuario de Chimayo, a New Mexico church known as the Lourdes of America. A NY Times article (Chimayo Journal: A Pastor Begs to Differ With Flock on Miracles) tells of the faithful who visit this holy shrine to take dirt they believe to be blessed with miraculous powers from a hole in the church floor. How can tens of thousands take dirt from the hole without endangering the building?

Simple, and it's neither a miracle nor a secret. A caretaker fills the hole with trucked in dirt so believers can take the dirt to "eat it, brew it in tea or rub it on the afflicted body area." Father Roca, who has ministered the shrine for 50 years, readily admits that the dirt is not miraculous and does not try to hide the fact that it is transported in to fill the hole. Yet pilgrims believe otherwise.

People want to believe. Common sense, and in this case the nearest sympathetic authoritative figure, cannot dissuade the populace from this fatuous attitude. Believing, of course, makes it neither true nor sensible. Yet with believing comes solace, warmth and inner peace.

Anecdotal evidence implies that parts of the educated world such as Australia and northern Europe, where major religions play a significantly smaller cultural role than in the U.S., have a correspondingly larger population of believers in alien visitations, occultism, fairies, gnomes and other such nonsense. One hears these suppositions and can't help but wonder if the human physiology dictates that a majority of us value something other than truth to be most important.

As the good Father said, people can believe what they want.

"We Do Not Torture"

Ethical Culture is committed to preserving the dignity of the person. Nothing can be more violative of dignity than torture, and any humanist axiomatically needs to oppose torture absolutely.

In the human rights culture the ban on torture is the only one which is absolute, and while most countries practice torture as a matter of policy, as does the United States, the matter of torture has never been elevated to a public or political debate, a debate which this human rights activist finds obscene.

Last week, the Senate passed legislation on torture to prevent the CIA from using "harsh interrogation techniques," bringing our premier spy agency is line with what is permissible by the armed forces. Some Democrats, not wanting to appear soft on national security (as if torturing our enemies will make us more secure), in their usual cowardly manner, caved, and supported this shameful and hideous legislation.

George Bush has declared that he will veto the legislation.

Bush has publicly declared that the United States does not use torture. Since 9/11, he has played a strange political game with Congress and the courts in a successful effort to preserve the dubious right of the United States, and the Commander in Chief, to employ torture if in his magisterial view it is required.

His motives seem elusive, leaving one to conclude that with the United States' use of torture he is sending a message to the rest of the world, that if you mess with us, we will do awful things to you.

Indeed, under Bush, torture has not become the unacceptable exception to American policy; we have created a culture of torture -- Baghram, Abu Graib, Guantanamo, secret prisons, extraordinary rendition. Even Canada has now officially named the United States as a country which employs tortures as a matter of routine.

This willingness to sink to barbarism presents itself to the world not as a sign of strength, but as the desperate cry of a wounded giant. As a matter of policy, it leaves the United States less secure, not more.

Let us hope that with a new administration, this blight on America's image and self-image will be erased, and that ethical values will be restored to American foreign policy.

Billboard Activist to Appear at Society

Jan Meshon of FreethoughtAction, the organization that has erected the "Don't believe in God? You are not alone" billboard on the NJ Turnpike in Ridgefield, will speak briefly about the billboard campaign immediately following Kate Lovelady's February 24th Platform address at the Bergen Society Meeting House. See the earlier entries in this blog (1st entry; 2nd entry) for more details.

Diana Gross in "Adam and Eve"

Posted by Ken Karp on behalf of Bob Gordon. Also, see the NV Suburbanite's coverage.

It was quite a treat. Dare I say “unexpected?” On Sunday, February 10, the Teaneck New Theater presented a musical, based upon a short story by Mark Twain: The Diary of Adam and Eve. There are two principal actors (charmingly portraying Adam and Eve) and three singers who sometimes sing ensemble and often perform solos. The strongest, clearest, nicest, most musical (and well-trained) voice was that of our own Diana Weber Gross. Not only that, she was the musical director as well. And she also has the distinction of having chosen and doing the sound effects, to signify the passage of the days in the Garden of Eden – it was almost Spike Jones-ish, but fitting, as we learned later.

The director and performers asked the audience for questions at play’s end. These came haltingly at first, then more readily. They asked about the staging, the symbolism (especially the sound effects), how the musical numbers were chosen and also evidenced emotional reactions to the story, which was as humorous as you might expect from Mark Twain, until the rather sad ending.

But it was excellent entertainment!

The Diary of Adam and Eve, 'translated' by Mark Twain, is Twain’s humorous look at the very first male-female relationship: how it began, how it evolved and how it matured. This is a witty, playful and ultimately touching portrait of the very first couple as they slowly begin to know, accept and love one another. It’s also an insightful and delightful take on how much, and how little, has changed in the interaction between the sexes. Despite their many differences, Adam eventually realizes he cannot do without Eve. She, of course, knew that all along. Music is integrated into the play to complete TNT’s tribute to Valentine’s Day.

Tickets for The Diary of Adam & Eve are $12; $10 for students and seniors; and $8 for theatre parties of 10 or more. For reservations and information, call TNT at 201.692.0200.

I was tempted to run this story in the March issue of Focus when I realized that if I circulated it this week as well, you would have an opportunity to attend one of the remaining 3 performances, which come up this weekend, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 118 Chadwick Road, Teaneck (behind Holy Name Hospital).

Friday, at 8pm …. Saturday, at 8 pm …. Sunday, at 3pm.

Bob Gordon

A Tree Falls in Teaneck

While sitting in my car on Sunday afternoon awaiting the return of the Ethical Culture Sunday school trip from a nearby Islamic Center, winds suddenly whipped and snow squalls rapidly whitened the ground. A loud crack sounded outside the car and I watched a 50' pine topple to the ground and land harmlessly some 10 or 15 feet from where I sat. It completely blocked the entrance to our small parking lot, trapping four vehicles inside and slightly bending the Ethical Culture sign at the lot entrance. It caused no damage or injuries otherwise.

Ten miles to the north a tall oak fell across my backyard, victim to a similar unexpected gust and emitter of a similar loud crack. Moments before, the family dog Kipling had barked to be let in at the back door, thereby safely avoiding a possible confrontation he couldn't have won.

It must have been our lucky day. The following is an account of the incident from Bob Gordon, President of the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, as well as a member of the building committee. Photos are courtesy Leigh Roumila:



To All:

The Society suffered what has turned out to be a minor calamity today (Sunday), but could have been disastrous. Sometime around 4 pm, the wind brought down a huge pine tree on our property. I estimate that the part that fell was 50 feet, or more, in length. The tree was near the cyclone fence, in the area between the entryway walks and the driveway. It fell diagonally, towards the neighbor to the east, but across the driveway and angled towards the street. It actually reached to the curbing of the street.

Had it fallen more directly onto North Street, it would have crushed the car parked at the curb, in which Ken Karp was sitting, awaiting his daughter's leaving a meeting at the building.

Had it fallen in other directions, it could have totalled ALL the cars in the parking lot, besides destroying the fences.

Had someone been on the sidewalk where it came down, there would have been a death!!

Fortunately, there was no property damage or injury, except for a crimp in the sign that warns non-members not to park in our lot.

The tree itself looks healthy when you examine the stump; it must have been a freak gust that hit it just so. There had been a snow squall about that time.

Many people pitched in to clear the parking lot blockage and other debris. Leigh and Tayeb Roumila plus Issa and Liam were there ... Tayeb with his chain saw. Susan Lesh and son Ben, helped as well, including Ken and Maddie Karp, using loppers and muscles to cut and drag the limbs to a pile out of the way. And I added my own chain saw/muscle power to the mix.

We are left with massive mounds of boughs and large lengths of the tree body to reduce in size and dispose of.

As it happened, there was a group of Unitarians meeting at the building this afternoon, whose cars were trapped in the parking lot until we cleared it. They had failed to leave their phone numbers, so could not be told when the exit got cleared.

Despite the loss of the beautiful tree, we are collectively extravagantly grateful that there were no injuries or loss of property!!!! I shudder to think of what might have happened.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the cleanup. Once the power tools were available, it went very quickly.

Bob

PS: If another calamity seems imminent, I am going to hang close to Ken Karp.

Charles Darwin: Live and in Concert (really!)

February 12, known to Americans as Lincoln's Birthday, is also the birthday of Charles Darwin and the anniversary of the first publication of Darwin's The Origin of Species.

In recent years fans of evolution, including humanists, have recognized this date as Darwin Day and (any excuse for a party) used it to celebrate science and humanity. Although I haven't witnessed it in person, my favorite sounding event is Richard Milner's one man musical Charles Darwin: Live and In Concert, which will be performed this year in New York, Washington DC , Seattle and other venues. I've heard a few songs and interviews, both of Milner and Milner-as-Darwin, and found them to be entertaining and educational, if a bit whimsical.

Listen to some silly evolution songs here, including some from the musical, and an interview with Richard Milner here (fast forward to 11 min. 47 sec). Visit the 2008 page on the Darwin Day website for a partial list of celebrations.

Charles Darwin would have been 199 on February 12, 2008. His seminal work, The Origin of Species, was published 149 years ago, in 1859.

Bias Crime in Bergen County

Can it happen here in bucolic Bergen County? You betcha! It can happen wherever there are people.

On the face of it, the Record article "Paramus man charged with bias crimes in Ringwood" recounting the arrest of a Bergen County man on bias, arson and intimidation charges has a happy ending. The victim's statement "justice has been served" might be taken as "all's well that ends well". But the victim also stated the sad truth that "Wherever you go, you'll find people who don't like you for your race, country of origin, or gender - that's the world we live in today" (quoted from the print article in The Record of 1/31/2008; the print article is much longer than the online version and is titled "Man jilted on home sale charged with bias crime"). He also states that his son "still has a little bit of fear - his skin is darker than mine". The victim is described by The Record as "Hispanic and dark-skinned".

Every bias crime involves a bigot. In this case, the alleged perpetrator scrawled "No Blacks" in an apparent effort to scare the victim out of a house for which he (the perp) was outbid. So why did he turn to racially-based intimidation? It seems likely that something in his upbringing supported his stance of discrimination. It all starts at home, and it all starts when we're young.

In the days following the 2006 incident the victim's neighbors raised $2000, plus donated services, to restore the damaged house. The victim's response was "I'll forever appreciate all the things they did for me. I met a lot of good people, and they were nice to help me out. That's something I wasn't even expecting."

A neighbor who helped organize the recovery effort said "My kids are still talking about it. It taught the neighborhood children a lot about community spirit and what a community can do."

Now that's the way to raise kids!