Humanist Society of Santa Barbara
Newsletter for May 2002

• Social Scene
• Chairman's Column
• Local and Regional Notes
• Humanist Film Series

• Upcoming Meeting
• Here and There - This and That
• Web Site of the Month

That the Catholic Church is facing a crisis of unprecedented proportions is reemphasized each day by news accounts of immorality, coverup and dissembling by Church spokespersons. That American Jurisprudence is facing a parallel crisis seems to have escaped public notice. My comments this month are directed at that imbalance.

As I write, the Vatican conclave of American Cardinals is just concluding. In my view, this meeting was doomed to failure from the outset for two reasons. First, only one side of the issue was represented in Rome, namely that of the institutional Catholic hierarchy in America. This group, having already demonstrated criminal complicity in the problem, can hardly be expected to deal with it in a forthright and straightforward manner.

Secondly, the assembly focused on pedophilia, which is NOT the major problem facing the priesthood. The largest issue for the church - not just in America but around the world - is ordinary heterosexual sexual relations between men and women. This is evidenced by the fact that the largest portion of "hush money" paid by the Church (in America) has been to women. Beyond that, Catholics must face the issue of homosexuality amongst the priesthood. Pedophilia - which is NOT a subset of homosexuality - must surely be addressed but to ignore the larger problems is to ignore THE problem.

I am no defender of the Catholic Church in these matters and I hope it will remain under the glare of public scrutiny and be fully subject to the criminal justice system at the federal, state and local levels. But I do not want the principles of American Jurisprudence to be abandoned in the pursuit of the Catholic Church.

Unfortunately, some of our bedrock principles of justice have already been grossly violated. It is impossible to find one case that uniquely illustrates the idea for just one principle so the following is meant to be merely illustrative:

• Trial by a jury of one's peers: Cardinal Roger Mahoney of the Los Angeles Diocese was accused of assault in an incident said to have happened decades ago. The victim's rendition of the event was literally unbelievable (that roughly 30 people stood around witnessing the event). The "victim" herself was known to be mentally unstable and there was NO corroborating evidence. But these facts did not prevent the media from splashing the story at "the top of the news." This was character assassination at its worst. Mahoney was not "innocent until proven guilty" and was not subject to a jury of his peers. He was accused, tried, and "hung" in the media.

  Humanists, atheists, and all Freethinkers alike should be especially offended by this "public lynching" because we have too often been the recipients of the same rush to public judgment - witness the Inquisition and the Salem witch trials as just two examples. It is just as wrong to condemn a "man of the cloth" without due process.

  Mahoney seems to have prevailed because the accusation had no merit. But it is not difficult to imagine the permanent, devastating damage that could be done to an innocent Priest by a vengeful parishioner.

• Innocent until proven guilty: Remember McCarthism? 'Ol Joe would ask, "Is it true that you .. [fill in the blank]." No matter the answer, you were found wanting. The same is true now for any Catholic priest who is accused of molestation. Once the accusation is made public, his reputation is permanently sullied and he finds himself in the untenable position of having to "prove" his innocence. Of course, this is impossible. The damage is permanently done and a lifetime of service, devotion and goodness can be wiped out by one unsubstantiated accusation. Nobody, sectarian or secularist, should be so judged.




• The right to face one's accuser: In fact, this rant was prompted by an article in the Los Angeles Times dated April 22nd that described a confrontation between protesters and Catholic Church parishioners, other laity, and members of the clergy at the St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church in Azusa, California. I did not see the original article but was alerted to it by e-mail from Dave Kong, California Director of American Atheists and a speaker at one of our meetings last year. Dave introduced the e-mail link with this observation: "If you haven't read this already, it's a very sorry example of humanity."

  I agree with Dave's observation, but I suspect he intended his comment to apply to the behavior of the members of the St, Frances. I think his observation applies equally to the protesters. Here is why.

  According to the LA Times article, an investigation of the pastor of St. Frances, Father David F. Granadino, was launched by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department "based on an anonymous call to the sexual-abuse hotline set up by the Los Angeles archdiocese." The newspaper article never states exactly what Granadino's crimes might have been.

  The protest started out ugly and got uglier. The protestors carried signs saying "House of Rape" and "Stop Crucifying the Children." The picketers demanded that "the name of every priest accused of molesting a child" be released (emphasis added). This is character assassination at its worst.

  Members of St. Frances behaved no better, assaulting the protesters both verbally and physically. They apparently refused to even acknowledge that the accusation merited at least an investigation, a pattern of behavior which reflects the official Catholic response to this problem from the Pope on down. Since the LA archdiocese set up the hotline in a manner allowing for anonymous calls, the Church is obligated to respond to such accusations.

  I am concerned about the apparent lack of adherence to the principles of American jurisprudence which have made our system of criminal justice - however flawed - one of the best in the history of mankind. These principles include "innocent until proven guilty", "trial by a jury of one's peers" and "the right to face one's accuser."

  These principles are far more important to me than "getting" the Catholic Church. If due process is observed, justice will prevail. It is a messy process, it does not always work and it can be frustrating to a fault. But it is the best we have. I am reminded of Churchhill's famous quip, "Democracy's the worst form of government except for all the others." The same thing can be said of our form of Justice.

• Our most recent "Alexander's Alms" was donated to "Domestic Violence Solutions" which was formerly known as "Shelter Services for Women." More specifically, our contribution was made to their "Second Stage" program in which women are in the Process of reestablishing themselves in an independent living environment. Our donations go directly to the women who are involved in the program so you can be assured that 100% of your non-perishable food contributions make a direct difference to battered and abused women. It is a truly worthy cause.

  Special thanks are due to Pat and John Coppejans who made VERY large donations to this program. They use coupons to make contributions in a way which does not impact their own budget. Using this scheme, their contribution exceeded that of the all of the -£OmaiDder-Qfthe Society put together. Pat and John hereby earn one great big "W AY -TO- GO" award. At the next meeting, talk to the Coppejans to learn about their approach and learn how to emulate it yourself. Other member contributions have been decreasing oflate. Don't forget the good we can do when numerous small contributions add up to a big difference. Bring your non-perishable donations to each monthly meeting without fail. It does matter!

• t Chairman Roger engaged in his second debate at Westmont College in Professor Mike Guillano's class on the topic, "Is Christianity a Viable World View?" on April 22nd. It was a lively discussion ranging over the bible, evolution, faith, ethics, the Anthropic Principle and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Nobody converted anybody, but who knows what seeds of doubt might have been planted? Lottie White was scheduled to participate but had to decline at the last minute.. Roger has been invited back for more debates. Would anyone else be interested?

• , As you might have noticed, Robert Bernstein attended our April meeting at Fe Bland auditorium. It was great to see Robert back in circulation after his accident. Keep on pluggin' with that physical therapy, Robert!

  Over two (count 'em) years ago, our Society embarked on the process of becoming a tax exempt, educational corporation recognized by both the IRS and the FTB of California. The fIrst step, approving a set of Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation, was easy. So was the next step -namely being recognized by the State of California as a Corporation. Then came getting tax exempt status -and the train c' stalled. After more than-ayear--of~and £-0" - with the IRS, they have "tentatively" given us . recognition as a fuI1501(c)(3) tax exempt ! corporation. Within weeks, the State of California, gave us the same recognition.

  What does "tentatively" mean? In practical terms, nothing. It means we have to remain a member supported organization. In June, 2005, we can apply for permanent tax exempt status and it will be automatically granted if nothing changes in our fmancial plan. But, if Bill Gates offers us $1 billion to promote the cause ofHumanism, we'll have to think hard about it. For three seconds!

  What are the practical implications? All of your donatons to the HSSB are now enjoy both federal and California tax exempt status. However, as an organization, we cannot take a position for or against any political candidate. We can advocate for principles we believe in.

Corliss Lamont (1902-1995) was a 20th century American hero whose independent thinking challenged prevailing ideas in philosophy, economics, religion, patriotism, world peace and the exercise of our cherished civil liberties. His belief that earthlings have evolved without supernatural intervention and are responsible for their own survival on this planet caused traditionalists to label him a "godless atheist". His web site:

http://www.corliss-lamont.org

lists his many accomplishments, including many books and other publications. One of his achievements was to found the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York, a chapter of the AHA, whose site can be accessed from these pages (or go directly to
http://www.corliss-lamont.org/hsmny). On the "What is Humanism" page of this site a list of ten principles (no not commandments) is given including:

Humanism, having its ultimate faith in human beings, believes that we possess the power or potentiality of solving our own problems, through reliance primarily upon reason and scientific method applied with courage and vision.

Humanism, in opposition to all theories of universal determinism, fatalism, or predestination, believes that human beings, while conditioned by the past, possess genuine freedom of creative choice and action, and are, within certain objective limits, the masters of their own destiny.

Happy surfing.