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Commandments Case Goes to 7th Circuit
The Freedom From Religion Foundation's federal court victory ordering removal of a Ten Commandments monument from a public park in La Crosse, Wis., is being appealed to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
The city council on Aug. 12 voted 15-2 to appeal the case, at a meeting crammed with religious pickets, singing gospel songs.
Mayor John Medinger vetoed the decision on Aug. 13, deeming the court order "constitutionally correct." He warned of the expense: "there is no free lunch or free attorneys either." Medinger called the vote "a step in the wrong direction."
He was hastily overridden by another 15-2 vote the following day. Voting both times against the appeal were Larry Lebiecki and Marilyn Wigdahl.
Thirty-four area attorneys and one judge had submitted a letter advising the city to drop the case, saying it has scant chance of success in the appeal.
"There hasn't been a lawyer who has read the decision that thinks it would succeed on appeal, and when is the last time lawyers ever agreed on anything?" asked signer Keith A. Belzer at a press conference.
Additionally, 36 religious and community leaders signed their own letter urging the common council not to appeal. Leading the signators were the Administration of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration; Bishop April Ulring Larson of the La Crosse Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, two priests with the Diocese of La Crosse, and the pastor of a First Congregational United Church of Christ.
"We not only have a legal victory in La Crosse," said Foundation president Anne Gaylor, "but a moral victory. We are very grateful not only to our 22 brave local plaintiffs, but to the mayor, and for the groundswell of support for the ruling and the separation of church and state by so many thoughtful and diverse residents."
A member of the La Crosse County Republican Party handed out brochures promoting an appeal, while the La Crosse Democratic Party officially supported removal.
The strong 41-page ruling by Federal Judge Barbara Crabb has dominated headlines and letters to the editor in the La Crosse Tribune since being handed down on July 14.
In July 2002, 22 local plaintiffs and the Foundation challenged city support of the tombstone-like Ten Commandments monument, donated in 1965 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. After the lawsuit was filed, the city sold a tiny bite of the small park to the Eagles, which merely fenced the monument.
Judge Crabb called the sale unconstitutional because its only purpose was to promote religion.
After the decision, Christ Episcopal Church on Main Street had offered to provide a permanent home to the monument. The minister also offered to invite the Foundation plaintiffs to participate in a formal procession moving the monument from the park to the church. Trinity Luthern Church also offered to take the monument.
The Foundation is contesting a motion by the American Center for Law and Justice, evangelist Pat Robertson's legal arm, asking to intervene in the ongoing lawsuit.
The Execution of Uzzah
A few years ago I decided to read the bible from cover to cover. I'd like to claim intellectual curiosity, but in truth my primary motive was sheer annoyance. I had begun listening to Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio program and she kept flatly insisting that religious precepts were essential to morality. It had always seemed to me that "sacred" guidelines like the Ten Commandments fell into one of two categories. They were either purely religious but morally irrelevant, or morally useful but not intrinsically religious at all.
So I resolved to learn first-hand what the bible actually says. What I found will be no surprise to readers of Freethought Today. The Old Testament is crammed with gratuitous violence and moral nonsequiturs, often perpetrated or instigated by Jehovah himself. The New Testament has a much gentler tone overall, but a careful reading shows that Jesus is not quite the paragon of virtue legend holds him to be. For instance, he repeatedly advocates total allegiance to the Old Testament regime and all its injustices.
One small but telling incident stands out in my mind as epitomizing the confused view of right and wrong that permeates the bible. It occurs while King David is returning the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:6,7). The Ark has been taken from the home of Abinadab and placed on an ox-drawn cart which Abinadab's sons, Ahio and Uzzah, are responsible for guiding. When the party arrives at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen momentarily stumble and Uzzah instinctively reaches out to steady the cart. As his hand approaches the Ark, Jehovah instantly strikes him dead.
The reaction of many people to this would be, "So what? It was common knowledge that the Ark was dangerous and never to be touched, so Uzzah should have known better." To me the message is very different. Here is a chance for Jehovah to demonstrate some understanding in a one-on-one interaction with a faithful follower. After all, he is supposed to have designed and created every detail of the human brain, so he knows perfectly well that Uzzah's reaction was reflexive and aimed only at protecting the Ark. Yet Jehovah chooses cruelty rather than compassion.
Actions like the murder of Uzzah are frequently defended with the supreme authority argument. The gist of this rationalization is that Jehovah has a master plan and knows more than we could possibly comprehend about human destiny, so it is arrogant of us to question him in any way.
But a more thoughtful approach supports almost the opposite conclusion. If Jehovah is as wise as advertised, he is not less accountable for his behavior than ordinary mortals, but more so. Both the original no-touch rule and the wanton destruction of Uzzah (who only wanted to help) are characteristic of the kind of small-mindedness we ordinarily hold in contempt. I see no reason to make an exception for someone who, above all, should know better.
The terminally abusive treatment of Uzzah is just one of many instances enabling a perceptive reader to see that Jehovah's conduct falls far short of justifying the stream of uncritical praise constantly heaped on him. On a more general level, the sum of such failures damages his moral credibility beyond repair and adds to a much larger body of evidence which tends to reveal him, in the end, as nothing more than a rather unpleasant fictional character.
Turn to James Madison
At a time when the religious right has acquired so much influence in our secular government, and servility is praised as the best trait in a patriot by many public officials, Americans ought to turn to the writings of James Madison.
Maybe it's because Madison isn't featured in effigy on our nation's currency that he has slipped away from the public eye and into obscurity. After all, Lincoln has his memorial, Washington has his monument, and Jefferson his own architectural evidence of greatness. Then again, even the ideas of Thomas Jefferson, a staunch advocate of separating church and state, have eluded the American public while his face and name has been preserved.
Madison, reputed as the primary author and parent of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, is arguably the most important figure in our history. Fundamentalist religious sects will find no footing in Madison's words for preposterous claims of a national religion, or for justifying allocations of federal money to religious institutions.
James Madison's grand public debasement of religious assessments and public support for religious institutions is found in his speech, "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments" (June 20, 1785):
"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution. Inquire of the Teachers of Christianity for the ages in which it appeared in its greatest luster; those of every sect, point to ages prior to its incorporation with Civil policy."
He encouraged a government separated from any religious convictions but also implores the intellect to be freed of superstition:
"What influence in fact have ecclesiastical establishments had on Civil Society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the Civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny: in no instance have they been seen the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers, who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure and perpetuate it needs them not. Such a Government will be best supported by protecting every Citizen in the enjoyment of his Religion with the same equal hand which protects his person and his property; by neither invading the equal rights of any Sect, nor suffering any Sect to invade those of another."
Madison expressed disdain for closed-eyed followers ("Who Are the Best Keepers of the People's Liberties," National Gazette, Dec. 22, 1792): " 'People ought to be enlightened, to be awakened, to be united, that after establishing a government they should watch over it, as well as obey it . . . Liberty disdains to persecute.' "
Especially in the post-September 11 climate, we hide behind shields of rhetoric against terrorism to justify infringing liberty to achieve national security. Not only Madison but our other founders expressly warned that that sort of behavior would warrant the fall of liberty. Thus far, as reported by the Justice Department, more than 1,200 people have been detained on suspicion alone, that they might be involved in a terrorist organization. Of those only one person has been charged with involvement in the attacks on September 11, 2001.
If we desire to maintain the prestige and authenticy of our nation's great birth and ideals, we need to look no further than the libertarian-minded founders of our nation. James Madison would be a good start.
The Recovering Catholic: 12 Steps to Becoming a Freethinker
When I was a sophomore in high school, my mother began to get worried that I had not yet been confirmed. Most of the other kids from my Catholic high school were already taking confirmation classes at their local parishes, and I was not. So she began trying to convince me that it was time to "commit myself to God," and I began trying to convince her that there was no way that I was going to stand up in front of a church full of people and profess to believe in something that I did not. Once she realized that the "do it for your mother" line was not going to work, she offered me a deal: I had to attend the confirmation classes, but afterward, if I still felt the same way, I did not have to go through with the ceremony. I took the deal.
As expected, the confirmation classes were just a rehash of all the religion classes I had ever taken in Catholic school since kindergarten, and the textbook we were provided was written on the intelligence level of your average third-grader. I tried to ask questions like "Do heaven and hell really exist?" and "What happens to people who are not Catholic?" but all I got were dismayed looks and no answers.
Needless to say, I was never confirmed. After high school I moved away to college, stopped going to church, and have been trying to recover from my Catholic upbringing ever since. Yet my decision to reject Catholicism in particular and all organized religion in general was not a sudden one; on the contrary, it was the culmination of a lifetime of experience surrounded by religious conflicts and inconsistencies that led me to question the religion into which I was born.
Religion first became a problem in my life when I realized it made me different. I was the only girl in my Catholic elementary school who had divorced parents and no siblings, not to mention being the only child in my extended family to have this distinction as well. I was pitied, but with the kind of pity that is tainted by disapproval. To make matters worse, my father was Protestant. My mother and her family were all extremely devout Catholics who considered those who were not Catholic to be inferior heathens. As a child it was very difficult for me to understand why they looked down upon my father, someone I loved, as someone unworthy of all the divine rewards to which they believed they were ultimately entitled. In addition, they considered him to be the cause of my parents' divorce, another unforgivable sin and reason for shame, and this only created further problems between the two halves of my family.
When I would go visit my father, my mother insisted that he take me to Mass on Sunday despite the fact that my father wanted me to attend church with him. All this conflict soured my views towards religion at a very early age, because I simply was not willing to accept that the god I was told to believe in would condone such open hostility on his behalf. My exposure to different religious perspectives outside of what I was being taught in school and at Mass, and my inability to accept that there was only one "right" religion, started me on the journey of questioning religious doctrine and affiliations.
High school continued to be a time of religious awakening. I attended a Catholic high school where everyone was required to take religion classes, but the students came from many different religious backgrounds including Protestantism, Mormonism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam. This clash of varying viewpoints, though often repressed, continued to fuel my doubts about the validity of any particular human-created explanation for the meaning of life and the possibility of an afterlife. The final straw for me occurred when a born-again Christian classmate informed one of my dear friends, a Hindu, that she would not be going to heaven because she did not believe in Jesus Christ. I could not reconcile the idea that I lived within a community that would condemn a good person like my Hindu friend, and yet offered guarantees of an eternal afterlife to anyone who claimed to believe in a particular deity but was an otherwise selfish and unkind person. I have refused to be a part of any kind of religious "members-only club" ever since. Simply believing that it means more to be a kind person than a righteous one has brought me a greater sense of peace.
It has been a long and tough road to de-Catholicize myself, so I have created a twelve-step process (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) to help me to remember what I truly value and how I got here in the first place.
The Twelve Steps of Catholics Anonymous
1) I admit that guilt, shame, and self-denial are not virtues; that they make life less joyous.
2) I came to believe that the power for goodness within myself could restore me to reason.
3) I made the decision to decide for myself what is moral and right, and not to simply adhere to what I have been told.
4) I made a searching and fearless moral inventory to help me understand what was right and wrong for my life.
5) I admitted to myself that I might not have all the answers, but the conclusions I had come to were enough for me at this time.
6) I was entirely ready to stop judging myself and others based on an arcane and often hypocritical religious doctrine.
7) I humbly admitted that I am a mere human being and therefore not arrogant enough to claim that I know all about this supposed god and what it really wants.
8) I made a commitment to be kind, accepting, understanding and altruistic in all that I do, and to admit when I may have done wrong.
9) I made amends with others and myself for all the conflict that religion had caused in my life.
10) I continue to question the validity of religion in my life and the lives of others all over the world.
11) I sought out others who shared my beliefs of tolerance and acceptance and learned from them.
12) I try to be a freethinker in all aspects of my life, and to always be open to new people and new ideas.
It has been a long journey, but I am happy with who I am and the decisions that I have made. I still have very religious parents, but they have realized that my lack of religion does not necessarily make me a bad person. I look forward to going through life with an open mind and an accepting heart, and I look forward to all that it will bring.
In Defense of Atheism
If I were asked to identify my religion, I would reply that I am a Jewish atheist. While this may seem to be a contradiction in terms, it makes perfect sense to me. My family is Jewish, and to ignore this fact would be to disavow my heritage and ancestry, along with a good share of my personal values. Yet I am an atheist, because I have never believed in the existence of a god. Granted, I went to Sunday School and celebrated my bat mitzvah, but then I decided not to attend confirmation class or any more Shabbat services. I realized that the prayers I had muttered automatically on Friday nights held no meaning for me. Religion had been a sort of mechanical reflex that I simulated because it was comfortable and familiar. Once I recognized that I did not find any meaning in the prayers or the chants of the Jewish faith, I could not continue to be a practicing Jew without feeling dishonest.
Even though I do not accept the beliefs of Judaism, I will always be Jewish. My religious background is an indelible component of my identity. That is why, on the few occasions when people have made anti-Semitic remarks to me, their slurs have stung acutely. I have now learned to appreciate my Jewish heritage for the unique perspective it lends me. Although I do not believe in the religious tenets of Judaism, the secular Jewish values have unquestionably flavored my personality. If I had been born into a Christian or Muslim or Buddhist family, I would have grown up to be a very different person than I am today. Not better or worse, but different. Being culturally Jewish is something entirely separate from believing in Judaism--something that will always be a part of me, like the color of my eyes or the timbre of my voice.
In short, I still feel a powerful connection with Jewish history and the Jewish community, despite the fact that most devout Jews would probably refute my claim to the label of "Jewish." I have not entered a synagogue in years, and I have had very few Jewish friends or classmates over the course of my life. All the schools I have attended have been predominantly or officially Christian: in elementary school, my uniform actually included a little badge embroidered with a red Cross of St. Michael. I did not mind wearing the cross, because it allowed me to fit in with my peers. Actually, what bothered me was having to remain seated during the morning chapel services, according to my parents' wishes, while everyone else kneeled. At that tender age, I simply wanted to be like all the other kids.
At my high school outside of Philadelphia, I was one of just a handful of Jewish students. My parents wanted me to go to another private school in my area that had a larger Jewish population, but I insisted on enrolling at the Agnes Irwin School. I was adamant on this point because I was accustomed to having Christian friends and peers, and I never regretted my decision. If every Jewish girl in my neighborhood chose to go to the "Jewish" school, and every Christian girl attended the "Christian" school, then our suburban community would become self-segregated and narrow-minded. It is imperative that students of all different backgrounds intermingle and learn from each other, thus helping to prevent prejudice from taking root in their young, impressionable minds.
The majority of my friends at Rice are agnostics, raised in the Southern Baptist Church but too smart and intellectually curious to mindlessly accept as truth the propaganda they were fed there. At some point, they all came to realize that people of other faiths or sexual orientations do not, in fact, deserve to go to hell. My friends and I have engaged in many an animated late-night conversation on the topic of religion, and we have shared countless laughs over the Landover Baptist website (a parody of the type of church to which my friends once belonged). My experiences and relationships at Rice have allowed me to flesh out my thoughts on religion with a more nuanced understanding of the world and of myself.
Furthermore, I now have enough confidence in my religious convictions--or lack thereof--to publicly defend them. No longer am I a timid little first-grader, sporting the red cross and anxious to conform. This past February, a guest column entitled "Recent woes do not discredit all religions" appeared in the Rice University newspaper. The author, attempting to defend the Catholic faith, had the audacity to downplay such tragic historical events as the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades. She went on to blame the deaths that occurred in the U.S.S.R. on Communists' lack of religion as opposed to their faulty political practices. Finally, adding insult to injury, she claimed that "Christianity led to the great majority of humanitarian causes." Her assertions were not only untrue and unsubstantiated but also extremely offensive, and I wrote a letter to the editor saying as much.
In the following weeks, I was commended by dozens of my peers for taking the guest columnist to task. By implying that all atheists are hard-hearted, amoral, and even murderous, this writer had outraged not only the atheist students but many religious ones as well. My rebuttal caught the attention of the host of "What's Your Point," a talk show that airs on Rice Broadcast Television. The host invited me to appear on her show to discuss Christianity on campus (particularly the points I made in my letter to the editor) with three other student panelists. Two of these students were staunchly Christian, and the third was a Conservative Jew. While my fellow panelists squabbled over various interpretations of the bible, I managed to successfully propose a defense of atheism and argue the impropriety of proselytizing on campus.
Not everyone is readily accepting of my atheist views. My grandmother frequently assures me that as soon as I have a child, I will gaze at the tiny, perfectly formed human being in my arms and exclaim, "This is a miracle. There must be a God!" But I am certain that I will have no such reaction. The birth and development of a human being is indeed amazing, but it must be accredited to the wonders of nature, not the powers of God. There is a scientific raison d'etre for every aspect of this universe, from babies and galaxies to languages and the feeling of love. People may find it difficult to wrap their minds around such awesome concepts, but that is no reason to deny the legitimacy of rational explanations.
I am very privileged to have been born to parents who, unlike my grandmother, are supportive and understanding of my ideas on religion. Part of their tolerance can be attributed to the fact that neither of them has chosen to be an actively practicing Jew. But in my estimation, their intelligence is an equally important factor. I associate piety with close-mindedness, self-importance, a lack of intellectual inquisitiveness, and a certain amount of cowardice. Many people are afraid to admit that we do not have any special purpose on this Earth, and therefore they delude themselves into believing that a god created the human race to fulfill his mission. They disregard scientific evidence of evolution and abandon any inclination they might have had to "question the answers." For the life of me, I cannot comprehend how any well-educated person can blindly believe in God. Fortunately, my mother and father were among those parents who are enlightened enough to refrain from imposing religion on their children.
I have been taught that it is impolite to bring up my opinions on religion, for fear of offending other people. This impulse to be tactful and courteous often compels me to keep quiet when my classmates are espousing their belief in God. But then I ask myself why I go to such lengths to resist attacking their views when they are attacking mine. Why is it that I must be respectful of their values when they claim that people with my values will be eternally damned? We are told that religion is not an appropriate topic of conversation, that we should not make an issue out of it, but how can we not fight back when violations of the separation of church and state are overt and omnipresent? I have the right to be offended when every coin I use declares "In God We Trust." I have the right to be disturbed that almost every person who testifies in court is forced to swear, "So help me God." Those who advocate silent prayer in school argue that the children can pray to the god of their choice, but what if those children do not wish to pray to any god at all? Although we Americans consider ourselves to be the most free-thinking citizens of any nation in the world, it is clear that we have a long way to go before freedom of religion (including the freedom to refuse religion) is fully granted.
Happily, it seems to me that more and more Americans of my generation are privately rejecting religion and releasing their minds from its shackles. The next step is to channel our potential as a political force and as a voting bloc. Many of today's politicians are infecting our government with religious drivel and drowning out the voices of all who oppose them; perhaps we would be able to make ourselves heard if we spoke out in unison. It is time for Americans to recognize that the idea of a society stunted by ignorance and self-delusion is much more frightening than the acknowledgment that there is no god watching over us.
Growing Up Pushing the Rock
The youth pastor stood with his lies and with rage in his eyes and his lips moved--but nothing came out. The sermon that night was on the evils of abortion and the Church's stance on the issue. We were regaled with horror stories about greedy doctors salivating over the chance to rip apart a young woman's womb. We were shown pictures of mangled fetuses and bloody placentas. Yet I heard nothing, and I saw nothing. I could not believe the enraptured faces surrounding me; most of them were my age--thirteen--yet were nothing like me. Everything was a silent blur. I retreated to the bathroom. This was the church I had grown up in, the church my family had attended off-and-on for as long as I could remember; and as long as I could remember this church, this building had been my center of strength, the rock on which the destructive waves of daily life would crash and fizzle into impotency. It was perfect: brightly-colored, stained-glass windows, rows of well-vacuumed carpet, neat lines of floodlights lining the hallways, illuminating children's drawings of Jesus and Jonah and today's Daily Devotional.
Yet as I stood in the bathroom that night, lost in a haze of epiphany, I remember for the first time noticing the flaws in the church. In some places, the carpet didn't quite make it to the wall. Too many circulars misspelled "Babtist." In the bathroom, tiles were missing in the corners of the walls. The underside of the faucets held a thick growth of mildew. The chemicals used to weekly swathe the filth were not enough to cover up the stink. It was in one of these particular moments of my youth that I remember thinking the unthinkable thought, the one that had slept just below the surface of my developing reason, the one that had torn apart my conscience and disarranged my emotions: the thought that God does not exist. Religion is fraud. Nothing can hide the cracked walls and flawed laws of organized religion. For the first time in my life, I was beginning to think for myself.
The involuntary detachment from my peers, however, did not begin at that time. I was always the curious young child, more annoying than precocious. I was always asking questions: "Where did Cain's wife come from?'" "If Goliath was a giant, where are all the giants now?" "Did Noah bring two of each animal into the ark or seven of each clean animal?"
The basic teachings of biology and scientific reasoning that were making their way into my public school curriculum were also trickling down into my Sunday School lessons. The instructor would usually smile patiently, answer me with a "because the Bible says . . ." and shove crayons in my hand so I could make yet another drawing of the sinners of Sodom or the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf. In retrospect, these Sunday School sessions were well planned. They drew unsuspecting kids into the fold of religion with the fantastic stories of the Old Testament, usually sticking to the high-profile, morally obvious myths like Jonah and the Whale, while leaving out the parts about, say, Onan spilling his seed, or the invading Hebrews slaying helpless women and children. These things I wouldn't find out about until much later, when I actually read the Bible.
Like most people, I grew up Christian simply by osmosis. My parents were Christian, therefore so was I. Organized religion, like television, was there from the beginning, and I had no reason to refute its inherent value and infinite preexistence. Religion was simply what my brother and I were dragged to on Sunday mornings. God was simply the third parent who saw everything I did. He listened to me when I prayed for a new toy or for my parents to stop fighting. He judged me when I did what I knew was wrong. He promised immense rewards at an excruciatingly distant point in the future. He was Santa Claus.
I wanted to like religion and love Jesus, just as I wanted to make good grades, be nice to my brother, do my chores, and take the dog out so he wouldn't pee inside. I was different from my schoolmates yet I desperately wanted to be one of them. They all seemed to grasp this God thing--I wanted to as well. I even remember at age eight vowing to read the entire Bible cover to cover. Once I got past Noah and the Ark, everything became a blur. I had read maybe twenty pages before I gave up, but for the love of God, I tried.
Shortly after I turned eleven, my father died of a heart attack. He was never a good father: he drank and smoked and never paid his child support. I was even a bit afraid of him. His death left a certain numbness in me--at a time when I should have been reaching out to God for support, I could only reach in myself for strength. I did not feel comforted by the presence of a higher power. The church that had always been there offered little in the way of condolences. My fifth-grade classmates had been instructed to not mention it around me--yet I could tell they knew. This harshness of reality, the shifting priorities of my friends, and the shattering of my religious conceptions left me cold inside. The ideas I had been taught about the afterlife never quite came to fruition in my mind--the only thing I was concerned about was whether or not my father's ghost could hear me when I lied and how long sympathy would get me free toys. These, sadly, were my baby steps toward free thought.
Like all emotionally-driven forward movements in thought, there can be a violent internal backlash when the weakness of insecurity creeps in. For me, the first of these reversals in thought came in the summer after my father's death. That summer my brother and I spent a lot of time with his agrarian extended family spread among the simple small towns of North Alabama. Tradition dictated that this group attend the local Church of Christ, a bastion of fundamentalism rooted deeply in the fabric of daily life for many North Alabamians. Simple politeness dictated my brother and I attend with them during visits.
There was politeness and guilt. Those who think the Catholics hold a monopoly on guilt have never experienced the whirlwind of kinetic culpability weekly thrust upon the smiling denizens of the local Church of Christ. There were at least three services a week all were expected to attend, save those in poor health: Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. God forbid if anyone was too sick to attend services; that person would receive a lengthy write-up in that week's Church Bulletin. There was even a spot in the Bulletin reserved for absentees without good reason, entitled, "Also Not Able to Attend Services This Week."
I saw through this guilt trap, but had no other place to go when visiting this family and no gumption to tell them I simply didn't want to go. So I went. And I laughed inside. I laughed at the stuffy, unremarkable building which housed the church. I laughed at the stuffy, pretentious Sunday School classes. I asked why the Church of Christ did not allow musical instruments in the worship service. The reply I always received was, "the Bible doesn't tell us to have musical instruments, so we don't." I secretly wondered whether or not the Bible allowed for the church's bathrooms and parking lots, and if not, why were they there?
I questioned and I laughed, but after a couple weeks of attendance I began to feel I actually belonged somewhere. I was an out-of-towner, a Big Man, there. I was popular with the other fledgling adolescents. Popular. The social ramifications of being popular for the first time seemed not so distant and dead but were tangible and alive. The organized religion that had begun to amuse me now amazed me with its power. It was no longer the Sunday morning ritual and God ceased to be the Third Parent. Now Jesus was the leader of the gang of spiritual and social giants who had it all figured out--who got along, shared ideas with hamburgers, shook hands and joined hands for horrendous off-key a capella hymn-singing. Christianity was my door into the world of happiness that I associated with popularity.
I returned home brimming with religious zeal. I read my daily devotional, began wearing a cross necklace, and joined my local youth group. Inspired by an electric Church of Christ sermon, I began arguing with whomever would listen the essential facts that, yes: the universe was created in seven literal days, the Great Flood was what formed the Grand Canyon, dinosaurs once sat down to lunch with men, and when the rapture comes, I'll be the first to go! I was intensely sure of these facts and justified by what then seemed to be overwhelming Biblical evidence. I went to church camp. I wrote religious poetry. I even played Jesus Christ himself in a youth group skit about abstinence before marriage. The pinnacle of popularity, I thought, is being mock-crucified before an audience of one's peers.
So why was I so unhappy?
The beginning of the disintegration of the zealous religious regime that ruled my life for three years can be traced back to simple experience and knowledge. The more of this life I experienced, the more I began to see the frivolity of popularity. The more knowledge I gained about them, the more I realized how inherently ridiculous and contradictory Christian teachings could be. I grew distant--detached. I was disinterested in my schoolwork and depressed. My disillusionment with religion manifested in a kind of self-inflicted sensory deprivation. I began to not see the faces around me, to not hear their voices. Those other people were all just mask-wearing puppets manipulated by marionettes.
They didn't know what I knew.
The idea that came to light that night of the abortion sermon at youth group was unspeakable to me: God does not exist. I had heard the word "Atheist" before, but I did not know what it meant. Surely I was not an Atheist. Surely I was not one of those shaky-eyed madmen who fed off the brains of children, hoarded pornography, and kept secret torture devices in their basements. That wasn't me. I was therefore alone; I was the only person in the entire world who did not believe in God. I was a revolutionary! I had reached the anti-spiritual nirvana, the negative gnosis--I was a mental giant among intellectual dwarves. In this aura of clarity I formulated a breakthrough philosophical principle I called the Four-S Theory. This stated that all human behavior is motivated by the desires for Sex, Security, and Superiority. These three desires boil down to a central instinct that rules the natural world, the fourth "S": Survival.
I was thirteen years old.
And nobody knew about any of this because I told no one. It was my secret.
And I had a lot to learn. By secluding myself in a bubble of dogmatic atheistic thought, I became the opposite and equal to my former Christian self--I was not open to new ideas, and was certain that I had attained absolute knowledge. It once again took experience and further learning to snap me out of this zealot mindset. As I grew I realized that I was an atheist not because I knew there was no god, but because the idea of god is unknowable. Where others find comfort and security in their faith in God, I find comfort and security in the infinite Unknown. I do not fear death so much because I do not know what happens when we die. I desire to learn new things because knowledge brings me closer to the universe; the Unknown excites me in that it allows for infinite new things to learn. Many freethinkers would call me an agnostic. Very well. I like to use the word "atheist" because that word still excites that revolutionary frenzy in me.
It took me a while before I was comfortable telling people I was an atheist. I eventually told my mother, who was and is very supportive, and then anyone who asked. I refuse to lie about my beliefs, even though the social stigma attached to the A-word still provides a basis for discrimination against freethinkers from all spectrums of life--social, political, economic. Those of us who choose to think for ourselves instead of accepting the beliefs and blind faiths of previous generations belong to one of the last truly persecuted minorities in the world. I still feel detached from humanity--l always have--yet I still feel compelled to contribute to it in my own way. I act morally not for fear of punishment in hell or for brownie points in heaven but because I want to get along with the rest of my species.
Many people can look back on their childhood as a series of vague, happy memories--like looking at an old picture whose edges have been faded by the sunlight. I don't have this luxury. My childhood memories are tinged with lucidity. I remember the bad moments, the good ones, the sweet and the bitter. I can remember how and when the Rock that was organized religion became my Rock of Sisyphus, the burden of faith that tied me to a singular mindset. I remember when I tossed that boulder aside and began climbing the mountain of life with the freedom to explore any new idea that comes my way. I will always be hungry for knowledge. I love being able to completely change my opinion on a subject given new information. I have a long way to go, many mountains to climb, and countless changes of mind to undergo. That is the wonderful freedom of growing up a freethinker.
In the Heat of the Right
I grew up in an American town, a small Alabama town. It is home to farmers, soccer moms, and gang members. Residents drive tractors, sport-utility vehicles, and low-rider pick-up trucks. Although people there may seem culturally diverse, they are proud of what just about all of them share: Jesus Christ.
My mother, from Virginia, and father, from Illinois, know the outside world. They met in Madison, Wisconsin, got married, and moved to Texas, where I was born. It was not until they were in their forties that they moved to Alabama. Today, as a first-year student at Carleton College in rural Minnesota, I can almost say I miss my hometown. I miss azaleas in February and overcooked vegetables. I miss listening to the drawl of vowels and spitting watermelon seeds off the hot patio. But I do not miss religious intolerance.
It started early. No one could spend the night with me on Saturdays because they needed to go to church early the next morning. My family doesn't attend church. In fourth grade a Jehovah's Witness named Candace, a skinny kid with bright eyes, decided that I was to be her project. Every day at recess, I climbed the jungle gym and walked the balance beam with Candace nipping at my feet and reading the bible at me. Her persistence was neither successful nor terribly harmful to me. My parents told me that Jehovah's Witnesses are Christian extremists whose beliefs are far from mainstream. Later, they would explain the behavior of Southern fundamentalists with this logic. As their definition of "extremist" expanded to include first my peers and then my teachers, so did my fear that most people I would meet in life would deem me a bad person.
Candace gave up on my soul in fifth grade, but other kids soon picked up the slack. One day at school, some kids were talking about how their preachers had taught them that Sunday that Jews would burn in hell. I told them that my half-brother and half-sister are half-Jewish and that they weren't headed for hell. Then Nancy, the prettiest girl in the whole fifth grade, told me and everyone else that not only my siblings, but also the rest of my family, would burn in hell because God hates Jews. This was the first and last occasion that a teacher stood up for me. She asked Nancy if Jesus were in hell, since he was a Jew. Nancy couldn't say yes to this and begrudgingly apologized. But rumors spread. I, a Germanic gentile girl who had never seen a synagogue, became Vestavia Elementary's target for anti-Semitism! I had no friends during my two remaining years in elementary school, and I dreaded the taunts that met me each day at school.
For academic reasons, my parents took me out of the public school system and sent me to seventh and eighth grades at Holy Spirit Catholic School. They told me not to be afraid of the religiousness I would see at school. They told me that I could have different beliefs from those of the Catholics but still be respectful of them. My first few days were terrifying. Teachers called on me to read bible verses that I did not know how to look up, and I had to read the Lord's Prayer from a book because I had never heard it before. I mispronounced the "o" in "Job." But I learned what every Catholic kid should know about Church history, and eventually I was even soothed by a good mass. No one seemed to mind that I was not Catholic or even Christian. Southern Catholics know persecution. There are no uniforms at Holy Spirit because of Klan violence against Catholics in the 1960s. A plaid jumper might invite a gunshot. Maybe this history is why the Catholics were so tolerant of my differences.
In ninth grade I returned to Alabama's glorious public education system and, subsequently, intolerance and proselytizing. I had planned to take the school by storm, but my first day back did not bode well for this agenda. Schools in Alabama start in early August, when the subtropical Deep South is markedly inclement. Every morning the members of the prayer club entered the school to start their meeting as soon as they got off the bus. They would pray for a half hour or so, while the rest of us were not allowed into the building. We sinners stood around sweating, in conditions that reflected what would commence after our deaths.
The first day of ninth grade, all teachers started class by barking out their disciplinary codes. They all introduced themselves with brief biographies including their "church homes." My history teacher asked all the Baptist kids to raise their hands and to keep them raised while she wrote down their names. The year after I left my junior high school, a student in my history teacher's class asked a question when they were studying the Holocaust: If you have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven and Jews don't believe in Jesus, are they going to hell? The teacher's matter-of-fact response, "Well, yeah, all Jews will burn in hell," triggered a letter-writing campaign by parents, including mine, to ask the school board to take action against the teacher. Instead, she was promoted to the high school.
Reports of that year baffle my friends here in Minnesota. I knew that walking down the hall meant hearing other students mutter, "Jew" or "Commie," as they passed me. But I did have three girlfriends with whom I did normal teeny-bopper things. We watched movies, talked about boys, and went shopping together. Because two were Methodists and one was a Southern Baptist, I felt detached from the religious side of their lives---a side that was increasingly relevant to our relationship. A few times I went to church with them after sleepovers, and I was always uncomfortable listening to their slick-haired preachers talk about salvation.
Every Halloween, a holiday of which fundamentalists are not fond, a local Baptist church holds a Judgment House, in which congregants act out scenes from heaven and hell in various rooms of their mega-church. I agreed to go with my friends that year, because I thought I was really tough. I thought the Judgment House would make a funny story when I got out of the South. But it was not funny to see my community show me what they think I deserve. Nor was it funny when, at the last stop of the tour of hell, a man asked all those who do not attend church to come to the front of the room. It was not funny when my friends stared at me until I did so.
When I got to the front, a woman led me into a side room. She told me to sit down, and she asked me personal questions that embarrassed me. She asked me if my parents believed in God and why I did not go to church. Then she told me to repeat after her what developed into a creed that professed my belief in Jesus and my guilt for my hitherto sinful life. Dumbstruck, I left the room and found my friends. I tried to tell them what had happened, and they cried with joy because I had "found Jesus." Strangely enough, I felt much more "saved" by my later northern migration than I did by this spiritual awakening.
The repetition of the Baptist woman's words did not, indeed, convince me to attend church. Kate, the surprised alpha member of our clique, gave me an ultimatum one day in the locker room while we changed our clothes after gym class. If I didn't get baptized and start attending church every week, she and the other two would have nothing to do with me. As melodramatic as it sounds, that marked the end of my friendships in Alabama.
The next year I started Tuscaloosa County High School, where my favorite classes were taught in the Lurleen Wallace Social Science Wing of the building. My education was taking place in a location named after a woman who, as the first female governor of Alabama, had served as a surrogate for her husband, George Wallace, whose entire political career was a crusade for racism. Seeing that sign next to my history classroom on the first day of school and walking past a prayer group inside the school the next morning gave me a sense of foreboding about my high school experience. This feeling proved accurate. Religion was just as interwoven in my high school as it had been in my junior high.
Instead of my classmates' growing accustomed to my disinterest in religion, more and more of them saw me as a raging atheist. One day my tenth-grade English class spent the period in the library. As there were no empty tables, I sat down next to a popular kid named Josh, whom I had never met. After a few quiet minutes, Josh announced loudly, "So, Anne, I hear you don't go to church." I told him that no, I did not go to church. He asked me if Jesus were the son of God. I said, "No, probably not." Everyone in the small library--my classmates, students from another class, and the librarians---watched him stand up and scream at me about his disgust and my impending damnation. He told me that I was a sick person. Instead of going to my next class, I found my English teacher and told her what had happened. She told me I should try church. I went to my next class for a few minutes. There, in a magnificent display of irony, Kate, who had sworn me off months earlier, explained to me that not all Christians are like Josh. She said I should give Jesus a chance. I checked myself out of school.
My junior year, another teacher, a fundamentalist Wesleyan, fell in love with the idea of saving me, just as Candace had in fourth grade. He liked me as much as a person can like someone he believes deserves damnation. He invited me to church with him (to no avail) and ranted about the merits of C.S. Lewis. One day after class he told me that he wanted me to stay late because he had invited someone to talk to me. It was another teacher, who led all of the school's Christian groups, from the morning prayer group to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I was scared.
After all the students were gone, this teacher walked in and closed the door, pulled a chair close to me, sat in it backwards, and looked at me hard.
"You don't go to church?" he asked.
"No, sir."
I always slipped into servile "sirs" and "ma'ams" when I got scared in Alabama.
"Why not?"
"I don't like what I've seen organized religion do to people."
The interrogation continued, covering my parents' religiosity and my lack of friends. I gave him ambiguous answers and seemed comfortable with a lifestyle that struck him as absurd and wrong. Then he dropped the bomb.
"Anne, do you believe in a personal God?"
I stared back at him for a moment, then looked at my teacher at his desk. With a nervous smile, I said, "I don't know."
The teacher stood up, pushed his chair across the floor, and stared at me.
"I can't talk to you," he said before slamming the door.
Somehow, that announcement summed up my problem in Alabama. No one could understand me, and no one tried. I bothered everyone because I was a good kid. I was friendly, tried hard in school, and volunteered in the community. Yet, according to their preachers, I was the scum of the earth. Teachers and students wanted me to go to church to make themselves more comfortable with their religion. I didn't have the outward signs of a heathen, but I was doomed. Ultimately, I think I won parts of the battle. People who knew me at home still attend church and still believe every word of the sermons. But at least I made a few of them think. I provided a face for the group that they hate. I hope I made it a little harder for some people to dismiss non-Christians as bad people.
The scene is dismal for people like me in Alabama. It is never easy to dissent from a community's de facto consensus. Because I am not a Christian, it is hard for me to think about home. It hurts to know that my parents live there. It hurts to know that people like us are unwelcome. It makes sense that my classmates felt uncomfortable with me, because I was all they had to associate with their preachers' warnings about non-believers. Although their remarks and attitudes are not fond memories of mine, the larger issue is that teachers encouraged their intolerance. What is wrong in my tale is that institutional forces made me feel inferior. Americans paid money to hire public school teachers who told me to go to church and who acted disgusted by my religious decisions. Public money funded prayer groups that left me in the literal and metaphorical heat. When religion pervades a public school system, students learn to value homogeneity. My school system teaches children to hate those who are different. It always struck me that God is everywhere, yet nowhere, in Alabama.
Atheists in Foxholes: Why I Didn't Earn My "God and Country" Medal
My deconversion began in a most fortuitous way. While in the Boy Scouts, at about 12 years old, I really wanted the nifty-looking "God and Country" medal. As part of the procedure, I had to meet with a local minister to have the prerequisites signed off. The minister suggested I read the bible. I did. Somehow the warm and fuzzy stories we were taught in Sunday School dissolved into the nightmarish tales of rape, killing, pillaging, lying, deceit, genocide, animal cruelty and some just plain nonsense. By 13, I was an atheist and an avid bible reader. Through my teen years I would often debate religion.
I was 18 my entire senior year in high school and had been issued my friendly draft card. While watching the protests (and even joining a few in Seattle) over the war in Vietnam, I wasn't too worried since the lottery was in place and I was still in school. Then my luck began to change.
I graduated and within a week I got a new draft card--1-A; and, to make things really interesting, the new lottery drawing gave me a nice low number. Not exactly being college material at the time, or having the wherewithal to run to Canada, or finding the Army option very appealing, I did the logical thing: joined the Navy. Better education programs, better travel opportunities, and less possibility of ending up in Vietnam was my justification.
During the first few days of boot camp, we were organized from a ragtag bunch of civilians to a crack group of moronic sycophants. Like some folks, I did ask for "atheist" on my dog tags, but was designated "NP"--no preference. As part of our recruit organization, the Company Commander selected various people to fill some positions, such as recruit leader, co-leader, yeoman, company idiot, and that sort of thing. He then came to the volunteer position of Company Recruit Chaplain. My eyebrows raised as did my hand and since nobody else's did, I suppose he had to pick me and unceremoniously did so. My duties were to assist the "real" Chaplain for Sunday services and say a prayer every night before taps. No more sweeping, cleaning cigarette butts, running here, doing this, doing that. All I had to do was keep my personal religious non-preference to myself.
But when it came to the prayers, what an opportunity! Every night I would stand on the center board table and read a passage from the bible and say a prayer. I read the passages that contained the pillaging, murders, incest, etc., and then made up some sort of silly prayer (author's note: aren't they all?).
After one particular and somewhat dubious prayer, this big (and not too smart) southern boy came up to me and drawled, "Haay Hill, just what the f--- kinda prayer was that anyway?"
Boot camp became a breeze. When the twelve weeks came to an end, the school/fleet assignments came up. Looking down this list I found my name and the ominous words, "Fleet, deck force, USS Tacoma PG 92. Current Station: Da Nang." It would seem that one part of my plan had gone just a little askew. I joined the Navy to see the world. I didn't really think that would include being part of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club.
The Tacoma was a 165-foot coastal patrol boat with five officers and 20 crew who would lend "lethal fire power and logistical support" to nearby shore troops, protect larger ships operating on the coast and in the Tonkin Gulf, as well as engaging in special operations with a bunch of homicidal lunatics called seals or green berets. A .22 shell would penetrate our aluminum hull, but we could hit 40 knots if necessary. We also did river patrols from the mouth of the Da Nang to Vung Tu and Saigon and just happened to be at Cam Ranh Bay when the tet offensive in '72 was touched off. (See a picture at: http://www.gunboatriders.com/theboats/92_tacoma/pg92.html.) We certainly didn't see the kind of action of in-country troops, but had our share of enemy encounters, shelling and close calls. I spent over a year and a half in Vietnam before I won reassignment to the East Coast.
John Hill today
With respect to religion, I found that those who had deep religious convictions supported the war and were more gung-ho than those who (quietly) did not. Believers were also more prone to a "God's Will" mentality when it came to living or dying. I cannot remember how many times I told some Christian that it was fine with me if he wanted to die, but he wasn't going to take me with him and he'd better damn well do his job and not just hope some silly prayer would help. When self-preservation kicks in there is no room for God, Jesus, or some sort of mythical eternity. Those who took that time to acknowledge the deity in a combat situation usually ended up dead.
I knew many more atheists in the service than most people would like to think or admit are there. Sure, there is the nod and wink during some chaplain's speech or the skipper trying to placate everybody with some god-talk. The Captain once told us before an important squadron event, "If you're a believer, you put your head down and pray when the Chaplain prays; if you're not a believer, you'd better be checking your shoeshine."
There are plenty of atheists in foxholes and on decks and in the air and it just makes me cringe when I hear or read someone ludicrously assert the opposite.
After I left Vietnam, I was accepted to Submarine School in Groton, Conn. I made one patrol on a nuclear missile-carrying sub and then was discovered to have contracted tuberculosis in the Far East. I was placed in both naval and veterans hospitals for over a year and finally returned to society. I entered college, eventually studying philosophy and religion, which still hold the fascination they once did. I failed to get my "God and Country" medal, but received something far more valuable in return . . . freedom of thought, conscience, and reason, and all because a minister asked me to read the bible.
State/Church Bulletin
Utah Crackdown on Polygamy
Utah has hired a so-called "polygamy czar" to lead a campaign to root out polygamists who take child brides or commit welfare fraud. An estimated 20,000 to 50,000 polygamists live in Utah.
Police raided a picnic in July attended by 800 members of one family, arresting Jeremy Kingston, 32, for marrying his 15-year-old niece/cousin, LuAnn. Now 23, LuAnn went to the state attorney's office three years after walking out on her husband, saying, "Something needs to be done."
State attorney Mark Shurtleff told the London Observer:
"The message to these tyrants is that we are going to investigate you and prosecute you, and the message to the victims is that there is help available to you. In the past we've reacted when a victim has come out, but now we're going to be proactive."
Breastfeeding by the Good Book
Religionist Catherine Donkers was cleared of child endangerment for breastfeeding her unrestrained infant as she drove on the Ohio turnpike May 8. An Ohio court in August found her guilty of breaking Ohio's child-restraint laws and driving without a license. Troopers trying to pull her over testified she was so distracted she didn't notice the sirens: she was talking on a cell phone, taking notes about what her husband was ordering her to do, breastfeeding the baby, and driving at the same time.
Donkers and her husband belong to the First Fellowship for Eternal Sovereignty, a religion granting a husband complete control over his wife.
Colson Claims Debunked
A study advertised by Watergate felon Chuck Colson as proving the success of his Texas prison ministry actually reveals its failure.
The evangelical Innerchange Freedom Initiative segregates prisoners in their own pod of a state-run prison, and requires 16 to 24 months of biblical education. Released prisoners are followed for 6 to 12 months, must hold a job and be a church member.
Colson issued a press release in late June claiming a 2-year study by the University of Pennsylvania and the Manhattan Institute shows that faith-based mentoring decreases recidivism. Colson claimed "program graduates were 50% less likely to be arrested, and 60% less likely to become reincarcerated."
Slate, an internet news magazine, published an article in August by UCLA social studies professor Mark A.R. Kleiman debunking the claims. Prisoners enrolled in the program were not better rehabilitated, only prisoners who graduated from the program (75 out of 177).
Kleiman also found that "overall, the 177 entrants did a little bit worse than the controls."
Derailing Roadmap to Peace?
So-called Christian Zionists who see the state of Israel as fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and as a condition for the second coming of Jesus, have lobbied President Bush throughout the summer to derail his "roadmap" for peace. Bush has proposed the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
Spearheading the campaign is Christian evangelical Gary Bauer, of Americans for a Safe Israel. Christian Friends of Israeli communities donated $200,000 last year from U.S. churches to help build Jewish settlements on the West Bank that have inflamed relations.
"If Bush touches Jerusalem, he's not only going to get us mad but get God mad," televangelist Pat Robertson told AP. House Majority Leader Tom Delay also has stated his belief that God gave Israel and the West Bank to the Jews.
Blair Imitates Bush
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has set up a ministerial working group, the Faith Community Liaison Group, in the Home Office.
The London Observer described Blair as "a committed Christian who keeps the bible by his bed," and recapped Blair's remark that "My Maker" would answer for the deaths of British soldiers in Iraq.
Florida Voucher Scandals
About 23% of all third-graders in the state of Florida ended the school year in danger of failing, following implementation of statewide testing that bases grade advancement on test results over report cards and teacher recommendations.
Private, mostly religious, schools, received a total of $88 million this year in taxpayer-subsidized vouchers, but are exempt from the testing.
Dick Baker, principal of one religious school receiving public vouchers, was accused this summer of taking schoolgirls on overnight trips to Disney, dressing them up like "princesses" and in his collection of little-girl swimsuits, taking their photographs and "tickling" them.
Community Christian School in Largo has enrolled at least 16 students in the voucher program for a minimum of $56,000. Baker's school also enrolled about 28 disabled students under a special state voucher program, to the tune of $168,000, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
"Character" Program Proselytizes
Character First!, a program by Christian evangelist Bill Gothard, has been endorsed by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Jerry Regier, the state's controversial child welfare director. The program has been foisted upon thousands of agency workers at Orlando's Department of Children and Families, and is spreading.
Character First! identifies 49 "character" qualities which Gothard based on the bible, such as "alertness, diligence, humility and tolerance." Employees are even offered a pocket guide to consult. Workers in Orlando told Florida Today they are insulted by the lessons.
Funding Faith at Secular Expense
The federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps, a national community service program, is funding a new program run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, while cutting all funding to several existing programs lauded for having proven track records.
The $324,000 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to the diocese will pay 32 AmeriCorps "volunteers" to work with preschoolers in the diocese's four daycare centers.
Utah Goes Secular?
Utah city councils in Murray, Salt Lake City, West Valley City and Ogden have recently suspended invocations. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that many other Utah towns and cities are considering whether to drop prayers.
The actions have followed several legal decisions, including a recent ruling by the Utah Supreme Court that if a city schedules any prayers, it may not censor speakers. An atheist proposing a pro-separation of church and state "prayer" won the Murray court case.
"Family Day" Litigated
The ACLU of Hawaii filed a a second lawsuit against Honolulu city officials in July, charging the city sponsored a Christian religious service on Family Day.
The group initially sued Honolulu officials for excluding three gay groups from the city's Family Day Parade. U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor ruled on July 3 that Honolulu's Family Day Parade was privately sponsored, therefore organizers could discriminate. The ACLU's follow-up suit alleges that at least $15,000 of taxpayers' money was spent for the event.
Strong-Arming Justice Department
The U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division sent recent letters to 12 municipalities in support of churches fighting zoning requirements. It has accused Maui County, Hawaii, of religious discrimination for refusing a Christian group's request to build a sanctuary on the lower scope of the Haleakala volcano on Maui, because of city traffic and safety concerns.
"It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Maui County is being strong-armed from the nation's capital," editorialized the Maui News.
The controversy may test a federal law passed in 2000, exempting religious groups from many zoning and land-use laws.
Not "Good News"
Attorney General John Ashcroft has thrown Justice Department support to Good News Clubs demanding public school support.
The Child Evangelism Fellowship of Maryland in January sued the Montgomery County schools (Md.) for refusing to publicize religious after-school meetings by sending flyers home in childrens' backpacks. Club activities include hearing bible stories and memorizing scripture.
Rockville officials protest that being forced to hand out religious flyers makes teachers unwitting missionaries. In April, a judge refused the group's demand. The evangelism outfit, whose mission statement pledges to "locate children who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior," appealed the ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in May. Ashcroft has filed a friend of the court brief to support the gospel group.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools must rent schoolrooms immediately after school to the Good News Club. The national ministry claims to host more than 1,800 religious clubs in public schools.
Boycotting the Boy Scouts
Venture Crew 488, a coed unit for boys and girls ages 14-20 in Sebastopol, Calif., announced in August that the local Scout council has given it an ultimatum: retract its anti-discrimination statement, or leave scouting. The group criticized Boy Scouts' discriminatory policy against gay and atheist youths and adults, and urges businesses, United Ways and others to stop supporting it.
United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania voted on July 31 to cancel all funding to local Scouts because they discriminate against gays. The United Way, which has supported Scouting for 80 years, voted to withhold the second-half payment of a $400,862 grant to the Cradle of Liberty Council, and the second half of a $17,901 grant to the Chester County Council. The Cradle of Liberty Council recently ousted Life Scout Gregory Lattera. Pew Charitable Trusts killed a grant of $100,000 to the council because of its discriminatory action.
The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, a Foundation chapter, is protesting an arrangement dating to 1928 by the city of Philadelphia, which grants the Cradle of Liberty Council of BSA free use of a city-owned lot, where it built its headquarters in 1929.


text: I have an Auxiliary battery installed in my truck. I havea 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500. I'm running dual optima yellow top's. Out where Ilive we have hot freaking summers 105+ and 10 degrees or less is easily scenein the winter dead batteries are common. Batteries don't last that long. I havea battery solenoid type battery isolator that is activated by a switch wired tomy dash. I have been looking into an on board charger. I have checked out acouple different 12v to 12v on board 3 stage charging systems. Has anybody hadany experience with these types of systems? Does anybody have any recommendations?

subset: commoncrawl


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Blue Mountain hiker rushed to hospital after moose attack
MISSOULA, Mont. - A hike with the dogs on Blue Mountain near Missoula ended violently, after a woman was knocked down and injured by a moose.
The attack happened near the ATV Trailhead off of Blue Mountain Road.
Crews had to hike in about a quarter-mile, and wheel the woman out on a stretcher.
Officials say she was walking several dogs off-leash around 5:20 p.m. Thursday, when they came across a female moose and her calf.
The dogs reportedly began harassing the moose, and when the woman tried to pull them off, the moose turned around and knocked her down.
Officials say she was cut on her back, but didn't sustain any life-threatening injuries.
They say leashes aren't required on Blue Mountain, but this is the time of year to bring them anyway.
"Always have your dog on a leash; always keep your dog under control," said Montana Highway Trooper Andrew Novak. "Most of the time bears and moose won't bother people, and it's generally situations like this that do cause some issues when there's pets involved."
FWP officials say the moose was acting defensively, and they have no plans to capture or relocate it.


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Edit: Sale has ended.
So, The Secret World is currently on sale on Amazon and Steam for $10.19.
It's a traditional style MMO with a modern setting focused on secret societies and the supernatural(zombies, ghosts, demons.)
It also has no monthly subscription.
I honestly wouldn't have bought if for the regular price of $30 but if you have been on the fence about this game I strongly advise looking into it while it's on sale. I personally think it's well worth the $10.


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Are You Buying or Selling on Steven Seagal Working with Anderson Silva? Featured
- Written by Dave Walsh
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When Steven Seagal first was shown with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, we all kind of chuckled and said, "hey that is pretty cool." When he walked out with Anderson at UFC 126, it was kind of funny again, but at this point it began to appear odd. Steven Seagal is an Akido instructor and former martial arts action star who now has his own dubious television series about him being a "lawman."
I grew up on Martial Arts and action films, as I feel like most men my age did. Guys like Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme were the reason to get involved in martial arts; to be as bad ass as they were. Of course, years pass, and as they do, the stark reality set upon me that JCVD had serious substance problems and that Steven Seagal was a terrible fraud. Both men fell off the radar a bit, but Seagal's career seemed to hold strong (still sparse, but it didn't fall off completely) while Van Damme's seemed to all-but disappear. Seagal had long been the butt of the joke when it comes to Hollywood circles, but still got work due to his popularity and how ridiculous of a persona he carried around with him.
Enter the modern day, where JCVD is re-building his career his way and even looks to re-enter the world of fighting, while Steven Seagal is on a reality television series and apparently trying to weasel his way into the fighting world as well. This past weekend, Anderson Silva defeated Vitor Belfort with a front high kick, a staple in just about every form of martial art that involves kicking. So, much to my surprise, Anderson Silva claimed that Steven Seagal taught him the kick. It was funny, worth a chuckle. Then, much to my disdain, this interview with Ariel Helwani came out.
Seagal claims to have taught Anderson Silva one of the most basic kicking techniques, a first week kick in Tae Kwan Do, which incidentally, was Anderson Silva's first martial art that he took when he was fourteen. Now, as anyone who has studied striking will note, there are minute differences between techniques in different forms of martial arts, but generally speaking, one form of kick does not differ too greatly from another. This is a very basic technique that Anderson Silva used almost out of context in a MMA fight, and caught everyone by surprise. For Steven Seagal to claim there is some sort of mystical "death" technique, or that he knew some secret to making the kick work better is, well, par for the course with his history.
In that interview, he discusses with Helwani how MMA is both good and bad for traditional martial arts; first it makes the public more aware, and second, it shows behind the curtain into a "secret world" that you weren't meant to see. I think my eyes nearly rolled back in my head. If anything, Mixed Martial Arts has shown the general public that there is a man behind the curtain, that there is no Oz. There are men like Seagal everywhere, who have conned people into believing that with intense, personal training from masters such as himself, you can learn some crazy secret that will help you transcend reality.
The gall he had to claim he taught Anderson Silva a technique that your average six year old can do (of course not with the force or application) was pure Seagal grandstanding. Seagal showed cracks in his story when Helwani asked him how he met Anderson Silva, he was caught on the spot and said that he didn't remember, then you could almost see the gears turning in his head as Helwani is preparing another question and he corrects himself and claims that Anderson Silva sent him a "memo" that he wanted to learn Steven's secret death techniques.
Anderson Silva and his training partners are not fools, nor are they children, if you believe for one second that this happened, you probably need to review some of the history of Steven Seagal. Seagal has lied about nearly everything in the book, from his place of birth, to adultery, to how many wives he has had, to education, work history, the list goes on and on. There have been an endless stream of interviews, op-eds and exposes on him since he became popular, with Spy Magazine discussing how his "CIA background" is a complete sham, and how he actually had mafia ties and attempted to hire hit men to take care of members of the media who "wronged him." If you search Google for "Steven Seagal Fraud" you get endless results. Check this out for some documented history.
Just because certain people claim to have more knowledge does not mean that they are correct. Understand that basic kinetics dictates that every technique in martial arts is done a certain way, and has been over years, because it is effective. If there was a way to enhance that technique, it would be canonical. Steven Seagal is an aging, overweight actor and stunt man who has nothing real to teach to accomplished martial artists. My question for you is are you buying or selling, and my question for Seagal and Anderson's camp is how much is Seagal paying you? Seriously, he has to be paying them something, right? Because if I were an accomplished martial artist and world champion, I know the last thing I'd need is an over-the-hill actor to tell me how I should fight, especially when said actor has no history fighting himself, unless I was doing so as a big joke or he was paying me to be his friend.
Dave Walsh
Dave Walsh has been covering MMA and Kickboxing since 2007 before changing his focus solely to Kickboxing in 2009, launching what was the only English-language site dedicated to giving Kickboxing similar coverage to what MMA receives. He was the co-founder of HeadKickLegend and now LiverKick. He resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he works as a writer of all trades.
His second novel, Terminus Cycle, is available now via Kindle and Paperback.
Dave (a) LiverKick dot com | @dvewlshWebsite: www.dvewlsh.com


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I am a freelance photographer based in Washington, DC, covering Capitol Hill and the White House for a variety of clients. I have undertaken projects in Haiti, Azerbaijan, Russia, Mexico, Peru, and here in the U.S. My photographs have appeared in Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, der Spiegel, the International Herald Tribune, the Financial Times, and a number of other outlets. I am a member of the White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA).
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text: Take a look at this week's I Love My Pet segment.Do you want to feature your pet on our station?To do so: Just send us a picture. E-mail it to WABI at [email protected] Please put "Attention I Love My Pet" in the subject line.Or slip it in the mail. send to WABI TV5, Attention I Love My Pet, 35 Hildreth Street, Bangor 04401. If you'd like your picture back, include a self addressed, stamped envelope.You'll want to make sure you include your name, your pet's name and why they are so special. Also a number we can reach you at, so we can tell you when your pet will be featured on I Love My Pet on TV5 News at Noon.Kennebec Valley Humane Society Pet: BentleyMy name is Bently and I am about a year old and ready for an energetic home that is willing to train me and give me the time I need. They don't really know what breed I am but I am a great young dog with lots of potential in the right home. I can be rough and I play with my mouth so I won't be placed in a home with young children. I do seem to like other dogs and cats are fine so if you have the room in your life for a bouncy ball of fun, I'm your guy!Our Super Saturday Adoption Event will be on Saturday, Aug. 25 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. We will be doing Dog Speed Dating, promotions on cat adoptions and holding a bake sale. We hope that you can join us!Kennebec Valley Humane Society626-3491 or go to:www.pethavenlane.org


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I am a New Zealander returning to live here after working in Australia. I have an AMP superannuation fund in Australia with a death benefit. I would like to transfer my fund to KiwiSaver when this becomes possible. But what will become of the death benefit cover?
Generally KiwiSaver schemes don't include a life insurance component, so if you transfer your super unfortunately you'll most likely lose your current death benefit entitlement.
The best thing you can do is to have a chat to a financial adviser and find out what insurance options are available to you here - there's bound to be an option to suit.
They'll also be able to help you with the transfer of your super and in packaging a solution that best meets your needs.
Fiona Oliver, AMP general manager, wealth management.
I am contributing 8 per cent of my salary to KiwiSaver. I turn 65 in May and would like to remain with KiwiSaver until I finish work in, for example, five years' time.
Can I continue to contribute after I have turned 65? I will also be receiving super then. My employer is happy to top up 2 per cent.
The short answer is, yes, you can. When you become eligible to withdraw your KiwiSaver savings (currently when you turn 65 as long as you've been a KiwiSaver member for at least five years), it's up to you - you can choose to pull out your retirement savings or continue to make contributions, and it's great that your employer has agreed to continue contributing.
It's important to note, you will stop receiving member tax credits (that's the annual government contribution to your KiwiSaver account) on any contributions you make after you become eligible to withdraw your savings.
Fiona Oliver, AMP general manager, wealth management.
A recent Herald story talked about lower rates of KiwiSaver membership among women, particularly those aged 30 to 40. I'm one of those women who have held off on KiwiSaver.
Currently I'm at home with three kids and don't see myself getting back into the workforce until they are all at school, and even then it would be on a part-time basis.
Before having children my focus was on paying off as much of the mortgage and preparing financially to drop back to living on just my partner's wage when we had children. Retirement savings didn't really feature for me then either. Given that our family finances are put towards mortgage payments and day-to-day living what are the pros and cons of signing up to KiwiSaver versus getting the mortgage paid off sooner?
KiwiSaver allows you to save on a regular basis and helps you better prepare for your retirement in a way that a regular savings account can't, but when you're planning your financial future, working out what's right for you and your family can be daunting.
It's going to be different for everyone and that's where a financial adviser comes in, and in most cases an initial consultation is free of charge.
KiwiSaver does provide flexibility in the form of contribution holidays or you can make lump sum payments.
You can also change your required contribution between 2 per cent, 4 per cent and 8 per cent of your before-tax salary or wages at any time by notifying your employer of your new contribution rate.
The Government also contributes $1000 toward your KiwiSaver account when you join and if you contribute more than $1042.86 over a year you'll receive a member tax credit of $521.43.
Fiona Oliver, AMP general manager, wealth management.
Disclaimer: Information provided is stated accurately to the best of the respondent's knowledge at the time of publication. It is general in nature and should not be construed, or relied on, as a recommendation to invest in a particular financial product or class of financial product. Readers should seek independent financial advice specific to their situation before making an investment decision.


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Applying to Purdue - ECE Graduate Program
Thank you for your interest in graduate study in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Purdue.
Bachelor's level students are considered for admission into either the Master's program or into the Direct Ph.D. program. Students who have already completed (or who will soon complete) a qualified Master's program may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program.
Online webinars about the ECE Graduate application can be found here: WebEx Webinars.


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....shameless plug. unfortunato for me Di-TV is not in the budget
NFL Championships : 1927 1934 1938 1956 Super Bowl Champions: XXI XXV XLII XLVI
oh my XXXXX !!!
I am glad it's the Bye these guys need it. call it what it is. we suck right now. period. I'm not even depressed, just real angry. I hate attacking coaches and what not but what does Dr Jekyl need in order to stay on Mr. Hyde mode?
What is it about the Coughlin second-half season swoons?
NFL Championships : 1927 1934 1938 1956 Super Bowl Champions: XXI XXV XLII XLVI
What the heck? Getting blown out by the Begals? Man Eli is off right now. Lack of confidence? No fire? The D, what D? We had been all complaining that the D and O couldn't both perform in the same game, well we got it.. They both sucked. Mid year collapse again.
Happy Veterans Day GY thank you for your service to this country.


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My grandfather kept bees, and I'd like to regress bees in size and use a treatment free approach. Comments appreciated.
My grandfather kept bees, and I'd like to regress bees in size and use a treatment free approach. Comments appreciated.
Welcome to Beesource!
Here's a site you may find useful:
USDA Zone 7A Elevation 1400 ft
Hello Bobby! I am in Northern Pickens Co. near Table Rock. You?
Edit: I looked at your profile. Greenville I see. Where are you the produce manager? We lived out State Park Rd. for 18 years before moving up here to the "mountains". I got interested in bees to help with pollination in the garden and now I find out that is where honey comes from? lol
Wanna help me build an enclosure to keep Yogi and Booboo out? I have a little logging to do first and then start fence construction. Will be a challenge I think.
Last edited by Lazer128; 12-27-2012 at 05:57 PM.
Welcome Bobby!
Two of us joining from the Upstate on the same day? Weird.
Been a member for a long never seen that many come from the upstate at one time I live in new prospect
Thank you. Very informational, in fact I was on that site last night and I thought it was about midnight and looked at the clock and it was after 4AM! I'm hooked!
Weird, but way cool!
I'm in Greenville, where is New Prospect?
Hello Lazer128. Actually I'm the Assistant Produce Manager here at the Bi/Lo at East North and Pelham Rd. My best friend is the Produce Manager here and he lives just off Paris Mountain Rd. If you know where S. Buckhorn Rd. is, thats where we watch a lot of Carolina Panther football. So you have to watch your picnic baskets? After football season, I could give you a hand on Sundays. I have a similar project (without the bears) on a property around Travelers Rest I own.
Good morning Bobby! Yes I know the area where your friend lives very well. I lived across the road from Half Mile lake for 18 years. (We moved here in 1998.) I was a vol. fireman with Piedmont Park for 10 of those and my youngest son is a full time firefighter there now. My wife works at Wally World there in TR. What kind of project are you going to tackle? I have a skid steer and a brand spanking new tractor with a rotor tiller if it involves working the land. I look forward to meeting you sometimes and maybe we can help each other.
Welcome Bobby, I am just down the road a bit, well more than a bit, but anywho welcome aboard, a place to ask question, get answers, get questions, ask answers and lots more, with honey on top
Welcome. Look into Mann Lake PF frames for regressing.


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I'm eager to see how the Dolphins do in this yrs draft.. Tannehill is actually looking solid(very surprising to me), and they will have a early rd pick in 1st, plus 2 early 2nd's and obviously a early 3rd.. U can do some serious damage with that..
Another guy i'd consdier if i was the Giants in RD 1 is Dion jordan.. I'm falling in love with him as a prospect, and i think JPP and Jordan would be fearsome for yrs to come.. That would be a intersting surprise 1st rder...
I do think DE is becomming a need again. I just think at 243 lbs and with his ability to play as a blitzer and as a guy who can drop back into coverage(a little) he is going to be rated higher as a 34 OLB than he will for any position in a 43 defense.
Dion is clearly at his best when moving forward, similar to Kiwi. But we cannot blitz a LB if w cannot cover and that has been our problem so far this year. Kiwi has had very few blitz opportunities and hasnt even been on the field that much because we have been forced into the nickle.
For example, I think 34 teams will have Jordan rated slightly higher, perhaps as a mid 1st round prospect and 43 teams will have him as a late 1st round pick, that would greatly increase his chances of being picked by a 34 team. It isnt that I dont like him for us. I just think he fits a 34 team's need more than a 43 team. Furthermore, a weakside 34 backer is an impact, every down position in a 34 defense. The strongside backer in the 43 defense is seeing the field less and less these days because of all the nickle and dime packages defenses are being forced to run.
Lastly, I would say that we need a defensive end capable of playing the left side, which is most often the strong side. JPP is most natural at the RDE(but is versatile enough to play anywhere) and Tuck plays the LDE. We need a guy who can help spell Tuck and I do not think that Jordan, at 243 lbs, can play LDE until he gains a serious amount of strength and size. Ideally, he needs to be in that 270+ range to play that position. Gaining 30 lbs is not unheard of in the NFL but ithere is always risk associated with it. Will he be able to keep his impressive burst at that weight?
Last edited by BlueSanta; 10-04-2012 at 07:11 PM.
Thank u lord that we did not draft Bobbie Massie! HE is utterly pathetic! I have never seen a worse performance by a T in my entire life of watching football!! He makes Guy Whimper look like Jake Long! I 100pct understand why he fell in the draft... Hes lazy as a sloth and has absoulutley zero flexibility.. I'm trying to be nice!!!


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I feel this is some sort of horrible luck charm.
Really like all the little details in this design - the lungs, the in/out, and the "O2."
Looks almost like a college logo, but cooler.
Thank god for that. Let's hope it stays this way
It's like this shirt was made for me.
My first cranberry shirt and such a clever, hilarious design!
So excited! Oh god, oh god...can't...breathe...
I've got the Theme Song for tonight's shirt.
(Or at least the one that popped into my head when I saw this design.)
I'm highly tempted to purchase this for my couch-lounging, raging, horomonal, Call of Duty obsessed fifteen-year old brother.
I've always thought I deserved an award for managing to keep breathing for all these years. I feel so accomplished now.
When did the price of woot shirts go up to 12$?? I Must have missed something
Any shirt that has even a hint of In-N-Out on it gets added to my closet!
Calcartman wrote:When did the price of woot shirts go up to 12$?? I Must have missed something
I had the same reaction a few weeks ago. :-(
They ought to at least knock a buck or two off for tax paying Texans! ;-)
@Calcartman I wondered the same thing,
apparently this change happened on the 16th with the ghostbuster shirt.
bluejester wrote:I've got the Theme Song for tonight's shirt.
(Or at least the one that popped into my head when I saw this design.)
Funny, I thought you would post this song
I deserve to win this award!
I know someone whose spirit animal would be the two-toed sloth, so this would really suit him.
It even comes with motion-activated movement. What will they offer next?!
This is the kind of shirt you wear everywhere, that people have to look twice to see what it says, and is so clever. Too bad it's now real money. It's easy to drop a $10 bill--but a tee shirt for $12? put me down for none.
good gift for my respiratory therapist sister!
Dear Lungs,
We make a great team. Can't live without you!
With love,
Perfect for the lung cancer patient with a sense of humor! (Yep, that's me!)
THIS IS THE ONE I WANTED, WOOT! Yay, I am sooooooooo thrilled!! Great shirt!
elfgirlniko wrote:Funny, I thought you would post this song
Actually, this song might work a little better. Or at least, the intro lyrics work.
I'm very much considering getting this, mostly because of the irony of me being an asthmatic would be fantastic. >_<
bluejester wrote:Actually, this song might work a little better. Or at least, the intro lyrics work.
I was thinking of this one .
$12? Is this permanent?? Nooooooo!!!!
O Lungs, Sustainer of Life
How you have served me, awake and asleep
This breath of mine, Is not mine to keep,
There goes another, perpetually
Until the Last you're under-rated
No Tonys or Oscars will you receive
Only a shirt printed in white
Worn while climbing or running of races
Good for a joke or a laugh or a shout
But don't be fooled by the exhaling faces
It's Carbon Dioxide when you're breathing out
A dubious distinction for Pixel indeed
I'll wear mine in Bloom County
Where Berkeley Breathed
This is the type of design that I find breathtaking. It's refreshing to see something with minimal color and fantastic design finally make it in a derby. I've been waiting with baited breath all week to see if this one made it and I'm glad it did. In for one!
PS *insert another breathing pun*
I thought for sure someone would reference http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=qUjawXSxOfA as the theme song
As a respiratory therapist, I had to get 1. In 4 1!
I suffer from reoccurring spontaneous pneumothorax, so this shirt is right up my alley. In for one!
I like this and bought one, but the lack of "awkwardness" really, really makes me sad. Come on woot, that needs to be sold.
This would be awesome as a newborn creeper!
I spent a lifetime breathing, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.
No wait I got a better one!
I will have spent your lifetime breathing, and all I'm getting is this lousy t-shirt. Now hold still a minute.
No wait I got a better one!
Wear this shirt: To In-N-Out Burger. Cuz that's what "In-N-Out" refers to, right? Breathing?
It might be tempting fate to buy this the day after landing myself in the ER for an asthma attack.
So, so bad there's a 3-shirt limit. There are Soooooooooooooooooooo many people I would like to buy this for!!!
For me it was Faith Hill, Breathe
Yeah, PixelPants ftw!
Funny design and expertly put together.
Congrats PixelPants!
View All →


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Off-Road Rides - April 2013Posted in Features on April 30, 2013 Comment (0)
Mopar Masterpiece
Vehicle: 1997 Dodge Ram 4x4
Owner: Brandon Yarbrough
Location: Crawford, Georgia
Chassis: Stock
Engine: 5.9L Magnum V-8
Drivetrain: 46RE automatic, NP 231 T-case, Dana 44 front axle, Chrysler 9.25 rear axle, 5.13 gears
Suspension: 10-inch suspension lift
Steering: Drop Pitman arm
Brakes: Stock
Tires/wheels: 44-inch Super Swamper TSLs on 16x12 Weld Racing Typhoon aluminum wheels
Interior: Stock
Other Parts: Steel brush guard, Go Rhino single tube 3-inch bed bar, off-road lighting
Giant Thailand Hilux
Vehicle: 2010 Toyota Vigo
Owner: Tewa Anderson
Location: Thailand
Chassis: Modified by Option 4WD in Bangkok
Engine: 3.0L Turbo Diesel, Holset HX32 turbocharger
Drivetrain: Stock 5-speed, VX80 axles
Suspension: Old Man Emu coil springs, Rancho Pro Series shocks, lift by Option 4WD
Steering: Custom system by Option 4WD
Brakes: Stock
Tires/Wheels: 44-inch Super Swamper TSLs on 15-inch Mickey Thompson Classic aluminum wheels
Other Parts: Snorkel air intake, aluminum entry steps
Thunderous Ford
Vehicle: 2000 Ford F-150 4x4
Owner: Parker Foley
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Chassis: Stock
Engine: 5.4L Triton V-8, Pacesetter long-tube headers, cat-back straight pipe, dual 4-inch exhaust tips, K&N air intake, Gotts air intake modification
Drivetrain: 4R100 automatic transmission, BW4406 T-case, IFS front differential, 8.8-inch rear differential, 3.55 gears
Suspension: Factory 2-inch blocks in rear, cranked torsion bars in front.
Steering: Stock
Brakes: Stock
Tires/Wheels: 265/75R16 Definity Dakota Mud Terrains on 16x8 Ion Alloy wheels
Interior: Camo seat covers
Other parts: Rhino Liner in bed and on lower side of rocker panels, KC HiLiTES lights in grill, Kobalt toolbox
Favorite Off-Road Area: Dirty Turtle! OR
Editor's Note:
Wanna see your rig here? Snap a photo of it in action, type up your vehicle specs, then email everything to firstname.lastname@example.com