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- Alvin Ellis
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2 CHAPTER I During certain periods in the existence of all human societies, a time has come when religion has first strayed from its basic meaning, and then digressed further and further until it has lost track of this meaning and eventually ossified in the already established forms, at which point it has come to have less and less influence on people's lives. At these times the educated minority, no longer believing in the existing religious teaching, simply pretend to believe in it because they find it necessary for the purpose of holding the masses to the established order of life. Although the masses might cling to the established religious forms through inertia, their lives are no longer guided by religious demands, but simply by popular custom and state regulations. This has occurred many times in various human societies. But what is happening today in our Christian society has never happened before. Never before have the educated minority, those with the most influence on the masses, not only had no belief in the existing religion, but seemed convinced that today's world no longer has any need of one. Rather than persuading those who doubt the truth of the professed religion that there is a more rational and lucid doctrine than the existing one, they persuade them that on the whole religion has outlived itself and become not just useless, but a harmful organ of social life, like the caecum in the human body. These sorts of people do not understand religion as something known to us through inner experience, but as an external phenomenon, like an illness, that happens to overwhelm certain people, and which we can only investigate through external symptoms. In the opinion of some of these people, religion originated from attributing a spirit to all the phenomena of nature (animism); in the opinion of others, from the supposition that it is possible to communicate with our deceased ancestors; and in a third opinion, through fear before the forces of nature. And so the learned people of our time argue further that since science has proved that wood and stone cannot be animated, that deceased ancestors can no longer experience what the living are doing, and that natural phenomena can be explained by natural causes, the necessity for religion is obviated, together with all those constraints that have hampered people as a result of religious beliefs. In the opinion of these learned people there has been a period of ignorance: the religious period which humanity outlived long ago leaving occasional atavistic indications of its existence. Then followed a metaphysical period, and this has been outlived. Today we, enlightened people, are living in a scientific period, a period of positive science which will replace religion and lead humanity to a height of development which was unattainable while it was subordinated to superstitious religious teachings. At the beginning of the year 1901, the renowned French scholar Berthelot delivered a speech in which he informed his audience that the age of religion has passed and that it must now be replaced by science. I refer to this speech because it was the first to fall into my hands and because it was delivered in the capital of the educated world by a person whom everyone recognizes to be a scholar. The same thought is constantly expressed everywhere, from philosophical treatises to newspaper feuilletons. In his speech Mr Berthelot says that formerly there were two - 2
3 principles motivating human society: force and religion. Today these principles have become superfluous because science has replaced them. By the word science, Mr Berthelot evidently means, like all who believe in science, a science that embraces every aspect of human knowledge, harmoniously united, assessed according to its degree of importance and in command of such methods that the data obtained is indisputably true. But since there is really no such science, and what is referred to as science is a collection of incidental, totally disconnected items of knowledge which are often completely useless, and not only fail to present the indisputable truth but very often present the most crude delusions, displayed as the truth today and refuted tomorrow, it is obvious that the thing which Mr Berthelot claims must replace religion does not exist. Therefore when Mr Berthelot and those in agreement with him say that science will replace religion, their assertion is entirely arbitrary and based on a completely unjustified belief in the infallibility of science, a belief quite similar to faith in the infallibility of the Church. Moreover, those considered and referred to as learned are quite convinced that a science already exists which should and can replace religion and which has already obviated the need for it. 'Religion is obsolete; to believe in anything other than science is ignorance. Science will arrange all we need and we need only science to guide us through life.' This is what the scientists themselves say, as also do those members of the crowd who, despite being quite unscientific, trust the scientists and share their conviction that religion is an outlived superstition and that we need only science to guide us in life: in other words that we need absolutely nothing because science, by virtue of its very aim of investigating all that exists, can give no guidance to human life. - 3
4 CHAPTER 2 The learned men of today have decided that religion is not necessary and that it will be replaced by science, or already has been. Yet it remains the case that today, just as before, not a single human society, or rational being, has lived, or can live without religion. (I say rational person because an irrational one may live without religion, just as an animal does.) A rational being cannot live without religion because it is only this that gives him the essential guidance as to what to do first and what follows. Precisely because religion is inherent to his nature the rational man cannot live without it. Every animal is guided in its behaviour by consideration of the immediate results of his actions (other than that to which he is impelled by the straightforward need of satisfying his desires). Having considered these consequences, by means of those faculties of comprehension in its possession, an animal makes his actions conform to them and always, unhesitatingly, behaves in the same way, i.e. in accord with these considerations. Thus, for example, a bee flies after honey and brings it back to its hive, because in winter it must have a supply of food for itself and for its young, and beyond this it knows nothing and can do nothing. A bird behaves in the same way when it builds a nest, or when it emigrates from North to South. All animals act in this way when they do something that does not result from direct, immediate need, but are stimulated by considerations of anticipated consequences. But this is not so with men. The difference between man and the animals is that an animal's cognitive faculties are restricted to what we call instinct, while man's basic cognitive faculty is his reason. The bee gathering his food can have no doubt as to whether or not he is doing something that is good or bad. But a man reaping the harvest, or gathering fruit, cannot help wondering whether he is undermining the growth of future crops, or whether he is depriving his neighbours of food, Nor can he help thinking about what will happen to the children he is feeding, and much else besides. The more important questions of conduct in life cannot be conclusively resolved by a rational person precisely because there is an abundance of consequences of which he is inevitably aware. Rational man, even if he does not know, then feels that in the more important questions of life he cannot be guided by personal impulses, nor by a consideration of the immediate consequences of his actions. He can see that they are too diverse and often contradictory, as, for instance, those that are just as likely to be harmful as to be beneficial to himself and others. There is a legend about an angel who came down to earth and entered a God-fearing family where he murdered a child in its cradle. When asked why he had done it he explained that the child would have become the greatest of villains and caused the family unhappiness. This is so not only with questions as to what sort of human life is desirable and what useless or harmful. None of the important questions in life can be resolved by a rational person through considerations of the immediate results and consequences. He cannot be satisfied by the same things that guide an animal's behaviour. Man may regard himself as an animal living among animals, by the day, or he may think of himself as a member of a family, or society, or a nation that lives for centuries. Or he may find himself obliged (because his reason drives him irresistibly to it) to regard himself as a part of an infinite universe, living in infinite time. And, therefore, in respect of the infinitely small phenomena of life that influence his behaviour, a - 4
5 rational person must do what in mathematics is called integration: that is, establish a relation to the immediate issues of life, a relation to the entire infinite universe in time and space, conceiving of it as a whole. And the relationship established by man to that whole, of which he feds himself a part and from which he draws guidance for his behaviour, is that which has been, and is called religion. And therefore religion has always been, and cannot cease to be, an essential and indisposable condition of the life of rational humanity. - 5
6 CHAPTER 3 This is how religion has always been understood by people who do not lack the faculty of higher (i.e. religious) consciousness, which distinguishes man from the animals. The oldest and most common definition of the word religion (religare, to bind) runs as follows: religion is the bond between man and God. 'Les obligations de l'homme envers Dieu voila la religion,' says Vauvenargues. Schleiermacher and Feuerbach attribute a similar meaning to religion when they acknowledge that the basis of religion is man's consciousness of his dependence on God. 'La religion est une affaire entre chaque homme et Dieu' (Bayle) 'La religion est la resultat des besoins de l'ame et des effets de l'intelligence' (B. Constant) 'Religion is a certain method by which man recognizes his relationship to the superhuman and mysterious forces on which he regards himself dependent' (Goblet d'alviella). 'Religion is a definition of human life based on the bond between the human spirit and those mysterious spirits whose dominion over the world and over himself is recognized by man, and with which he feels himself united' (A. Reville) Thus the essence of religion has been, and still is, understood by people with the highest human faculty, as the establishing by man of a relationship with the infinite Being, or beings, whose power he feels over him. No matter how this relationship has varied, for different peoples and at different times, it has always defined man's destiny in the world, from which guidance for conduct followed naturally. The Jew has understood his relationship to the infinite as follows: being a member of the nation God chose from among all nations, he must therefore observe in God's eyes the agreement He has entered into with his people. The Greek understood his relationship as follows: being dependent on the representatives of eternity- the gods - he ought to please them. The Brahmin has understood his relationship to the infinite Brahma in this way: he is a manifestation of this Brahma and ought, by renouncing life, to strive after unity with the Higher Being. The Buddhist has understood, and understands, his relationship with the infinite thus: in passing from one form of life to another, he inevitably suffers. This suffering originates from passions and desires, therefore he ought to try and nullify them, and make the transition to Nirvana. Every religion is the establishment of a relationship between man and the infinite Being of which he feels he is a part, and from which he derives guidance in his conduct. If therefore a religion fails to establish this relationship, as for instance in idolatry, or sorcery, then it is not a religion, but merely a degeneration of one. Even if a religion establishes a relationship between man and God, but does so through affirmations which are so contrary to the level of knowledge people have reached that they cannot believe in them, then neither is this a religion, but merely a semblance of one. Again, if it does not bind man to the infinite being, it is not a religion. Neither is a belief in propositions which give man no definite guidance in his conduct. It is similarly impossible to give the name religion to Comte's positivism, since it only establishes a relationship between man and mankind, not with the infinite. This relationship leads quite arbitrarily to Comte's morals, which despite making very high demands are unfounded. The most educated Comtist finds himself in a religious relationship that is incomparably lower than that of a simple person who believes in God, whatever the god, as long as it is infinite, and whose behaviour is derived from - 6
7 this faith. The Comtist's argument about the 'grand etre' does not constitute belief in God and cannot replace it. 'True religion is that relationship, in accordance with reason and knowledge, which man establishes with the infinite world around him, and which binds his life to that infinity and guides his actions.' - 7
8 CHAPTER 4 Despite the fact that at no time and in no place have people ever lived without religion, the learned people of today say, like Moliere's 'involuntary doctor' who assured us that the liver is on the left side, that 'nous avons change tout cela', and we can and must live without religion. But, as always, religion remains the chief motivator and heart of human societies. Without it, as without a heart, there cannot be rational life. Today, as in the past, there are a number of different religions, because the expression of man's relationship to the infinite, to God or the Gods, varies according to the times and according to the level of development of different peoples. However, since the appearance of rational man there has not been one human society that could live or has lived without religion. It is true that there have been and still are periods in the life of nations when the existing religion has become so distorted and remote from life that it no longer guides it. But this interruption of religious influence on people's lives, occurring at certain times in all religions, has always been temporary. Religion, like all that lives, has the characteristics of birth, development, ageing, death and rebirth - rebirth in forms that are ever more perfect than the previous ones. After a period of heightened development religion always enters into a period of declineand death, which is usually followed by a period of regeneration and the formation of religious doctrine that is more rational and lucid than before. These periods of development, death and rebirth have always occurred in all religions. As soon as the profound religion of Brahmanism began to grow old and fossilize in rigid, coarse forms deviating from the original meaning, there appeared on the one hand a rebirth of Brahmanism, and on the other the elevated doctrine of Buddhism, which advanced humanity's understanding of its relationship to the infinite. The same kind of decline occurred in the Greek and Roman religions, with Christianity appearing after the lowest ebb of the decline had been reached. The same happened with Church Christianity in Byzantium, which degenerated into idolatory and polytheism. To counteract this distortion there appeared on the one side the Paulicians, and on the other, strict Mohammedanism with its fundamental teaching of the one God, as opposed to the doctrines of the Trinity and the Virgin Mother. The same happened with Papal Christianity during the Middle Ages, leading to the Reformation. Thus, these periods when there is a decline in the religious influence on the majority are an essential condition of the life and development of all religious teachings. The reason they occur is because no matter how unsophisticated it may be, every religion in its true meaning always establishes a relationship between man and the infinite, which is one and the same for all people. In all faiths man is regarded as equally insignificant before the infinite; they therefore all include the concept of equality between men in the eyes of what is called God, whether it be lightning, the wind, a tree, an animal, a hero or a King (living or dead), as occurred in Rome. The acceptance of equality between all men is a necessary and fundamental characteristic of all religions. Since in no place, and at no time, has this equality ever existed in reality, nor will it ever, what has happened is that as soon as a new religious teaching appeared (including as always a recognition of equality between all men) those for whom inequality was more advantageous have immediately tried to conceal this basic feature, thereby misconstruing the actual - 8
9 doctrine. This has always and everywhere happened whenever a new religious teaching has appeared. On the whole it has been done unconsciously, because those for whom inequality is advantageous, the rulers and the rich, have tried to justify themselves in the eyes of the new religious teaching without having to alter their own position by using every possible means to instil a meaning into the doctrine that admits inequality. This distortion of religion in such a way as to enable those who rule over others to feel justified in doing so, when passed on to the masses naturally gave them the idea that their submission to their masters was demanded by the religion they professed. - 9
10 CHAPTER 5 All human activity is actuated by three motive causes: feeling, reason and suggestion - the characteristic doctors call hypnotism. At times a person acts under the influence of feeling alone, seeking to achieve what he desires. At times he acts under the influence of his reason alone, which indicates what he ought to do. At other times, and more frequently, he acts because he himself, or others, have suggested a certain action and he unconsciously submits to the suggestion. Under normal conditions of life all three motive forces take part in influencing a person's behaviour. Feeling impels him to a certain action, reason tests the conformity of this action against the surrounding circumstances, and against the past and anticipated future, and suggestion urges him to complete, without thought or feeling, those actions evoked by feeling and condoned by reason. A person would not undertake to do anything without feeling. Without reason he would quickly yield to a number of feelings that are contradictory and harmful to himself and others. Without the ability to submit to suggestion (one's own or others'), a person would constantly experience the feeling arousing him to a certain action, and would continually concentrate his reason on verifying the expediency of this feeling. Therefore all three motive causes are vital to every most simple human action. If a person walks from one place to another it is because feeling prompted him to make the transfer, reason sanctioned the intention and dictated the means of doing it (in this instance, walking along a particular road), so that his muscles obey and he walks along the prescribed road. As he walks, both his feeling and his reason are released for the next action, which would not happen without the capacity to submit to suggestion. This happens in all human activity, including the most important one: religious activity. Feeling evokes the need to establish a relationship between man and God, reason defines this relationship and suggestion leads a person towards behaviour that follows from this relationship. But this only happens as long as religion does not undergo distortion. As soon as distortion begins, suggestion becomes stronger and stronger and the activities of feeling and reason weaken. The methods of suggestion are always and everywhere the same. They consist in making use of man's state of mind at a time when he is most susceptible to suggestion, such as in childhood, or at important moments such as birth, death, or marriage. The person is first influenced through works of art, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, drama, and then in this state of suggestibility (similar to that provoked in certain people when they are half asleep) instilled with whatever it is the persuader wishes. This occurrence can be seen in all the old religious teachings: in the lofty teachings of Brahmanism, as they degenerated into a primitive worship of countless images in various temples, to the accompaniment of singing and incense burning, in the Jewish religion preached by the prophets and reduced to the worship of God in grandiose temples, together with majestic songs and processions, in the elevated form of Buddhism which was reduced, together with its monasteries, images of Buddha and numerous exultant rituals, to mysterious Laminism, and also in Taoism with its witchcraft and incantations. Whenever any religious teaching has started becoming distorted its guardians, having already brought people to a state of weakened rational activity, have then - 10
11 employed every means of persuading them of what they wanted. In all faiths it has been necessary to persuade them of the same three tenets which lie at the basis of all the perversions that have corrupted ageing religions. Firstly, that there are special people who alone can act as intermediaries between man and God, or the Gods; secondly, that miracles have been, and are being, performed which prove and confirm the truth of what the intermediaries say; and thirdly that there are certain words repeated orally or written in books which express the unwavering will of God, or the Gods, and which are sacred and infallible. As soon as these propositions are accepted, under hypnotic influence, everything said by these intermediaries is recognized as the holy truth, and then the chief purpose of the religious perversion is accomplished. This purpose is not only to conceal the law of human equality, but to construe and affirm the highest inequality: the division of castes, the distinction between people and goys, Orthodox and heretic, holy and sinful. The same division has always occurred in Christianity: complete inequality between men has been accepted, as well as division, not just according to their understanding of the doctrines into lay and cleric, but according to social status into those with power and those who must submit, which the teaching of St Paul acknowledges as ordained by God. - 11
12 CHAPTER 6 Inequality between people, not just between lay and clergy, but between rich and poor, and masters and slaves, was established by the Church Christian religion in the same clear cut manner as in other religions. And yet, judging by what we know of the original conditions of Christianity from the teachings expressed in the Gospels, it would appear that the chief methods of distortion used by other religions had been foreseen and that warnings against them had been clearly stated. It was straightforwardly said against the priestly caste that none could be the teacher of another ('Do not call yourselves fathers and teachers'). Against the attribution of sacred knowledge to books it was said that what is important is the spirit and not the letter, that man ought not to believe in human traditions, and that all the laws and the Prophets, that is all those books in which the writing is considered sacred, lead only to the fact that we should do to others as we would wish them to do to us. If nothing is said against miracles, and if in the Gospels themselves there are descriptions of miracles presented as if performed by Jesus, it is nevertheless evident from the whole spirit of the teaching that the validity of Christ's doctrine is not based on miracles, but on the actual teaching ('Whosoever wishes to know if my teaching is true, let him do as I say'). The most important thing is that Christianity proclaims the equality of all men, no longer merely as a basic teaching of universal brotherhood, but because all men are recognized as being sons of God. It would therefore seem impossible to twist Christianity in such a way as to destroy the awareness of equality between all men. But human intelligence is shrewd, and whether it was done unconsciously or semi-consciously, an entirely new method was devised (a 'truc' as the French say) in order to make the warnings in the Gospels and the clearly proclaimed equality between men inoperative. This 'truc' consisted in attributing infallibility not only to certain words, but to a certain group of people called the 'Church', who had a right to pass this infallibility on to people selected by themselves. A slight addition to the Gospels was invented saying that when He departed for heaven, Christ handed certain people the exclusive right not just of instructing people in the sacred truth (according to the Gospel texts he handed over at the same time a right, seldom used, of being invulnerable to snakes, poisons and fire), but of saving and condemning people, and more importantly of conferring this power on others. As a result, as soon as the idea of the Church was firmly established all the Gospel proposals for hindering the distortion of Christ's teaching became inoperative, for the Church was superior to both reason and to the writings considered sacred. Reason was acknowledged as the source of all error and the Gospels were not interpreted in the light of common-sense, but merely as those who constituted the Church wished. And thus, all the three previous methods of religious distortion- priesthood, miracles, and the infallibility of the Scriptures - were adopted wholeheartedly by Christianity. It was admitted as lawful to have intermediaries between God and man, because the Church recognized them as such. The reality of miracles was admitted because they bore witness to the infallibility of the Church, and the sanctity of the Bible was agreed because it was acknowledged by the Church. Christianity was perverted in the same way as all the other religions with the - 12
13 single difference that precisely because Christianity voiced its fundamental doctrine of equality between all men with such clarity, it was necessary to use special force to distort the teaching and conceal its basic clause. With the help of the concept of a Church this was done to a greater extent than in any other religion. Indeed no other faith has ever preached things so incompatible with reason and contemporary knowledge, or ideas so immoral as those taught by Church Christianity. This is without mentioning all the nonsense in the Old Testament, such as the creation of light before the sun, the creation of the world six thousand years ago, the housing of all the animals in the ark, and all the various immoral atrocities such as the order to murder children and entire populations at God's command. Nor have we mentioned the absurdity of the sacrament of which Voltaire said that there have been and are a great many absurd religious teachings, but never before was there one in which the main religious act consists in eating your own God. And what can be more ridiculous than saying that Our Lady was both mother and virgin, or that the heavens opened up and a voice rang forth, or that Christ flew up to heaven and is seated up there somewhere, at the right hand of His father, or that God is three persons in one, not three gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva? but three combined in one. There can be nothing as immoral as those dreadful teachings according to which an angry and vengeful God punishes everyone for the sin of Adam, or that he sent his son to earth to save us, knowing beforehand that men would murder him and be damned for it. Again it is absurd to suggest that man's salvation from sin lies in baptism, or in believing that all these things actually happened, and that the son of God was killed in order to save people and that those who do not believe it will be punished by God with eternal torment. And so, putting aside those things some people consider to be additions to the essential religious dogma, such as faith in certain relics or icons of the Virgin Mary, prayers of supplication, addresses to various saints according to their speciality, or the Protestant doctrine of predestination, even so the very premises of this religion, accepted by all and formulated in the Nicene Creed, are so ridiculous and immoral, and so contradictory to healthy human feeling and reason, that people cannot believe in them. They can repeat certain words with their lips, but they cannot believe in things devoid of meaning. One can use one's lips to say: 'I believe the world was created six thousand years ago', or: 'I believe in God the Father in three persons', but no one can believe it all because the words make no sense. Therefore, the people of our world who profess a distorted form of Christianity do not actually believe in it. This is the peculiarity of our times. - 13
14 CHAPTER 7 People today do not believe in anything and yet, following the lines of that false definition of faith which they take from the Epistle to the Hebrews, and incorrectly ascribe to St Paul, they imagine they have faith. According to this definition faith is the 'substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen'. But, besides the fact that faith cannot be a substance of something hoped for, since faith is a spiritual state and the substance of things hoped for is an external event, neither can it be the evidence of things not seen, since this evidence, as explained in a subsequent section of the Gospel, is based on trust and evidence of the truth: trust and true faith are two separate concepts. Faith is neither hope nor trust, but a particular spiritual state. Faith is man's awareness that his position in the world obliges him to perform certain actions. A person acts according to his faith, not as the catechism says because he believes in things unseen as in things seen, nor because he wishes to achieve things hoped for, but simply because having defined his position in the world it is natural for him to act according to it. Just as a farmer tills the soil and a seafarer sails the seas, not as the catechism suggests because they both believe in things unseen and hope to be rewarded for their activity (this hope exists but it is not what guides them), but because they regard the activity as their vocation. Similarly a religious believer behaves in a certain way, not because he believes in things unseen, or expects rewards for his conduct, but because once he has defined his position in the world it is natural for him to act according to this position. If a person has defined his position in society as an unskilled labourer, an artisan, an official or a merchant he considers he ought to work as an unskilled labourer, artisan, official or merchant, and does so. In just the same way men in general, having defined their position in the world in one way or another, unavoidably and naturally act according to this definition (which is sometimes not even a definition but a vague consciousness). Thus, for instance, a person who has defined his position in the world as being a member of God's chosen people, who in order to enjoy God's protection must fulfil His demands, will live in such a way as to fulfil these demands. Another person who has defined his position in such a way that he believes he has passed, and is passing through, various forms of existence and that the deterioration or improvement of his future more or less depends on his actions, will be guided in life by this definition. The behaviour of a third person, who has defined his position as that of an 'incidental combination of atoms in which a consciousness has been temporarily ignited but which is bound to be extinguished for ever, will differ from the two above-mentioned. The conduct of these people will be completely different, because they have defined their positions differently, which means that they believe differently. Faith is the same thing as religion with the only difference that by the word religion we imply a phenomenon observed outside ourselves, whereas what we call faith is this phenomenon experienced within ourselves. Faith is man's conscious relationship with the infinite universe, from which he derives guidance for his activity. And because genuine faith is never irrational, or incompatible with existing knowledge, its characteristics can be neither supernatural nor senseless, as is thought, and has been expressed by the Church Father who said, 'Credo quia absurdum'. On the - 14
15 contrary the conditions of true faith, despite the fact they cannot be proven, not only never include anything contrary to reason, or incompatible with people's knowledge, but always explain those things in life without which the tenets of faith would appear irrational and contradictory. Thus for instance the ancient Hebrew, believing that there is a higher eternal Almighty Being who created the Universe, the earth, the animals, mankind etc., and who promised to protect his people if they fulfilled his law, was not believing in anything irrational or incompatible with his knowledge. Quite the opposite, this faith elucidated many aspects of life that would otherwise have been inexplicable to him. In just the same way a Hindu who believes that our souls have been in animals, and that according to the level of good or evil in our lives, they will pass into higher or lower animals, has much that would otherwise be inexplicable clarified by this faith. It is the same with a person who considers life evil and the aim of life to be peace, achieved through the suppression of desire. He does not believe in anything irrational, but, on the contrary, in something that makes his outlook more reasonable than it would be without this belief. It is the same with the true Christian who believes that God is the spiritual father of all men, and that man reaches the highest state of well-being when he recognizes himself as a son of God and brother to all men. All these beliefs, even if they cannot be proven, are not irrational in themselves, but quite the opposite. They are conducive to a more rational explanation of those phenomena of life which seem irrational and contradictory without them. Moreover, all these beliefs, by defining man's position in the universe, inevitably demand certain actions that accord with this position. And therefore if a religious teaching asserts meaningless propositions that explain nothing but only help to further confuse an understanding of life, it is not a faith but a distortion of it that has already lost the chief characteristic of true faith. Not only do people today not have this faith, but they do not even know what it is, and what they take to be faith is either an oral repetition of what they are given as the essence of faith, or the fulfilment of ceremonies which, Church Christianity teaches, will help them to achieve their desires. - 15
16 CHAPTER 8 People in our world live without faith. One section, the educated, wealthy minority, having freed themselves from the persuasion of the Church, believe in nothing because they regard every faith either as an absurdity, or as a useful means of controlling the masses. The vast, poor and uneducated majority, consisting of people who with few exceptions are true believers, finding themselves slaves under the influence of hypnosis, think they believe in what is suggested to them beneath the guise of faith. But it is not faith, for rather than clarifying man's position in the world, it only obscures it. This situation and the mutual relations between the non-believing, pretentious minority, and the hypnotized majority, shapes the life of our world, which we call Christian. And this life, both of the minority who hold the means of hypnosis in their hands, and of the hypnotized majority, is terrible on account of both the cruelty and immorality of the rulers, and the oppression and stupefaction of the enormous working masses. Never before at any period of religious decline has such a low level of disregard and negligence towards the chief characteristic of all religions and of Christianity in particular - the equality of all men - been reached as in our time. The main reason for the terrible cruelty between men today, apart from the absence of religion, is still the refined complexity of life which shields people from the consequences of their actions. However cruel Attila, Genghis Khan and their followers may have been, the act of killing people personally, face to face, must have been unpleasant to them, and the consequences of the murder still more unpleasant: the wailing relatives and the presence of the corpses. And thus their cruelty was restrained. Nowadays we kill people through such a complex process of communication, and the consequences of our cruelty are so carefully removed and concealed from us, that there is no restraint on the bestiality of the action. The cruelty of some people towards others will continue to increase until it has reached unprecedented dimensions. I think that today if, perhaps not the renowned villain Nero, but some commonplace entrepreneur, wanted to make a pond of human blood for the diseased rich to bathe in, as prescribed by their learned doctors, he would be able to arrange it all unhindered so long as he respected the accepted and appropriate forms. Thus he would not compel people to lose blood, but would put them in a position such that their life was at risk unless they did so. In addition to this he would invite priests and scientists - the former to consecrate the pond in the way that they consecrate canons, rifles, prisons and gallows, and the latter to testify to the necessity and justification of such an establishment, just as they have testified to the necessity of wars and houses of ill-repute. The basic principle of all religions - the equality between all men - has been forgotten, neglected and buried under so much ridiculous dogma put forward by the religion, and in science this same inequality (expressed in the theory of the struggle for the existence and survival of the fittest) is acknowledged as such a necessary condition of life, that the destruction of millions of human lives for the convenience of the ruling minority is regarded as a most commonplace and necessary facet of living, and happens continually. People of today's world cannot take enough delight in the brilliant, unprecedented and colossal achievements of nineteenth century technology. - 16
17 There is no doubt that never before in history has such material success, i.e. in conquering the forces of human nature, been achieved as in the nineteenth century. But there is also no doubt that never before in history has there been such a display of immoral living, free of any force restraining man's animal desires, as that which exists now in our Christian humanity, which is becoming ever more bestialized. The material progress achieved in the nineteenth century is truly enormous, but it was, and still is being, purchased at a cost of neglect for the most elementary demands of morality, such as humanity has never witnessed before, not even under Genghis Khan, Attila, or Nero. No one would argue that iron-clads, railroads, printing presses, tunnels, phonographs, Rontgen rays and so forth are very fine things. Indeed they are, but what are also fine, as Ruskin says, finer beyond comparison with all else, are human lives, of which millions are now destroyed for the acquisition of iron-clads, roads, tunnels etc., all of which disfigure rather than beautify life. The usual reply to this is that they are already inventing, and with time will have invented, devices to check the destruction of human life existing at the moment. But this is not true. So long as people do not consider all men as their brothers and do not consider human life as the most sacred thing, which rather than destroy they must consider it their first and foremost duty to support; that is so long as people do not behave towards one another in a religious manner, they will always ruin one another's lives for the sake of personal gain. No fool would agree to spend thousands if he could achieve the same aim by spending hundreds, with the addition of a few human lives he finds at his disposal. Each year in Chicago about the same number of people are crushed on the railway. The managers of the railway quite logically do not make any adaptations in order to prevent people from being crushed, since they have calculated that the annual payments to the injured people and their families are less than the interest on the cost of making such adaptations. It is very likely that people who destroy human lives for their own gain can be shamed by public opinion, or forced to make the adaptations. But as long as people are not religious and commit their acts before man and not God they will make changes in order to protect human lives in one respect, and then in another matter they will once again use human life as the most profitable material. It is easy to conquer nature and to construct railways, steamships, museums and so forth if you do not spare human lives. The Egyptian pharaohs were proud of their pyramids and we too admire them, forgetting about the lives of millions of slaves sacrificed in constructing them. In the same way we admire our exhibition palaces, iron-clads and transoceanic cables, forgetting with what we pay for it all. We should only feel proud of it all when it is done freely, by free men and not by slaves. Christian nations have conquered and subdued the American Indians, Hindus and Africans. They are now doing the same to the Chinese and are proud of it. But these conquests and subjugations really arise, not through the spiritual superiority of the Christian nations, but on the contrary, because on a spiritual level they are far beneath the others. Forgetting the Hindus and the Chinese, even among the Zulus there were, and are, obligatory religious rules, whatever they might be, which condone certain actions and forbid others. In Christendom we have none. Rome conquered the world when it had freed itself from all religions. The same is - 17
18 happening, only to a greater extent, among the Christian nations. They all share in common an absence of religion and consequently, despite internal dissension, are united in one federate band of criminals where theft, plunder, debauchery, individual and mass murder are performed without the slightest pang of conscience and even with utmost self-complacency, as for instance in China not so long ago. Some do not believe in anything and are proud of it. Others pretend to believe in what for their own advantage they have persuaded the masses to believe in beneath the guise of faith. The rest, the great majority of the population, accept as faith the hypnotism excercised over them and slavishly submit to everything demanded of them by their non-believing rulers and persuaders. And these persuaders make the same demand as has always been made by Nero and his like, who have tried somehow to fill the emptiness of their lives: the satisfaction of their senseless and over-abundant luxury. Luxury cannot be obtained other than by enslaving other people. As soon as there is slavery there is an increase in luxury, and the increase in luxury inevitably instigates an increase in slavery. It is only people who are hungry, cold and tied down by need who will spend their whole lives doing something they have no need of doing, but which is needed for the amusement of their masters. - 18
19 CHAPTER 9 In the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis there is a profound point where the author says that before the flood God had already seen how the spirit He had given men in order for them to serve Him was being used simply to serve their own lust. And that He became so angry He regretted having created them and resolved that before annihilating them altogether He would shorten man's life to 120 years. The very same thing which, according to the Bible, angered God to limit human life is happening now among the people of Christendom. Reason is the power man possesses to define his relationship to the universe. Since the relationship is the same for everyone the establishing of it, i.e. religion, unites men. Union among men gives them the highest attainable well-being, on both the physical and the spiritual level. Complete unity with the highest and most perfect reason and, thereby, perfect well-being is an ideal towards which humanity strives. By giving identical answers to all members of any particular society, when they ask questions about what the world is and what they the inhabitants are, all religions unite men and bring them closer to the reality of well-being. But, when reason diverges from its own particular function (the clarification of the relationship with God and the activities that conform to it), and is directed not only at service to the flesh, or bitter strife with other men and other creatures, but also at justifying this evil existence, so contrary to man's nature and purpose, then these dreadful misfortunes occur from which the majority of today's people are suffering. Moreover, a situation then arises whereby it is almost impossible to return to a reasonable, decent life. Pagans, united by primitive religious teachings, are far nearer to an apprehension of the truth than are the supposed Christian nations of today, who live without any religion and among whom the most advanced people are convinced, and persuade others, that religion is not necessary and that it is far better to live without it. Among the pagans one can find men who have realized the inconsistency of their faith with both their increasing knowledge, and the demands of their reason, and who try to adopt a religious teaching more compatible with the spiritual state of the nation, which unites their fellow countrymen and co-believers. But among the men of our world, where some regard religion as an instrument with which to govern the masses, others think it an absurdity, and the vast majority, grossly deceived, think they are in possession of the true religion, all become impervious to any advance or approach to the truth. Proud of their improvements in things needed by the life of the body, and of their refined, useless reasonings, aimed at proving their own righteousness as well as their superiority over any other nation at any other historical period, they stagnate in their ignorance and immorality. And they are fully convinced that they are standing at a summit never previously reached by humanity, and that each step forwards along the path of ignorance and immorality raises them to yet greater heights of enlightenment and progress. - 19
20 CHAPTER 10 It is in man's nature to create harmony between his rational (spiritual) and his bodily (physical) activity. A person cannot be at peace until he has somehow established this harmony. But it can be established in two ways. The first is when he uses his reason to decide on the necessity, or desirability, of a certain action, or actions, and then acts on his reason. The second is for a person to perform actions under the influence of his emotions and then to invent intellectual explanations or justifications for them. The first method of reaching conformity between action and reason is typical of those who profess some kind of religion and on the basis of its doctrines know what they ought to do, and what they ought not to do. The second method is typical of the majority of non-religious people, who lack a general standard of evaluating the worthiness of their actions and who therefore always establish conformity between their reason and their actions, not by subjecting the latter to the former but - having accomplished an action under the impulse of feeling- by using reason to justify them. The religious person, knowing what is good and what is wrong in his actions and in those of others, and why one is good and another bad, when he sees a contradiction between the demands of his reason and his actions (or those of others), will use all the power of his reason to find a way of eradicating it. In other words, he will learn the best way of achieving harmony between them. But a person without religion, lacking the guiding principle for determining the value of his actions (other than the pleasure they afford), and yielding to the impulse of his varied and frequently contradictory emotions, involuntarily falls into a contradiction. Finding himself in this state he tries to resolve, or hide the contradiction with rationalizations that are variously complicated and skllful, but always dishonest. Thus, while the deliberations of religious people are always simple, uncomplicated and honest, the mental activity of non-religious people is particularly subtle and extremely complex and dishonest. If we take a very simple example: that of a person prone to debauchery, i.e. unchaste, unfaithful to his wife, or unmarried and prone to debauchery. If he is a religious man he will know that it is wrong and concentrate all his mental energy on finding a way of freeing himself from his vice. He might avoid intercourse with adulterers or adulteresses, increase his workload, forbid himself to look upon a woman as an object of desire, etc. All this is perfectly simple and intelligible to anyone. But if a dissipated person is non-religious he will immediately invent all kinds of explanations as to why it is a very good thing to love women. This leads him to all sorts of complex, cunning and subtle considerations about the mergence of souls, beauty, free love and so forth. The more these are propagated the further they obscure the matter and conceal what should be done. For those without religion the same happens in all spheres of their activity and thought. In order to hide the inner contradictions, complex, subtle arguments are piled up and the mind becomes crowded with all sorts of useless rubbish, deflecting the person's attention from what is important and essential and making it possible for him to stagnate in the lie, in which today's people are living, without noticing it. 'Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,' it is written in the Gospel. 'For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the - 20
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LISBON — One clear blue morning last October, professional opera singer Ana Maria Pinto boarded a bus at 6 a.m. in her hometown in Portugal's north and made her way to an 18th century colonnaded courtyard on this capital city's riverfront.
It was Republic Day, a national holiday, but President Anibal Cavaco Silva's annual speech was closed to the public for the first time. Financially beleaguered Portugal is often hit by anti-austerity protests, and Lisbon's beleaguered officials wanted to avoid confrontation.
Then, as Cavaco Silva delivered his closing remarks to an invitation-only crowd, security guards eased open the courtyard's wrought iron gates. Surprised by the opportunity, the soprano rushed in, took a deep breath and drowned out the president in song.
"You could see on all their faces that they were really confused! Because I was singing opera, you know?" Pinto, 32, recalled in a recent interview. "They were like, 'OK, maybe this is part of the protocol.' And then at the end they asked me, 'Is this part of the event?' And I said, 'No, this is my protest!'"
Security whisked away the president, and stunned dignitaries hesitantly applauded. Pinto's impromptu performance of a popular anti-fascist folk song was featured on all the evening newscasts.
From that day on, Ana Maria Pinto has become a household name in Portugal. She's the new face — and voice — of the country's protest movement. Pinto, who has starred with opera companies across Europe and performed in the continent's great halls, now also headlines at outdoor street demonstrations, leading choirs of regular folks venting their anger over Portugal's economy.
Unaffiliated with any political party, Pinto has resurrected patriotic Portuguese songs in defense of those she believes are suffering most in Portugal's recession: the poor, elderly and unemployed.
"I'm just a normal citizen, like any of my countrymen who don't agree with everything that is going on with politics. I just have this strong instinct of protecting what I love," Pinto said, sipping coffee at Martinho do Arcada, a downtown Lisbon cafe that's been a hangout for Portuguese poets and revolutionaries for 230 years. "I lived seven years in Berlin [studying opera], and this distance gave me a very strong feeling of what it is to be Portuguese. I do deeply love my country."
Already Western Europe's poorest country, Portugal is suffering its worst recession since democratic rule began here in the mid-1970s. The country's jobless rate has more than doubled in five years and is approaching a record 18%. The average paycheck, for those lucky enough to earn one, is about $1,000 a month. Deep budget cuts tied to Portugal's $104-billion bailout from the European Union have meant that the tax burden on many has doubled.
Yet unlike the streets of Athens, where anti-austerity demonstrators sometimes toss Molotov cocktails, or Madrid, where people blockade the parliament, their Portuguese counterparts sing 1960s-style protest songs.
"You won't fight austerity by throwing stones in the street. You need to be clever," said Pinto, whose willowy, soft-spoken manner masks the physical confidence of someone who has stood on many a stage. "There's also no use in calling names — the president is this or that. No, just concentrate on the facts. There's enough evidence of how bad things are here!"
Many of the protesters take inspiration from their country's 1974 Carnation Revolution, a peaceful military coup that ended a long-standing dictatorship and led to Portugal's withdrawal from its African colonies. At the time, people flooded the streets and inserted carnations into the muzzles of soldiers' rifles. The flowers are now common at anti-austerity protests in Lisbon; Pinto sometimes tucks one behind her ear.
The contrast is informed by recent history, said Pedro Lains, an economic historian at the University of Lisbon's Institute of Social Sciences.
"You have to take into account that Greece had a civil war in the 1940s. Spain had a civil war in the 1930s. Portugal had a very important civil war as well, but in the 1830s, much earlier. And since then, things have been more or less settled," Lains said.
A popular card game in Lisbon's cafes is called Here Comes the Troika, featuring a deck with intricate caricatures of top politicians. The winner is the one who has amassed the most imaginary wealth and political influence when the troika card — representing Portugal's creditors, the IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission — is played.
Portuguese anger over the economy often manifests itself in the creative arts — in Pinto's case, music.
Among the protest songs the opera singer has popularized is "Acordai" (Wake Up), a ballad written by the late Fernando Lopes-Graca, a 20th century Portuguese composer and Communist Party member who used music to campaign against the Portuguese dictatorship.
An amateur video of Pinto leading a choir of street protesters in a rousing rendition of "Acordai" on the steps of Portugal's parliament last year went viral on YouTube.
"I have goose bumps just thinking about it! Because it's so beautiful, the music, and it comes from the heart. If you hear the speeches of politicians, they're empty of meaning. But the power of poetry is that the words are like enlightenment," Pinto said. " 'Acordai' is about waking up and conjuring up the courage to have a voice and say something."
The song Pinto belted out at the presidential event last fall was another of Lopes-Graca's anti-fascist folk songs, "Firmeza."
"It means 'firm' — a person who is steady," Pinto said. "It talks about being yourself and not allowing someone who is above you to abuse you."
It's that sentiment that motivated Pinto to break out of the rarefied world of classical music and join her compatriots in the streets. She even bought her own megaphone.
"Every demonstration that I go to, I take my megaphone. I've used it a lot of times — a lot of times! I decided to write the word 'Truth' on one side, and then on the other side there's a dove," symbolizing peace, she said.
Pinto's latest project is the Intervention Choir of Porto, a choral group she founded and named for her hometown. Open to all, the choir rehearses on Saturdays and performs at public protests nationwide. Its mission is to advance the spirit of the protest Pinto carried out when she interrupted the president.
Frayer is a special correspondent.

subset: commoncrawl


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(BEDFORD) - The first meeting regarding voting centers for Lawrence County will take place Wednesday, July 2nd at the WBIW radio station on Heltonville Road.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the conference room.
A committee comprised of Commissioner Chris May and Lawrence County Clerk Myron Rainey along with both school superintendents and others will be looking into the fast-growing trend of developing voting centers.
A voting center is a polling place where any eligible voter in the county may go to vote. They give voters more flexibility on Election Day because they are not constrained to a specific polling location. The centers are connected through secure internet connections, and as ballots are cast, an electronic poll book is instantaneously updated.
For more information contact Rainey at 277-2036.
Have a question or comment about a news story? Send it to firstname.lastname@example.com
1340 AM WBIW, Bedford's Place To Talk. Serving Lawrence and surrounding counties since 1948!
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ASAE, Reno-Tahoe USA Hosted NextGen Summit to Identify Ways to Engage Young Professionals
ASAE and its strategic partner Reno-Tahoe USA, who hosted the event, brought together a cross-section of young professionals from across the country to delve into the issues facing the association community, September 18-21, in Reno, Nevada
ASAE and its strategic partner Reno-Tahoe USA, who hosted the event, brought together a cross-section of young professionals from across the country to delve into the issues facing the association community, September 18-21, in Reno, Nevada. The NextGen Summit included guests from ASAE Board of Directors, California Society of Association Executives, The Association Forum of Chicago, and the Texas Society of Association Executives.
Shelly Alcorn, CAE, of Alcorn Associates Management Consulting, led facilitated conversations around different topics including: professional development, opportunities for young professionals, issues they are facing, as well as ways associations can address these issues.
"As the baby boomer generation is set to retire, it's important for the association community to engage professionals from all generations, so we can ensure we have a pipeline of future leaders. The conference provided insight on how young professionals wanted to be engaged in the community, to learn, and to be heard," said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE.
The key findings from the group are:
The biggest opportunities for younger professionals are to establish relationships early in their career, to continue learning post-formal education, and the opportunity to be involved in advancing their industry.
The group encouraged associations to think toward the future, to be proactive in providing what their industry needs, to build collaborative relationships with other organizations, and to explore models that reach beyond the traditional confines of membership.
Attendees were optimistic and had a positive outlook for the long term health and survival of associations.
"As a Strategic Partner of ASAE, Reno Tahoe USA is already a big supporter of education in the association management field. With Gen X and Gen Y managers ascending to roles of greater responsibility, we saw this as the perfect time for a summit with ASAE to start the conversation as well as recognize and train tomorrow's industry leaders," said Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority President and CEO Christopher Baum.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sabrina Kidwai, APR, [email protected], 202-326-9505.
About ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.


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This charming cottage is set in the back of a half acre property surrounded by Fir, Cedar, and Arbutus trees. Southern exposure affords sunshine most of the day with a canopy of trees giving respite from hot afternoon sun.
The main cottage has two levels. The first level consists of a well equipped kitchen, bright dining room, spacious living room, and three piece bathroom. The second level consists of two large bedrooms and a princess balcony. Bedroom one has a queen size bed, while bedroom two has a twin and a double bed.
There is also a lock-off suite. The suite is separated from the main cottage by a fairytale deck, very westcoast in style. The suite offers a queen size bed and three piece bathroom. The suite features lovely french doors overlooking the garden with privacy and quiet from the main cottage.
Please note:
Five minute stroll to Sandpiper Beach, warmest beach on Hornby Island. Approximately 2.5 Km to the Co-op, Ringside Market, and Tribune Bay Beach. Enjoy local wineries, farmers market, local artisans, Helliwell National Park, hiking/biking trails, kayaking/canoeing, tropical-like beaches, wildlife and much more.
Kitchen: electric stove, full size fridge, coffee maker, coffee grinder, food processor, microwave, cooking and baking utensils.
Living Room: Woodstove, television, DVD player, stereo.
Linens ect: Mattress covers, hypoallergenic duvets, hypoallergenic pillows, kitchen towels/cloths.
Outdoor: BBQ, Patio table and chairs, large wood patio with many sitting areas.
– wireless internet
Locations on map are approximate, please confirm address with owner at time of booking.


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D'oh! It looks like nobody should count on scoring an invite to the celebrity wedding of the century no matter how A-list they are. Supposedly Kanye West does not want Oprah Winfrey attending his wedding to Kim Kardashian -- and wait until you hear why.
It's not because he doesn't like her. And she's not being left off the guest list because she and Kanye had some sort of a falling out.
Believe it or not, it actually has everything to do with Kim, even though it sounds like Kanye is the one who doesn't want to see her sitting there in the crowd on May 24.
An insider told Hollywood Life, "He really thinks Oprah's going to steal the show and the guests will all be talking about her and what she's wearing and trying to get their picture taken with her as opposed to being there, witnessing his marriage to Kim, and celebrating them as a couple."
The source also added, "He's just nervous and wants all eyes on him and Kim and doesn't want to be outdone by anyone."
Aww. Whatta guy. Even though Oprah is kind of over (yes, she is) -- I guess I can still see people going all gaga over her at Kimye's wedding. And since everyone knows that the festivities are supposed to be all about the bride, it totally makes sense for Kanye to take extra precautions to make sure no one steal's Kim's thunder on what will hopefully be the biggest day of her life.
Good for him for sticking up for his woman. Besides, I'm sure Oprah has plenty of better things to do than head to Paris.
Would you want Oprah there if you were Kim?
Image via Instagram


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Overtaking the world three strides at a time
Saturday, August 26, 2006
I'm back in Gerona for a few days before heading off to Italy on Monday. I did a nice easy ride today, its weird- I haven't felt sore in quite some time. It's kind of a new thing. Usually between races and after a race my legs'll be a little sore, but after training in Colorado for those coupla weeks I haven't been sore. It must've been the effect of altitude or something.
Today I actually embarked on a little journey amongst the towns people. I found that most activity around here occurs along the stretch of walkway along the sides of the river and then up towards the cathedral. I sort of already knew this, but you don't really understand it until you see it. Anyway, I went down and wandered around down there, found a new grocery store and backpacked back up to the apartment. It was the first time that I've left the apartment to not just buy groceries.
Whenever I talk to people about Europe they're like "wow, and you get to tour 'n stuff too! Wow." But the truth is that I'm kind of here for a reason, believe it or not… I try to repel the impulse to go and walk 5 miles a day. Although it's appealing to go and figure out what it's like to act euro etc., etc., I think it's better to act like what you are, and I'm a bike racer first, then an Americano & then a tourist…
At the moment I return to the US October 2nd.
International Poitou-Charentes
Charente – Charente – Maritime – Deux – Sevres – Vienne, Franca
August 22, 23, 24, 25
It's good to be back in Europe doing some racing. The racing savvy of the other racers is several bars above that of the dudes in the US. They simply seem to know a bit more about tactics and bike riding in general. The locals are super stoked about it too. Here they buy our trading cards, in the US you've gotta throw 'em at a kid when they're parents are standing there- "Don't be rude, take the card from him son…" It's just a totally different scene here, and the thought that it'll ever be like this in the US is a thought that has never crossed my mind because I've got no doubt that it never will…
Anyway, the race was great. I felt good, although I got sick the first day that I got here! Yeah, back to my old ways. In fact, everyone on the team racing got sick except Timmy & Mike. So that's 6 of 8… Perhaps a new record, it seems that Europe is just a dirty place rogue with plagues, illness and shredded carrots. Sylvan Chavenel won. The decisive break went on the second day. It was a break of 31 guys, the peloton sat up and the break got 36 minutes. That kinda sucked, although we got three guys in it- Will, Danny & Timmy. The race proceeded to give a 20 Swiss Frank fine to every rider in the peloton for not racing "as a professional." Crazy huh? We were riding double file 'n everything though, so I think it's possibly in line… just so strange… I've never heard of it… I presume that's what they do when they can't dq the whole peloton for finishing outside of the time cut; they just fine 'em all... God! No mercy, eh!?


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Forms Jobs
Posted: Wednesday, January 10, 2018Department: Sanitation
Sanitation - January 10, 2018
City offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. CityLink 311, the city's citizen service call center, will not be staffed but non-911 emergency calls will be forwarded to on-call staff with the appropriate department. Requests for routine information or services may be submitted by email, the city website and the CityLink 311 mobile application for processing the next day.
Garbage and recycling collections will follow the normal schedule. All yard-waste collections will be postponed one day.
A schedule of collection changes for all holidays in 2018 is posted online at Sanitation.CityofWS.org. For more information call CityLink 311.


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