Steel City Skeptics

It was great to see Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-8th) propose a National Day of Reason in US House:

Introduced in House (05/01/2020) – – H. Res. 947 Introduced in House

Expressing support for the designation of May 7, 2020, as a “National Day of Reason” and recognizing the central importance of reason in the betterment of humanity. _________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 1, 2020
Mr. Raskin (for himself, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Norton, and Mr. McNerney) submitted the following resolution; ___________________________________________________
RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the designation of May 7, 2020, as a “National Day of Reason” and recognizing the central importance of reason in the betterment of humanity.

– Whereas the application of reason has been the essential precondition for humanity’s extraordinary scientific, medical, technological, and social progress since the modern Enlightenment;

– Whereas reason provides vital hope today for confronting the environmental crises of our day, including the civilizational emergency of climate change, and for cultivating the rule of law, democratic institutions, justice, and peace among nations;

– Whereas irrationality, magical thinking, and superstition have undermined the national effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and reason is fundamental to creating an effective coordinated response to beat the virus involving the Federal Government, the States, and the scientific and medical communities;

– Whereas America’s Founders insisted upon the primacy of reason and knowledge in public life, and drafted the Constitution to prevent official establishment of religion and to protect freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry in civil society;

– Whereas James Madison, author of the First Amendment and fourth President of the United States, stated that “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty”, and “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives”; and

– Whereas, May 7, 2020, would be an appropriate date to designate as a “National Day of Reason”: _________________________________________________

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives—

(1) supports the designation of a “National Day of Reason”; and

(2) encourages all citizens, residents, and visitors to join in observing this day and focusing on the central importance of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to resolving social problems and promoting the welfare of humankind.

This week, Christianity Today featured a recent survey by the Barna Group, which identified places “where the fewest people follow Christian beliefs and practices, as measured by a list of more than a dozen factors.”  The most post-Christian cities were in New England, with Santa Barbara and Seattle not far behind.  As Don Loomer observed “People hardly think about [God]…If the sun’s out and the surf’s up, you say goodbye!”

The article goes rank 100 metropolitan areas in terms of whether they attend church, have read the Christian bible recently, or “made a commitment to Jesus”.  While Pittsburgh was not in top 10 of “post-Christian cities”, it come in a respectable 36 out of 100, well ahead of Johnstown-Altoona-State College (53), Cleveland-Akron-Canton (67), and other nearby cities.

Of course, the authors try to look for the brighter side of the survey, as when Eliezer Perez made the rather odd statement that “Post-Christian doesn’t mean anti-Christian.  If it’s post-Christian, then that means there is Christian.”

In reality, it seems to confirm to what we know about religion in the US, as well as in Canada and western Europe.  The numbers of citizens who find solace in religion is shrinking and that time enjoying friends, reading an engaging book, exercising and socializing will do more for the mind and body.  It will be interesting to see how much a drop the next edition of the survey will report in regard to religion in America.  We won’t be surfing in the sun in Pittsburgh, but I am sure the numbers will continue to fall.

Summer has officially arrived. And that means that it’s time to start preparing for the premier event of the summer – PFC’s annual Canoe Trip and Shrimp Boil Picnic. This will be the 13th year for the Canoe Trip and the 11th year for the Shrimp Boil. The date has been set for Sunday, August 25th; the pavilions have been rented, and reservations have been made with the Outfitter. All that is left is for you to make the appropriate reservations at http://www.pghfreethought.org

For those who have not participated before, let me describe it. Those going on the water meet at Youghiogheny Outfitters in West Newton at 9:30am and are transported upriver to Smithton where the group will “put in”. This is a relatively leisurely float down the middle Youghiogheny River, from Smithton to West Newton, a distance of approximately seven miles. Depending on the current, time on the water is about four hours. (Last year’s went a little quicker because with all the rain, the current was a little faster.) There are no real “rapids” on this section of the river, just some navigable shallows, so it is very newbie- and beginner- friendly. If you have a child who wants to learn to canoe or kayak, this is an excellent opportunity for them to learn under your supervision, with gentle waters, and a large group of fellow travelers.

About halfway along the river journey on a wide sweeping curve to the right, there is a boat ramp on the left bank for Cedar Creek Park. If you are joining in the shrimp boil, or just want to join everybody for lunch, pull your watercraft out there and set it out of the way. Turn left and walk back upriver about 150 hundred yards and you will find the PFC picnic. Of course, no one is required to participate in the shrimp boil to enjoy the camaraderie of the group, but it sure is a lot of fun – and quite tasty. The menu consists of shrimp, andouille sausage, redskin potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and French bread. Dessert is Cajun-style bread pudding with rum sauce. (Since everything is cooked in one pot, there is unfortunately no way to offer a vegan option. But you are welcome to bring your own food and eat with the group at no cost.) Food should be ready sometime between 12:30 and 1:00. After lunch, those kayaking/canoeing get back on the water and continue downriver to the outfitter’s boat ramp in West Newton where your car is waiting for you.

For those not going on the water and just coming to the picnic, Cedar Creek Park is located off of PA Rte 51 near I-70 in Rostraver. After you pass the Rostraver Township Municipal Bldg, you will pass three houses and come to the Park entrance. There are TWO entrances, about 50ft apart. Take the second entrance and follow that road as it meanders through the park, about a mile. When you get to the bottom of a relatively long hill, the road will make a quick zig-zag right then left as it crosses over the bike trail. Continue on between the bike trail on the left and pavilions on the right until you come to pavilions number 18 and 19. That is where you will find us. For those who would like to ride bikes instead of canoeing or kayaking, that bike path that you crossed over is part of the Great Allegheny Passage that goes from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.

Prices are the same as last year: $32 for a single kayak, $53 for a 2-person canoe or tandem kayak, $14 for transport of your own canoe upriver, $12 per adult (12 and older) for the shrimp boil, $8 per child (6-12), 5 and under are free. For those with small children, a canoe can accommodate two adults with one small child under 60 lbs. The sooner that we know who and how many are planning on participating in what activities, the better we can be at organizing and making this event happen as smoothly as possible. So let us know as soon as possible if you can.

By now you may have heard about worse invocation given in recent years, right here in our own State of Pennsylvania. It was the given by first-year Representative Stephanie Borowicz (Lock Haven, PA), which amounted to Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus (13 times), followed by the entirely false claim that this nation was “ founded on your principles in your words and your truth.”

In fact, the Christian lineage among our founding fathers is very weak with John Adams explicitly stating “the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.” Also don’t bother wasting your time finding how many time the word “Jesus” appears in the founding documents. You won’t find it in any of the official founding documents. To matters even worse, State Rep. Brian Sims, the only openly atheist lawmaker in the PA House has not been allowed to give the invocation because of lack of faith.

Rep. Borowicz should apologize to the House and particularly to the state’s first Muslim legislator, State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, who was officially sworn in and had family members in the gallery during her Jesus rant. This was a very sad day for Pennsylvanians everywhere and needs to amended as soon as possible.

We know that Catholic schools in Pennsylvania are fading in popularity. Part of this transformation is the changing demographics with the growth of the “Nones”, as well as less interest in programs that indoctrinate and proselytize, rather than serve all students regardless of background.  As in most states, Pennsylvania tax dollars were generally directed to public schools, rather than religious schools with very few exceptions.

However, that pattern of funding public schools through a mixture of income taxes and property assessments, as well as grants from the Commonwealth is changing. In a recent article in Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Deb Erdley note that Catholic schools can address their declining enrollment with tax credit scholarships that support religious education.

A quiet change in the law in 2014 that allowed individuals to divert their state taxes to the tax credit program helped fundraisers in the Greensburg diocese boost their tax credit bonanza to about $1 million this year.

“That was a game changer,” said Michael Lucotch, director of development for the Greensburg diocese. “It allows participants to redirect their personal income tax obligation to a Catholic school of their choice for use as tuition assistance.”

If that was not bad enough, it gets worse.

Unlike many scholarship programs, the tax credit-funded program is not limited to low-income families. Under state guidelines, a family of four with two children could earn up to $116,216 a year and still be eligible for aid. The eligibility cap grows by $15,608 a year for each additional child.

How are these programs allowed to exist?  Public funds should be directed to public schools. Those who want to have their children indoctrinated need to do so at their own expense.   And, if you think indoctrination is to harsh of a term, take a look at some recent arguments in support of indoctrination.

In regard to allegations against the former ‘Bishop of Pittsburgh’, Donald Wuerl, the Washington Post reported this week

WHEN ALLEGATIONS came to light last year of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct involving children and seminarians by Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who succeeded Mr. McCarrick as leader of the Washington archdiocese, expressed shock and denied prior knowledge. Now it turns out Mr. Wuerl was presented in 2004 with an account of Mr. McCarrick’s alleged misconduct, which he relayed to the Vatican.

Then: nothing.

In the ongoing tsunami of revelations about the Catholic Church’s willful blindness, conspiracy of silence and moral bankruptcy on clergy sex abuse, this particular revelation may count as little more than a droplet — although it does involve two of the highest-ranking and most prominent American prelates. However, it also encapsulates characteristics that continue to dog the church nearly two decades after the scandal burst into the open: callousness directed at victims; an insistence on denial and hairsplitting; and the hierarchy’s preference for treating allegations as internal matters, as if the world’s 1.2 billion lay Catholics were an irrelevance.

It is hard to believe that Cardinal Wuerl has not been removed from his position, asked to pay retribution to his victims, and charged with crimes in a court of law. Even the conservative talk show host, Hugh Hewett, recently described Wuerl as “The Con Man in the Cardinal’s Cap”.

While the Steel City Skeptics would argue that all who wear the pointy cap are con men with regard to the truth, Wuerl is clearly at the top the game. I would also argue that prison time is not out the question as more details come forth. The Catholic church has failed to police its own, but there is not reason that civil authorities cannot proceed under civil laws. The sooner, the better.