The Humanist
September/October 1997
Volume 57, Number 5 |
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Protecting Our Children from
Internet Smut:
Moral Duty or Moral Panic?
by Julia Wilkins
What's the recipe for a moral panic strong enough to
make Congress pass unconstitutional legislation? It's simple! Cook
one study on Internet porn until well flawed, stir in cries of
overprotective parents, mix with uninformed politicians, and serve up
garishly in respected national magazines.
Cover Story: Promise
Keepers—The New Christian Soldiers?
Storm Troopers in the Culture
War
by John M. Swomley
One of the nation's few experts on the "third wave" of
the religious right—Promise Keepers—reveals the group's well-funded
strategy to supplant existing churches, revive a male-dominated
theocratic culture, and advance a far-right political agenda.
The Christian Right Regroups
by Steve Watkins
Don't count out the Christian right yet. Although it
has suffered some recent setbacks, a number of events suggest that
its leaders are far from giving up; they're just realigning their
forces—with the 1998 elections as their next major target.
PK Publicity and Production:
Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes
by Marian Hetherly
Sound bites and camera-ready visuals are in abundant
supply as PK officials hone their skills as masters of publicity in
preparation for the group's march on Washington, D.C., this fall. But
what lies beneath all the pomp and puffery?
A Humanist Among the
Faithful
by John M. Higgins
What really goes on at those massive PK stadium
events, the group's primary vehicle for recruitment? A
Humanist mole amid the converted provides play-by-play action
from the Rich Stadium revival—one of twenty-four such events slated
for 1997.
How Fundamentalism Affects
Society
by Michael Franklin and Marian
Hetherly
What threats does PK's culture war pose for our
families and nation? A look at existing data documenting a host of
harmful behaviors that are linked to fundamentalist beliefs can prove
instructive.
Journey Out of Darkness
by Paula Mendenhall
A former born-again Christian tells her story of
religious addiction and how she broke its spell to find a new life of
freedom.
The Only Reason You Want to Go to
Heaven
Is That You Have Been Driven Out of Your Mind
by Alice Walker
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and 1997 Humanist of
the Year shares a chapter from her life, rich with mataphor, about
discovering nature, reclaiming the self, and liberating the spirit
from an inherited but alien faith.
Physician Aid in Dying: Within Some
of Our Lifetimes?
by Barbara Dority
In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision
in two major cases, the right-to-die movement is now regrouping with
an eye on state constitutions and laws. Advocates remain as
determined as ever to secure access to physician assistance for the
terminally ill who wish to die.
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