Birther Movement: Old Lie with a New Twist

Obama

The Birther movement refuses to join such absurdities as phrenology and astrology in the trashcan of history.  Birthers believe Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore not qualified to be president of the United States since the Constitutional requirement for a president is that the person has to be born in the United States.

That issue should have dissolved once Obama produced his birth certificate from the state of Hawaii.   However, that didn’t silence the lunatic fringe.  The outcry wasn’t even muted when fact-checkers pointed out that Sen. John McCain, Obama’s 2008 opponent, was born in Panama.  Or Sen. Ted Cruz, a 2012 and 2016 opponent, was born in Canada.

Obama birth certificate

Cruz went so far as to insist that being born of an American parent anywhere made the baby American, despite all legal evidence to the contrary.  Besides, as Cruz, a birther, never hesitates to ignore, Obama’s mother is American.

Finally, the reality that Obama leaves office in January at the end of two terms has also failed to quell the birther claims.  It seems pretty late in the day to continue such nonsense.

Trump as a Birther

The absurd claim has rattled on because Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has encouraged it long before he actually ran for office.  As a candidate, he didn’t correct a speaker at a New Hampshire political rally who called Obama a non-American Muslim even though Obama belongs to a Southern Baptist church and has been Christian his entire life although his father was Muslim.  After all, Trump has been a major proponent of the Birther movement.

Now, finally, he has recanted.  Obama is really American.  We can all rejoice.  However, being Trump, he can’t resist adding a lie.  He claims that Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent for the White House, started the movement.  That’s untrue.

According to Politifact, an independent website that examines political claims: “There is no record that Clinton herself or anyone within her campaign ever advanced the charge that Obama was not born in the United States.  No journalist who investigated this ever found a connection to anyone in the Clinton organization.”

Clinton

Moreover, if true, the Trump would be claiming he and Clinton actually agreed on something.  That’s another lie.

So how did the Birther movement start?  Supposedly, according to a published account, a Clinton volunteer in Texas, Linda Starr, initiated the rumor and then convinced an attorney to pursue it.  A state Federal Court refused to hear the argument, and the appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.  Clinton was not involved, nor was any member of her staff.  

Actually, Clinton completely rejected the claim.  Asked about it by CNN’s Don Lemon, she replied:  "That is – no. That is so ludicrous, Don. You know, honestly, I just believe that, first of all, it’s totally untrue, and secondly, you know, the president and I have never had any kind of confrontation like that.  You know, I have been blamed for nearly everything; that was a new one to me."

Of course, lying is not new for Trump.  It allows him to deflect animosity toward him onto someone else.

The truth be damned.

An old journalism adage is that a correction never catches up with the original story.  Trump is counting on that during his continual effort to ravage the truth.

Long-time religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious history with an occasional foray into American culture.  He also speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida.  He holds an ABD in American Studies from Case Western Reserve University and an M.A. in communication from Kent State University.  You can reach him at wplazarus@aol.com. 

He is the author of the famed novel The Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus as well as The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols; and Comparative Religion for Dummies.  His books are available on Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.  He can also be followed on Twitter.

In addition, you can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion, at http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1

Did a Scientist Prove God Exists?

Kaku

Every now and then, some scientist sets out to “prove” that God exists.  It’s an ironic task: God must exist outside science, but someone still wants to use science to “prove” existence.

The latest is theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, who is well known for his many appearances on science shows where he talks about the universe and its various aspects.  He is also one of the scientists behind the revolutionary String Theory, which claims that energy exists not as participles but in strands.

Of course, that’s only a theory.  There’s no proof that strings exist or don’t exist.

Nevertheless, Kaku is sure God does.  He bases his argument on “primitive semi-radius tachyons,” which are imaginary particles that supposedly “are capable of unsticking the universe matter or the vacuum space between particles.”  

To Kaku, the supposed existence of these invisible tachyons “proves” that the universe must have been out together by something intelligent and not at random.

“I have concluded that we are in a world made by rules created by an intelligence,” Kaku said. “Believe me, everything that we call chance today won't make sense anymore. To me, it is clear that we exist in a plan which is governed by rules that were created, shaped by a universal intelligence and not by chance.”

How strange: using the existence of an unproven particle to claim the existence of an unproven deity.

Clockwork universe?

Nevertheless, because of Kaku’s prominence, his argument deserves to be examined and not curtly dismissed.

The first thing to note is that his claim in not new.  Philosophers began insisting back in the 1600s that the university is like a “clock.”  That is, it was put together in an intelligent way and not just some haphazard pieces and then left to run following natural law.  Isaac Newton’s recognition of universal laws helped fuel this idea, which became popular until undermined by modern science.

Newton

It’s also wrong.  Much of what we can see through space probes and other research tools now demonstrates that the universe is anything but organized.  As English geneticist J.B.S. Haldane commented (although the quote is also attributed to others), “The universe is not only stranger than we   imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.”  

Newton had no way of knowing that the universe is definitely not akin to clockwork. Kaku should.

Secondly, a God who creates a universe does not correspond to a God that everyone prays to.  Under Kaku’s formula, God created and then departed.  That’s known as deism, and it is not endorsed by any organized religion.  It’s certainly not the deity billions of people worldwide worship.

Kaku accepts that limitation.  In a 2011 interview, he stated: “There really are two kinds of Gods. If God is the God of intervention, the personal God, the God of prayer, the God that parts the waters, then I have a hard time believing in that. Does God listen to all our prayers for a bicycle for Christmas, or to smite the Philistines? Einstein believed in the God of order and harmony, simplicity and elegance. The universe is gorgeous, and it didn’t have to be that way.”

Aviezar

Then, too, Kaku is incorrect to argue that the universe is too complex to occur by happenstance.  Nathan Aviezer, an Orthodox Jewish American-Israeli physicist and a physics professor at Bar-Ilan University, pointed that “complicated items do form by themselves. Crystals and chemical reactions are the most complicated things, and they happen by themselves. My favorite example is snowflakes, which each form uniquely by themselves. But that is not proof there is a God.”

Finally, we live in this universe because it follows natural rules.  Scientists are now theorizing that multiple universes exist, some of which are dead and barren; others which may have different dimensions.  In essence, we exist because this universe just happened to contain the correct design that supports life.

Life evolved because it could, not because some invisible deity organized everything.

In fact, our evolution has reached a stage that even an eminent physicist can make an absurd claim about a unproven deity using imaginary particles to buttress his specious argument.

Sounds pretty random after all.

Long-time religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious history with an occasional foray into American culture.  He also speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida.  He holds an ABD in American Studies from Case Western Reserve University and an M.A. in communication from Kent State University.  You can reach him at wplazarus@aol.com. 

 He is the author of the famed novel The Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus as well as The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols; and Comparative Religion for Dummies.  His books are available on Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.  He can also be followed on Twitter.

In addition, you can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion, at http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1

Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Exposed

Islamic women

In a lively discussion on Facebook, several of my conservative friends insisted that 100 percent of liberals are always forgiving Muslims for their anti-woman behavior and the violence associated with terrorists.

I disagreed, since that was obvious stereotyping.  I know many liberals; most of them don’t agree on much.  That’s true for the conservatives I know.  As has been reported, conservative commentators are publicly arguing with each other over proposals by Republican president nominee Donald Trump.  The same is true in the Democrat Party, where presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is being both praised and attacked.

The biggest libel is that Muslims all support terrorism.

That’s absurd.  Just look at the fight with ISIS. Muslim troops from 34 countries led by Saudi Arabia are heavily involved in the fighting with that conservative Islamic organization.

It’s also wrong to insist only Muslims engage in terrorist activities. 

The reality is that any monotheistic religion, given control of a country or a group of people, will impose its doctrine on its hapless population and kill, ostracize or otherwise harm anyone who dares to disagree with its teachings.

There’s plenty of historical evidence to support that claim.

Artist view of Phineas at work

In the book of Numbers in the Bible, Jews lashed out at those who “defy” God’s laws and received divine approval:

Chapter 25:  While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.  The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”  So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”  Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ When Phineas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.  The Lord said to Moses, “Phineas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal.  Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

In addition, once Jews ruled a small, but independent kingdom starting in 142 B.C.E., they marched into Samaria and forcefully converted residents.  The choice was standard: convert or die.

Burning opponents at the stake

That vicious approach became the norm in Christianity when it became the favorite religion of the decaying Roman Empire at the end of the 4^th century.  Initially, as dogma was being developed, Christians split into different groups and attacked each other.  Then, once legalized, they assaulted pagans.  That was followed by pogroms against Jews and then outright slaughter of any opposition.

Mary 1

For centuries, Christian noblemen annually went on murderous hunts against pagans in Eastern Europe.  Before they went on Crusades to butcher Muslims, they decimated Jews living peacefully among them.  They turned on Cathars and other sects who attempted to break away from Roman Catholicism.  Even people who preferred adult baptisms were hunted down and massacred.

In England, Queen Mary in the 1500s became known as Bloody Mary as she tried to wipe out Protestants who had replaced Catholics in authority.  Burning at the stake was common.

In this country, Puritans settled in Massachusetts in the 1600s and promptly persecuted anyone who showed the slightest dissent to their “pure” faith.  They killed and harassed Quakers, and sent one of their dissident ministers, Roger Williams, into the woods during a fierce Massachusetts winter without any protective clothing.

He couldn’t help but note the irony of pagan Indians saving his life in contrast with the despicable behavior of fellow Puritans, and supported freedom of religion as a result.

In reality, Roman Catholics would have continued their barbarous behavior except for the Protestant Reformation, which engendered the Age of Enlightenment.  Christianity lost its ability to inflict its ideas on the masses, just as Judaism did after its land was seized by Rome.  Today, Israel is a secular state, no doubt saving countless residents from prosecution.

Islam is still in power throughout the Middle East.  As such, Muslim hierarchy can do what they want while would-be protectors of the faith can try to inflict as much damage as possible on non-believers.

Orthodox Jews and their wives

As for the argument that only Islam demeans women, no male-dominated religion like Judaism, Christianity or Islam has any role for women.  Orthodox Judaism, which was the norm into the 1900s, still has men and women sit apart in services.  Women in some sects must shave their heads and wear wigs.  All are subservient to men. 

The same is true in many sects of Christianity.  The idea of a Roman Catholic female priest remains an anathema to the Church, despite an acute shortage of male priests. One of my friends left her Lutheran Church in protest because a female pastor was hired to lead services.  The attempts to control women through health issues, sexual activity and athletics continue unabated.

Islam is no different.

One of my Facebook friends expressed the hope Islam would change as it “grows up.”  Actually, maturity has nothing to do with it.  If Judaism or Christianity still held complete sway over any land, it, too, would mirror Islam with dictatorial controls and terrorist activities against real or imaginary opposition.

They aren't trying be trying to impose any kind of belief.  Power is the only reality.  Religion be damned.

Long-time religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious history with an occasional foray into American culture.  He also speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida.  He holds an ABD in American Studies from Case Western Reserve University and an M.A. in communication from Kent State University.  You can reach him at wplazarus@aol.com. 

 He is the author of the famed novel The Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus as well as The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols; and Comparative Religion for Dummies.  His books are available on Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.  He can also be followed on Twitter.

In addition, you can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion, at http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1

Birthday Poem

It’s birthday time,

Another in a long line

When it ends, only God knows.

I’m afraid I’ve lost count

As the numbers mount

Now that my giddy up no longer wants to go.

When the dawn breaks,

I’m happy to wake,

But I ache from head to toe.

Bed gravity remains,

Why risk more strain?

Now that my giddy up no longer wants to go.

When morning arrives,

I can’t open my eyes,

Afraid of the sun’s bright glow.

If I lie real still,

Maybe I can muster the will

But my giddy up no longer wants to go.

Exercise is barely tenable

Since I’m now venerable.

I do everything slow.

Pancakes take an hour

Just to find the flour

Since my giddy up no longer wants to go.

There’s an energy surge

That gives me the urge

To stand up really slow

I’ll harness the varoom

To go to the bathroom

Now that my giddy up finally wants to go.

Bill Lazarus

August 2016