Welcome to issue #7.36 of Free Thought Now!, the Agnosticism / Atheism site newsletter. This week we'll take a look at the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Jewish terrorism, sentencing abortion doctors to death, pro-life fanatics, and more.

Short Biography of William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist is one of the most conservative justices to sit on the Supreme Court in a long time. Even while still a law clerk for Justice Robert H. Jackson, he wrote a memorandum supporting the principle of legal racial segregation and supporting the separate but equal doctrine espoused in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Weekly Quote: A. A. Milne on Agnosticism & Religion
"The Old Testament is responsible for more atheism, agnosticism, disbelief--call it what you will--than any book ever written; it has emptied more churches than all the counterattractions of cinema, motor bicycle and golf course." Follow the link for analysis and discussion...

Hitler's Prisons: Legal Terror in Nazi Germany
When most people think of imprisonment in the Nazi Germany, they probably imagine concentration camps - and they are justifiably an icon of the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis. At the same time, though, far more people were held in regular prisons than in concentration camps, so their significance in German life was far greater. Too much attention on the concentration camps and too little attention on the prisons has obscured important aspects of law and justice in Nazi Germany.

Why Do Women Have Abortions?
Truth, not myths

Telling the Truth About Rehnquist
Not pleasant...

Pro-Life Fanatics
Keep getting worse

Pharmacists Want Right to Impose on Patients
It's not democratic

Jewish Terrorism in Israel
It could become a problem

Death Penalty for Abortion Doctors
It's possible

Virtue, Vice, and Freedom
Religion opposing liberty

 

Forum Discussions:

1) Lying to Persuade Another
"We all agree that, in normal circumstances, a lie is always a bad idea. But I am looking at the curious case where a lie could benefit someone. I don't mean the Ann Frank example, I mean a commercial transaction, or political or medical decision. Where person 'A' knows much more than person 'B', and person 'B' is seriously confused. If person 'B' is likely to make a disastrously bad decision, would 'A' be justified in telling a lie to persuade 'B'?"

2) Has Conservatism Changed?
"There is no doubt in my mind that conservatism has changed in the last 50 years or so. When I think about traditional conservatism in the West, I think of the true Christian spirit -- helping the poor, caring and speaking for those who can't care/speak for themselves. I am all for conservatism in that sense. But today, conservatism seems to have become a new breed of social Darwinism. Instead of caring for the poor, the new conservatism becomes anti-poor and pro-rich. What has happened?"

3) Power of Prayer
"Technically I would think that prayer shouldn't work at all. Not from an atheist stand point, or a skeptical one, but from the, in this case I suppose, christian one. I mean really, we keep getting told that God has some great plan that's outside of our understanding. Given that, what the heck do these people think they're doing bothering their god with requests to change his mind. ... I think the only people who benefit from prayer are the people doing the praying."