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Are “Sinners” Spreading the Ebola Virus?
by Merrill Miller • 11 August 2014


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Copyright: krishnacreations / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: krishnacreations / 123RF Stock Photo
It seems you can’t turn on a television, listen to the radio, or read a newspaper without receiving regular updates about the ever-increasing death toll in West Africa from the Ebola virus. With its dramatic symptoms, which range from flu-like fevers and aches to internal bleeding, the disease seems to have infected the imaginations of people across the globe. More immediately, it has also generated a healthcare crisis in communities across Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria.
In response to the growing need for care, medical experts, both local and international, have heroically put themselves at risk to treat those stricken with the virus in clinics that aren’t always well equipped to isolate people who’ve become infected. Even with limited resources, however, medical professionals have managed to bring the fatality rate of the virus down from 90 to 60 percent. This rate is still high, but it does demonstrate the positive effects that medical science and ingenuity have in treating this distressing disease, even in inadequate conditions.
Unfortunately, not everyone has employed the same rational approach to dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Last week, the Liberian Council of Churches announced that the virus was punishment from God for sins such as homosexuality, and that individuals should fast and pray for forgiveness in order to combat the spread of the disease. This measure was endorsed by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who encouraged Liberian citizens to stay home and observe a three-day fast that would, supposedly, invoke God’s mercy. Similar sentiments were expressed with more vitriol by American religious right-wing radio personality Rick Wiles, who characterized Ebola as a plague sent from God to wipe out atheists and individuals in the LGBTQ community, among other so-called “sinners.”
Not only are these ideas simply wrong, they are also dangerous. By presenting Ebola as a form of divine retribution, the Liberian Council of Churches and people like Wiles scapegoat already vulnerable individuals in the atheist and the LGBTQ communities in Western Africa, who may be denied civil rights and face persecution in some countries purely for being who they are. They also increase the stigma surrounding the disease, causing many people who begin showing symptoms to remain at home, where they might pass the illness on to their family and friends, instead of seeking treatment.
Categorizing Ebola as an unearthly force sent from God also increases the misinformation already surrounding the disease, making the work that doctors and nurses are doing to halt its spread even more difficult. People who don’t understand how Ebola is transmitted may believe that aid workers are actually bringing the illness to their communities. Their confusion, though perhaps initially baffling, is understandable. Without proper information, someone could easily associate medical personnel with Ebola and the deaths that follow it and come to believe that the doctors were actually the cause of the disease and death. Still others think that Ebola is not a natural malady but a magical one that can only be cured by traditional herbalists or other healers. Explanations of Ebola from religious authorities and government officials that also classify the disease as godly retribution reinforce these views and prevent people from getting medical assistance.
Accurate information, not supernatural scare tactics and scapegoating, is necessary to stop the spread of Ebola. A humanistic focus on science, not prayers and fasting, has already made some headway in combatting the disease, though a widely available vaccine or cure is still a long way off. Even if more effective treatments were developed, getting them to people in need could prove difficult. Government corruption makes access to education, transportation, and medical care nearly impossible for many people, and these are exactly what people in West Africa need to understand Ebola, halt the spread of the disease, and treat individuals who are infected. Corruption also breeds a (usually well-founded) mistrust of the government, which is further promoting the spread of the disease. In Sierra Leone, where the government is attempting to encourage individuals with symptoms of Ebola to seek medical attention, people are understandably skeptical. As this article in The Economist asks rhetorically, “Why should people believe a government that lies about so many other things when it tells them they will die if they don’t go to a hospital?”
Humanism, unlike superstition and fundamentalist religion, seeks information from the natural world and scientific inquiry. Relying on those approaches is going to resolve the Ebola crisis much more effectively than blaming already stigmatized groups such as atheists and LGBTQ individuals. But humanists should also be willing to look at the larger political and social climate in West Africa and realize its role in this tragic situation. Combatting Ebola isn’t just about developing better treatments for the virus, though that is certainly of the utmost importance. Tackling Ebola also means having compassion for the individuals whose lives are impacted by this disease and working with them to end government corruption and improve access to education and quality healthcare. The Ebola outbreak will hopefully abate, but misinformation and corruption are ultimately far more long-lasting and far more deadly than any virus.

miller_merrillMerrill Miller is the communications associate at the American Humanist Association.
 

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I Loved Lucy
(Spoiler Alert: This sci‒fi film contains both science and fiction!)
by Sara Lone • 6 August 2014


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LucyMoviePoster
Despite impressive box office numbers, mixed reviews suggest not everyone’s crazy about Luc Besson’s new film Lucy. A Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 48 percent isn’t what you’d expect from a sci-fi movie about brain capacity starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, but that’s exactly what it received, along with a fair amount of criticism. Even so, Lucy had my synapses firing!
The movie begins in Taipei, Taiwan, where twenty-five-year-old American college student Lucy (played by Scarlett Johansson) is studying. After a squabble with her new boyfriend, Lucy finds herself handcuffed to a briefcase with something mysterious inside. Shortly after, she’s knocked out and awakens to find she’s a drug mule for the owners of the mysterious contents of the briefcase—a blue crystalline synthetic drug called CPH4.
With the drugs surgically stashed in her lower intestines, Lucy is kicked in the stomach by a captor, exploding the bag and releasing a massive amount of the synthetic drug into her system. We witness Lucy’s physical and mental transformation and are reminded of how much more of her brain is being used when ever-increasing percentages pop up on screen—20%; 30%; 40%. These higher percentages correlate with her brain capacity usage, but also her mastery of what writer/director Besson dubs the “steps of control”: 1) control of the cell; 2) control of others; 3) control of matter; and 4) control of time.
Throughout Lucy’s transition, she gets advice from Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman), a doctor and scientist who has contributed to the “steps of control” theory. Lucy is noticeably different and is utilizing the drug’s enhancement, but realizes that she is accelerating too quickly for her human body. Will Lucy will reach 100 percent brain capacity and be able to travel through time and space, or will she destroy herself trying?
In addition to the tension created by the ramping up of Lucy’s brain power, the actual science Besson integrates into the film is really interesting. Many critics were all over Besson for using the debunked “we only use 10 percent of our brains” myth. But Besson knows this! In a recent interview on Vulture he said, “It’s totally not true. Do they think I don’t know this?” Apparently, Besson researched the concept for nine years and although the 10-percent myth isn’t real, there are some aspects of the film scientists have “logically” agreed upon.
Herein lies the beauty of Lucy, offering a healthy dose of both fiction and scientific truth. Google “science fiction” and you’ll find this fluid definition: “fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.” I think Besson does a fantastic job working within this definition, but also stretching it to make us question just how “fictional” the story is. The French filmmaker has said that this is the “magic of the film”—that you can mix things up a bit, things that are “true” and “false,” and by the end of a film people are questioning reality, which is the fun of it.
Interestingly enough, Besson says CPH4 does exist—it’s just not called CPH4. Speaking to CraveOnline he explains, “It’s a molecule that the pregnant woman is making after six weeks of pregnancy in very, very tiny quantities. But it’s totally real, and it’s true that the power of this product for a baby is the power of an atomic bomb. It’s real. It’s totally real. So it’s not a drug in fact, it’s a natural molecule.” Besson also claims to have spoken to “a lot of scientists” who believe that the “steps of control” theory is at least logical.
So, I can’t quite answer the meaning of life after seeing Lucy, but I can give you a suggestion if you decide to go see it: go into it with an open mind. Know that you’re not going to see a 100 percent scientifically accurate film, but expect entertainment with some sprinkles of scientific truth. Johansson is fantastic in the title role, as is Freeman as the science professor. And don’t forget to catch the subtle religious critiques strewn throughout. Besson may not realize this, but the message underlying Lucy is simple—we could be gods.

Sara Lone is the Summer 2014 advocacy intern for the American Humanist Association. She is currently working toward a Master’s in public policy at the University of California-Irvine.
 

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Summer Reading Recommendations by TheHumanist.com Readers
by TheHumanist.com Staff • 5 August 2014


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Photo by piksel / 123RF
Photo by piksel / 123RF
Thanks to our loyal TheHumanist.com readers for answering Senior Editor Maggie Ardiente’s call last week for summer reading recommendations! There’s still plenty of summer days left—be sure to check out any of the books recommended by fellow TheHumanist.com readers. Due to the large volume of recommendations we received, we regret that we could not publish them all.

naturesgodI highly recommend Nature’s God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic by Matthew Stewart. It is an excellent historical narrative of how the U.S. was founded on Enlightenment principles that, in turn, were founded upon secular ideals of ancient and medieval philosophers. It was no accident that Jefferson used the term “Nature’s God” in describing a “God” in the Declaration of Independence; likewise it was not an oversight that “God” and all other deities were excluded from the Constitution. It is well known that most of the Founding Fathers were at least deists, if not outright agnostics or atheists. Stewart provides an intriguing insight to the meaning of these terms in the context of their times. The result is a clear and persuasive refutation of the myth of the U.S. being founded upon Christianity principles. While masterfully weaving the historical and philosophical narrative, Stewart provides the reader with fascinating tales about the Founders—famous and less well known—and their philosophies. Combined with his skillful writing, the result is not only a great summer read, but a book for all seasons.
—Jerry Staub

I recommend Natchez Burning by Greg Isle (fantastic book about the South), Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis (one of the Freedom Riders) and Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (just a good book).
—Sharon Berthrong

innerfishI suspect much reading we do is rather myopic. The three books by Jared Diamond I’ve read this summer have really expanded my perception of humanity: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies; Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed; and The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? Skeptic leader Michael Shermer characterizes Diamond as the Charles Darwin of our generation. These are profoundly revealing works on the history of human societies and how we’ve changed from our hunter-gather ancestors.
Another even more revealing history of our evolutionary history is told in the fascinating read by Neil Shubin: Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into 3.5 Billion-year History of the Human Body. It’s such a joy to see literally proved what many of us think daily as we involve ourselves with other animals. We’re all related!
—Ron Priest

I recommend Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, a very important book on world-wide inequality and particularly in the U.S. It has been called the most popular book and the least read. It’s really not that difficult to read; it’s written in a very clear style. The way to read it, though, is not straight through. Reading a section and shifting to another book and come back later, I found to be the way to take it all in.
uncertainjusticeI also recommend The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life by Robert Trivers. The author is a well-respected biological scientist and professor at Rutgers University. The primary title is misleading—likely the publishers doing. The book is a serious presentation of an astounding insight into human nature based on solid research. We need to understand this about the human species. It is well written and engrossing.
Finally, Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution by Lawrence Tribe and Joshua Matz is a fair scrutiny of the Roberts court is a most welcome in view of some of the decisions it has been making. This one is interesting and erudite with extensive analysis of decisions. On the same subject and just as good, but with a more personal look at the justices themselves and a little more fun is The Oath by Jeffery Toobin. The latter’s prior book The Nine is also a page turner. The last two are out in paperback.
—Bill Newnam

I highly recommend What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe and Not In Your Lifetime: The Defining Book on the J.F.K. Assassination: Fifty Years On, Weighing the Evidence by Anthony Summers.
—Darryl Hamson

lightsoutI just finished Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us by Maggie Koerth-Baker, the science editor of BoingBoing and New York Times columnist. It did a great job of summarizing the problems with energy consumption and the complexities that come along with proposed solutions. I was expecting a book like this to be a little depressing, but this book helped me see the energy crisis as more of an engineering problem that we can overcome than an existential one.
I also recently finally got around to reading Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism by Michelle Goldberg and God’s Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters by Sarah Posner. These were both published near the end of the Bush administration and are both very much of that time. It’s interesting to read stuff like this about religious movements that were maybe more newsworthy at the time with a little bit of hindsight. Some of the personal stories Posner relays towards the end of her book about faith healing are almost as infuriating as they are heartbreaking.
And a few weeks ago while on vacation I spent a weird and wonderful day outside with my dog, a bottle of whiskey, some music and a book called Satan Burger by Carlton Mellick III. It’s a novel about four squatter punks who get jobs working for Satan’s fast-food restaurant, which is actually a front for stealing souls. It’s dark, surreal, apocalyptic, funny, and hard to put down. Oh, and there’s a morbidly obese Jesus.
—Josh Bunting (@josh_b42)

margaretfullerI recommend Margaret Fuller: A New American Life by Megan Marshall (bio of an early 19th century modern woman), Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe by George Dyson (bio of the early days of computers and Alan Turing’s genius) and Pieces of Light: How the New Science of Memory Illuminates the Stories We Tell About Our Pasts by Charles Fernyhough (describing the science of memory as we currently understand it). For light reading, I suggest two books by Philip Pullman: The Broken Bridge and The Shadow in the North (part of his Sally Lockhart series).
—Rachael Solem

I recommend The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (one of the greatest fantasy novels ever written and highly critical of religion), Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Lauren Hillenbrand (the astounding story of Louis Zamperini, soon to be a major movie), and Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Towers (hilarious, wild stories—read them on the advice of David Sedaris, who declared them better than anything he has written).
—Mark Duncan

provinghistoryI’m reading Dr. Richard Carrier’s Proving History: Bayes’s Theorem and the Quest for the Historical Jesus for nonfiction, and I recommend anything by Christopher Moore for entertainment.
—Elizabeth True

I like biographies, autobiographies or memoirs of Hollywood personalities. I just read Rob Lowes’ new book, Love Life. He is an intelligent, thoughtful and insightful writer. The book was fun to read and I learned a lot about Lowe (and life)!
—Pete Prunkl

I’ve read Guests On Earth by Lee Smith, Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss, and Nomad: From Islam to America—A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
—Brad Miller

transformingangerI just read Transforming Anger: The Heartmath Solution for Letting Go of Rage, Frustration, and Irritation, an approach to directing one’s interactions in those emotion-soaked moments. It’s a practical system for observing oneself and then directing one’s response, when old patterns are not rewarding. I found it useful despite a lead-footed prose style.
Much more enjoyable, despite its density: Calliope’s Sisters: A Comparative Study of Philosophies of Art by Richard L Anderson. It’s a text in anthropology/ethnology, knowing people by what they produce to enhance their life and express ideals. I think of it as the bridge over what we say we believe/admire/desire and what we create, make, live with. And the writing is full of insights, surprises. The ten cultures of focus are well chosen, a range from foraging people (the San) to mixed hunting and gardening (the New Guinea Sepik), present day Navajo to ancient India. I took a month, on and off, taking notes all through, to absorb this book. How do we explain what we sense as the eternal? How live with the distance between dreams and failures? Maybe it’s just the time of my life, my history—this evening I listened to a woman playing the sitar and thought, now I understand something of the aesthetic of India—beyond words, with drone resonance.
Before that I read the Cutouts of Henri Matisse by George Braziller. These were executed by Matisse after his body had failed, his wife of many years had left. From his bed or wheelchair he took hand-colored hanks of paper in hand and sliced with scissors. He re-created paradise—a woman’s body, flowers of Hawaii, a man falling through space and time, peacefully and joyfully. He built them into wall-size patterns that are transports to delight. That sent me back forty years to the critic who looked at Matisse’s early portrait of his wife, with a green line dividing her face, and labeled the artist a fauvist, a mad dog. I’m reminded of Anderson’s summary of western art’s traditions, a French academy that gave the highest respect to crowded, reality-driven historical scenes of generals subduing other generals. That’s a reality, but not an ideal to strive for as winner or loser. Matisse made his cutouts after World War II had shown Europeans the futility of zero-sum values.
—Jeanette Miller

I’m reading the following books this summer: Inferno by Dan Brown, Broca’s Brain by Carl Sagan, Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz, Essays in Idleness by Kenko, Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, and Good Without God by Greg Epstein.
—Chevy

unbelieversThe Unbelievers: The Evolution of Modern Atheism by S. T. Joshi (I always get a kick out of how that can be read as “St. Joshi”).  This is a concise overview of unbelievers from the last 150 years, from Thomas Huxley to Christopher Hitchens. This book is not a valentine to its subjects; Joshi points out the strengths and weaknesses of each of his subjects.
How Jesus Became God by Bart D. Ehrman, a self-described agnostic, points out that while many Christians consider Jesus to be God (or some form of God), the historian (using empirical evidence) cannot accept that theological interpretation of Jesus.  In historical research, supernaturalism cannot be a factor.  So, following what evidence there is, Ehrman tracks down how Jesus’ followers probably came to believe that he was in some sense God.  Just as there were a variety of different Christianities early on, so there were also a variety of ways in which early Christians thought of Jesus as God.  Those who did not agree with the more powerful Christian leaders were condemned as “heretics.”
Fundamentalism and American Culture by George M. Marsden. In case you’ve ever wondered where Christian Fundamentalism came from (and nope, it wasn’t straight from Jesus), this is a pretty good history of it. It started as an outgrowth of conservative Christianity of the late 1800s, peaked in the early 1920s (before the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” helped reduce its popularity), and then grew to greater popularity in the 1970s (with the help of some big conservative money). The focus is on the growth of Fundamentalism from around 1910 to 1925. The author is a Christian, but for the most part he does not let that interfere with his narrative.
—Doug Long

lonesomedoveMy summer reading started with Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. (Don’t even think about the mini-series. The longer ago you saw it, the better.) This book is an honest depiction of post-Civil War life in the nation’s mid-section. Civilization is only beginning to take hold. The characters are brutal exploiters of one another, yet at the same time they long for real and personal connection with one another. Push through the rough spots, take a break from the violence if you have to, but if you make it to the end, you will find the sweet spot. You will see parts of yourself in each of these characters, who are both innocent and jaded, kind and mean, good and evil—in other words, truly human.
—Stephen Pickering


What have you been reading this summer? Tell us in the comments below!


 

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