Amanda Knief of American Atheists was on CNN yesterday along with a Dallas Baptist pastor to discuss Greece v Galloway. Amanda said better things than the pastor said.
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I saw that. The minister was just trying to throw as much shit out as he could, almost nothing but (mostly false) dig whistle phrases. It was like a lesson in the Gish Gallop.
He really couldn’t have a woman finish a sentence, could he?
It’s a pity that the first lie the pastor told is one that is seldom refuted, mostly because there is seldom time. The First Amendment is written quite precisely, and to say that it only prohibits the establishment of a state religion is simply not true. If it were intended to do what the pastor says, it would read “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion…” instead it reads “an establishment of religion…” Where it says “an,” substituting “any” would not contradict the Founders’ intent.
The prohibition is not against favoring one religion over another, but favoring religion of any kind over secularism. That many seemingly concede the point bugs me.