In a move that makes me quite uncomfortable, the Supreme Court has granted cert (that is, agreed to hear an appeal) in a New York case involving the question of whether a legislative body, in this case a city council, can open its meetings with explicitly Christian prayers.
Category Archive: Church and State
May 22 2013
Those Damn Atheist Bullies!
The Western Center for Journalism was founded by the Worldnutdaily’s Joseph Farah, so it comes as no surprise that rationality and objectivity continue to elude them. This article by B. Christopher Agee is a perfect example. “Atheist bullies force school to cancel graduation,” the headline blares.
May 22 2013
Edwords Urges DC Council to Allow Secular Wedding Officiants
Fred Edwords, the former executive director of the American Humanist Association, testified in front of the Washington, DC City Council last week to urge them to pass the Marriage Officiant Amendment Act of 2013, which would allow couples to choose anyone to officiate at their wedding by letting them get a one-time use license to …
May 21 2013
American Atheists Donating Books to Georgia
Ed Buckner, former leader of American Atheists, took his family to a cabin in a Georgia state park and was surprised to find a Gideon Bible in the room. When he complained about this, the state initially removed them from all the cabins at state parks, but Gov. Nathan Deal ordered them to be returned.
May 19 2013
Another Brave Student Speaks Out
Gage Pulliam last week courageously revealed his identity so that others in his school would not be blamed for forcing the school to take down the Ten Commandments plaques they had in every classroom. Now another brave student is speaking out publicly after filing a lawsuit against her school for flagrantly violating the First Amendment …
May 18 2013
The Lumpkin Prayer Case Gets Worse
Remember that situation a couple weeks ago at a school in Georgia where a coach and 50 student prayed together in his office for two hours as the students missed class? Things seem to have been much worse than originally indicated. The FFRF has written a letter to the school with new information from their …
May 17 2013
Another Virginia Republican Theocrat
On Tuesday, Al Bedrosian won the Republican primary for a seat on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. He ran largely on a platform of being in favor of opening that board’s meetings with prayer, which has been a matter of some controversy. The Roanoke Times reprints an article Bedrosian wrote in 2007 where he …
May 16 2013
A Pointless ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill in PA
A Republican legislator in Pennsylvania is submitting a bill that he calls the Student Religious Liberties Act. The actual language of the bill is not yet available, but he has written a memo to his fellow legislators outlining what he seeks to achieve. It looks mostly meaningless to me.
May 15 2013
Ark. School Cancels 6th Grade Graduation
The Riverside School District in Lake City, Arkansas has canceled their 6th grade graduation ceremonies after the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent them a letter objecting to the fact that such ceremonies have always included Christian prayers. And the supporters of that policy are making some predictably ridiculous arguments:
May 15 2013
Cheerleader Lawsuit May Continue
The state judge may have ruled that the cheerleaders in Kountze, Texas can continue to make banners with religious messages on them at football games, but the issue may not yet be over (and I hope it isn’t). The FFRF is looking for a plaintiff to file their own suit:
May 14 2013
Another School With Ten Commandments Displays
Here’s another school that is blatantly violating the Establishment Clause by putting up displays of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Muldrow High School and middle school in Oklahoma have them up and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have sent a letter demanding that they be taken down.
May 13 2013
Jessica Ahlquist Wins Award From Hefner
Jessica Ahlquist, that evil little thing, is set to become a little more evil after being awarded this year’s Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award. The Providence Journal has an article and the comment section is predictably filled with presumptuous and vile rhetoric from those who objected to her lawsuit. Especially by some asshole named …
May 12 2013
Teenagers Make Dumb Video About Christianity in America
There’s a new group called Reach America that is peddling the same tired old persecution complex that the religious right clings to like a life jacket in the ocean. They’ve put out a Youtube video with a bunch of teenagers asking questions that are utter nonsense, like “Why can’t I pray in school?” Uh, you …
May 10 2013
Cheerleaders Win Trial on Religious Banners
The much-followed case in Kountze, Texas over whether cheerleaders can make huge banners with Bible verses on them for the football team to run through has its first real court ruling. A Texas state court judge has ruled in favor of the cheerleaders, but issued an opinion that has no substance whatsoever. The only thing …
May 10 2013
NJ Gives Millions to Jewish School
The Chris Christie administration in New Jersey has approved a grant worth over $10 million to an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbinical school to build a new library and other buildings, as part of a larger bill that funds construction projects at the states colleges and universities.
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