Days before Congress adjourned for its August recess, Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) sent a copy of the Bible to all 535 members of Congress, calling on lawmakers to reflect on “God’s word” when deciding on“policy decisions that impact America’s future.” “On a daily basis, we contemplate policy decisions that impact America’s future. Our staffs provide us with policy memos, statistics and recommendations that help us make informed decisions,” the assistant House Majority Whip wrote on July 29 in a personal note accompanying the holy books. "However, I find that the best advice comes through meditating on God's word. Please find a copy of the Holy Bible to help guide you in your decision-making." FULL ARTICLE HERE |
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The American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan and two secular groups are suing the city of Warren and its mayor, Jim Fouts, on behalf of an atheist resident who was forbidden from setting up a "reason station" alongside a long-standing "prayer station" in the City Hall atrium.
While Fouts has permitted a local church group to distribute religious pamphlets and pray with visitors in the atrium since 2009, he rejected a similar proposal by Freedom From Religion member Douglas Marshall to discuss atheism and freethought in April. Wednesday's lawsuit, filed with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, claims that Fouts violated Marshall's First Amendment rights by endorsing "traditional religious beliefs over atheistic beliefs." "They are just there if someone wishes to seek solace or guidance from them," Fouts told the AP on Wednesday. "The atheist station does not serve that purpose. It will not contribute to community values or helping an individual out." Comparing atheists to Nazis and white supremacists, Fouts argued that Marshall's "reason station" would be fundamentally antagonistic to prayer. "The city has certain values that I don't believe are in general agreement with having an atheist station, nor in general agreement with having a Nazi station or Ku Klux Klan station," Fouts added. "I cannot accept or will not allow a group that is disparaging of another group to have a station here." READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE Of all the ways that marriage is changing in our culture—opening up to same-sex couples, becoming more egalitarian—one major shift has managed to happen without much mainstream media commentary: Marriage, or the wedding at least, is also becoming more secular. The iconic image of the bride marching
down a church aisle is turning into a distant memory for many Americans, replaced with weddings on beaches, in parks, in backyards, and increasingly officiated not by one's minister or rabbi but by a dear friend who turned himself into a minister overnight by getting ordained online. Becoming a fake minister has been a necessary part of the officiating job because many states require it. But those requirements received a big blow Monday, when a federal appeals court overturned such a law in Indiana, saying that the state must now allow "secular celebrants" to officiate weddings. ORIGINAL ARTICLE Creationist Ken Ham, who recently debated Bill Nye the Science Guy over the origins of the universe, is calling for an end to the search for extraterrestrial life because aliens probably don't exist -- and if they do,
they're going to Hell anyway. "You see, the Bible makes it clear that Adam’s sin affected the whole universe," Ham wrote on his blog on Sunday. "This means that any aliens would also be affected by Adam’s sin, but because they are not Adam’s descendants, they can’t have salvation." READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE It took three years for comedians and Catholics to find a mutually agreeable way to rename part of a Manhattan street after George Carlin, the merrily vulgar comic who made religion a frequent target of his acerbic monologues.
A bill signed into law on Wednesday finally declared that a two-block stretch of West 121st Street was named George Carlin Way. But it was supposed to be only one block — and not the one once home to Mr. Carlin, and still home to the Corpus Christi Church. Priests there opposed the plan for years, calling Mr. Carlin, who died in 2008, unworthy of the honor. Yet in an irony of Carlinesque proportions, a clerical error means that Mr. Carlin’s childhood church will indeed reside on a block ceremonially named for the comic who relentlessly skewered it. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE He said he was a Pastafarian. The cops didn't think it was funny.
An Australian man says police confiscated four of his guns after he decided to have a little fun with his gun license photo. Guy Albon appeared in the photo with a colander on his head. "The law stipulates you can have something on your head... but you have to have your entire face uncovered and if the headgear is being worn it has to have some religious significance," the 30-year-old, who is an atheist, told Ninemsn. "I thought 'I've got this one in the bag'... it was an absolute scream." FULL ARTICLE Bertram and Felicia Dahl initially got a supportive response from the local government of Beebe, Arkansas, when they announced their intentions to open a church in the garage behind their home, but Mayor Mike Robertson completely changed his mind upon hearing that the Dahls' place of worship was a pagan church, reports Arkansas Matters.
Dahl explained on the website of Seekers Temple that once he inquired about renting out a nearby park for the 12th annual Arkansas Pagan Pride festival, he was quoted an unusually high fee and promptly served with a Cease and Desist Notice from the city, though the temple hadn't opened yet. READ FULL ARTICLE Fundamentalist Christian group American Family Association is
urging members not to accept any mail postmarked with the U.S. Postal Service’s newly released Harvey Milk stamp, the first U.S. stamp to feature an openly gay elected official. “Honoring predator Harvey Milk on a U.S. postage stamp is disturbing to say the least. Harvey Milk was a very disreputable man and used his charm and power to prey on young boys with emotional problems and drug addiction,” an AFA press release said Wednesday. “He is the last person we should be featuring on a stamp.” READ FULL ARTICLE A Tulsa, Oklahoma, police captain who refused to set foot in a mosque hosting a police appreciation ceremony was rightfully punished for disobedience, a federal appeals court has ruled.
Paul Fields had sued the city of Tulsa and its police department for infringing on his civil rights after he was suspended and docked 10 days' pay, transferred and relegated to the graveyard shift. He had been ordered to attend a thank-you function at the Islamic Society of Tulsa or send subordinates in his place, according to court records, but he claimed the request infringed on his religious beliefs. A district court ruled against him. READ FULL ARTICLE When it comes to discussions on institutionalized discrimination, atheists often are left out. That may not surprise many. In a world with widespread prejudice based on gender, race and sexuality, it may be hard for people to get incensed over a story about nonbelievers fighting to remove the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency. And while these kinds of divisive challenges may be the only things that some unsympathetic people remember about atheists fighting for justice and equality, the fact is that nonbelievers in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world face systemic and substantial discrimination.
Here are 11 things atheists couldn't -- and in many cases still can't -- do because they didn't believe in God. READ HUFFPOST ARTICLE |