Posted on 11/07/2013 4:12:16 AM PST by markomalley
Atheists told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that the town of Greece, N.Y. has no business opening its public meetings with Christian or other sectarian prayers.
"We hope the Supreme Court will agree that civic participation should not be conditioned on compromising one's religious scruples," said Americans United Legal Director Ayesha Khan.
"It's important to understand that we are not asking the board to discontinue its practice of presenting prayers," she told reporters outside the court. "We are asking that citizens not be pressured to participate in those prayers and that the prayers be nondenominational and inclusive."
"I do not support the right to use the power of government to impose on religious minorities, and that's what's going on here," said Douglas Laycock, who argued the case for the plaintiffs.
He called the town's prayer practices "highly coercive" as well as a sectarian endorsement, both of which "violate all the principles of the Establishment Clause."
According to Laycock, "Both sides of the (Supreme) Court, both the liberals and the conservatives, have agreed sectarian endorsements are prohibited and coercion is prohibited, and we have both those things in this case."
Religious coercion -- being forced to compromise one's "religious scruples" -- is at the heart of another issue that is expected to make it way to the Supreme Court.
If government can't trample atheists' "religious scruples," and if "coercion is prohibited," can the Obama administration force Roman Catholics to buy health insurance that covers services, which violate church teachings?
Forcing Catholics, under penalty of a fine, to pay for birth control, abortifacients, and sterilization, for example -- all of which violate Catholics' deeply held religious beliefs -- is an unconstitutional infringement of religious liberty, they argue.
It should be noted that the The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which led the charge against the Obama administration’s contraception mandate, sided with the town of Greece, against the atheists, in Wednesday's arguments.
"The Founders knew what it meant to have a state church and legislative prayer doesn't come close," said Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel at the Becket Fund.
"This case is about whether the professionally offended will be able to strong-arm cities into banning anything that could be remotely interpreted as religious."
Not “athiests” - “thie-phobes”.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
The government has no business requiring anyone to engage in religious activities. Every individual has a right to choose his or her own religion, or to choose to not have a religion.
But the government has no business forbidding any religious activity. That You have a right to choose to not exercise a religion does not mean that you have a right to not be exposed to other people exercising theirs.
> Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
Congress is a branch of the Federal Government.
Our Constitution says nothing about religious freedom and local governments.
“both sides of the supreme court”???
There should only be one side- The Constitution
This is ridiculous. I am an atheist — I have no religion, so I have no “religious scruples”. It makes no difference to me if people want to start a meeting or any other sort of a gathering with a prayer. If I were a deist of some sort, a member of a religion that was never represented in the opening prayer — say the prayer always referenced Jesus and I was a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu — I might object. But an atheist? Makes no sense.
> “The Founders knew what it meant to have a state church and legislative prayer doesn’t come close,” said Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel at the Becket Fund.
“This case is about whether the professionally offended will be able to strong-arm cities into banning anything that could be remotely interpreted as religious.”
That’s what it’s all about right there. Control.
These people are from the evangelical anti-theists.
Rather than simply not believing in God (after all, if there's no God, then their attitudes don't make sense: why fight against something that is unreal), they actively oppose God. And won't be satisfied until everybody else is equally angry with God.
Why have you chosen to be an atheist? I am always curious how someone believes in nothing.
You are not a member of an organized religion.
BUT.....A religious vacuum in a sentient human is impossible. All thinking humans must choose between either a godless or God-centered worldview. Neither worldview is neutral in content or consequences for the individual or for the culture in which he resides.
One’s worldview ( godless or God-centered) can not be proven. Both are based on religious**belief**.
It is one of the reasons ( among many) why I oppose the government's K-12 socialist-entitlement schools. It is impossible for them to be religiously neutral. Godless is not religiously neutral in content or consequences and neither is God-centered. It is **impossible** for a school to be religiously neutral.
The solution:
As limited and locally controlled government as possible! Why? Answer: Because there is very little that the government imposes on us that doesn't have religious consequences.
...Americans United Legal Director Ayesha Khan.
That’s no atheist, that is a moslem hiding in plain site.
Maybe these folks did not get the memo:
“Ain’t no such thing as atheists under the new Caliphate.”
Peese be unto his name!
“I am an atheist — I have no religion”
I urge you to reconsider. GOD is not willing for anyone to perish...
If we're in the minority, we want special treatment.
If we're in the majority, we don't want special treatment for the minority.
Their “religion”.
Of course it is.
“I urge you to reconsider. GOD is not willing for anyone to perish...”
(John Calvin opens door) YOU CAN’T THWART GOD’S WILL!(slams door)
“(John Calvin opens door) YOU CAN’T THWART GOD’S WILL!(slams door)”
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Reformed believers believe that God’s will is irresistible. If God wants you, He gets you.
“If God wants you, He gets you.”
So true. You can’t escape the will of GOD. That’s why we pray that GOD’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
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