tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68885894335330635222024-02-06T20:17:02.066-08:00Americans United - Greater Los AngelesGreater Los Angeles chapter
Representing Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-91859808863343240022016-01-16T14:23:00.001-08:002016-01-16T14:23:17.674-08:00Today is Religious Freedom Day<br />
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Save The Day: Celebrating Real Religious Freedom<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://au.org/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a>
in <a href="https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></span></h2>
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Religious Right efforts to promote the 'Christian nation' myth continue apace.</div>
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Saturday is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Religious_Freedom_Day">Religious Freedom Day</a>.
While it’s not one of our most well-known or popular holidays,
Religious Freedom Day shouldn’t be overlooked. Our country is in the
middle of a campaign, spearheaded by far-right religious groups and
their political allies, to redefine religious freedom. We cannot allow
this to happen.<br />
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This campaign takes several forms. We see efforts
by Religious Right groups and the U.S. Catholic bishops to take
religious freedom, a key individual right, and turn it into something
that allows one person to control or make moral decisions for others.<br />
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<a href="https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/save-the-day-celebrating-real-religious-freedom" target="_blank">Read more...</a></div>
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.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-66795602397716310002015-07-07T17:24:00.000-07:002015-07-12T17:38:49.821-07:00AU Launches "Protect Thy Neighbor" Project<br />
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<a href="http://protectthyneighbor.org/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://protectthyneighbor.org" border="0" height="320" src="https://support.au.org/page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2fau.org%2ffiles%2fimages%2fPTNSocialMedia-Intro.png&srcid=7814&srctid=1&erid=2541967&trid=b7ac1af4-134d-408a-b289-e08414e9b5ac" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://protectthyneighbor.org/" target="_blank"></a>Unwilling to accept the advances in LGBT rights, women’s equality, and
reproductive health, religious extremists are asking state legislatures,
Congress, and the courts for a trump card to undermine this progress.
They want to use their religious beliefs as an excuse to deny
healthcare, refuse to provide services, and disobey laws protecting
Americans from discrimination and abuse.<br />
<br />
We stand for equality, fairness, and religious freedom. Everyone should
be free to believe or not believe, but people’s religious beliefs should
not be used to harm their neighbors. As advocates for
religious freedom, we are standing up to those who would harm others in
the name of religion. We are fighting to protect our neighbors.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Protect Thy Neighbor </span></b>is
designed to respond to the increasingly common assertions that
“religious freedom” gives people a right to discriminate against others,
and deny them access to certain medical services. We have fought this
battle for years, but recent developments – including efforts by
Catholic Bishops and Religious Right groups to use a twisted definition
of “religious freedom” to deny rights to women and LGBT Americans – have
opened a flood gate of new battles. We are expanding our work so that
no one is allowed to use religion as an excuse to refuse you service,
deny you healthcare or threaten your safety. <br />
<br />
We are protecting our neighbors, and we invite you to join us. <a href="https://support.au.org/page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2fwww.protectthyneighbor.org&srcid=7814&srctid=1&erid=2541967&trid=b7ac1af4-134d-408a-b289-e08414e9b5ac" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.protectthyneighbor.org</a> .http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-2737003787165975802015-05-06T20:03:00.001-07:002015-05-06T20:08:51.885-07:00AU Releases New Graphics Explaining Unconstitutionality of NDOPAs has been going on for almost 40 years, Congress has again endorsed an event led by a partisan conservative Christian group, the National Day of Prayer Committee (led by the wife of Christian conservative pundit James Dobson of <em>Focus on the Family</em>), and allowing the group to use its endorsement to promote their particular brand of Christianity with national political leaders participating in this annual charade without any hint of embarrassment or irony.<br />
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Also going on for the same 40 years, <strong><em>Americans United </em></strong>has spoken out to criticize this blatantly offensive and unconstitutional display of sectarian favoritism that excludes the vast majority of Americans and our faith and non-faith communities. This year, AU has created a couple of informational graphics to make our point:<br />
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This year's National Day of Prayer will be held on Thursday, May 7. Please write to your Congressional representative this year to complain yet again about this outrageous assault on our First Amendment, and to insist that they follow the Constitution they were elected and swore to serve.
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-70478645749660949092015-04-30T19:52:00.000-07:002015-05-06T19:52:37.344-07:00Megachurch Helps California School Board Blur Church-State Divide<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Reported by Amy Julia Harris, Reveal.org, 29 Apr 2015)</span></em><br />
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Bible verses, calls to accept Jesus and the promise of eternal life can be heard in two disparate places in a southeastern suburb of Los Angeles: the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills megachurch and the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education.<br />
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Three of the five school board members worship at the evangelical church on Sundays; two of them continue praying and preaching during the board meetings on Thursdays.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Na, Chino Valley School Board President</td></tr>
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“Our lives begin in the hospital and end in the church,” then-board President James Na said during a meeting in January 2014, according to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MddKEt4l9MA&feature=youtu.be">video</a>
of the meeting. He urged onlookers to surrender themselves to God and, to “everyone who does not know Jesus Christ, go find him.”<br />
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Some parents in the district say such proselytizing belongs at church, not at the school board. Parents first raised concerns about the prayers in September 2013 – a few months before Na encouraged people to find Jesus – contacting the <a href="https://ffrf.org/">Freedom From Religion Foundation</a>, a Wisconsin nonprofit atheist group that opposes entanglements of church and state. The group sent board members <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1873866-chinovalleyletter.html">a letter</a> notifying them that they were violating federal laws.<br />
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That didn’t stop the public praying.<br />
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<a href="http://www.revealnews.org/article/megachurch-helps-california-school-board-blur-church-state-divide/" target="_blank">Read More...</a>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-28762261911281716382014-11-14T12:40:00.001-08:002014-11-15T15:05:57.949-08:00Chino Valley School Board Criticized for Religious Proselytization During Board Meetings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC5vz8z-qUCw7ZpOnrpfrhSHlXb6GGOJkTiJUol5ZPqVagfPoeuSRW4JaRMo1FoEDGTauG0C5KvfYDk2Lm4M-dWcSoQV_dQCoY16vWnfTWMkDpLQp3twz3b4cC_ZDGn_SDDsg5KJ6D4o/s1600/CVUSD+Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Chino Valley Unified School District " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC5vz8z-qUCw7ZpOnrpfrhSHlXb6GGOJkTiJUol5ZPqVagfPoeuSRW4JaRMo1FoEDGTauG0C5KvfYDk2Lm4M-dWcSoQV_dQCoY16vWnfTWMkDpLQp3twz3b4cC_ZDGn_SDDsg5KJ6D4o/s1600/CVUSD+Logo.png" height="147" title="Chino Valley Unified School District logo" width="200" /></a></div>
The Chino Valley School Board has been identified by Americans United as unconstitutionally promoting religion - primarily conservative Protestant Chistianity - at its Board meetings for the past few years. The Board regularly opens their public meetings with a Christian prayer. The Board has also been noted for regularly including bible readings and proselytizing by
board members during Board discussions.<br />
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Students often attend the
meetings to receive awards, speak about issues affecting their schools,
attend disciplinary hearings and do performances. Student attendance is
mandatory in some instances, and a student representative serves as a non-voting member of
the Board.</div>
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James Na, now Board President, has been singled out as a prime
violator of religious neutrality, regularly including Christian and
Biblical references into many
of his official statements. At one recent Board meeting, Na "urged
everyone who does not know Jesus Christ to go and
find Him," and closed the meeting with a reading of Psalm 143.<br />
<br />
The Chino Valley School Board has been criticized in the past for attempting to introduce Bible Study classes which critics labelled as unbalanced and proselytizing. In 2010, a Bible Study class prepared and submitted by the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills was introduced at the district's four high schools as a "Bible as Literature" class. At the time of its introduction, School Board Vice President James Na
<a href="http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=1115300" target="_blank">
</a>added, "[The Bible] will bring greatness in students' lives. I would like to
thank God and Christian parents who are going to support this class." No similar classes focusing on other religious texts or faiths were considered. The Board, most of whom are members of the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, also saw fit at the same time to approve a resolution denouncing same-sex marriage.<br />
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Courts have consistently held
that organized prayer in the public schools is unconstitutional; and two federal appellate courts, the Third and Sixth
Circuits, have specifically held that school board prayer to be unconstitutional.<br />
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Americans United has sent a letter of concern to the CVUSD Board asking that these constitutionally questionable practices be stopped and the Board meetings be held without the injection of prayers, bible readings, or proselytizing by city officials or their representatives. The Board has been regularly contacted over the past two years to address these constitutional concerns. Their only response, agreed to at their 7 October 2013 meeting, was to deny and ignore the requests for resolution. No further action or change to their practices has occurred since then. </div>
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AU members who live in the district and who might have more information on the situation are urged to contact and advise the Greater Los Angeles chapter on additional developments.</div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-73244598475829621932014-08-24T20:34:00.004-07:002014-08-24T20:34:48.036-07:00California Orders Healthcare Insurers to Cover Abortion Services<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a reversal of directives given to health care insurance companies earlier this year, California state insurance officials issued new rules advising health
insurance companies in California that they may not refuse to cover the cost of
abortions.</div>
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The new directives stemmed from complaints filed by employees at two Catholic universities in California who stated that their employer had dropped elective
abortions from their employee health plans.</div>
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The directives seem at odds with recent US Supreme Court rulings, especially Hobby Lobby vs. Sebelius, which ruled that closely-held corporations have a First Amendment right to choose to not provide health care insurance to their employees that conflicts with the owners' religious beliefs, including abortion and the coverage of supposed abortificents. However, California state insurance officials stated that in California, the state
Constitution and a 1975 state law prohibits insurers from selling group
plans that exclude such services. The law in question requires such
plans to encompass all "medically necessary" care.</div>
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"Abortion
is a basic health care service," department director Michelle Rouillard
wrote in the letter. "All health plans must treat maternity services
and legal abortion neutrally."</div>
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/california-insurers-must-cover-elective-abortions-215127796.html" target="_blank">More information </a></div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-54855456163596525192014-05-20T14:12:00.002-07:002014-05-20T14:12:31.441-07:00Pasadena's Health Director Has Some Unhealthy Attitudes<div class="story_summary">
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In all of the tumult last week about the Supreme Court's <a href="https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/americans-united-disappointed-that-us-supreme-court-ruled-in-favor-of-sectarian">ruling</a> in <em>Town of Greece v. Galloway</em>, some other interesting stories got overlooked.<br />
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One of them concerns the director of public health for the city of Pasadena, Calif., who, it seems, is in <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-pasadena-leave-20140502,0,6625892.story#axzz30UgrGJrU">a spot of trouble</a>.</div>
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It has come to light that Dr. Eric Walsh has been moonlighting as a
Seventh-day Adventist pastor. In sermons posted online, he has called
evolution "a religion created by Satan" and sharply criticized
homosexuality, Catholicism and Islam.<br />
Walsh seems to have
something of an obsession with the devil. Just about everything he
dislikes, from Oprah Winfrey and Disney movies to certain rap stars, he
has labeled Satan influenced. Among his targets is the American
Psychiatric Association, which in 1973 moved to stop classifying
homosexuality as a mental illness. That decision, Walsh says, was
"raised up by" Satan.<br />
<br />
Of course Walsh has the right to say these
things and preach them from the pulpit - and the residents of Pasadena
have the right to question his views and ask if they might be affecting
public policy. They would be wise to do that because in this case,
Walsh's rhetoric would seem to be highly relevant to his job.<br />
<br />
Pasadena
is one of a handful of California cities that has its own public health
director. (The position is normally a county-level slot.) It's an
important job with a host of responsibilities, and Walsh's strident
theological views could impact them all.<br />
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Walsh believes that
condom-distribution programs lead to promiscuity. This stance - which is
unsupported by the medical community - would seem to be highly relevant
to his job. He has also blasted public schools for teaching tolerance
of LGBT students, asserting, "[I]f two adults agree to do something,
it's not wrong because they are both consenting adults. That is doctrine
from the pits of hell. What makes something right is not based on man,
it is based on God." He has been critical of single moms too.<br />
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Is this the guy you want making decisions about what young people learn about sex?<br />
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I'd
also be concerned about his opposition to evolution. Good medical
professionals understand how viruses mutate and how this affects <a href="http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/viruses-and-evolution">vaccine effectiveness</a>. It's due to a little thing called natural selection. I'd be wary of going to any doctor who rejected this theory.<br />
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Jim Newton of the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> put it well, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-pasadena-public-health-director-free-speech-20140507-story.html">writing of Walsh</a>:
"Not only did he pop off about the various kinds of people he believes
are condemned by God, he also specifically rejected evolution, which he
regards as the mischievous work of Satan rather than a fact of science.
Those remarks suggest not just intolerance or religious fervor but
active rejection of science important to carrying out his work as a
health officer. In that instance, his comments raise questions not so
much about his beliefs as about his competence. Would Pasadena want a
health director who claimed tobacco did not cause heart disease or who
insisted that climate change was a myth?<br />
<br />
Frank C. Giradot, a columnist for the Pasadena <em>Star-News</em>, also raised important points.<br />
<br />
"[O]ur laws give him every right to believe in a hateful, bigoted and small-minded creed," <a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20140430/dr-eric-walshs-beliefs-disqualify-him-from-being-head-of-public-health-department">Giradot wrote</a>.
"But its prideful, marginalized and wrong-headed nature can't help but
affect Walsh's judgment. It's a belief system that makes Dr. Walsh
incredibly unsuited for public service as the city's chief health
officer."<br />
Walsh is on paid leave while city officials investigate the matter.<br />
<br />
That
leave should be made permanent, without the pay. If Walsh wants to
spread a theologically based message of division and bigotry, let him.
And let the people who agree with that message and want to hear it pay
his salary. His repulsive views have made him unfit for public service.<br />
<br />
-Rob Boston <br />
<br />
P.S.
Americans United has worked with many Seventh-day Adventists over the
years. They are often strong supporters of the separation of church and
state. Walsh seems like an unfortunate outlier.<br />
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<a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2014/5/12/94248/2945" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(This piece was originally posted on Talk2Action.org, 12 May 2014)</i></span></a></div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-38240748186641201232014-05-03T12:46:00.003-07:002014-05-03T12:46:49.188-07:00California Representative Protests Hypocrisy of National Day of Prayer event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Janice_Hahn,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg/220px-Janice_Hahn,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Janice_Hahn,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg/220px-Janice_Hahn,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
Rep. Janice Hahn (CA44-D) finally had enough.<span id="goog_1727177461"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1727177462"></span><br />
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On Thursday, at the annual National Day of Prayer gathering hosted on Capitol Hill, Rep. Hahn left in protest after the highlighted speaker, Dr. James Dobson (husband of self-designated "National Day of Prayer Task Force" [NDOPTF] chair Shirley Dobson), used his time to denounce President Obama and labelling him "the abortion president."<br />
<br />
Hahn was appalled. “We have this annual, national day of prayer, which is supposed to bring
the whole country together to pray for our nation, and typically you
put politics aside and you come together,” Hahn told CQ Roll Call.
“James Dobson just absolutely violated that, and I really think he did
damage to what we try to do up here in Washington, D.C.”<br />
<br />
Dobson is the founder of the conservative group Focus on the Family and also
hosts a conservative Christian-themed talk show “Family Talk.” His organization has controlled the National Day of Prayer celebrations for over two decades and has regularly used it to exclusively promote <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominionism" target="_blank">Christian Dominionism</a>. All volunteers for the NDOPTF are required by the organization to sign letters affirming Jesus Christ to be their "personal Lord and Savior".<br />
<br />
Rep. Hahn still, however, thinks the event is worthwhile. “I’m the co-chair of the weekly Congressional Prayer Breakfast,” she
explained. “I was the co-chair this year of the National Prayer
Breakfast. And I work so hard at putting my politics aside every week
and coming together with members of Congress I don’t agree with, but we
find an hour a week where we put politics aside and pray for our
country, and so far, it’s worked. … I was so upset today I felt like
abandoning everything I’ve done to try to be bipartisan.”<br />
<br />
Americans United and other pro-secular groups have been complaining about the exclusive and partisan nature of these annual events for some time, as well as for its inherent contempt for and undermining of the secular nature of our country's constitution. We applaud Rep. Hahn for being willing to publicly denounce the sham event and urge her and Congress to distance themselves from the NDOPTF for the future and to stop endorsing and supporting this Constitutionally hostile event.<br />
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-19890637292679060012014-05-01T22:12:00.003-07:002014-05-01T22:12:41.165-07:00State-Sponsored Supplications: Does the United States Really Need a National Day of Prayer?<header><h2 id="node-title">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>by </em></span><a href="https://www.au.org/about/people/james-c-nelson"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>James C. Nelson</em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>
in </em></span><a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Wall of Separation</em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>
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<em>Editor’s
Note: Today is the congressionally mandated National Day of Prayer.
“The Wall of Separation” is pleased to offer this guest post by James C.
Nelson, a retired justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Nelson was
appointed to the court by</em> Gov. <em>Marc Racicot in 1993 and was reelected to the position three times, serving until his retirement in 2013.</em></div>
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</div>
</div>
</figure><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="prose">
<div align="left">
Congress
has proclaimed that the first Thursday in May – May 1, this year – be
set aside as a National Day of Prayer. There will be prayer breakfasts
and similar events conspicuously attended by elected officials,
politicians and sectarian persona.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
But, should Congress and state officials be promoting prayer at all? According to the Constitution, no!</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
The
First Amendment guarantees two things: (1) that Congress will not
prohibit the free exercise of religion; and (2) that Congress will make <em>no law</em>
respecting an establishment of religion. These two clauses embody the
wall separating church and state – a wall that is supposed to keep
government out of religion, period.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Why, then, did
Congress create in 1952, and then codify in 1988, a “national” day of
prayer? If your answer is, “True to the intentions of the
Constitution’s framers, America is Christian Nation,” you’d be wrong.
Indeed, creating any kind of a religious nation, Christian or
otherwise, is exactly what the framers were trying to avoid when they
drafted the First Amendment. And for good reason.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
At
the time the First Amendment was adopted there actually were official
state churches held over from colonial times. People were prosecuted and
imprisoned for their religious practices and public statements at odds
with those of the official or prevailing local religious views. Jews and
Muslims were demonized and persecuted; Christians often violently
disagreed over Biblical interpretation, religious doctrine and practice.
Each sect had its own lock on the truth.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
In that
historical context, and based on the views of men like Roger Williams,
Thomas Jefferson, John Leland, George Washington, and James Madison, the
First Amendment’s religion clauses were drafted to guarantee freedom of
belief and tolerance for all religions - -and to keep government out of
that mix.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Importantly, there is not one mention of
God, Jesus, Christ, Christianity or prayer in the religion clauses.
There are only two references to “religion” in the Constitution – one in
the First Amendment and another in Article VI banning any religious
test for public office.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Indeed, the “Christian
Nation” concept first came into existence during the Civil War – largely
conceived and perpetuated by Northern ministers who, when the war was
going badly, announced that the Union Army’s defeats were God’s
punishment for ignoring God in the Constitution. But, when the tide of
war shifted, these same ministers then proclaimed that God was rewarding
the spiritually upright side of the conflict. Thus, America being
founded as a “Christian Nation” is fiction. Worse than that, it is
exactly contrary to what the framers were trying to negate in the First
Amendment.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
So, besides violating the principle of
separation of church and state, what’s wrong with a national (or state)
day of prayer? First, Americans don’t need a congressional proclamation
to tell them to pray; they already have a personal, constitutional
right to pray – or not to pray – as they (not the government) see fit.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Second, government is <em>not permitted</em> to be in the business of telling people whether to pray, when to pray or who to pray to.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Third,
the National Day of Prayer has become a vehicle for spreading religious
misinformation and fundamentalist Christian doctrine under the aegis of
the government – again precisely what the framers were seeking to
prohibit.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
Feel free to pray or not pray today – not
in response to a congressional proclamation but because you have a
constitutional right to do either. But, if you choose to pray, you may
want to ask that our elected officials begin to honor the letter and
spirit of the First Amendment and respect the separation of church and
state.</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
After all, each previously swore an oath to do just that.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-50899187699044228532014-03-06T21:35:00.004-08:002014-03-06T21:35:42.329-08:00Lake Elsinore Continues to Have First Amendment LapsesThe city of Lake Elsinore seems unable to wean itself of its unconstitutional addiction to putting up religious displays. The most
recent was over a 5-foot-tall plywood roadside cross erected on the side of Lake Street at
the foot of the I-15 exit ramp. The Christian display was put up in 2012 in response to the traffic death of a local teen on the ramp. It was finally taken down by the city on March 4 after longstanding pressure from First Amendment groups. However, within a day of the original cross being removed, citizen vigilantes planted at least six new crosses on the same spot.<br />
<br />
You may recall that Lake Elsinore
was recently sued for planning a taxpayer-funded memorial depicting a
soldier kneeling in prayer before a cross in front of the city baseball stadium<b>.</b> A U.S.
District Court judge ruled at the end of February that the memorial was unconstitutional, forcing the city to change its plans.<br />
<br />.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-37227509520111972652013-11-05T19:43:00.001-08:002013-11-05T19:43:25.813-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/freedom-from-religion-to-file-prayer-lawsuit-against-pismo-beach/article_4197764a-4596-11e3-be01-0019bb2963f4.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Pismo Beach, CA Council Meeting Invocations Focus of Church/State Lawsuit</span></b></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The Freedom From Religion Foundation announced Monday [Nov. 4] that it has filed a lawsuit against Pismo Beach for offering sectarian prayers at its City Council meetings.<br />
<br />
The lawsuit stems from a complaint against the city from Sari Dworkin, a member of Atheists United of San Luis Obispo and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, in 2012 that objected to invocations being offered prior to city meetings.<br />
<br />
“With 20 percent of the adult population today identifying as nonreligious, at least (one-fifth) of the population is routinely excluded and offended by official prayer conducted by the city,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president.<br />
<br />
In its announcement, the FFRF claims that the retired Rev. Paul Jones has offered “explicitly Christian prayers” at its meetings for years, specifically citing that Jones delivered 125 of 126 invocations from 2008 to 2013.<br />
<br />
The council appointed Jones to serve as city chaplain in 2005 after the number of ministers volunteering to offer invocations had dwindled to just two following a 2002 court decision that ruled sectarian prayers were not permitted at city meetings.<br />
<br />
Over the past two months, Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Pastor Paul Toms, of Grace Bible Church, have also offered the invocation at the council meetings. However, Jones has handled the duties at 15 of the council’s 18 meetings this year.<br />
<br />
The FFRF claims that it will move forward with the lawsuit no matter what the Supreme Court decision is, saying it is basing its suit against Pismo on the [California] state constitution’s No Preference Clause.<br />
<br />.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-22828431022855528352013-08-01T21:09:00.003-07:002013-08-01T21:09:49.678-07:00Congressional Republicans Turn Mean-Spirited<div style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong>NOT SATISFIED WITH DECLINING FUNDING FOR HUMANIST CHAPLAINS, HOUSE REPUBLICANS TAKE EXTRA STEP TO "BAN" NON-THEIST CHAPLAINS FROM EVER SERVING IN THE US MILITARY</strong></span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Following their vote in June to deny military chaplain support for non-religious military servicemembers, House Republicans further flouted their bigotry by passing an amendment to the House military spending bill in late July - after having already passed the spending bill in late June - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">prohibiting the Department of Defense from “allowing non-believers to serve as chaplains.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #333333;">The amendment, sponsored by Rep. </span><a href="http://fleming.house.gov/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3e72a7; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">John Fleming</a><span style="color: #333333;"> (R-LA04) and voted on Tuesday, July 23, <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll392.xml" style="color: #336699;" target="_self">passed along mainly party lines</a>, with only 26 Democrats and all but six Republican House members voting to support the amendment (#35) to H.R. 2937. </span><span style="color: #555555;">Fleming justified the amendment as necessary</span><span style="color: #555555;"> because he understood that "...the Pentagon was considering appointing an atheist chaplain to represent nonbelievers in the military", despite the obvious fact that restricting anyone from serving in any military role because they did not hold religious beliefs was a clear affront to Article 6 of the US Constitution.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In the metro Los Angeles area, Republican Congressman Buck McKeon (CA-25), who serves as chair of the House Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of the amendment. All other House Representatives in the Los Angeles area - all Democrats - voted against the amendment.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Edwina Rogers, executive director of the <a href="http://www.secular.org/" style="color: #336699;" target="_self">Secular Coalition for America</a>, reacted to the vote:</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 1em; position: relative; z-index: 2;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Chaplains for nontheistic military service members are absolutely crucial for so many men and women who are serving our country. Religious chaplains are ill equipped to handle the problems of nontheistic service members and unfortunately, seeking psychiatric help can stigmatize a service member for the rest of their career.”</span></div>
</blockquote>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-53717872152909213832013-07-07T20:45:00.001-07:002013-07-07T20:47:19.125-07:00AU-GLA Begins Holding Monthly Meetings in SFVStarting in July, the San Fernando Valley subchapter of Americans United / Greater Los Angeles will be meeting the 3rd Sunday of each month for a monthly “Toastmasters”-style discussion group in the San Fernando Valley.<br />
<br />
The first meeting will be at Marie Callendar’s
restaurant, 19310 Business Center Drive, on Tampa Ave just north of
Parthenia in Northridge on Sunday, July 21 at 2pm. (The Northridge Metrolink station is just ½
mile to the east, at Wilbur Ave.) Because of the location, we will be
able to order food & beverages during our meeting.<br />
<br />
The meeting will be specifically structured to be led by attending AU chapter members, with 1 - 3 of the members each month speaking 5 to 15 minutes on any topic they choose related to church-state separation. The purpose will be to provide an opportunity for chapter members to develop their speaking skills while simultaneously educating the rest of the members in attendance. As long as the topic is related to church-state separation, speaker presentations may be contemporary, historical, philosophical, social or any other angle the speaker chooses.<br />
<br />
Speakers will be expected to prepare a thoughtful and engaging presentation with a minimum of notes. Visual aids (eg, Powerpoint slides or postersheets) will also be allowed. The format will also include the opportunity for other attendees to provide an evaluation of each speaker, based on an evaluation sheet with a series of questions and scales. At the end of each presentation, attendees will be asked to fill out their sheets to rate how well the speaker performed on each of these questions. The sheets will then be collected and provided to the speaker at the conclusion of her talk. Depending on the willingness of the speaker and the time available, attendees will then be able to participate in a discussion of the topic with the speaker for the time remaining.<br />
<br />
This format should provide for interesting and engaging discussions! To present, speakers must sign up prior to the meeting. To do so, send an email to <a href="mailto:AU.LosAngeles@gmail.com"><u>AU.LosAngeles@gmail.com</u></a> with the title or nature of the presentation you wish to give, which month you wish to give it, and how long your presentation will take.<br />
<br />
See you at our inaugural meeting!.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-78942172063880920552013-06-25T20:30:00.000-07:002013-07-10T15:08:07.237-07:00Cong. Republicans Twice Reject Amendment to End Chaplain Support DiscriminationCONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS TWICE REJECT MILITARY BUDGET AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE CHAPLAIN SUPPORT FOR NON-RELIGIOUS SERVICEMEMBERS<br />
<br />
In June, the House Armed Services Committee and the US House of Representatives both rejected efforts to provide military chaplain support for non-religious military servicemembers in its debate and passage of the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.<br />
<br />
According to the <a href="http://mldc.whs.mil/download/documents/Issue%20Papers/22_Religious_Diversity.pdf" target="_blank">Military Leadership Diversity Commission</a>, 23% of US military members identify as atheist or non-theistic. Yet all US military chaplains have to be associated with a particular religious sect in order to qualify as chaplains. Atheists and nontheists do not have representation in the military chaplaincy.<br />
<br />
On the other end of the spectrum, the same source identified above, Christian Evangelicals make up almost 2/3 of the Chaplain Corps across all of the military branches. Yet less than 20% of military servicemembers consider themselves as Christian Evangelicals.<br />
<br />
Aside from the obvious issue of Congress and the US military clearly violating both Article VI, paragraph 3 and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in its establishment of a religious requirement for chaplains, it would also seem obvious that if chaplains provide important support to members of their own faith in the military, then the 23% of servicemembers that profess no religious beliefs are being denied such support by not having their own chaplains. With these statistics, an amendment to the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act was made last month during deliberations in the House Armed Services Committee, chaired by local Congressman “Buck” McKeon (R-CA25CD), to allow humanist, ethical culturist, or atheist chaplains be accepted to the military chaplaincy program.<br />
<br />
The amendment was overwhelmingly voted down by the majority Republicans on the Committee. Several of those Representatives mocked and ridiculed the amendment as well as the nontheistic, claiming that atheist chaplains would be incapable of offering solace and compassion to servicemembers because they “don’t believe [in] anything”.<br />
<br />
Despite the defeat, the amendment was raised again as the bill was being considered on the House floor as <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d113:29:./temp/~bdjWlL::" target="_blank">H. Amdt. 169</a>, introduced by Colorado Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO2CD). Again, Congressional Republicans mocked and ridiculed the amendment and overwhelmingly voted against it before passing the final Defense budget bill in mid-June.<br />
<br />
<strong>10 JULY UPDATE: </strong>In addition to the rejection of the above amendment, it appears that HASC Chair Rep. McKeon clandestinely accepted an <a href="http://fleming.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=341682" target="_blank">amendment to the NDAA bill </a>from Rep. John Fleming of Lousiana (R-LA4CD) to actually prohibit military leaders from restraining or limiting religious proselytization by US servicemembers or their chaplains in any way! This amendment was buried and combined by Chairman McKeon with 19 other amendments and introduced as <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d113:6:./temp/~bdjWlL::" target="_blank">H. Amdt. 146</a>, passed on the floor of the House by voice vote. (This insertion would have gone unnoticed if Rep. Fleming had not held a <a href="http://fleming.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=341682" target="_blank">public rally on 9 July </a>to boast about his successful efforts in inserting his amendment into the bill to turn the US military into a theocratic institution.)<br />
<br />
This amendment has been included in both the House and Senate versions of the NDAA bill, despite President Obama's <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/113/saphr1960r_20130611.pdf" target="_blank">objections as to its constitutionality</a>. It is likely to be included in the final version passed by Congress if constituents do not contact their representatives to speak out about this blatant abuse of religious privileging in our military.<br />
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-57810383097613292882013-06-14T20:25:00.000-07:002013-07-07T20:26:26.566-07:0050th Anniversary of Abington Township School District v. Schempp <div class="message content" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_66178">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">June 17</span> marks the <span style="font-weight: bold;">50th anniversary</span> of an important Supreme Court ruling
called </span>Abington Township School
District v. Schempp</i><i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71039" style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71038" style="font-style: normal;">. In this decision, the high
court struck down mandatory, coercive and school-sponsored prayer and Bible
reading in America ’s
public schools.</span></i><br />
<div class="msg-body inner undoreset" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71043" role="main">
<div id="yiv1868823391">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71042">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71041" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71045">
<i><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71048" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">
<i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71047"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71046" style="font-style: normal;">Even after five decades, this ruling remains the subject of many myths.
Here, courtesy of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, are the
facts about this decision: </span></i></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71049">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71053" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth: </b></i><i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71052"><b id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71051"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1373156906532_71050" style="font-style: normal;">The Supreme Court has banned a</span></b></i><b>ll forms of
religious activity in public schools.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth: </i>The Supreme Court struck down only <i>government-mandated</i> prayer and Bible reading in public schools. In
many states, participation in these religious activities was for all practical
purposes compulsory. Truly voluntary devotions by students have always been
legal. Many secondary public schools also have student-run religious clubs that
meet during non-instructional time. This arrangement is legal because these
clubs are voluntary, and no one is compelled to take part.</div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth:</b></i><b> Only atheists oppose school prayer.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth:</i> Many devout Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc., oppose
school-sponsored prayer because it violates freedom of conscience. During the
debate over school prayer amendments in the 1960s, Southern Baptists led the
opposition, arguing that imposing government-mandated prayer on youngsters
infringed on parental rights. (Southern Baptists switched sides on the issue
institutionally only after fundamentalists took control of the denomination.
Many individual Baptists still oppose official school prayer.)</div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth: </b></i><i><b><span style="font-style: normal;">P</span></b></i><b>ublic schools can’t teach about religion even
in an objective manner.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth:</i> The school prayer rulings did not affect objective
instruction about religion. In fact, the Supreme Court made it clear in the <i>Schempp</i> ruling that even-handed academic
instruction about religion in classes dealing with history, art, literature,
etc. is perfectly legal. Justice Tom Clark, who wrote the opinion, went out of
his way to make this clear. </div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth: </b></i><b>No one objected to school prayer prior to the
1960s.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth:</i> School-sponsored religious exercises have been controversial
as long as there have been public schools. In the mid-19th century, Roman
Catholics spoke out against the Protestant character of prayer and Bible reading
in public schools. Lawsuits were filed in many state courts. In one notable
case, the Ohio Supreme Court in 1870 ruled that public education officials in Cincinnati had the right
to remove devotional Bible reading from public schools.</div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth:</b></i><b> Most public schools sponsored prayer until the
Supreme Court struck it down.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth:</i> Many states had no laws on the subject of prayer and Bible
reading in public schools. In some states, courts had ruled mandatory prayer
and Bible reading unconstitutional. Although official prayer and Bible reading
were common in many Eastern and Southern states, these practices were less
common in Midwestern and Western states.</div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth:</b></i><b> A generic prayer could be composed that most
people would find acceptable.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth:</i> The state of New York
tried this in the late 1950s. The so-called “Regent’s Prayer” was drafted by
bureaucrats and offended many believers and non-believers. Since then,
religious diversity in America
has expanded even more. There is no way a generic prayer could be composed that
would satisfy Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. Such a prayer
would also offend atheists, humanists and other non-believers.</div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<i><b>Myth:</b></i><b> Americans support prayer in schools.</b></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">
<i>Truth:</i> Polls show support for the right of children to pray in school
voluntarily – the situation that exists now. When polls go more in depth and
ask people if they support coercive or mandatory forms of religious worship in
public schools, support drops sharply. Parents realize that the prayer said
might conflict with their beliefs and usurp parental rights.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">
The Supreme Court made the right call 50 years ago. Prayer and religious
worship must be voluntarily chosen to be meaningful. No government-sponsored
institution should have the right to compel children to pray or read religious
texts. (Christians should ask themselves how they would feel if their children
were forced to recite non-Christian prayers in school.) Far from infringing on
freedom, the <i>Schempp</i> decision
actively protects it. On June 17, we should celebrate this important ruling and
the values it represents.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-41712255547611822092013-05-26T21:19:00.003-07:002013-05-26T21:31:09.695-07:00AU Policy Analyst Rob Boston to Speak in Santa Monica June 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0NklGbVR12TLlEq6_M-fCJmqAUBIFMesLBuQu-vyn6XHZuNePcRHP3DvlGHHI4ylZBTqsc_K1IgwQA1NNHlE707CnPY1_STXAbtztMocIzsZjFUBDqfcC8cbKywYYyew_kx5dLyjzis/s1600/rob-boston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0NklGbVR12TLlEq6_M-fCJmqAUBIFMesLBuQu-vyn6XHZuNePcRHP3DvlGHHI4ylZBTqsc_K1IgwQA1NNHlE707CnPY1_STXAbtztMocIzsZjFUBDqfcC8cbKywYYyew_kx5dLyjzis/s1600/rob-boston.jpg" height="210" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">AU Senior Policy Analyst</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>ROB BOSTON</b></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">“Freedom of
Religion” vs.<br />
Separation of Church & State</span></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">
<b><i>Monday Eve., June 3, 2013<br />
The Santa Monica Synagogue<br />
1448 18th St., Santa Monica<br />
7pm</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">The Religious Right has recently seized an opportunity to impose their religious values and break down the Constitutional protection of separation
of Church and State by framing their argument as “Freedom of Religion”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Americans United recognizes this effort as only the most
recent tactic to undermine the First Amendment and turn religious neutrality into religious privilege.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Rob Boston, AU’s Senior Policy Analyst, will review the background and precedent behind the RR’s claim, its likelihood to be upheld in US courts, and what it would mean for all Americans if it were upheld.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Rob Boston, Senior Policy Analyst and Assistant Director of
Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is
recognized as a leading writer and researcher on church-state topics and the
author of three books: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys into
the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Prometheus Books, 2000); The Most
Dangerous Man in America? Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition
(Prometheus Books, 1996) and Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation
of Church and State (Prometheus Books, 1993).</span></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Sponsored by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Americans United for Separation of Church and State<br /> – Greater Los Angeles Chapter</i></span></b></div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-41286805128045324182013-05-26T21:14:00.000-07:002013-05-26T21:14:01.447-07:00Court-Martialed for Being Christian? Don't Believe It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0NklGbVR12TLlEq6_M-fCJmqAUBIFMesLBuQu-vyn6XHZuNePcRHP3DvlGHHI4ylZBTqsc_K1IgwQA1NNHlE707CnPY1_STXAbtztMocIzsZjFUBDqfcC8cbKywYYyew_kx5dLyjzis/s1600/rob-boston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0NklGbVR12TLlEq6_M-fCJmqAUBIFMesLBuQu-vyn6XHZuNePcRHP3DvlGHHI4ylZBTqsc_K1IgwQA1NNHlE707CnPY1_STXAbtztMocIzsZjFUBDqfcC8cbKywYYyew_kx5dLyjzis/s1600/rob-boston.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a></div>
By Rob Boston, Communications Director, <a href="http://www.au.org/" target="_blank">Americans United for Separation of Church & State</a> <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Reprinted from <a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2013/5/20/134659/298" target="_blank">Talk2Action.com, 20 May 2013</a>)</i></span><br />
<br />
So,
have you heard the one about how the military is preparing to
court-martial anyone who dares to say "God bless you" if someone
sneezes?<br />
<br />
OK, I'm being facetious. The stories being told about the
Armed Forces by the Religious Right aren't that strange - yet. But they
are getting there.<br />
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A few weeks ago, a firestorm erupted after word got out that Mikey
Weinstein, founder and president of the <a href="http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/" target="_blank">Military Religious Freedom Foundation</a>, had met with Pentagon officials to discuss some of the
concerns raised by his clients (the vast majority of whom are Christian,
by the way) over heavy-handed proselytizing.The Pentagon has
reportedly prepared a document that addresses this issue. Nothing
official has been released yet, but Religious Right groups promptly
began spreading wild tales about how anyone who dared to share his or
her faith was going to be unceremoniously tossed out of the military.<br />
<br />
That
is not what this has ever been about. Weinstein's group is concerned
about aggressive proselytizing operating down the chain of command, in
other words, improper forms of coercion (something that is already
illegal in the military). An invitation to a religious service is one
thing. Constant, repeated efforts by superior officers to coerce
subordinates to adopt a specific spiritual outlook is quite another.<br />
<br />
The
Family Research Council has been popping off about this issue with a
series of increasingly hysterical emails. To hear the FRC tell it, you'd
think every Christian is about to be tossed out of the Armed Forces.<br />
<br />
In
one FRC message, retired Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin, who now works
for the FRC, blared, "If this policy goes forward, Christians within
the military who speak of their faith could be prosecuted as enemies of
the state. This has the potential to destroy military recruiting across
the services as Americans realize that their faith will be suppressed by
joining the military. Our brave troops deserve better. If chaplains and
other personnel are censored from offering the full solace of the
Gospel, there is no religious freedom in the military."<br />
<br />
Once
again, the problem is not "offering the full solace of the Gospel." It's
offering it repeatedly to those who have made it clear that they don't
want it.<br />
<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2013/5/20/134659/298" target="_blank">(Read More...</a>)</i></span><br />
<br />.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-85559530424317311362013-03-14T10:07:00.005-07:002013-03-14T10:35:42.292-07:00New Director for WH Office of Faith-Based PartnershipsThe White House <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/melissa-rogers-new-head-of-white-house-faith-based-office/2013/03/13/7b70535e-8c24-11e2-af15-99809eaba6cb_story.html" target="_blank">announced </a>this week (March 13) that a new Director had been appointed to the White House Office of Faith-Based Partnerships (WHOFBP).<br />
<br />
The new Director is Melissa Rogers, formerly the director of the Center for Religion and Public Affairs at Wake Forest University Divinity School and a nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. She most recently served as general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a church-state separationist group, and served as one of the members President Obama appointed to the WHOFBP's Advisory Council in 2009. In that role, she was one of the very few on the Council who did not represent a beneficiary of WHOFBP funds.<br />
<br />
Rogers also served as executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and was appointed to the State Department's Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group in 2011. She is a familiar face on Capitol Hill, testifying before members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on religious freedom issues.<br />
<br />
She succeeds Joshua DuBois, who has led faith-based efforts under President Barack Obama since the president's first term. DuBois was a Pentecostal minister and a Senate aide to Obama prior to Obama's election to the White Hose. DuBois was a controversial choice in part due to his age (26 at the time) as well as his divinity credentials, and angered many church-state separationist groups by leaving almost all of the Constitutionally questionable aspects of the WHOFBP established by prior President George W. Bush in place.<br />
<br />
Separationists are much more optimistic in regards to Rogers. The Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of Interfaith Alliance, a liberal faith-based group that has been a major critic of the WHOFBP, praised Rogers' appointment on Wednesday: "Much work is yet to be done on the proper relationship between federal money and sectarian organizations, including resolving whether these organizations can continue to accept taxpayer dollars while discriminating in hiring based on religion -- which I do not believe they should be allowed to do.<br />
<br />
"I know of no individual better suited to oversee this important endeavor, with sensitivity to the competing views and priorities at play, and with great integrity, than Melissa Rogers.".http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-70713570000993408202013-03-10T16:51:00.001-07:002013-03-10T16:51:22.540-07:0065th Anniversary of McCollum v Board of Education<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/talk2action/rob_boston.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/talk2action/rob_boston.jpg" height="200" width="157" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob Boston, AU<br />
Communications Director</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sixty-five years ago today (March 8), the U.S. Supreme Court handed down one of its most important church-state decisions.<br />
<br />
The 8-1 ruling in <a href="http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1947/1947_90">McCollum v. Board of Education</a>
in 1948 ended a practice in the Champaign, Ill., public schools of
allowing ministers to come onto the campus during the day to offer
sectarian instruction.<br />
<br />
The decision is important
because it marked the first time the high court ruled that the public
schools could not be in the business of promoting religion to students.
It paved the way for the 1962 and '63 rulings striking down official
school prayer and Bible reading.<br />
<br />
Writing for the majority in McCollum, Justice Hugo Black scored "the
use of tax-supported property for religious instruction and the close
cooperation between the school authorities and the religious council in
promoting religious education."<br />
<br />
Observed Black, "Here
not only are the State's tax-supported public school buildings used for
the dissemination of religious doctrines. The State also affords
sectarian groups an invaluable aid in that it helps to provide pupils
for their religious classes through use of the State's compulsory public
school machinery. This is not separation of Church and State."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2013/3/8/112936/6135" target="_blank">Read More...</a> .http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-40452603840656578622013-03-10T16:50:00.000-07:002013-03-10T16:50:05.730-07:00Encinitas School Sued for Offering Yoga<div class="permalinkable" id="h611112-p1">
<span class="dateline">ENCINITAS, Calif.</span>
— A nonprofit law firm announced Wednesday that it has filed a lawsuit
against the Encinitas Union School District over a district yoga program
that the plaintiffs argue is a form of religious indoctrination.</div>
<div class="permalinkable" id="h611112-p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="permalinkable" id="h611112-p2">
Americans United is not a party, nor does it support the lawsuit. The
lawsuit was filed by the National Center for Law & Policy, Christian legal advocacy firm, on behalf
of Stephen and Jennifer Sedlock and their two children, who attend
school in the elementary district. </div>
<div class="permalinkable" id="h611112-p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="permalinkable" id="h611112-p2">
<a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/20/lawsuit-school-yoga-program/" target="_blank">Read More...</a> </div>
.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-90067362868810698112013-02-16T18:13:00.002-08:002013-02-16T18:13:27.146-08:00House OKs Funding to Rebuild Churches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUruwr_sKkd42pcnS07_qAThCXwTL863XMBuT2p36g7SKEffTReqj-XDAIaXQCJdZVy9EvftQYijMBZB49k57gPWGKnmygY_zcxZrM26wz56WarJ8yqKDOLrSCq1tEvmvfnvEQuq6SydN/s1600/church_state.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUruwr_sKkd42pcnS07_qAThCXwTL863XMBuT2p36g7SKEffTReqj-XDAIaXQCJdZVy9EvftQYijMBZB49k57gPWGKnmygY_zcxZrM26wz56WarJ8yqKDOLrSCq1tEvmvfnvEQuq6SydN/s1600/church_state.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, the House quietly passed <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUruwr_sKkd42pcnS07_qAThCXwTL863XMBuT2p36g7SKEffTReqj-XDAIaXQCJdZVy9EvftQYijMBZB49k57gPWGKnmygY_zcxZrM26wz56WarJ8yqKDOLrSCq1tEvmvfnvEQuq6SydN/s1600/church_state.jpg" target="_blank"><b>HR 592</b></a>, a serious threat to the separation of religion and government. The bill aims to amend the Disaster Relief Act to <span style="font-weight: bold;">permanently</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">allow federal grant money to go directly to rebuild churches</span> <b>and other houses of worship</b> after disasters.<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">This change would reverse a longstanding 60-year policy in regards to federal disaster relief. S</span><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent">uch funding would clearly </span></span><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent">violate the
Constitutional separation of church and state by </span></span>forcing taxpayers
to fund religious groups and sects with which they may not agree</span>. Worse, this bill specifically was intended to provide an exclusive funding privilege to religious organizations that most other non-religious nonprofits do not and would not enjoy even with the signing of this bill into law.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Churches </span>may seem disadvantaged at first glance, but they are not without access to
government aid. Along with most non-profits, they are in fact eligible
for SBA loans. Churches, as do other non-profit organizations, also have existing fundraising advantages not available to commercial enterprises and individuals through <span class="userContent">their tax-exempt status and through the deductibility of contributions provided to the non-profit organizations by their own supporters. Federal disaster relief is intended primarily for organizations and individuals that do not have such advantages. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Many of the House Representatives from the Los Angeles and Ventura Counties area supported this bill, even in the face of First-Amendment concerns brought to them by Americans United and other church-state separation groups. Here is the list of local Representatives that supported this bill:</span><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><colgroup><col width="50%"></col><col width="50%"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="17">
<td class="xl65">CD24 Rep. Lois Capps (D)</td>
<td class="xl65">CD25 Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R)</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17">
<td class="xl65">CD26 Rep. Julia Brownley (D)</td>
<td class="xl65">CD28 Rep. Adam Schiff (D)</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17">
<td class="xl65">CD29 Rep. Tony Cardenas (D)</td>
<td class="xl65">CD30 Rep. Brad Sherman (D)</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17">
<td class="xl65">CD31 Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D)</td>
<td class="xl65">CD32 Rep. Henry Waxman (D)</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17">
<td class="xl65">CD36 Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D)</td>
<td class="xl65"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="userContent">This bill has not yet been considered by the Senate. We urge all AU-GLA chapter members to contact your Congressional representative and your state's senators and let them know your opinion on this issue. You can </span>find out how your representative voted and <a href="https://www.au.org/Action-Center/Oppose-HR592">send a letter of thanks or disappointment</a>.<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-12543288929501283772012-12-18T21:39:00.002-08:002012-12-19T12:29:15.383-08:00Americans United / Greater Los Angeles Chapter Chair Stuart Bechman on the Jesse Lee Peterson Radio Show Wednesday, Dec. 19, 6am<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1pPMSzMMfGJnc5syRcjRWDCQsiTB_lepSPYoPa8jluaPMNENLOSk7ccpex3TaA3d-bo2bTTjLZVz3hQkNnfZHRearjd0E9156xTb3BpC6fAW4g8KG4AxigG9BizTy1oGgdEJvi2babA/s1600/Stuart+Bechman+2007+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="AU-GLA Committee Chair Stuart Bechman" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1pPMSzMMfGJnc5syRcjRWDCQsiTB_lepSPYoPa8jluaPMNENLOSk7ccpex3TaA3d-bo2bTTjLZVz3hQkNnfZHRearjd0E9156xTb3BpC6fAW4g8KG4AxigG9BizTy1oGgdEJvi2babA/s200/Stuart+Bechman+2007+A.jpg" title="AU-GLA Committee Chair Stuart Bechman" width="144" /></a></div>
Stuart Bechman, chair of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of Americans United, will be speaking about the recent decision by the Santa Monica City Council to suspend their annual Winter Forum program (a program which had traditionally included 14 full-size Christian nativity scenes that covered 1/4 mile on city park property along Ocean Blvd. in Santa Monica every December), and the backlash that recent decision created among the Santa Monica Christian community. Stuart recently <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-nativity-atheists-blowback-20121212,0,5514187.story" target="_blank">had a letter published about the decision in the Los Angeles Times</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSW2OffcFQhUUwVhON5jBHnNNQmLixLYyDlJ-kBqQnVU81LYqDQ7YtFe2pCavl7VQzEYB62UDKavp4Wup_uElinswEgkAhgb6X9rd4dG9ZSj6AOcY-P30anFTjaSCc84gHBllISg7VE8/s1600/Jesse-Lee-Peterson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSW2OffcFQhUUwVhON5jBHnNNQmLixLYyDlJ-kBqQnVU81LYqDQ7YtFe2pCavl7VQzEYB62UDKavp4Wup_uElinswEgkAhgb6X9rd4dG9ZSj6AOcY-P30anFTjaSCc84gHBllISg7VE8/s200/Jesse-Lee-Peterson.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson is the Founder and President of <a href="http://www.bondaction.org/" target="_blank">BOND Action, Inc.,</a> a nonprofit, 501 (c) (4) organization, (BOND's activist and political arm) which exists to educate, motivate and rally Americans to greater involvement in the moral, cultural and political issues that threaten our great country. Jesse Lee is also the Founder and President for the past 19 years of BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization, whose purpose is "Rebuilding the Family By Rebuilding the Man". He is the author of the bold and highly popular books, "SCAM: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America" and "From Rage to Responsibility" and "The Seven Guaranteed Steps To Spiritual, Family, and Financial Success" guide. He is also the host of the nationwide Jesse Lee Peterson Radio Show, a TV host and a highly sought-after speaker.<br />
<br />
The Jesse Lee Peterson Radio Show can be heard on-line at <a href="http://www.bondaction.org/content/radioshowhome">http://www.bondaction.org/content/radioshowhome</a> and is live Monday through Friday from 6 - 9 am with podcast downloads available from the website. Stuart's portion of the show will begin at approximately 7am this Wednesday, December 19. The show will be available as a downloadable podcast after 9am on Wednesday, Dec. 19..http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-50700569828371666372012-11-14T14:54:00.006-08:002012-11-14T14:54:42.970-08:00Riverside City Approves Funding for Religious War Memorial<span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.pe.com/incoming/20121113-veterans-memorial.jpg.ece/BINARY/w380x253/Veterans+Memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Proposed Lake Elsinore Veterans' Memorial" border="0" src="http://www.pe.com/incoming/20121113-veterans-memorial.jpg.ece/BINARY/w380x253/Veterans+Memorial.jpg" title="Proposed Lake Elsinore Veterans' Memorial" /></a><span><span>A proposed taxpayer-built veterans memorial that has caused controversy since its design was unveiled will be built at Diamond Stadium with a depiction of a Christian cross, the Lake Elsinore City Council decided unanimously, 5-0, on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012.</span></span></div>
<br />
The memorial is to consist of a large tablet with an image of a soldier kneeling before a Christian cross beneath a depiction of a bald eagle. News reports indicate that the city may add a Star of David emblem as well.<br />
<br />
The city council approved the memorial despite letters of opposition from the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, explaining how the monuments ignores soldiers who are not Christians (or Jews), and the legal action arm of the American Humanist Association, explaining that the memorial would be unconstitutional.</span><br />
<span></span>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-42367009625972130902012-08-04T16:38:00.000-07:002012-08-04T16:38:15.244-07:00<h2 style="background-color: white; color: blue; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 30px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 100%; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;">
Join Us in Visiting Our Congressional Representatives This Election Season!</h2>
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<span style="font-size: 18px;">Americans United - Greater Los Angeles is organizing constituent visits to Congressional representatives from our area, and we want YOU to come.</span></h2>
Over the next 8 weeks, Americans United / GLA will be organizing office visits with several of the Congressional House members from the 25th to the 40th California Congressional District that represent the Greater Los Angeles area. If you are interested in joining a delegation to meet with YOUR Congressman about the importance of church-state separation, please drop us a note at AU-LosAngeles@gmail.com with your Congressional district, and we will be in touch with you about visit details.<br /><br />Several of the congressional district numbers and boundaries have shifted for this election, so if you are not sure which Congressional district you are in, you can <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members">look it up by your address or ZIP code here</a>. Be sure to click on the '2012 Districts' box to check the districts for THIS election.<br /><br />Our representatives need to be reminded that we CARE about the First Amendment, and they should, too. Let's let them know this election season!<br />.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6888589433533063522.post-83529390276716239782012-08-01T15:06:00.001-07:002012-08-01T15:06:40.590-07:00David Niose: Nonbeliever Nation, Aug. 9 & 10<table><tbody>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>ATTORNEY & AUTHOR DAVID NIOSE TO SPEAK ON THE RISE OF SECULAR AMERICANS IN US</b></span></div>
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David Niose, attorney, author of the popular Psychology Today blog, "Our
Humanity, Naturally." and president of the <a href="http://www.americanhumanist.org/" target="_blank">American Humanist Association</a>,
will be speaking in <b style="color: red;">Pasadena </b>on <b style="color: red;">Thursday, August 9 </b>and in <b style="color: red;">Santa Monica </b>on <b style="color: red;">Friday, August 10 </b>on his new book, <i>Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans.</i></div>
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The number of Americans which identify as secular, atheist, agnostic, or simply non-religious has steadily risen over the past two decades from less than 5% in 1990 to 19% in 2012, representing the fastest-growing religious demographic in the US and the second-largest religious demographic after Catholics. David argues that much of that growth has been fueled as a response to the rising power of the religious Christian right in this country.
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In his presentation, David will discuss the various secular groups now forming across America in opposition to that force, including their political goals, lobbying efforts, legal strategies, and outreach through advertising and education, and what they are intending to do to make the secular voice a gamechanger in American politics.<br />
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David will be speaking <b>Thursday, August 9</b> at the <b><a href="http://www.uuneighborhood.org/" target="_blank">Neighborhood Unitarian-Universalist Church</a>, 301 N. Orange Grove Ave.,</b> in <b>Pasadena</b>; and <b>Friday, August 10</b> at 7pm at the <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.hala.org/ColoradoCenter.html"><b>Yahoo Center Community Room (Colorado Center)</b>,</a> <b>2500 Broadway</b>, in <b>Santa Monica.</b></span><br />
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The events are co-sponsored with the <a href="http://www.hala.org/" target="_blank">Humanist Association of Los Angeles</a>. Both events are free.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">David has appeared widely in national international
media advocating for secularism and humanism, including Fox News, BBC,
NPR, and many others. Niose also serves as vice president of the Secular
Coalition for America, a Washington-based lobbying group.</span>.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11091138594734456735noreply@blogger.com0