Category Archives: Church and State

Wilson County, Tennessee schools agree to end Bible distribution

By thecodepounder | Published January 10, 2010

Another victory for religious freedom.
So here’s the setup: one day, in Wilson County, Tennessee, the principal of Carroll-Oakland Elementary School brings all the students from the whole school into the gym, where she introduces representatives of the Gideons and explains why they are there, and then proceeds to tell the whole student body about the [...]

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Kentucky’s god in homeland security law unconstitutional

By thecodepounder | Published August 29, 2009

The Kentucky state law requiring the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to stress “dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the commonwealth” has been struck down as unconstitutional:
“Even assuming that most of this nation’s citizens have historically depended upon God by choice for their protection, this does not give the General [...]

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Who knew? Brad Pitt really “gets” it

By thecodepounder | Published August 29, 2009

The Perplexed Observer last week linked to two YouTube clips of Brad Pitt appearing on Bill Maher’s Real Time.  I just got the chance to view the clips and must say I’m completely impressed.  Brad Pitt truly “gets” it.  In response to Maher’s question “What is it about religion you don’t like?”, Pitt succinctly stated:
You [...]

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Atheists sue to keep ‘In God We Trust’ off Capitol Visitor Center

By thecodepounder | Published July 27, 2009

I missed this a couple weeks ago (when my wife was in the hospital), but the Freedom From Religion Foundation is suing to stop the government from engraving the words “In God We Trust” in prominent spots at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington.
For those of you who just can’t get your head wrapped around [...]

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Atheists and other freethinkers are coming out and speaking out

By thecodepounder | Published April 27, 2009

Excellent piece by Laurie Goodstein, writing in yesterdays New York Times, More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops:
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Two months after the local atheist organization here put up a billboard saying “Don’t Believe in God? You Are Not Alone,” the group’s 13 board members met in Laura and Alex Kasman’s living room to [...]

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Wilson County Christian group not content with Constitutional equality

By thecodepounder | Published April 21, 2009

You may recall the Wilson County “pole strokers”–a parent-led prayer group who seemingly can only talk to their god from the general area of the flagpole in front of a public school in Wilson County, Tennessee. You may also recall that the Wilson County School System not long ago cost the taxpayers of Wilson County [...]

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Tony Dungy is a hell of a football coach, not much of a civil libertarian

By thecodepounder | Published April 1, 2009

Americans United for Separation of Church and State:
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today expressed disappointment at the Obama administration’s decision to ask former football coach Tony Dungy to serve on the president’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United’s executive director, “I am surprised and [...]

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Tennessee legislature proposes further infringements on liberty

By thecodepounder | Published March 12, 2009

Why would anyone want too much freedom anyway?  I guess that’s the question being asked lately in the Tennessee State Legislature.
In another stark example of fundagelicals “using politics to beat people over the head with a moral crusade“, a bill has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee which would allow the legislature to seek to change [...]

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Frank Schaeffer on conservatism and separation of church and state

By thecodepounder | Published March 11, 2009

Former Evangelist and author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back, Frank Schaeffer on D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, March 7, 2009:
…and the people, for instance, like William F. Buckley, who was a [...]

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9-year-old carrying twins undergoes abortion despite protests

By thecodepounder | Published March 8, 2009

Associated Press:
RIO DE JANEIRO — A 9-year-old girl who was carrying twins, allegedly after being raped by her stepfather, underwent an abortion Wednesday despite complaints from Brazil’s Roman Catholic church.
Police said the stepfather has been jailed since last week.
Abortion is illegal in Brazil, but judges can make exceptions if the mother’s life is [...]

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Another example of Christian circular reasoning

By thecodepounder | Published February 9, 2009

Atheist Revolution, Christian Extremists Support School Bullying:
By labeling intolerance as intolerant, the schools are opposing Dacus and Harvey’s brand of hate-based Christianity. Where is the outrage from Christians who do not want their religion equated with hatred and bigotry?
Good question.

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Separation of Church and State works for all of us

By thecodepounder | Published January 28, 2009

It’s simple: if you receive government funds, you have to play by a well-defined set of rules, if you don’t then you only have to play by a much smaller set of rules. This, it seems to me, works fairly well for all of us.
California’s 4th District Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a Christian [...]

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