The nation's largest group of atheists and agnostics filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block an architect from engraving "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington.Don't these people have anything better to do?
The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in western Wisconsin, claims the taxpayer-funded engravings would be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.
The House and Senate passed identical resolutions this month directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave "In God We Trust" and the pledge in prominent places at the entrance for 3 million tourists who visit the Capitol each year.
The resolution came in response to critics who complained Congress spent $621 million on the new three-story underground center without paying respect to the nation's religious heritage. The center opened in December after years of construction.
The foundation is seeking a court order to stop the engravings, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cost less than $100,000.
"In God We Trust" has been the national motto since 1956 and has appeared on U.S. currency since 1957.
The lawsuit says both the motto and the words "under God" in the pledge were adopted during the Cold War as anti-communism measures. Engraving them at the entrance to the U.S. Capitol would discriminate against those who do not practice religion and unfairly promote a Judeo-Christian perspective, it says.
Members of Congress who supported the measure swiftly denounced the lawsuit.
"This lawsuit is another attempt by liberal activists to rewrite history and deny that America's Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone of our great nation," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.
Rep. Daniel Lungren, R-Calif., said he was expecting a lawsuit but called the claims "patently absurd."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
More Atheist Follies
This time in the new Capitol Visitor's Center:
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7 comments:
"Don't these people have anything better to do?"
They don't think so.
You're willing to criticize atheists for trying to stop having divisive religious messages added to the capitol visitor center; I seem to have missed your "Don't these people have anything better to do?" when lawmakers took the time to vote to ADD these religious messages.
Or is it fine only when the government promotes religious ideas that you agree with?
It's fine when government promotes ideas upon which this country was founded.
"Don't these people have anything better to do?" No, they are doing the best they know how to do, which really isn't much. The few want to rule over the many.
It's fine when government promotes ideas upon which this country was founded.
This country was founded on religious freedom, not Christianity.
Brian Westley is mistaken. The notion of individual liberty is based upon the Christian idea of the soul created in the image of God. There's a huge difference between American democracy and its Greek or Roman antecedents.
Whether you are a Christian or not yourself, your liberties rely on the stored capital of the Christian idea of the sanctity of the individual -- a notion upon which leftism steadily chips away.
It's kind of like sawing the limb where you are standing while high aloft in the tree. Not smart.
Brian Westley is mistaken
Well, no I'm not. This country WAS founded on religious freedom.
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