All religions or no religions
by digby
I have long thought that a necessary approach to dealing with the insistence on the part of certain Christians that their "religious liberty" is impinged if the government requires something their creed does not agree with is to have competing religions demand the same "freedom." You'd think we could avoid this nonsense after 500 years of bloody European history but apparently not.
Anyway, it's at least a good way to illustrate why the state should just insist that everyone play by the same rules in the public sector while letting the church do its thing in the private sphere:
The governor of Georgia has ordered that Bibles recently removed from lodges at government parks throughout the state be returned, reports state.
Republican Governor Nathan Deal issued the order after the Georgia Department of Natural Resources removed the Bibles following an atheist complaint about their presence.
Ed Buchner, 67, the former leader of the organization American Atheists, expressed his disapproval last month after finding a Gideon’s Bible in a cabin at one of the state parks. He said that he believed the Bibles violated the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution, which says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
“Out of an abundance of caution to avoid potential litigation, the commissioner removed the Bibles from the rooms – though they were still available on site – after a complaint from a visitor,” explained Deal.
However, the governor states that both he and the state Attorney General, Sam Olems, believe that the Bibles stand on “firm legal footing.”
“These Bibles are donated by outside groups, not paid for by the state, and I do not believe that a Bible in a bedside table drawer constitutes a state establishment of religion,” he said. “In fact, any group is free to donate literature.”
Well, now. I'll just let Wonkette take it from here:
Oh? said some sharp kids at American Atheists. Did you say any group? Hey, guys, as it happens, we are a group, and we would just love to donate some literature to be placed in bedside table drawers in Georgia state parks! And so they will be sending the Georgia Department of Natural Resources “enough popular atheist books to place one in every state park cabin in the state.”
In a press release, the group acknowledged that it would really prefer that state-owned facilities be oppressively neutral on matters of religion, but if Georgia wants to play this way, sure!
“American Atheists does not believe the State of Georgia should be placing Bibles or atheist books in state park cabins; however, if the state is going to allow such distribution, we will happily provide our materials,” said President David Silverman.
I'm fairly sure this literature will never make it to those cabins. And frankly, I think it would be better if it were a Muslim group or a b'hai or something fairly exotic that nonetheless these people understand to be a religion. But still, the point has been made.
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