Atheism is now a religion?

[HoundedbyHeaven]

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From http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/232005e.asp

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Attorney: 'Height of Idiocy' for Court to Declare Atheism a Religion
By Allie Martin
August 23, 2005

(AgapePress) - A federal appeals court has sided with a Wisconsin prison inmate who claimed his constitutional rights were violated with officials would not allow him to create a study group for atheists.

In it ruling, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Wisconsin prison officials were mistaken when they did not recognize atheism as a religion. The court stated that atheism is inmate's religion and that the group he wished to start "was religious in nature even though it expressly rejects a belief in a supreme being."

Brian Fahling is an attorney with the American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy. Fahling says the ruling makes no sense.

"Even by the prisoner's own admission, atheism is the antithesis of religion," the attorney notes, "and so to have the court now give protection to atheism-- the enemy of religion, if you will --under a clause designed to protect religion ultimately is absolutely the height of idiocy as far as I'm concerned."

According to Fahling, the nation's highest court has made such rulings possible.

"The ruling isn't surprising because I think the Supreme Court ultimately has given us an Establishment Clause jurisprudence that is utterly incoherent," he says. "And to the degree one can gain any coherence from it, that coherence is found in ... an acute hostility to religion. And how much more hostile can you get than to give protection of the enemy of religion under a clause designed to protect religion?"

Fahling says it is difficult not be "somewhat jaundiced" about the nation's courts when they take clauses that are intended to protect religion, then "turn them on their head" to protect a belief system not commonly held to be a religion -- while at the same time prohibiting public expressions of true religious faith.


Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2005 AgapePress all rights reserved.

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To all the atheists on this board, let's go!

[tolstoi]

the heading speaks...HEIGHT OF IDIOCY..lolz

[websniper]

Idiocy leads to become Idiot...

[giver_bert]

Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color.

[HoundedbyHeaven]

Had a "liberal-minded" officemate here who, commenting on that article, stated that "Freedom FOR Religion also includes Freedom FROM Religion." I argued against her, of course. But what about you? What do you guys and gals think about that statement? Are you for or against it?

Shalom.

[HoundedbyHeaven]

Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ha...God, my stomach, you're killing me!

Oh, you got me started! Let me paraphrase one of Conan O'Brien's statements as Triumph: Calling Atheism a religion is "...like booing in the special olympics!"

[websniper]

@ Houndedbyheaven: To whom you refer, God?

[tolstoi]

yah..its like instituting strong faith on "thy self"..lolz

[Cardinal Bunal]

yah..its like instituting strong faith on "thy self"..lolz

Mao ni ang common nga gi propagate sa New Age movement og onsa pa diha.

[HoundedbyHeaven]

@ Houndedbyheaven: To whom you refer, God?

No, not God, of course. I was referring to the statement "Freedom FOR Religion also means Freedom FROM Religion." What she stated basically was that the law protecting our religious freedoms is also the exact, same law protecting us from Religion. So in light of the news, she meant that atheists can also take cover under the same law, which was established to protect us theists or believers from those who will hinder or disable us from exercising our religious freedom, to protect them also from those who will hinder or disable them from exercising the freedom to express their unbeliefs.

So, where do you come in this?