294 Comments

Conservative Christians simply cannot get their heads around the fact rights are not matters of majority rule. It is never the job of the public schools, paid for with everyone's tax dollars, to backstop anyone's religion. The coach who sent these letters out, as well as the administration who approved them, need to be unemployed. I hope at least some of these wrestlers quit their teams.

Expand full comment
Dec 24, 2023ยทedited Dec 24, 2023

If your church is incapable of offering charity with no strings attached, then it's not a very good church and you need to find a new one (or better yet, none at all).

If your public school's athletic program can't even manage to keep your student athletes fed and hydrated without a church stepping in to offer charity, then you need to ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ท๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ด. Not that I'm naming names. ๐˜ˆ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ข.

Expand full comment

What is it about separation of church state that is so hard to fathom? Itโ€™s a really clear concept, yet god-botherers keep trying to sneak and lie their way past it at everyone elseโ€™s expense. I really dislike sneaks and liars.

Expand full comment

To all the regulars in the Friendly Atheist community, here's hoping you make it through the holidays without too much damage to your mental health. ;)

Expand full comment

Religion IS part of the fabric of life for a vast majority of people on this Earth. But that fabric shouldn't be fashioned into a soft garrote to strangle every other aspect of daily life or of existence. If one believes that every second of every day should be spent contemplating whatever flavor of story of Sky Person and Their Directives, then join a cloister.

Expand full comment

Pay to Pray!

This is awesome. Hereโ€™s my donation. Get ready kids. I have a lot of ideas Iโ€™m excited to share with you today.

Expand full comment

โ€œโ€œChurches are an essential part of the fabric of our communities across Alabama,โ€ Reed (R-Jasper) said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.โ€

True, to an extent. And the essential part is waning.

โ€œโ€Even more importantly, they are the means by which the Gospel is preached and places where we worship God.โ€œโ€

Thatโ€™s only important if you choose to worship god or care about the gospel, which is the reason what the school is doing is wrong. The church is where preaching is supposed to happen not the public schools.

And just to clear things up, this is not charity. The churches are not participating in a charitable activity, this is more of a tit for tat situation. Itโ€™s clearly indoctrination, if we want to avoid the incorrect use of grooming. Iโ€™m sure the wrestlers could use those 15 minutes to practice, stop wasting childrenโ€™s time by stepping on their constitutional rights.

Expand full comment

"...๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก-๐‘œ๐‘“-๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ โ„Ž ๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘›.โ€

No one is trying to do that. FFRF is just trying to make sure that the children who do not already

have faith in their lives aren't having it forced on them.

Expand full comment

Tax all churches including taxes they have avoided for the last 250 years. Should help overcome our budget โ€œcrisisโ€ in Washington, yea?

Expand full comment

"Even more importantly, they are the means by which the Gospel is preached and places where we worship God."

The nogood senator recognise it himself. Churches, NOT schools, are the place to indoctrinate and brainwash.

"This week we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

And Attis, Horus, Khrishna...

Expand full comment

OT- It will likely surprise nobody that Laura Ingraham, Fox News' #1 bleached-blonde bimbo, who once famously threw a Nazi salute on stage before passing it off with a smile and a wave... was raised by a Nazi-lover, according to her brother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlkNkCliLPY

The short version: Ingraham's father kept a copy of Mein Kampf in the living room and frequently read to his children from it- and daughter dear has grown up to be ๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ the illustrious little Fuhrer's Girl.

Oh, and for bonus points, she's been a lifelong crusader against LGBTQ peoples' rights, even going so far as to run an outing sting against a campus Pride group waaaay back before she caught the attention of Murdoch's Madhouse... even though her own brother is gay (fortunately, ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ seems to be a decent human being, in spite of the family legacy). She's also one of the leading anti-immigrant voices in right-wing media... even though she has three adopted children who are, you guessed it, immigrants. Because ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ she's as horrible to her family as she is to everyone else.

Expand full comment

My children had enforced daily prayer in their elementary school in Tennessee. The principal was also a preacher and told me point blank, โ€œMy children are going to learn to fear the lord!โ€ Yes, he said fear. Which doesnโ€™t mesh well with the whole โ€œGod is loveโ€ message. Anyway, I complained, became his bitter enemy, and was accused of sexually mistreating my own children (that investigation went on for years contrary to law). The practice continued until that principal retired.

Now I live in NYC. Originally assumed I would retire back to Tennessee but thatโ€™s now no longer an option with how it has become a โ€œChristianโ€ state. Itโ€™s actually illegal for an atheist to hold public office โ€” which sure seems to violate the โ€œreligious testโ€ restriction in the Constitution.

Expand full comment

Etowah County is the same place where Roy Moore was a judge, illegally posting a copy of The Ten Commandments on the wall of his courtroom. Try to control your surprise and shock at that fact.

Expand full comment

Sure, give 'em some snacks and water โ€” just don't do it while they're standing in line to vote on a sweltering hot day. THAT would be wicked! It would make Baby Jesus cry!

Expand full comment

6 cases of water and 4 pks of 24 granola bars, the price of 30 pieces of silver.

Expand full comment

No quid pro quo! It was a perfect letter!

Expand full comment