Religion
Related: About this forumA right for the religious is a right for the nonreligious
But escalating conflicts involving government treatment of the nonreligious atheists and humanists reveal that far too many government officials are confused and conflicted about the meaning of neutrality.
In this month alone, an atheist monument stirred controversy in Florida, an atheist applicant for citizenship was instructed to join a church and a congressional committee nixed atheist chaplains.
Lets start with the first-ever atheist monument, a 1,500-pound bench erected alongside a Ten Commandments monument in front of the Bradford County Courthouse in Starke, Fla.
http://chippewa.com/news/opinion/columns/haynes-a-right-for-the-religious-is-a-right-for/article_a38b3afc-e269-11e2-ad85-0019bb2963f4.html
pinto
(106,886 posts)First Amendment rights are and should be neutral across the board, short of speech meant to incite violence, etc. or those that run afoul of other Constitutional standards.
(aside) Functionally, not sure if the tit-for-tat in the Bradford situation is an effective tack to take, but they made the point.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)The monument in florida came about because of a judicial decision that protected a religious icon and is pre-sanctioned by the court. That's a win for non-believers.
The conscientious objector case was settled very rapidly in the woman's favor. That's another win.
The chaplains in the military decision is being challenged, and I wouldn't be surprised if the committee reversed it's decision on this.
The organizations that support secularism are doing a great job of raising legal challenges in cases involving separation issues. The ACLU has also been more actively involved.
struggle4progress
(118,330 posts)http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterfliesandwheels/2013/06/welcome-citizen-margaret-doughty/
... "What actually happened was that I was called down to the floor of the auditorium. I was told that when I say the oath I just dont say the bit about God." She wasnt actually given a modified oath <or a chance to modify it>, so when everyone said the oath, including under God" she was just supposed to leave that part out ...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/01/1220351/-Margaret-Doughty-and-U-S-Immigration
?1372701365