Three Tampa city council members walk out during atheist's invocation

[Freddie Stubbs]

Associated Press
Posted July 30 2004, 11:45 AM EDT

TAMPA -- Three Tampa city council members walked out of chambers rather than listen to an atheist give the opening invocation.

Council members Kevin White, Mary Alvarez and Rose Ferlita left their seats Thursday rather than listen to Michael R. Harvey, a member of Atheists of Florida who had been invited by council member John Dingfelder to offer the invocation.

Even before Harvey spoke, White was pushing to cancel the invocation. These are sacred moments that refer to a supreme being, White said, and this speaker doesn't believe in God.

``We have never had people of an atheist group represent Americans,'' White said. ``And I don't think it is appropriate in this setting.''

more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-730atheist,0,1213421.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[Catch22Dem]

1. Fuck him

There's a PROBLEM with the fact that atheists aren't elected in this country. That is NOT something to celebrate. I'd vote for a full-fledged repuke, if that repuke was an atheist.

[Mojambo]

2. Hmm such a narrow interpretation

of religious freedom they have down there in Tampa.

Kevin White, Mary Alvarez and Rose Ferlita. I kindly invite you all to go straight to hell.

[Gildor Inglorion]

3. Mr. Mark Twain's views on God & hell...

from "The Mysterious Stranger"

a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice and invented hell--mouths mercy and invented hell--mouths Golden Rules, and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor, abused slave to worship him!...
:evilgrin:

[Mojambo]

4. Twain - My favorite American.

He just edges out Thomas Jefferson.