Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1849

Town of Jay (Florida) Sells Off Nativity Scene to Avoid Lawsuit

The town of Jay, Florida has had a Nativity scene in front of City Hall for the past 40 years, a clear promotion of Christianity by the local government. When the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent town officials a letter last week explaining this problem, they offered a possible solution — one they suggested to a neighboring town a couple of years ago:

You may remember last year that FFRF notified your neighbor, the town of Century, about their unconstitutional nativity scene. Mayor McCall auctioned off the nativity and several local churches erected it on church property, thereby bringing the town into compliance with the Constitution.

Jay officials decided that would be the best route to go. So this week, they also sold off their Nativity scene:

[Officials] declared a nativity scene “surplus property” and sold it to the [Santa Rosa County Ministerial Association] to be displayed on private grounds.

The cost of the sale isn’t known, but it appears to be a legal workaround to this issue:

“We’d like to thank the ‘wise men’ and women of the town council for doing the right thing, and ensuring that everyone in Jay can visit city hall without feeling like an outsider in December. In addition to divesting the town of a divisive display, their action has added money to the tax coffers and that’s always a plus,” said FFRF Co-President Dan Barker.

This is just another indication that atheists are on solid legal footing in these cases. The town attorney knew that the costs of a court battle wouldn’t be worth it, especially when the city was clearly in the wrong. If only other town officials would follow this lead.

Satanic Sweaters for the Holidays

Forget the penis necklace from yesterday. You should show up to your family’s holiday get-together in this lovely and warm Satanic sweater:

It’s pricey, but can you really put a dollar amount on the joy you’re gonna get out of this?

(via Christian Nightmares)

Freshman Leads Silly Fight to Keep Ten Commandments Plaque on High School’s Wall

At Harding High School in Marion, Ohio, there used to be a plaque of the Ten Commandments hanging in the hallway. It was there for over 50 years, a gift from the Class of 1953.

Over the summer, knowing that it would eventually be subject to a legal challenge, district officials took it down. And rightfully so — there’s no reason a public school should be encouraging students not to worship false idols or reminding them to have no other gods but the Christian one.

If high school students don’t know this, society as we know it will collapse

Now, one freshman (who clearly hasn’t taken a government class yet) is fighting to put it back up:

Freshman Anthony Miller is protesting the decision this week: He is attending classes, but not actively participating or doing his homework.

“I don’t care about my grades right now,” he said.

“I told the principal, until there is an agreement reached, I will not participate in any Harding-related activities, any Marion City Schools-related activities. Sports, choir, classes, whatever. I won’t even wear my Harding Marching Band shirt.”

How’s that for a protest? I don’t understand why the Ten Commandments plaque was taken down… so I’m going to continue not getting educated.

Yep, that’ll solve the problem.

I don’t mean to pick on a high school freshman, especially when his rationale isn’t much different from conservative Christian adults who are equally ignorant on this matter.

The school, understanding that he means well, isn’t punishing him. But they do plan to sit down with him soon:

[Superintendent Gary] Barber and Miller met Wednesday morning. Both sides agreed to meet Jan. 6 and start discussing where to display the plaque, according to the news release.

Barber said he and students will work with faith-based ministers and others in the community to discuss an appropriate home for the plaque. He said it would be a community discussion as students and administrators work together to find a resolution.

There are plenty of appropriate homes for the plaque. Give it to a local church. Let Miller hang it up in his house. Basically, anywhere outside the school or another government building is fine.

I hope the administration is just humoring Miller at this point, because there’s no legally sound compromise that can involve keeping the Commandments in the school.

Miller says he’s not opposed to displays from other religions being allowed up at the school — but we all know how out of hand that can get. Atheists, Pastafarians, The Satanic Temple will be at the front of the line to get their plaques on the school walls — and how could the district say no to them? It’s a can of worms that’s not worth opening. (Not to mention that the existence of other plaques would contradict the very first Commandment…)

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Brian for the link)

An Atheist’s Take on Exodus: Gods and Kings

On Friday evening, I went to Exodus: Gods and Kings. While I’ll leave a full review to the professionals, there are a few points that stood out to me as atheist viewer. (Spoilers ahead!)

For starters, the movie didn’t follow the typical “Bible movie” path of utter sycophancy. Based on previous interviews with both lead actor Christian Bale and director Ridley Scott, this is not surprising. Bale and Scott had both indicated, for instance, that the actions of Moses, as portrayed in religious stories, would warrant military action in this day and age. So it wasn’t shocking to see some of this activity portrayed short of being glorious acts of God.

The killing of the firstborn is the most obvious example. In the Bible, it is presented as a triumph. Indeed, God is supposed to have deliberately hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to ensure that it happened. Exodus 11 reads:

So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.

…

The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you — so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

The film essentially depicts the same story, but shows the impact less as a righteous demonstration of God’s wrath and more from the perspective of those whose children were killed. (Even Moses, in the film, is mortified by God’s plan.) As the implications of this mass killing, like that of the flood and other purportedly righteous slaughters, are often overlooked, it will be interesting to see how religious viewers respond to watching these aspects of the story depicted.

Which isn’t to say the film was dismissive of the Hebrew god.

Scott seemed, for awhile, to try to walk a tightrope between “maybe God is real” and “maybe there’s a rational explanation for it all.” Moses begins as a skeptic to religion entirely; and, after his conversion, attributes his own ideas to God when questioned. Indeed, Moses’ first vision of the messenger of God only comes after taking a tremendous blow to the head.

But, in the end (mainly due to the killing of the firstborn, where no rational explanation can be provided), you are left to conclude that God is real. Petty, mercurial, tyrannical even; but real. Fair enough, as it’s a religion-based movie; but I doubt the depiction will appeal to religious viewers. The implication that God was real, but a real monster, was not particularly satisfying to me, either.

The movie seemed to get tangled between two threads, ending up half-way between being a secular take on religious mythology and a full-blown religious movie. I can’t say that I liked it, but it’s progress at least to see decent screen time given to the less savory aspects of these cherished Bible stories.

Despite Warning, Gideons Reps Illegally Hand Out Bibles at Georgia Elementary School

In September of 2012, representatives from Gideons International came to White Elementary School in Georgia during the school day and distributed bibles to students who wanted them. The principal even announced the distribution to students.

All of this is illegal and the Freedom From Religion Foundation said as much to Superintendent John F. Harper of the Bartow County School System, and he assured them it would never happen again. More importantly, he said:

… “any future practice will be reviewed carefully” and that “No principal, teacher or any other school official will encourage a student in Bartow County School System to accept a Gideon Bible in the future.”

You know why I’m bringing this up.

It turns out the Gideons were back inside the school district last week:

It is our information and understanding that on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 1:00 pm, Gideons International representatives distributed bibles to students at Cloverleaf Elementary during the school day. We understand that teachers announced the bible distribution and sorted their students into those wanting bibles and others. In our complainants class, only one child (not our complainant’s) refused to take a bible. She, as one of the “others,” was teased and ostracized and forced to defend herself by saying the she “believed in God, but it is in a different way.” The teacher then walked the students to the library, and, leading by example, took a bible from the adult male that set up shop in the public elementary school library.

In another letter to Dr. Harper, FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel explained how the Gideons work:

The Gideons operate by deliberately avoiding superintendents and school boards. They advise their members to seek permission at the lowest level of authority. Usually, they target teachers and principals. The Gideons interal policies state that under no circumstances are the local Gideon groups permitted to ask for a legal opinion from the state or school district — and with good reason, because the law clearly prohibits bible distributions in public schools.

The Gideons can’t play by the rules, so they circumvent the law by going to people who don’t know any better. That way, they can put on a surprised face when confronted by people who do. On top of that, keep in mind they’re targeting children who, due to peer pressure, will almost always take a Bible just to fit in.

By the way, when Jessica Greene, the mother who brought all of this to FFRF’s attention, raised her concerns on the school’s Facebook page, the responses were just absurd:

“Some of the last comments I got before it was taken down from the page were “You’re out numbered here,” she said.

As if that’s a reason to allow religion to run rampant.

It’s despicable. And it’s just the sort of thing you expect Christian groups like the Gideons to do.

The question now is whether any local Christian leaders will have the guts to admit the Gideons are wrong.

If not, I’m guessing The Satanic Temple has a coloring book those children might want to get their hands on…

(Image via Shutterstock)

Pastor Steven Anderson Lied to a Holocaust Survivor and Duped Him Into Appearing in an Anti-Semitic Film

Pastor Steven Anderson, when he’s not explaining why gay people need to be executed, is working on a film called Marching to Zion, which is all about how Jews aren’t God’s “chosen people” (because Christians are) and how the “modern-day nation of Israel… is a complete fraud.”

And to prove his point, he spoke with four Jewish rabbis who supposedly make his points for him!

Just one problem.

One of those rabbis says he was duped into participating in the film and is now threatening legal action.

Earlier this year, Rabbi Leo Abrami, a Holocaust survivor who has served at Reform and Conservative synagogues throughout his decades-long career, was contacted by a man who said that he was making a documentary explaining some aspects of the Jewish faith. He offered to come to Abrami’s home in Sun City West and arrived with a cameraman. His visitor turned out to be Anderson, although Anderson identified himself as “an interested layperson” who was curious about Judaism, Abrami said. “I made the mistake of not Googling him before he came.”

…

“The subterfuge that he used to get these interviews from us is beyond belief,” said Wiener, who noted that the man mentioned a PBS documentary. “When he used the words PBS to me, it sounded legitimate and I didn’t pursue it any further,” he said.

…

“The pastor misrepresented himself,” he said. “He was lying to me all along. … I’m not letting it go, whenever I can I will fight back.”

Mann also said that he has spoken to his attorneys and will be “pursuing all legal remedies against all the parties who were involved in this heinous scam.”

Wow… that’s a new kind of horrible, even for Anderson. But, in his mind, he’s working toward a righteous Christian cause and that automatically justifies anything he does to achieve it, whether it means advocating for the deaths of those who don’t fit his narrow Christian ideal or conning people to appear in a movie they would never participate in otherwise.

It’s a good thing lying isn’t prohibited in the Bible or anything…

(via Raw Story. Thanks to Scott for the link)

Mississippi Pastor Puts a Wedding Dress on a Horse to Protest Gay Marriage (Because He’s a Neigh-Sayer)

Rev. Edward James of Bertha Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi is gliding swiftly down a slippery slope. In order to protest gay marriage rights, he stood in front of the courthouse downtown… next to a horse in a wedding dress.

This is how bigots think.

As Charlotte [the horse] grazed on an area of grass in a median along Court Street, James held signs in both hands as passersby stopped in the middle of the road to grasp what exactly was happening. One passing driver yelled, “Your horse is pretty!”

“The next unnatural law… Do you take this horse to be your unnatural wedded spouse to have and to hold?” one sign read.

“Marriage is one man and one woman… anything else is a perversion,” another sign read.

What’s with the crazy conservative obsession with marrying animals…? If it weren’t for them, no one would be talking about this. There’s a difference between two loving adults who consent to signing a marriage contract and a horse that has no clue what the hell is going on, a distinction that seems to elude all these Rick Santorum wannabes.

It brings to mind this wonderful headline in The Onion:

The state’s ban on gay marriage was struck down in Mississippi in November, but same-sex couples can’t get married yet. They’ll have to wait for an appeals court to uphold the ban and that hearing takes place on January 9. I’m optimistic, though, regardless of how far down that slope Rev. James slips.

(Thanks to Matt for the link)

Ken Ham’s Latest Video Shows He Still Doesn’t Get Why His Ark Park Isn’t Getting a Tax Rebate

Following the rejection of his Ark Park’s tax rebates, potentially costing him more than $18,000,000, Ken Ham released a video yesterday commenting on the setback.

In the video, Ham is in his element: Misrepresenting his ideological opponents and showcasing his own ignorance.

Dan Arel has a great explanation of what’s wrong with the video, which I would encourage you to read in full, but here’s a quick summary:

Ham seems to think because he is religious, any business he is a part of can be exempt from such laws. If the Ark Encounter wants to discriminate against employees, it needs to be setup as a religious organization, not a for-profit business.

Secular and atheist groups have said this time and time again. We are not trying to stop the ark from being built, we are simply making sure the law is followed. The park broke the law when it decided to hold employees to a religious litmus test for hiring and now it is paying the price. If you cannot play by the law, you don’t get to play at all.

I was surprised to hear Ham say that he was counting on the $18,000,000 to complete the building of the theme park. It’s meant to be a rebate after the park is complete, not a grant to help you build it.

Ham also claims that atheist groups, like his own, discriminate in their hiring… but I would take issue with that, too. The atheist non-profits I know have no religious requirements at all — employees just have to be able to get behind the organization’s goals. And you don’t have to be an atheist to do that. Furthermore, I’ve never heard of an atheist-owned for-profit business that discriminated in hiring. If I’m wrong, please let me know.

The fact is: Ham is doing something illegal. He refuses to admit it… or even understand it. Every time he opens his mouth, that ignorance shines through.

Wisconsin Priest Who Accused Atheists of Shunning Beauty, Fun, and Civic-Mindedness Is Cited For Indecent Proposal

Two years ago, Monsignor Bernard McGarty was driving by a festive display of holiday lights in his hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin, enjoying Christmas carols on the radio, when a thought struck him: How dismal and cheerless La Crosse would be if the town had embraced atheism rather than Christianity!

So, oblivious to the fact that winter solstice celebrations — with lights! — predate Christmas by probably millennia, Father McGarty soon penned an amazing editorial for the local newspaper that chiefly revealed how unlikely it is that he personally knows any atheists. Consider: If La Crosse had been founded and populated by atheists, McGarty claimed,

The symphony would not have a theater with perfect acoustics, such as the house provided by the Franciscan Sisters. If the symphony were to play in a less august space, any of the religious music of Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, Bizet and Verdi would be offensive to atheist ears. … At Passover, Holy Week and then Easter, no hearing Handel’s “Messiah,” celebrating resurrection. The “Messiah” lifts me off my feet. I soar as I hear it. Does atheism produce any comparable composition celebrating nothingness? By their fruits you shall know them.

There would be no YWCA, no YMCA providing a swimming pool, gymnasium, weight room and other programs. Are atheists getting a free ride on we believers?

Do atheists send or receive valentines? Do they sing songs, tell a joke or buy a drink on Paddy’s Day? At Mardi Gras, do they dance? Are atheist children allowed to trick-or-treat or dress in funny costumes? Do they believe in fun?

Right. I guess we are supposed to think that in atheist-majority countries like China and Sweden, there are no pristine symphony halls, no state-of-the-art sports facilities, no celebrations, no exuberance, no humor, no dancing, no sharing and charity and bonhomie. Just millions of moping, indolent sourpusses being miserable together.

I’m writing about Father McGarty today because he just made the newspaper again (the same one where he published his 2012 editorial – that the editors might well have rejected as hate speech if it had been about any minority group but atheists). But this time, McGarty isn’t in the op-ed pages. He’s in the news/crime section, because of the special way that he decided to get an early start on celebrating the Christmas season.

A La Crosse priest was cited Thursday for disorderly conduct after asking a Wausau massage therapist to touch his genitals. Wausau television station WSAW reported that Monsignor Bernard McGarty, 89, was receiving a massage when he lifted the coverings off his groin and asked the masseuse to rub his genitals. The massage therapist refused and left the room, according to WSAW; she told police McGarty then called her a derogatory name.

Happy holidays to you too, Father.

McGarty was not arrested but issued a $250 ticket.

A retired priest, McGarty served in several leadership positions with the Diocese of La Crosse and is a visiting scholar of ecumenical studies at Viterbo University.

We ought to thank Father McGarty for leading by example. Without him, we might never have known that one great way to spread holiday cheer is through sexual misconduct and cursing.

Project for Awesome 2014: Openly Secular

Unlike our usual Atheist Voice videos, this one is part of Project 4 Awesome.

Please consider voting for it at the P4A website (and tell others to do the same)! There’s a chance that Openly Secular could receive a portion of the funds raised this weekend.

A rough transcript of the video can be found on the P4A page.

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