By
George Kane
Supreme
Court Chief Justice John Roberts stumbled over the words of the
presidential oath, momentarily confusing Barack Obama, but he
predictably tagged "so help me god" onto the end.
Reverend Rick Warren provided for an invocation a prayer in Jesus'
name. Reverend Joe Lowery implored the audience to shout "Amen!"
to close his benediction. It all made the inauguration of our 44th
president a tediously religious affair, like every other presidential
inauguration that I can remember. But, had a District Court judge
exercised a little judicial courage the week before, it need not have
been so.
Michael Newdow, the Sacramento
emergency room doctor who has gained fame for his suits to ban group
recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, brought an
Establishment Clause challenge to the Obama administration before it
even took office. Along with 30 other plaintiffs, he filed suit to
prohibit appending the words "so help me god" to the
presidential oath, and to prevent sectarian prayers at the
inauguration ceremony.
Joining Newdow in the suit are
many of the nation's leading atheist organizations and
church/state separation watchdog groups, including Minnesota
Atheists, the American Humanist Association, the Atheist Alliance
International, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. Notable
individually named plaintiffs are the top officers of the plaintiff
organizations, including Minnesota Atheists president August
Berkshire. Another is Ellery Schempp, the named plaintiff in the 1963
case Abbington County School District v. Schempp, in which the
Supreme Court outlawed classroom prayer in public schools. The list
of plaintiffs also included "unnamed children," as their
parents have a right to take them to view their government in action
without being forced to confront the official endorsement of
religious dogma with which they disagree.
.
Read more: February News and Notes
Dan
Barker had a busy day on January 18. He began the day at the KTNF
studio for an interview on Atheists Talk Radio, filled the
afternoon with an appearance at the Roseville Library as the speaker
at our monthly public meeting, and after dinner with some meeting
attendees, presented a reading of excerpts from his new book at the
Midway Borders Book Store.
The
public meeting was by far our largest ever, with attendance estimated
at 140. Barker began by informing us of some recent activities of the
Freedom from Religion Foundation, the nation's largest
church/state separation watchdog organization. Barker and his wife,
Annie Laurie Gaylor, are co-presidents. They ran a quarter-page ad in
the Washington Post on Inauguration Day, headlined "Mr.
President, Rebuild that Wall!"
.
Read more: January Meeting Review
By Steve Petersen
The
members of Minnesota Atheists should be excited about the incoming
board of directors. This marks an historic moment in the
organization's history. For the first time, no founding member
will serve on the board. Minnesota Atheists was incorporated on
September 21, 1991, and I filed the papers myself. The gauge
that some of us founders set was that the organization will be
successful when the founders are succeeded by other volunteers.
It has taken eighteen years of planning and working by so many, but
the goal of passing the torch to the next generation of atheist
leaders will happen. This is not a change based on agreement of
how things should be done, but agreement in the principle of keeping
us moving forward in our founding purpose of creating an atmosphere
of respectability for atheists. Our objective has a long way to
go before it will be met, but today each member can feel proud
because we stand a better chance of reaching our goal of society's
knowledge of atheists today than yesterday.
The
members nominated this January and to be elected this February are a
good mix of long-time members and newer members who each bring a set
of experiences to the board that will enable Minnesota Atheists to be
on the cutting edge of tomorrow's communication needs. This is
a board I look forward to supporting and assisting in their efforts
to move us into years of future growth and thus enhancing our outlook
for years to come.
.
Every year, Minnesota Atheists nominate and elect board members to serve in leadership roles for our organization. This year, at the January membership meeting. nine atheists were nominated by the membership and await election in February. Nominees for the board are, Bjorn Watland, Jeannette Watland, Grant Steves, Jack Caravela, Andy Flamm, George Kane, Cathy Prody, Crystal Dervetski, and Mike Haubrich. Read the full article to see their candidate statements.
.
Read more: Minnesota Atheists Board Election Candidate Statements
By Vic Tanner
Irrational beliefs are much more common than many people think and they can be a major handicap. They can lead to dysfunctional behavior and keep us from living satisfying and fulfilling lives. But, of course, they can also be fun. I'm a big fan of them. Not of believing in them, of course, but I love hearing about them. Bigfoot sightings and UFOs were both a huge part of my childhood. I really thought that "In Search Of" was the greatest show ever on television. For the life of me, I could not figure out how such a fantastic show ever got canceled. Of course, it did take me well into adulthood to figure out that people were actually taking this stuff seriously, but that was my own naivety, I guess.
.
Read more: More Woo
