In The News

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Atheists are constantly in the news for whining. All kinds of stories surface because they do not like anything that has to do with religious expression on public property or at public gatherings that they claim is in violation of the "separation of church and state," a phrase that isn't even in the U.S. Constitution. These complaints include expression of one's faith at graduation ceremonies or by students in the classroom, the display of crosses, praying at civic meetings, and even students praying over their lunch or reading the Bible on their own free time. There are many more incidences that have been in the news, some of which are even more trite and ridiculous. Whine! Whine! Whine!

Often what happens is a handful of people have the audacity to think that they have more say than what the First Amendment allows or what the majority of people want, so they complain to an organization like the American Civil Liberties Union or the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The next thing you know it has become a news story sounding like a huge group of people are objecting. Many times, but not all, it is directed at Christians.

It is true that freedom of religion expression has certain parameters and legalities that sometimes are violated, in which case there should be accountability and a "watch dog." It is also true that in many cases it has become what some have described as bullying, when it is done within legal limitations and the majority of the people are supporting it.

One of the most recent situations involved a high school football team in Sanford, Florida. The entire team bowed and prayed over an injured player. Guess what, someone whined to the Freedom From Religion Foundation. A parent was quoted as saying, "There are a lot more important issues going on in the world than worrying about kids praying at a game." It often appears that this is not just an attempt to monitor the free expression of religion, but to deny it.

A group of parents in Gainsville, Georgia had enough. The high school coach started praying with his team and biblical references were put on team documents. I concede that this might have been questionable, but according to news reports NOT ONE PERSON complained, except some atheists. This time it backfired. More than 200 parents showed up for an impromptu prayer rally with a message saying, "Don't bully our kids." It also had the full support of the superintendent. A listener called a radio station and said "If the atheist group doesn't like the prayer, tell them to stick their fingers in their ears."

The atheists need to quit whining every time they hear or see something that they choose to label a violation of religious expression. I am not sure how this incident turned out, but one thing for sure, the people made their voice heard and told the atheists to quit whining.

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