American Atheists Missouri

An Atheist-First Amendment public policy group charged today that NASA is violating the separation of church and state by permitting a “space missionary” memento on the latest Discovery Space Shuttle Mission.

On board the shuttle is a piece of an airplane that crashed in Ecuador in 1956 that carried members of the Missionary Aviation Fellowship. One of the shuttle astronaut  contacted the Idaho-based group proposing that the item be taken into space as part of a government-funded  exploration project. The event has re-ignited enthusiasm by religious groups for “space missionary” proselytizing.

“This is an inappropriate and unconstitutional use of resources,” charged Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists. NASA is a scientific and exploratory agency that is funded by taxpayers. Its mission should not include religious grandstanding, or efforts to use outer space as a pulpit for religion.”

Coincidentally, Dr. Buckner’s late father, Rev. James C. Buckner of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in League City, Texas, collaborated with Apollo 8 astronaut Cdr. Frank Borman to insert religion on the first lunar orbital mission in 1968. That mission included a Christmas Eve religious service as the spacecraft circled the Moon — and prompted an unsuccessful lawsuit by American Atheists founder Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Ed Buckner stressed that “I loved my father, though I disagreed with him then and of course now. I did not reject my father when I rejected theism nor became an Atheist out of rebellion.  I became an Atheist because theism ceased to make any sense to me.”

Dave Silverman, Vice President and Communications Director for American Atheists said that in addition to being inappropriate and illegal, using NASA to promote sectarian religion “could fuel international tensions and resurrect images of American-sponsored proselytizing in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

“This is supposed to be a ‘new era’ for international respect and cooperation,” said Mr. Silverman. How do you think the non-Christian peoples of the world react when they see Americans pushing Christianity even in outer space?”

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
American Atheists, Inc.
PO BOX 158
Cranford, NJ 07016
Tel.: (908) 276-7300
Fax: (908) 276-7402

American Atheists is incredibly proud to announce a new Affiliate!

Please take the time if it so pleases you to contact this new Affiliate and welcome them to the Affiliate program. American Atheists continues to be proud of the Affiliate program and the individual Affiliates that make the program work!

If you have a local group that is interested in affiliating with American Atheists, or if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the Affiliate program, please contact Blair Scott, the National Affiliate Director, at bscott@atheists.org or visit the Affiliate Web Page athttp://alabamaatheist.org/naod.

San Antonio Atheists
http://sa-atheists.org
organizer@sa-atheists.org

A Kentucky Circuit Court ruled today that the state Office of Homeland Security violated the separation of church and state when it erected a plaque calling upon”Almighty God” to protect citizens from “acts of war or terrorism.”

In response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Kentucky legislature created the state office, and ordered the placement of the display. It also required that the theme of dependence on a deity be included in “agency training and educational materials.”

American Atheists and other plaintiffs filed suit. Today, Judge Thomas D. Wingate ruled that the purpose of the legislature’s action “was to declare publicly that the position of the Commonwealth of Kentucky that an Almighty God exists and that the function of that God is to protect us from our enemies.” The Judge found that the legislation violated both the Constitution of the United States and Constitution of Kentucky.”

Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, hailed the ruling. “Kentucky lawmakers tried to exploit the threat of terrorism to promote religion, and ignored the many citizens of the Commonwealth who are Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists and other nonbelievers. We are pleased to see that the court saw through this charade.”

Edwin Kagin, National Legal Director for American Atheists and the attorney who argued the case for the plaintiffs issued the following statement:

“The plaintiffs, and all citizens of Kentucky, are more safe as a result of this thoughtful ruling by Judge Wingate. Threats to our security from within are even more frightening than threats from without. Those who seek to attack our freedoms by imposing their religion upon us have been pushed back a bit by this ruling. The Wall of Separation between government and religion continues to hold. I think Thomas Jefferson would have been pleased.”

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
American Atheists, Inc.
PO BOX 158
Cranford, NJ 07016
Tel.: (908) 276-7300
Fax: (908) 276-7402

American Atheists is incredibly proud to announce a new Affiliate!

Please take the time if it so pleases you to contact this new Affiliate and welcome them to the Affiliate program. American Atheists continues to be proud of the Affiliate program and the individual Affiliates that make the program work!
If you have a local group that is interested in affiliating with American Atheists, or if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the Affiliate program, please contact Blair Scott, the National Affiliate Director, at bscott@atheists.org or visit the Affiliate Web Page athttp://alabamaatheist.org/naod.

First Church of Freethought/Fort Riley Atheists
faithforthefaithless@gmail.com