Pennsylvania Legislature Sued Over Prayers

From a story in today's Salt Lake Tribune, a group of atheists is suing the Pennsylvania State Legislature over prayers that are offered at the beginning of each days' business. Of course, they are horrified by the practice--which, by the way, has been in place [in Pennsylvania] since before the United States even existed, and are seeking to instill their will on the whole population of the State.

The following is my response to this ridiculous lawsuit:

"The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

These atheist groups fail to grasp that concept. And accordingly, they fail to grasp that, just because a prayer is offered, they by no means must participate, as the lawsuit claims. They do not have to bow their heads and follow along. They are all perfectly capable of leaving their heads up, keeping their eyes open, leaving their arms at their sides, and thinking about other things while any prayer or invocation is given before the Legislature. After all, acting respectfully is not a difficult task.

How difficult is it to respect the beliefs of others? Or, are they so caught up in their zeal to eliminate religion from the public square that the rights of others mean nothing to them?

The Constitution forbids the establishment of one single religion that is endorsed by the State. How is a belief in God the endorsement of a single religion? If the Federal Government took say, the Baptist religion and said, “This is the preferred religion,” then they (the atheists) would have a case. However, the offering of the invocation from various religions is NOT an endorsement of one religion.

These atheist groups need to stop trampling on the rights of the vast majority that believe in religion and put more effort into getting along with everyone. After all, the Freedom of Speech is not just about your opinion, but about also the opinions of everyone who disagrees with your position. If you can’t accept that everyone else has an equal voice, then I suggest you move to another country."