Thread: Court Says Atheism is a Religion

This page is about a federal court of appeals ruling in favor of an inmate who claimed that Wisconsin prison officials violated his rights to create a study group for atheists. The court said that atheism is a religion. I say that he has every right to under the constitution to start an atheistic group. However, this ruling is like a double edged sword to atheists. If atheism is a religion, should it be taught in public schools. They try to keep Christianity from being taught because of the so called separation of church and state. If they continue to teach an atheistic point of view, how can they continue to deny Christianity in light of this ruling?

http://www.afa.net/clp/ReleaseDetail.asp?id=102

haha, omfg... what a dumbass ruling ( mostly the constitution's fault ) ... see the thing is that the constitution, while hoping to not establish a state religion, nor abridging the right to practice any religion, is practicing one itself.

Atheism IS by definition a religion. It's a common mistake that atheists believe in nothing. Agnostics believe in nothing.

And pfft, atheism has to be taught in schools because it's a religion? As if. I hardly think this ruling is going to replace Christianity - how many hours are spent teaching kids the ins-and-outs of Muslim, Judaism, Hindu, Islam? Not very bloody many, certainly not as many as Christianity.

All ye Christians calm down. Atheism being declared as a religion doesn't, and shouldn't, shift your position one tiny bit.

And for the record, I'm against any religion being taught in schools at anything deeper than a logistical level, in line with the seperation of church and State. If kids are really that interesting in religion, they can learn it for themselves. It's the State's duty to seperate church and State, and that includes education.

well, technically, no it is not the state's duty. since it is a practice, and not a law

You mean the teaching of religion in schools? Expand.

It's the State's duty to seperate church and State, and that includes education.

the state's duty is to educate its citizens. the state practices separation of church and state, becuase first off, the first amendment says that the state can pick and choose which one to teach, so since it cant pick one, it must either pick all, or none.

to save headaches, the state has chosen to teach none. this is the practice of separation of church and state, in reguards to education.

Religion likes to claim it is the source for morality (even as the clergy molest the children and urge yet more wars upon the "heathen" in the name of their gods), but in truth most atheists tend to be more moral for the simple reason that they arrive at their moral positions through self-examination, and are more committed to their moral codes because they came to them out of free choice rather than coercion...

the state's duty is to educate its citizens. the state practices separation of church and state, becuase first off, the first amendment says that the state can pick and choose which one to teach, so since it cant pick one, it must either pick all, or none.

to save headaches, the state has chosen to teach none. this is the practice of separation of church and state, in reguards to education.

*Alarm bells*

UHH? Do you REALLY believe that? In some States, especially in the deep South, religion is crowbarred into everything - morality, creation, science, etc etc. The creationist theory (a theory with no scientific backing and huge scientific evidence AGAINST it) is taught at the same scientific level as the evolution theory. It's ridiculous.

well, considering i grew up basically in the north, to about age six, and my only schooling up there was kindergarten, and them moved down south, where i started first grade in public schools, and graduated 12th grade from the same set of schoools around where i live...

* turns alarm bells off *

i kept my mind about me. especially towards the end of my schooling. and to my knowledge, i do not remember any religious gearing... but then again, i dont remember much about the younger years of schooling... so

America has far more religious gearing than any other developed nation, and it's hard to see until you go somewhere else. Here, unless you go to a Catholic school (which I did), Religious Education is an optional subject, and unless you happen to want to go into religion as a career, it's not required for jobs. There's also no mention of science in religion, and vice-versa. I've been to America twice and the amount of religious integration into culture really astounded me. I'm sure the same would be true of you if you came here.