Court Says Atheism is a Religion
A federal court of appeals has ruled in favor of an inmate who claimed that Wisconsin prison officials violated his rights under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because they refused to allow him to create a study group for atheists.
I love how the courts look favorably on a inmates "rights" to practice a "religion" but a 12 year old boy scout who wants to say the pledge of allegiance in school is seen a public enemy number one.
The Supreme Court has said that a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being. In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, the Court described "secular humanism" as a religion.
I do believe that for many people atheism is not simply a passive act but a rabid religion thacompelsls them to "evangelize" (mostly through the ACLU) and attempt to extinguish opposing belief systems. (mostly Christianity)
The best part about this ruling is that is demonstrates the absurdity of the "establishment clause" arguments that the ACLU makes every day. If having no religion is a religion then asking congress (or these days, judges) to establish that belief system expressly violates the first amendment.
On the other hand, having kids say a short prayer before they start their class in a public school does not as it does not establish a national religion and the school is not congress.
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