Atheists Attack. We Defend.

Mar 27, 2012 | 4 comments

Atheists are coming after us, and they’re using the courts to do it.

It’s been happening for decades, and they scored the first victory in the conflict way back in 1963 right here in Pennsylvania, when atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair sued the Abington school district to abolish prayer in schools. She won, and our nation has been paying the price ever since.

Since that time, courtrooms across the country have served as the coliseums for back and forth duels between those who want to stamp out any and all public expression of religious faith, and those who rightly believe religious freedom is a paramount right.

Lose in this arena, and lose our fundamental freedoms. It’s as simple as that.
And it’s why we’re engaged in the fight for religious liberty.

Yesterday afternoon, another salvo in the battle was fired, this time launched by a Wisconsin group, the “Freedom from Religion Foundation,” and aimed squarely at Pennsylvania.
This godless atheistic group has filed suit in Federal Court against Rep. Rick Saccone (R-Allegheny) and several others for his sponsorship of a unanimously adopted House resolution declaring 2012 “The Year of the Bible” in Pennsylvania.
They claim that the “Year of the Bible” resolution is unconstitutional – that it violates the “U.S. Constitution’s mandatory separation of church and state.”

This despite several facts:

• Nowhere in the Constitution are the words “Separation of church and state.” The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, and prohibits a national church.
• Our history and our State Capitol building are full of references to the Bible and actual Scripture verses.
• Many of our Founding Fathers and past presidents and governors regularly cited the Bible, declared days of prayer and fasting and National Days of Thanksgiving to God.
• President Ronald Reagan designated 1983 as the national Year of the Bible at the request of Congress, which in October 1982 passed a resolution authorizing him to do so.

We must not allow ourselves to be bullied and destroyed by those who deny God and look to restrict our freedom. These attacks must be resisted. We need your help and involvement as we stand for liberty in the courts and the public square.

Our Independence Law Center is in the courts even now defending life, marriage and religious freedom. With the help of our friends and supporters, we’ll be there for Rep. Saccone, and to do everything we can to make sure that not only will 2012 remain the Year of the Bible, but that our ability to practice our faith in the public square will be protected.

Frankly, we can do no less.