Posted by Hemant Mehta in ABC seems to have realized discussing atheism boosts the ratings. So they’re doing it again this Friday.
On a 20/20 episode this Friday at 9:00 (EST) titled “Seeing and Believing: The Power of Faith,” the show will mention the story of Chuck and Nicole Smalkowski.
In a nutshell, here’s their story (via NoGodBlog):
… Nicole Smalkowski was expelled from public school on false charges when she refused to stand in a circle on the auditorium floor with the girls’ basketball team and recite the “Lord’s Prayer.”
Her father Chuck Smalkowski was falsely indicted on criminal charges, all because of prejudice against their assertion of their rights as Atheists. American Atheists participated in Chuck’s criminal trial that resulted in three “Not Guilty” verdicts by a jury. Edwin Kagin, National Legal Director for American Atheists, persuaded the jury to swear to believe an Atheist under oath over a Christian if the facts so warranted.
The whole segment, all of nine minutes, will feature the Smalkowskis, Edwin Kagin, and Richard Dawkins. At least, they were all filmed. Hopefully, none of them will be edited out.
The press release from American Atheists can be found here.
[tags]atheist, atheism, ABC, 20/20, Seeing and Believing: The Power of Faith, Chuck Smalkowski, Nicole Smalkowski, NoGodBlog, American Atheists, Edwin Kagin, Richard Dawkins[/tags]
[...] I didn’t get a chance to view it, and the video doesn’t seem to be up on their site yet, but there is an article up regarding the atheist segment of the program, focusing on the Smalkowski family. [...]