Americans United for Separation of Church and State has a long history of going after conservatives and Republicans. But in case you ever need an example of the church/state separation group going after Democrats, here’s a recent example (PDF) where Barack Obama’s wife Michelle campaigned for him at a meeting of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina yesterday. AU’s Executive Director Barry Lynn wants the IRS to investigate:
I write today with information about what appears to be a violation of federal tax law by a non-profit religious organization in North Carolina. I believe this matter warrants the attention of the Internal Revenue Service.
Several media accounts have discussed the appearance of Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, at a meeting of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in Fayetteville Oct. 29. This appearance took on the trappings of a campaign rally, and during it Ms. Obama promoted her husband’s candidacy and appealed for votes.
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Federal tax law permits candidates to appear in churches or before religious groups under certain conditions. For example, a candidate may speak in a non-candidate capacity or as part of a non-partisan event designed to educate voters by allowing them to meet candidates and ask questions. In this case, the candidate’s wife represented the candidate and presided over an event that appeared very similar to a standard campaign rally. This is problematic, to say the least.
In short, I believe this appearance by Ms. Obama before this religious group raises a host of issues, and I urge the IRS to investigate the matter.
The IRS should investigate the church’s violation of its tax-exempt status. You can bet if Cindy McCain did the same thing for her husband, we’d be all over the church.
Why are there so many atheism blogs? I saw recently how one guy collects them all in one place so you can “feed” on a life without God, literally hundreds of blog links, enough reading for several years.
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You see, something inside is telling the atheistic bloggers - God really does exist. Rather than yield to his love, the atheist will convince himself/herself that God doesn’t exist and in so doing, proves that he in fact does exist, but that they are unwilling to acknowledge it. The sheer volume of atheistic blogs testify to the existence of one they refuse to acknowledge due to mulish pride.
The Boise State Secular Student Alliance were manning a booth for their group during a recent Parent and Family Weekend. Lloyd Lowe, the president of the group, set up the table and walked away for a while. When he returned, his found that the banner he had put up was no longer visible to the public:
Upon returning, he found his banner taped upside down. While trying to reposition it, he was approached by Brian MacDonald, director of New Student and Family Programs. MacDonald told him to speak with Director of Student Activities Kelly Stevens.
“This was an event for parents and families to come and just relax and enjoy family weekend, not engage in dialogue about religion and spirituality,” MacDonald said. “Something that is a very sensitive topic to some people, we thought that the poster should be taken down.”
Stevens informed Lowe that she had received complaints regarding the banner and that he must replace the banner or leave…
What is on the banner that got everyone so worked up?
The banner reads: “Outgrown Your Imaginary Friend?”
That’s it. Everyone was up in arms over the harmless question.
It’s not inflammatory at all. Yes, Lowe is calling God imaginary. As we all should. I would guess that most religious students on campus believe the same thing about all the other gods people believe in except their own.
So why is the atheist group getting punished for saying what everyone else is thinking?
The Boise State campus group is calling censorship.
Our banner, which appealed to reason, offended the superstitious beliefs of some people on campus. Just as their superstitious beliefs offend our sensibility and reason. When the non-religious complain about the blatant acts of proselytizing on campus they are dismissed. But when we attempt to promote critical thinking our views are suppressed. There is something wrong with this. Why is religion allowed a free pass at criticizing other beliefs (and non-beliefs) and yet immune from criticism itself?
Looking at this only in terms of religion masks a larger issue about the role of skepticism in general. We never referred to any one imaginary friend in particular. There are many and they are normally associated with childhood, like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. But there are many false beliefs held by adults who should know better. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, UFOs, ghosts, guardian angels, numerology, psychics, and this paper even has horoscopes!
So the message I’m getting is that reason and critical thought are out, but millennia old superstitions are in. If god really didn’t want us out there asking questions I’m sure he could have handled the situation. Even Thor could have mustered a little lightning bolt. The BSU administration really didn’t have to get involved.
We are a group of students who embrace rational reasoning and empirical evidence over superstition, which we find to be just plain silly in this enlightened era. Please don’t take us back to medieval times, where the majority religion quashed and silenced other religious practices.
Perhaps it is exaggerating to say the banner takedown is a throwback to medieval times. But it is bad precendence for the school to follow. Let’s use some common sense. The banner was asking a question designed to get people thinking. A university, of all places, ought to encourage that.
On a side note, a poll on the newspaper website asks: “Do you believe the Secular Student Alliance had a right to display their banner?”
One option reads “They have a right to display their banner at any event they’re invited to on campus.”
That option is currently ahead (with 76% of the vote as I write this). You can help make sure it stays that way.
“All I done was ask a question! I did not implicate anybody or anything, any party. I didn’t do anything,” said the official who wished to remain anonymous.
Yep. That was all he done.
The sign has since been taken down.
Meanwhile, Victoria Jackson — the anti-Julia Sweeney — writes this on her website:
You see, what bothers me most, besides being a Communist, and a racist (Obama writes in his book, From Dreams of My Father, “I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and and animosity against my (white) mother’s race.”) (Obama’s “religion” of the last 20 years is Black Liberation Theology. What is that? “It is simply Marxism dressed up in Christian rhetoric. But unlike traditional Marxism, Black Liberation Theology emphasizes race rather than class. It’s leading theorist is James Cone who says Jesus was black, African-Americans are the chosen people, and whites are the devil. Cone says, “What we need is the destruction of whiteness, which is the source of human misery in the world.” The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor), is that he is a LIAR. He pretends to be a Christian and he incriminates himself everytime he speaks about Christianity. To lie about being a believer in Christ is very dangerous. Lightning could strike him at any minute! But seriously, he doesn’t have a clue what the Bible says and yet he pretends to be a church- going Christian to win votes. That is sooooo evil.
I’m looking forward to next Wednesday morning. Hopefully, it’ll be a great day to read all the statements from the Religious Right groups telling us how the country’s doomed now that the liberals have taken over.
