Atheist gives invocation…

Author: skepoet

Recently the President of American Atheists, and greater Atlanta-area native Ed Buckner, gave an invocation to the Cobb Commissioners. The whole case involving Cobb County goes back a few years to when Pelphrey v Cobb began. The ACLU’s take on the prayer invocations was that Cobb County showed favoritism to fundamentalist Protestant Christianity in their selection of invocation providers. Courts denied the claim saying it was not the Court’s place to decide what is and isn’t sectarian.

This gets to the recent problem with the “inclusion” activists. They have used this to expand the legitimacy of groups like HOPE and the Fellowship for Christian Athletes in Southern schools, under the premise that by including other religious groups, it gives equal access, and it avoids conflicts with the Establishment Clause. I, however, working for schools, know that many schools in the South do not allow Wiccan, Buddhist, or LGBT groups for technical reasons.

Sometimes, after a lawsuit has been threatened, counties will do what County Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens did for Buckner, and allow a group, only to let it get harassed or complained out of existence, or they will require parental approval prior to anyone joining a group, which is current Georgia law. This can lead to students outing themselves to their parents.

I, however, agree with Buckner’s invocation against invocation, and I see it applying in other places. The State can’t be equal to all beliefs in all areas; therefore, it should not involve itself at all. The inclusive standard used by the ACLU is problematic for that reason.