COMMENTARY | A Wisconsin-based atheist extremist group, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), has been busy with its campaign of misery as we come up on Christmas.
The organization is impeding on the rights of the majority of Americans in attempting to impose their beliefs, or lack thereof, on this majority using a misguided interpretation of the First Amendment. This is evidenced by the mission statement of FFRF that ends with the phrase, "committed to the cherished principle of separation of state and church."
These extremists misinterpret the prohibition on establishing an official American religion as equivalent to erecting a decoration. Any sane, thinking person knows the difference between hanging a picture and forcing a person to worship something, but it seems to willfully elude these people.
They also ignore the part of the First Amendment that guarantees free exercise of religion to citizens.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech..."
Censoring Christmas decorations violates both free exercise of religion and freedom of speech.
Here are a few very recent examples:
In Ellwood City, Pa., FFRF is meddling with a Nativity Scene display, attempting to have city officials hang a condescending sign near the display, mocking those who would otherwise enjoy the decorations. The Ellwood City Ledger reports that FFRF is demanding the hateful banner be hung or they will "seek a legal remedy."
Citizens of Ellwood City have expressed their support for the Nativity Scene and outrage over the actions of this boorish group.
WYTX 19 reports FFRF is demanding the banner be hung near a display in Athens, Texas. Henderson County Commissioner Joe Hall is standing up for his constituents in true Texas fashion.
"This nation is a Christian nation regardless of what those fruit loops and fruitcakes in Washington D.C. say," Hall told WYTX. "Hell will freeze over before I vote to have it removed."
God bless you, Mr. Hall.
A blog called God discussion reports of FFRF's disdain for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker calling a Christmas Tree a Christmas Tree instead of a holiday tree as Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee calls it, as I wrote Nov. 30.
A Pew poll shows 78.5 percent of Americans are Christians while only 1.6 percent identify as atheists. Yet these miscreants feel it necessary to force their religion on us while complaining that a passive decoration is forcing religion on them.
For all of their animosity toward Christians, a recent study released by the University of Oregon shows that atheists "tended to find believers to be more trustworthy" than other atheists. The study found "Christians, Muslims, gay men, feminists or Jewish people" were all considered more trustworthy than an atheist.
"Only rapists were distrusted to a comparable degree," the report found.
This groups manufactured outrage also neglects the fact that the Nativity Scene is a historical reenactment. This depiction can be enjoyed based solely for historical value, if one so chooses.
No one is denying these malcontents their free exercise of religion, yet they would deny us ours.
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