Jessica Ahlquist is a Student, Atheist, American Hero

Jessica, here's a quote for you to remember. "Just as Christianity must destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy happiness before in can introduce salvation." -George H. Smith

I salute you.

for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever would believe in him, would believe in anything...

The Bill of Rights and the Constitution guarantee the rights of the individual over the powers of the tyrannical majority. I don't care if 99% of you are Southern Baptists, you will get no special treatment in this country. Get it???

Would Peter Palumbo defend the banner as vigorously if the banner had an Islamic or a pagan sect's prayer on it?

Because keep in mind if it's alright to have Christian banners, then it should be fine for any faith to do the same.

I know it will give great offense to the clergy, but the advocate of religious freedom is to expect neither peace nor forgiveness from them.

-- Thomas Jefferson, to Levi Lincoln, 1802. ME 10:305

This is a problem that the school and the local people had to resolve. It is interesting how many people not involved have an opinion on the rightness of it. As a non-Christian, if I went to that school, I would have a problem with a Christian banner.

Of course she is a hero. When you compare her to 99.9998% of her, "sit on their backside" peers that can only parrot their parent's religious beliefs as their form of debate. When you compare her to all of those that sit by and ignore the basic premises of our freedom. As soon as you can show me another teenager that is standing up for the Constitution and the freedoms that it provides, maybe then I will reconsider. But face it. Today's youth care nothing for the freedoms that they enjoy, other than the fact that teachers cannot reprimand them and no one can force them to do much more than watch television.

Freedom of Religion also protects your churches from having someone like me writing anti-religious statements on your hallowed walls. Perhaps you are right? Let me have the chance to force my opinions on your fellow churchgoers. That would be only fair. And then while we are at it you can have your donations to religion taxed like any other big business. And stop giving tax breaks to clergy for their housing. Nobody else gets that benny!

Look at the bright side, haters . . . if a public school ever puts up a banner in support of Islam or Judaism or Atheism, you can sue to have it removed! Fair play.

I could care less what people do with their time or money. Go to church, pray, roll around the floor, scream, cry, eat christ, whatever, but don't bring it to the public schools.

Adolf Hitler: Secular Schools Cannot be Tolerated

Secular schools can never be tolerated because such schools have no religious instruction, and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith ...we need believing people.

- Adolf Hitler, April 26, 1933, speech made during negotiations leading to the Nazi-Vatican Concordant

Adolf Hitler: We Will Fight the Atheistic Movement

We were convinced that the people need and require this faith. We have therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it out.

- Adolf Hitler, Speech in Berlin, October 24, 1933

American Christians: The New Nazis.

Any Christian would be well within his or her rights to have the Koran removed from display at a public school with a majority of muslim students and faculty. Any displayed statement that denounces belief in a Diety would likewise be a violation of the Constitution, and I have no doubt any Christian railing against Alqhuist here would support its removal. How hard it is for so many to recognize their own hypocrisies when their world view is clouded by self-righteousness. It's not about Alquist, it's not about atheism or religion . . . it's about upholding the tenets of the U.S. Consitution in support of even just one against the many.

Her objection was based on legal standards that should have been observed by the school in the first place. The fact that she received death threats only shows how hateful and hypocritical these christians are. I'm glad to see how it backfired on them.

If I don't mind that some people believe in God or the Great Pumpkin, why do they get so upset because I don't?

Did you know that most of the US colonies had state sponsored churches and that men were required to pass a court run examination to get a preaching license? Did you know that US colonies imprisoned and executed many Baptists and Quakers?
No, it’s obvious that most of you don’t know any of this, and yet you all seem to know what the purpose of the 1st Amendment is.

Any Baptist who cries about freedom FOR religion does the founders of their faith a great disservice.
I wonder why Christians are so ignorant of their own past.

here is a good place to start, you will need to add a few '.' and 'w's to get it to work.
nationalhumanitiescenter org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/chustate htm

This is not news...this is an opinion piece.

"If I'm wrong, I won't know 'cause I'll be dead... but if YOU'RE wrong, you'll have one HELL of a load on your head." - anonymous

Anyone who thinks prayers are effective need to look up the Harvard Prayer study.

Mythology doesn't work.

Actually the Supreme court has ruled on hundreds of these Christian related issues. Some of the more well known ones are...In God we trust on money, One nation under God in the pledge, and the 10 commandments in court houses. In all those cases the Atheist lost.

The Supreme court Justices ruled that Christianity has played a big part in Americas traditions and history and it is simply more than just a religion. The Justices also said that God is not specific to only Christianity and could mean different things to many people other than Christians.

Had this case gone to the Supreme court there is no doubt it would have lost. The fact that it was paid for and donated by a private party does not violate any laws. There is also no laws banning religious items in federal buildings, or public schools. The fact that we see nativity scenes and Christmas trees every year is proof of that. And yes the Supreme court has ruled on those cases as well which is why you still see nativity scenes on Federal property.

A truly open mind wouldn't care if I were to put up atheist banners in their churches, right?