FFRF, Dawkins, Coyne protest Georgia creationist prof - Freedom From Religion Foundation

The letter details complaints from students about GSU history professor Emerson McMullen’s promotion of Christian beliefs. According to those reports and FFRF’s subsequent investigation, McMullen “crosses ethical and constitutional lines.”

McMullen allegedly uses extra-credit assignments to try to “convert” students by inviting them to write about McMullen’s religious beliefs. He has reportedly also promoted Christian propaganda such as the recent movie “God Is Not Dead,” which pits an atheist professor against a Christian student.

Coyne examined some of the class material FFRF uncovered and expertly took apart the unscientific claims, noting that most of what McMullen said on the topic was “completely wrong.”

"A teacher should be free to express opinions, however ill-informed, so long as he or she makes it clear that they are no more than his opinions. He should not be free to penalize students who fail to parrot his opinions,” Dawkins noted. “And if his opinions include Young Earth Creationism, my personal opinion is that he is no more qualified to teach history than a ‘flat earther’ is to teach geography or a proponent of the ‘stork theory’ is to teach reproductive physiology."

“What really disturbs us is the allegation that McMullen gives students extra credit for summing up his own views on religion! That’s not teaching, that’s preaching,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.

FFRF, Dawkins, Coyne protest Georgia creationist prof - Freedom From Religion Foundation

ADDENDUM::“Fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote”: The Freedom from Religion Foundation calls out Lebanon’s School Board and Superintendent « Why Evolution Is True

Concerning this story brought to light by Dr. Jerry Coyne, Atheists attack public high school principal for praying to God during graduation ceremony:

Below is a copy of the letter that the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent yesterday to the Superintendent of the Lebanon, Missouri School District, as well as to all members of the Lebanon School Board. The author, FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott, lays out on pages 2 and 3 the legal case (and the precedents) for Principal Lowery’s speech constituting a violation of the First Amendment.

“Fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote”: The Freedom from Religion Foundation calls out Lebanon’s School Board and Superintendent « Why Evolution Is True

Atheists attack public high school principal for praying to God during graduation ceremony

According to Dr. Jerry Coyne, Principal Kevin Lowery of Lebanon High School in Missouri delivered a speech that “blatantly disregarded the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to impose his religious beliefs on a captive audience.”

Lowery “not only called for a moment of silence (a common way around the prohibition of prayer in public schools), but then told the audience that he used his own moment of silence to ask for God’s blessing.” In a video of the graduation ceremony, Lowery can be heard saying that “while it would not be politically correct for us to have an official prayer this evening, I would like for us to have a moment of silence in honor of tonight’s graduates.”

After the moment of silence ends, the principal said “just in case you’re interested, during my moment of silence, I gave thanks to God for these great students, their parents, their teachers, and for this community.”

“I’m not finished,” he added. “I asked God to protect these students as they go their separate ways into the world. I asked God to avail Himself in every possible way. And I asked God to watch over them, to protect them, and to bless them with self-fulfillment, with compassion, inner peace, and personal prosperity.”

Atheists attack public high school principal for praying to God during graduation ceremony