CASE WATCH::Mississippi Teacher Calls Atheist Student a “Fool,” Humanist Group Intervenes

In a letter sent to officials and attorneys at Rankin County School District in Flowood, Mississippi, the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center decries a teacher’s unconstitutional and disparaging remarks about atheists.

Sent on behalf of a parent whose child attends Northwest Rankin High School, the letter describes a history teacher who frequently made disparaging remarks about atheists and promoted Christianity during class. The teacher, also a pastor of Rehobeth Baptist Church, recently announced to his class, “Atheists are throwing a fit because they don't have their own day. They do have their own day; it’s called April Fools’ Day, because you are a fool if you don't believe in god.” The letter states that, as atheists, the student and parent feel unwelcome in the district because of the teacher’s insults.

This is not the first instance of the school district endorsing religion. In 2013, a former student and the American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit challenging the district’s practice of holding religious assemblies. The judgment, favoring the American Humanist Association, included a consent decree requiring the district to stop the assemblies. In July 2015, a United States District Court granted a motion for contempt filed by the American Humanist Association’s legal center, which ruled that the district defied the consent decree by sponsoring an award ceremony with Christian prayers and by permitting Bible distribution in an elementary school. The court’s order states that the district will be fined $10,000 for each future infraction.

Mississippi Teacher Calls Atheist Student a “Fool,” Humanist Group Intervenes

Federal Judge Stops Lake Elsinore Religious War Memorial

A federal judge has ruled that a planned religious war memorial by the city of Lake Elsinore, CA at the city-owned baseball stadium can’t be built because it “violates both the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause and California’s Establishment and No Preference Clauses.” The planned monument depicts a soldier kneeling in prayer before a Christian cross.

The suit was filed by the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center in May 2013. A preliminary injunction against the city was issued by US District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson in July 2013 and stopped activity until the final ruling was handed down. Among other things, the judge ruled that the planned monument lacks a secular purpose and has the unconstitutional effect of endorsing religion over non-religion.

Federal Judge Stops Lake Elsinore Religious War Memorial

Lawsuit Demands Removal of 40-Foot Christian Cross from Government Property

Interesting. Based on its "current" location I'm curious as to how this will be determined,,,

A federal lawsuit filed today is demanding removal of a 40-foot Christian cross on government property in a Washington, DC, suburb. The suit, filed on behalf of three plaintiffs by the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center, alleges that the massive structure, which sits on a roadway median in Bladensburg, Maryland, violates the separation of church and state principle of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. A letter sent by the Appignani Humanist Legal Center to the commission **in 2012** asking that the constitutional violation be corrected resulted in no action.

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The cross, which has been lit at night since 1965, rests on a large rectangular platform that contains a small plaque with the names of those from Prince George’s County, Maryland who died in World War I. The modest plaque is dominated by the cross and is regularly blocked by bushes. There are no crosswalks connecting the location to the surrounding high-traffic roads and the island has no walkways, aspects that contribute to making the structure easily viewed as a state-endorsed symbol of support for Christianity. The property is owned by the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission, a government agency.

Lawsuit Demands Removal of 40-Foot Christian Cross from Government Property

Humanist Group Fights Back Against School District That Held Graduation in Church with Christians Prayers in Ceremony

Hemant lays out an excellent timeline in regards to this filing which began last year. The highlighted text with his report will make you cringe!

Last year, the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center found out that administrators at Mountain View Elementary School in Taylors, South Carolina held their “graduation” ceremony inside of a church.

To make matters worse, the program for the event very clearly listed two separate prayers — both of which were led by students. Furthermore, both were Christian prayers that referred to “Jesus” and both were approved by a school official before the ceremony:

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After another round of back-and-forth, the district took a stand and said they would not stop student-initiated prayers, leading the AHA to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of a family in the district.

Unfortunately, December’s court hearing was a mess. The judge, Ross Anderson, said things that no one with a strong knowledge of the facts should have said, a claim the AHA suggests in a recent court filing,,,

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In short, Anderson’s handling of the case was exactly what you would expect from a stereotypical ignorant bigot who happened to fall into a position of power, not an educated person whose job is to understand all sides of a case before making a ruling.

Today, the AHA filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit asking for a reversal of Anderson’s dismissal of the case. They’re also requesting that anonymity be preserved for the plaintiffs so that they don’t have to deal with any harassment or retribution from the community.

In a press release, the AHA said they filed the motion because Anderson’s ruling was “nothing more than the court expressing its personal dislike for the case,” adding,,,

Humanist Group Fights Back Against School District That Held Graduation in Church with Christians Prayers in Ceremony

RDFRS: Naval Academy Refuses Use of Chapel for Non-Christian Weddings

This make no freaking sense!! Why would a humanist want to do a secular wedding in a "church?" I'm confused!! I understand that it is a publicly owned building but,,,what am I missing here??  It's a fucking church,,,

The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center sent a letter sent yesterday to United States Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller and Senior Chaplain Commander Michael Gore asking the decision be reversed and confirm that it is not the policy of the Naval Academy “to forbid non-Christians from using the Chapel for their wedding ceremonies.”

“This discriminatory policy is unconstitutional,” the letter states. “The Naval Academy cannot deny use of its publicly owned facilities on the basis of the religious views of those wishing to do so.”

RDFRS: Naval Academy Refuses Use of Chapel for Non-Christian Weddings