Atheist Sues Congress to Deliver Invocation

[_Maksutov]

https://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/ite ... invocation

From the article:

...............

May 5, 2016

Congress spends $800,000 in taxpayer resources for opening prayers; bans nonbelievers from participating

Today, on the National Day of Prayer, The Freedom From Religion Foundation is suing U.S. House Chaplain Patrick Conroy for barring FFRF Co-President Dan Barker from delivering a secular guest invocation to the House because he does not believe in God.

Barker and FFRF sued Conroy, members of his staff and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who oversees the chaplain's office, for discrimination against nonbelievers, who constitute one-fourth of the U.S. population.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the Madison, Wis., district, sponsored Barker to deliver a guest invocation in February of 2015. The chaplain's office informed Baker's staff that it requires "guest chaplains" to be ordained and to submit an ordination certificate. Barker, who was a Christian minister for 19 years, retains a valid ordination, which he still uses to perform weddings.

Not only did Barker provide all the required documentation but he also submitted a draft of his remarks after being told he must address a "higher power." Barker's proposed remarks stated that there is no power higher than "We, the People of these United States." Barker also invoked the spirit of founding patriot Thomas Paine, a non-Christian deist who promoted "Common Sense over dogma."

Conroy, after delaying for months, officially rejected the request in January of 2016, noting in a letter to Pocan that Barker had "announced his atheism publicly" and therefore was not a true "minister of the gospel" eligible for the honor of appearing in front of Congress.

FFRF's legal complaint documents that nearly 97 percent of House invocations over the past 15 years have been Christian, 2.7 percent have been Jewish and less than half a percent Muslim or Hindu. More than a third of the prayers were delivered by guest chaplains.

The complaint states that a quarter of the U.S. adult population is nonreligious, yet an open nonbeliever has never been invited to give the opening invocation before either House or Senate. However, tax dollars of secular citizens help pay for the salaries of the religious priests and their aides who work for Congress, including $345,198 for the House chaplain and $436,886 for the Senate chaplain's offices each year.

The complaint states that Conroy is violating Barker's rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and Article VI, Section III of the U.S. Constitution, which bars any religious test for office or public trust. RFRA states that the federal government shall not "substantially burden a person's exercise of religion" unless it can demonstrate a "compelling governmental interest."

FFRF is asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to declare that barring atheists and other nonreligious individuals from the position of guest chaplain violates the Constitution and RFRA, and that requiring guest chaplains to invoke a supernatural power violates Article VI. The organization is also bringing an Establishment Clause claim under the First Amendment of the Constitution, pointing out the chaplain's office is showing an unconstitutional preference for religion over nonreligion.

"We take some satisfaction in filing this lawsuit on the National Day of Prayer, an unconstitutional law enacted at the behest of the Rev. Bill Graham in 1952 requiring the president to issue an annual proclamation exhorting citizens 'to turn to God in prayer, at churches,'" says Barker.

[_sock puppet]

They've been saying prayers to open Congress everyday for more than 200 years. Proof is in the pudding that prayer doesn't help.

[_Maksutov]

They've been saying prayers to open Congress everyday for more than 200 years. Proof is in the pudding that prayer doesn't help.

Yep. And if praying is a sign of spirtuality, moral development, being guided by God...it's Congress, for “F”'s sake.

[_Chap]

The Right Honourable Alfred Thompson Denning, Baron Denning, OM, PC (23 January 1899 – 5 March 1999), most commonly referred to as Lord Denning, was a British barrister from Hampshire who became Master of the Rolls (the senior civil judge in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales).

He described the daily opening of proceedings in the House of Commons as follows:

The House of Commons starts its proceedings with a prayer. The chaplain looks at the assembled members with their varied intelligence and then prays for the country.

Daily Telegraph (1989-10-12).

[_sock puppet]

The Right Honourable Alfred Thompson Denning, Baron Denning, OM, PC (23 January 1899 – 5 March 1999), most commonly referred to as Lord Denning, was a British barrister from Hampshire who became Master of the Rolls (the senior civil judge in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales).

He described the daily opening of proceedings in the House of Commons as follows:

The House of Commons starts its proceedings with a prayer. The chaplain looks at the assembled members with their varied intelligence and then prays for the country.

Daily Telegraph (1989-10-12).

Zinger!

[_subgenius]

Always amazed at how atheists want so desperately to be validated without merit and how they yearn to be members of a club they claim to despise.

(and being "non religious" doesn't always mean "atheist")

[_EAllusion]

Hey subgenius -

Given that you are a tried and true originalist and the fact that the person who wrote the 1st amendment thought Congressional chaplains and prayers were in violation of that amendment, would you agree that simply allowing atheists equal access to them is not nearly far enough and they should be banned altogether?

Thanks in advance.

[_Maksutov]

Always amazed at how atheists want so desperately to be validated without merit and how they yearn to be members of a club they claim to despise.

(and being "non religious" doesn't always mean "atheist")

I'm always amazed at how religious people want so desperately to be validated without merit that they shove chaplains and National Days of Prayer down our throats. No yearning, just censorship and oppression.

[_The CCC]

I want my government secular, and my religion sectarian.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

How is being included in an opening prayer/commentary for Congress inappropriate for an Atheist? Since the government has a clear secular nature it would only make sense an Atheist be allowed in the rotation.

- Doc