Beginning on July 24th, Michigan Atheists have a blog at http://michiganatheists.blogspot.com. This blog will be a place where people can discuss the issues relevant to separation of state and church and the civil rights of Atheists. Greg Reich will be moderating the blog. Moderation is to filter out spam and personal attacks only.

Court: Religion slurs made for hostile workplaceFriday, August 01, 2008NEWARK – Derogatory comments about a Jewish police officer’s religion were more than just teasing and constituted a hostile work environment, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled yesterday.The decision could have widespread impact, as the court determined that the standard for demonstrating religious discrimination is the same as that for sexual or racial harassment.The 5-0 decision by New Jersey’s highest court upheld a Camden County jury ruling in favor of the Haddonfield police officer Jason Cutler. It reversed an appellate ruling that characterized the remarks as “teasing.” Two justices did not participate.A lawyer for the police department said the ruling means ethnic jokes are essentially barred from the workplace, but a Jewish civil rights group applauded the ruling because it would encourage employees to think twice before making such remarks.In rejecting arguments that the remarks aimed at Cutler, who has since been promoted to sergeant, were harmless teasing, the court determined he “suffered severe or pervasive harassment that was unwelcome.”

My Letter to the Editor:Editor,As an atheist, I was very happy to read of the NJ Supreme Court?s decision that religion-based slurs contribute to a hostile work environment. New Jersey is flush with diversity ? a fact of which all New Jerseans should be proud – and we have no place for ignorance and bigotry. Some may attack this ruling as ?political correctness gone too far?, but I disagree. I hope this sends a clear message that intolerance based on religion (or lack thereof) is not to be tolerated.American Atheists (www.atheists.org) is America?s oldest nonprofit organization by and for the nonreligious population.Sincerely,David SilvermanNJ State DirectorAmerican Atheists Piscataway, NJ

(CNN) — An evangelical preacher killed his wife several years ago and stuffed her body in a freezer after she caught him abusing their daughter, according to police and court documents.Anthony Hopkins appeared in court Thursday to face murder, rape and incest charges.Anthony Hopkins, 37, was arrested Monday night at the Inspirational Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Jackson, Alabama, just after he had delivered a sermon to a congregation that included his seven other children, officials said.He faces charges including murder, rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and incest.Hopkins was denied bail Thursday when he appeared before Mobile County District Judge George Hardesty. The case is set for arraignment next week, Hardesty’s clerk said.The case began Monday, when the daughter, now 19, went to the Mobile Police Department’s Child Advocacy Center and reported that she had been sexually abused by Hopkins since she was 11 years old, according to an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant of the preacher’s home in Mobile.The affidavit related the daughter’s story as follows:Her mother, Arletha Hopkins, 36, caught her father abusing her in a bathroom in November 2004. Afterward, her parents argued, and her mother locked her father out of the house. The father came to the daughter’s window and asked her to let him in, and she did so.The next morning, her father asked her to help him hide her mother’s body in the freezer in the laundry room of the home.

This points out one fatal flaw in Christianity — that Christians think they can get away with crime if they ask god for forgiveness. They feel they are above the law, because they obey god’s law. Funny how that somehow means they do bad things.Good thing he wasn’t an Atheist — then he’d REALLY be immoral!