Evangelist Oral Roberts, who rose from tent revivals to found a multimillion-dollar organization and an Oklahoma university bearing his name, has died. He was 91.

If only you had donated more money to his church, maybe God wouldn’t have taken him from us at such a young age.

PRESIDENT OBAMA – PLEASE don’t attend the funeral! PLEEEEZZZZZZZZ!

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Several people have signed up for the Winter Solstice Weekend Party and were told the hotel had been booked out. This has been fixed.

If you already made the reservation and were given the higher rate, please call the hotel again and get yourself on the American Atheists list. If you haven’t made your reservations yet, now is your last chance.

I’ve been trying to reduce my TV couch-potato-ing recently, but I wanted to make a nice observation about the only sitcom I really watch, COMMUNITY, with Joel McHale.

Community is about a group of adults of varying ages, backgrounds, and beliefs who attend a community college. Hilarrity ensues (or at least moderate amusement).

This week was their “holiday episode”, and I must say I really liked it. WHY? Because one of the characters came out as an atheist, another (Joel’s) an agnostic, and neither of them changed their mind, saw a miracle, or even did anything bad. Indeed, the CHRISTIAN character was intolerant at the beginning, and SHE improved as the episode went on. That’s right, the Christian changed her ways after realizing she was wrong, and the atheists stood their high moral ground.

Isn’t that nice? It used to be that atheists were nowhere to be seen on TV. Then they were there, but usually needed to go through some sort of change of heart at some time. Now, the intolerant religious nuts are changing, and we are the GOOD GUYS.

That, my friends, is progress.

There was a bit of suspense in Asheville, N.C., Tuesday morning about whether newly-elected city council member Cecil Bothwell should or would be sworn into office. Bothwell, who was elected last month, is an atheist. The North Carolina constitution still bars atheists from holding elected office.

“I’m not saying that Cecil Bothwell is not a good man, but if he’s an atheist, he’s not eligible to serve in public office, according to the state constitution,” said H.K. Edgerton, a former Asheville NAACP president told the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Article 6, section 8 of the North Carolina constitution states: “The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.” Fortunately for Bothwell, Article VI of the U.S. Constitution trumps that: “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

Constitutional crisis averted. Cecil Bothwell is now a member of the Asheville city council.

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Here’s a clear message to any atheist out there who wants to run for office: It is legal to do so, and win, in any state, for any office. You cannot be refused just because you’re an atheist. The Constitution trumps the states, and your rights are equal. Now RUN FOR OFFICE!

Chelmsford —The two Byam School mothers who made headlines around the country for protesting the school’s policy banning religious icons at a holiday fundraiser are pondering a lawsuit against the school district.

Kathleen Cullen, a Byam School parent said she and Kathy McMillan are working with the Liberty Counsel, a nationwide nonprofit litigation and policy organization specializing in religious freedom litigation and are considering filling a suit over the fundraiser’s policies.

Although the four-day fundraiser, which allows children to purchase non-denominational gifts priced from 25 cents to $2, ended last Friday, the women are considering suing on the basis of viewpoint discrimination, said Cullen.
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While he said a law suit may seem extreme to some, the two women have no real alternative.

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Here’s a great example of how dishonest and disingenuous the Christian Right can be. The school os obeying the law, and selling religion-neutral seasonal items to raise money for a good cause. All is well, until the religious Right steps in.

They want to sue the school for NOT giving religion a place at a secular table, at a secular event, for a secular cause. They “may have no real alternative” to suing.

Of course, another religion neutral entity is the Federal government, and if this idiotic lawsuit happens and holds true, the secular government would be guilty of the same crime as this innocent school, which is just trying to do good. They would be discriminating against Christians, Jews, and Muslims for NOT placing religious symbols on public land.

Churches are discriminating on the basis of “viewpoint discrimination” as well. Maybe I could sue a church, which pays no property taxes, for discrimination against atheists because all their displays are religious, and indeed, only their religion is included (you don’t find Muslim collateral in a church, so maybe they could join in).

What the hell is “Viewpoint Discrimination”, anyway? I don’t like you … because you’re a bigot? I don’t like you… because you’re a zealot who is willing to waste taxpayer money so you can get free publicity for your church? I don’t like you because you are willing to put a good charity event in danger because it obeys the law?

Guilty as charged! Viewpoint Discrimination is just another word for judging people for who they are — this is a GOOD THING and is the only thing on which someone should be judged!