Why Is There No “War on Halloween”?

Religious Freedom, , , ,

Friendly pumpkinThe past few years we have heard more and more stories of the ACLU, atheist organizations, and others threatening local governments and public schools with legal action over Christmas decorations.

Baxter County is still in the middle of a lawsuit over its Nativity display placed on its courthouse lawn. Christmas decorations in Texas and elsewhere have been similarly attacked.

In 2012 atheists tried–unsuccessfully–to have an anti-Christmas message placed alongside Christmas decorations in Michigan; the proposed sign read,

“At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world, Religion is but Myth and superstition that hardens hearts And enslaves minds.”

Here’s a question for you: How come we never hear about these groups going after Halloween decorations?

The ACLU in Ohio has written about whether or not Halloween qualifies as a “religious” holiday; overall their tone is very dismissive, opening with,

“Is Halloween off limits in the public schools? Do paper witches and goblins hung on bulletin boards violate the separation of church and state?

“Not really. . . .”

They go on to note how religious groups and individuals have unsuccessfully challenged displays that were allegedly satanic.

By and large, few believe in vampires that turn into bats, ghosts under white sheets, or witches that fly on broomsticks. When students color Jack-O-Lanterns and skeletons during Art Class this time of year, it’s generally viewed as harmless fun. However, many people do believe in ghosts; many pagan religions–both ancient and modern–believe in magic and witchcraft; and many religions–including Christianity–believe in devils and spirits.

The “paper witches and goblins” that adorn school bulletin boards this time of year may look little like what any of these people have in mind when they discuss spirits or witchcraft, but arguably they are still depictions of something that is at the very least supernatural and perhaps even directly tied to certain religious beliefs.

Theoretically, an atheist would believe in God and Jesus no more than in a witch with warts and a green face. So why is there no effort to put disclaimers up alongside Halloween decorations at school? Wouldn’t it be just as appropriate to remind people there are no gods, devils, or angels at Halloween as at Christmas? Shouldn’t Halloween magic be just as offensive to freethinkers as a Christmas miracle? Where is the outrage?

When it comes to the treatment of Halloween versus Christmas, perhaps Ravi Zacharias put it best when he said concerning many modern atheists, “The anger with which they speak about God you would not speak against the tooth fairy. Something in the back of their minds tells them, ‘He’s real, and we’re angry.'”

Photo Credit: Anders Lagerås (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Atheist Group Continues Saber-Rattling in Arkansas

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The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation is at it again in Arkansas–this time threatening legal action over prayer at a public high school football game in Ashdown.

KTBS writes,

The “Freedom from Religion Foundation” of Madison, Wisconsin, wrote to Ashdown School District Superintendent Jason Sanders recently, with complaints about the high school band director leading students in prayer, as well as, school-sponsored prayer at the football games.

Sanders consulted the “Alliance for Defending Freedom” for advice on the situation.

He says they haven’t broken any laws.

“We feel like that the freedom of our students to express themselves will hold up in a court of law,” said Sanders.

This isn’t the first time atheist groups have tried to use the threat of legal action to intimidate public officials and others.

It’s worth noting that across the board, groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation tend to threaten lawsuits; oftentimes, if people stand their ground, no lawsuit is ever actually filed.

Photo Credit: “Gameday2” by Rmcclen at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia by Ronhjones. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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Unlikely Pope Francis’ Meeting with Kim Davis was “By Chance”

Religious Freedom,

During Pope Francis’ recent visit to the U.S. the Pontiff sat down with Kim Davis–the Kentucky clerk jailed for declining to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple in violation of her deeply-held religious beliefs–and her husband.

Many are trying to downplay the significance of the Pope’s conversation with the Davises–and some have even gone so far as to call it a “chance” meeting, as if they just happened to bump into each other while strolling around the Vatican Embassy.

When he travels, the Pope’s security detail is one of the largest of any public figure on earth. As Family Research Council explains, running into Pope Francis at the embassy would be a little like bumping into President Obama by chance during a tour of the White House. It simply could not happen.

FRC writes,

Pouncing on the private nature of the meeting, everyone from Reuters to the Associated Press is casting doubt on the nature of the get-together, and whether — in fact — the Vatican actually invited the Davises to meet the Pontiff. Some reporters are now insisting it was a random encounter, which is laughable considering the amount of security involved in the Pope’s visit. In a place like the Vatican Embassy, there’s absolutely no way the two parties could have accidentally crossed paths. As Liberty Counsel explained, the Davises were actually transported to the meeting by van by the Vatican’s own men. Kim was even asked to wear her hair up so that she’d be less recognizable.

Ultimately, the Davises ended up in a private room, where “no one else [was] present.” When the Pope arrived, he stretched out his hands and encouraged Kim to “stay strong,” something that wouldn’t have made sense unless he was familiar with her case. Now, several days later, the Vatican’s communications shop seems intent on giving the media a story where there is none. Pressed by reporters, Spokesman Federico Lombardi appeared to backtrack on the significance of the meeting, suggesting that no one should construe the invitation as an endorsement of Kim.

Later on after this meeting, as he was leaving the U.S. to return to Europe, Pope Francis answered a reporter’s question regarding whether or not government officials could decline to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, saying of conscientious objection,

“It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.”

People may speculate about the nature of Pope Francis’ meeting with the Davises, but that statement to reporters seems pretty clear.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Bruno from New York City, United States [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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