Sunday, December 13, 2009

Losing Candidate Challenges Winner for Atheism

There are parts of this state that are truly frightening. A winning candidate in a local City Council race in Ashville, (not to be confused with Asheville), is being challenged because he's a vowed atheist. Conservatives in the town want to sue the city for swearing him in without requiring him to pledge to God. Apparently there is an obscure section in the state consititution that doesn't allow atheists to hold office.
One opponent, H. K. Edgerton, is threatening to file suit against the city to challenge Mr. Bothwell’s swearing in. “My father was a Baptist minister,” Mr. Edgerton said. “I’m a Christian man. I have problems with people who don’t believe in God.”
This provision of course violates the United States Constitution but small matter to these fundie sorts who appear to believe the separation of Church and State only applies to non-Christian religions. Meanwhile, the winning Councilman is taking it in stride. As he notes, this appears to more about sour grapes that a conservative candidate didn't win. The cons in Ashville might want to take a moment to reflect on why that happened instead of tying up the courts with frivolous lawsuits.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

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4 Comments:

Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

"I have problems with people who don’t believe in God.”

Where else can a bigot go these days? He can scream about political correctness, but that straw man is getting pretty tattered and disreputable looking all the time. It's just hard to find a group to mock that isn't organized enough to rip them a new one for their trouble.

I have a problem with people who want to beat me over the head with their imaginary gods. It does speak well for atheists that despite the arrogance of the godmongers, we haven't disembowelled these bastards and left their stinking corpses in the street, seeing as we fear no divine retribution. Maybe it will occur to these serial sinners that most of us are far more moral than they are and sometimes that's because we don't hear voices telling us to harm others.

9:43:00 AM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

That is the irony Fogg. All the atheists I know are far more "Christian" than the Bible thumpers. Meaning in terms of the way they treat others.

5:39:00 PM  
Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

Are there really Christians who define it as following Jesus' teachings rather than it being all about getting into heaven by believing a story or eating a wafer -- or worse, "doing God's work" by punishing or oppressing sinners.

10:55:00 AM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

I think there might be, but I haven't met any in a church.

12:38:00 PM  

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