

WHITE House officials yesterday met with leaders of the atheist community to discuss their concerns about privileges given to religious groups by the government.

According to the Secular Coalition of America, the meeting was:

The first time in history that a presidential administration has met for a policy briefing with the American non-theist community.

The Â issues addressed, according to this report, included religiously based child abuse; so-called faith-healing and religious child care being exempt from some health and safety laws; the “pervasive” religious atmosphere in the military and ways in which troops “with non-theistic views are made to feel unwelcome”; and faith-based initiatives.

Predictably, the meeting generated howls of fury from the fundie camp – even before it took place.

One ridiculous outfit, In God We Trust, issuedÂ a statement saying:

It is one thing for Administration to meet with groups of varying viewpoints, but it is quite another for a senior official to sit down with activists representing some of the most hate-filled, anti-religious groups in the nation.

IFWT chairman Bishop Council Nedd fulminated:

Tina Tchen, the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, will meet with representatives from groups that comprise the Coalition. The Coalition’s sponsoring organization’s include American Atheists, founded by Madalyn Murray O’Hair and the Freedom from Religion Foundation which is campaigning to stop the post office from issuing a stamp honoring Mother Teresa.

The posturing ninny with the improbable gnashers added:



President Obama seems to believe that it is a good idea to have a key senior aide plan political strategy with people who believe faith in God is a disease. Some of the people in this coalition believe the world would be better off with no Christians and no Jews and they aren’t shy about it. The fact that this meeting is happening at all is an affront to the vast majority of people of all faiths who believe in God.

And he quoted the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s President Dan Barker as saying:

Christianity is an enemy to humanity, and the antithesis of freedom.

He also repeated Barker’s claim that:

Religion also poses a danger to mental health, damaging self-respect, personal responsibility, and clarity of thought.” (Losing Faith in Faith Page 217.)

Nedd added:

The President should tell the American people whether he believes these groups’ hate-filled views to be â€˜mainstream’ and worthy of his supposedly inclusive administration.

The White House has sought to downplay the meeting, with spokesman Shin Inouye saying:

The White House office of Public Engagement regularly meets with a wide-range of organizations and individuals on a diverse set of issues.

In God We Trust, by the way, is running a poll which asks “Should Military Chaplains Be Allowed to Pray As They See Fit?”

It’s not going the they way they would like, with over 74 percent saying they believe that the prayers of military chaplains should regulated by the government. Get your vote in now.

Hat Tip: Dr Harwood