Prayer Haters: Only Fox Covers Humanists Urging Pols Not to Join Congressional Prayer Caucus
If you have a “nose for news,” wouldn’t you like the story of atheists and secular humanists trying to keep people from joining the Congressional Prayer Caucus?
Susan Jones at CNSNews.com reported that Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va) complained on Tuesday’s Fox & Friends that in an “unprecedented” move, “extremist groups” were trying to “shut down anything related to faith” in government. The Washington-based American Humanist Association is asking newly elected members of Congress “not to join” the prayer caucus. Where are the other networks? (Video below)
A Nexis search of transcripts finds no other network story mentioning the AHA since the letter was sent on November 7.
In his letter, AHA executive director Roy Speckhardt claims Forbes and his caucus “weakens the separation of church and state and discriminates against non-religious American.” He said Forbes pushed “unconstitutional” legislation like supporting the national motto “In God We Trust.” The framers of the Constitution didn’t hold that view.
Speckhardt added: “The Congressional Prayer Caucus is also one of the leading advocates for opening and closing each session of Congress with a prayer, which relegates non-religious Americans and others who don’t pray to the status of second-class citizens.”
The humanist group also criticized the caucus's support for legislation calling on the president to designate 2010 as "the National Year of the Bible" and its support for crosses on public land.
