PENNSYLVANIA: Atheist Protest Of Jesus Statue Charges Meets Counter-Protesters

Remember the teenager in Pennsylvania who faces two years in juvenile detention for posing on a statue of Jesus? This happened this weekend:

A successful protest, where several dozen people rallied in favor of free speech, was marred on Saturday, when a belligerent group of counter protesters, including two from what appeared to be a motorcycle gang, crashed the demonstration and threatened those in attendance, including a 14-year old boy arrested for “desecrating” a Jesus statue and Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. Incredibly, there was not a single police officer on-hand to prevent potential violence and this left the protesters vulnerable to thugs and forced them to fend for themselves. “The Bedford police placed us directly in harms way and their inaction nearly caused a full-blown melee,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “This is the first time in two decades of protesting that I’ve been put directly in harm’s way by town officials. We call on Bedford to immediately review its policies for protecting the free speech rights of those who demonstrate in their town.”

From the clip recap:

Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen, American Atheists President David Silverman and Pennsylvania Nonbelievers President Brian Fields all three organizations came together, held a press conference and a demonstration in Bedford, Pennsylvania, to speak out for freedom of speech and freedom of religion for all after hearing of a fourteen year old child is being tried in juvenile court in Bedford on October 3 2014 for “desecrating” a Jesus statue after pictures were posted on Facebook.

Things start to get heated around the 8:00 mark.

Creationist Ken Ham: New Atheism TV Channel Is Meant To Indoctrinate Children

"This new TV channel highlights the growing intolerance towards Christianity in particular, and other religions, with the exception of their own. The new channel brags of having 'superstition-free programming,' which implies that religion is just silly superstition but atheism is rational and logical. Where are all their books, websites, and magazines that argue against the mythical Easter Bunny? This is because they do know God exists but they are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). And why do atheists care so much about proclaiming their message? Atheism offers no hope and is ultimately a totally purposeless religion. If you die, that’s all there is, so why do atheists push so hard to preach their message of hopelessness? Why does it matter to them what anyone believes? It’s because they have the knowledge of God stamped on their hearts but are living in rebellion against their Creator (Romans 1:18; 3:10, 24–25). Sadly, this new TV channel is not just targeting adults with a hopeless message of godlessness, but they are also trying to indoctrinate children into an atheistic worldview." - Ken Ham, head of the Creation Museum, which is seeking $18M in tax rebates in order to teach children that the world is 6000 years old.

Atheist TV Launches On Roku

American Atheists have launched Atheist TV, which for now is available only through Roku and online. Via the New York Times:

At a party on Tuesday night celebrating the premiere, David Silverman, president of American Atheists, described a channel that won’t be any of the sordid things that certain religious types might envision, but that will be a challenge to a lot of things those people hold dear. The channel, he said, will “provide a breadth of content, from science to politics to comedy, all centered around our common freedom from religion.” Among the people helping to bring that about, the channel has announced, will be the producer Liz Bronstein, whose credits include reality shows like “Whale Wars,” on Animal Planet, part of Discovery Communications — a company that Mr. Silverman slammed hard on Tuesday night. “The TV networks kowtow to the liars who make money off of misinformation,” he said, singling out for special contempt outlets that mix silly supernatural gunk with more serious science and nature shows. “The Discovery Channel treats ghosts like they’re real,” he said, adding later, “Bigfoot, psychics, aliens, ghosts, spirits, gods, devils — all bunk, all pushed by the so-called truthful and scientific stations in an effort to placate the waning religion segment at the expense of the growing segment of atheists who should be, but are not, their target audience.”

The channel is live-streaming at the first link. Here's a promo clip issued this week.

Second Circuit Court Of Appeals Rules That WTC Cross Isn't A Religious Symbol

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the public display of the so-called WTC Cross is a secular remembrance of the 9/11 attacks and not a religious symbol.

“Thank God,” said Father Brian Jordan, the Franciscan priest who had the cross pulled from Ground Zero weeks after an excavator showed it to him. “In a way, we’ve been vindicated. I’m satisfied and gratified that this will go down as a piece of history — as a reminder.” American Athiests had tried to get the cross booted from the museum, claiming a constitutional church-state violation. “Atheists died on 9/11, members of our organization suffered in lower Manhattan on that day, and our members helped with the rescue and recovery efforts, yet we are denied equal representation in the National Museum,” American Atheists President David Silverman said in a statement.

American Atheists say they may seek an en banc review of the decision or appeal directly to SCOTUS.

American Atheists To Launch TV Network

This summer American Atheists will launch the nation's first-ever channel devoted to atheism.

American Atheists already has a production studio at their national headquarters in Cranford, N.J., where they film their public access cable show “Atheist Viewpoint.” The show is in its 20th season and is distributed to 50 markets across the country. AtheistTV will make use of content from their homegrown show, as well as their archive of footage from the past 50 years of its activist history. But they’re also seeking to join forces with other content providers—non-profit secular organizations such as the Richard Dawkins Foundation and atheist YouTube stars with big fan bases.

The channel will be available through Roku, a wifi device that lets users stream from the Internet onto their TVs. Viewers will need to pay to get Roku, but subscribing to the channel will be free. The lack of atheist programming is apparent on Roku’s channel listing. More than 300 faith-based channels are available, featuring programming centered around Christian music, sermons, and worship services. Since they’re first on the scene, American Atheists will face the challenge of defining what exactly godless programming will look like.

Hopefully the channel will expand to other streaming devices.

WTC Cross Appeal Opens On Thursday

Oral arguments begin Thursday in the American Atheists lawsuit to have the so-called WTC Cross removed from government property in downtown Manhattan. Via the Christian Post:

Two days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, construction workers found a cross beam among the wreckage of the Twin Towers. Measuring 17 feet tall and approximately 4,000 pounds, the piece of debris became known as the World Trade Center cross, and for many, became a symbol of hope amid despair. When the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation completed its national 9/11 Memorial and Museum in 2011, the WTC cross was included among the items displayed. In July 2011, American Atheists filed suit against the museum for having the WTC cross and for reportedly lacking other secular and religious images of a non-Christian nature. The suit was filed before the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, and named among its defendants the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the 9/11 Museum, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. "The installation of the cross at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is facially violative of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America," reads the suit in part.

A lower court ruled against American Atheists last March, saying that the cross has "historical significance" that outweighs concerns about the separation of church and state.

Perkins Wins: CPAC Boots Atheist Group

This morning I reported that KKK-affiliated hate group leader Tony Perkins was VERY upset about CPAC's decision to allow American Atheists to rent a booth. Perkins has now gotten his way. (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

Atheist Group Will Be At CPAC 2014 And Tony Perkins Is Ever So Pissed

American Atheists will have a booth at next month's CPAC.

The atheist institution, which is well known for its controversial billboards and media campaigns, informed CNN of its inclusion on Monday night, and a representative from CPAC confirmed that the group will have a booth at March’s national annual gathering of conservative leaders and activists. American Atheists hopes to use the forum to tap into the conservative movement and bring conservative atheists “out of the closet.” “Just as there are many closeted atheists in the church pews, I am extremely confident that there are many closeted atheists in the ranks of conservatives," said David Silverman, president of American Atheists. American Atheists paid $3,000 for booth 439 in the event’s exhibition hall. Their booth will be right next to the Republican National Committee, according to the room map.

Tony Perkins is livid, you guys!

"CPAC's mission is to be an umbrella for conservative organizations that advance liberty, traditional values and our national defense," said Perkins, who spoke at CPAC in 2012. "Does the American Conservative Union really think the liberties and values they seek to preserve can be maintained when they partner with individuals and organizations that are undermining the understanding that our liberties come from God? Thomas Jefferson warned against such nonsense." The social conservative leader added: "If this is where the ACU is headed, they will have to pack up and put away the 'C' in CPAC!"

First GOProud and now atheists! The world has gone maaaaad! Mad, I tells ya!

NEW JERSEY: American Atheists Place Billboard Near Super Bowl Stadium

Via press release from American Atheists:

On Thursday, American Atheists launched a new billboard near Metlife Stadium with a dig at prayer. It is believed to be the first-ever atheist-sponsored ad aimed at a Super Bowl audience. The billboard features a priest cradling a football with text reading, “A ‘Hail Mary’ only works in football. Enjoy the game!” The billboard will run through Super Bowl Sunday. “Prayer is superstition, plain and simple,” said American Atheists President David Silverman. “It trivializes the dedication of the players and takes away from their achievements. A third of football fans pray in hopes of helping their team. These are adults we’re talking about—people with children, people with careers, people who vote. It’s 2014; it’s time to stop believing that prayer works. Give credit where credit is due and celebrate what this is really about—coming together to cheer on hard-working athletes doing what they do best.

The convention mentioned on the billboard will feature former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe as its keynote speaker.

OKLAHOMA: Atheist Group Sues For Removal Of Ten Commandments Tablet

American Atheists have filed a federal lawsuit which demands the removal of a 2000-lb monument to the Ten Commandments which was placed on the grounds of the Oklahoma statehouse in 2012.

"This action challenges the constitutionality, under federal law, of the state of Oklahoma's placement of a massive monument displaying an abridgement of a portion of religious text originating from a Hollywood movie director's rendition of one of many versions from the Bible," reads the suit in part. "The display was placed on the grounds of the state capitol building…which plaintiffs contend is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment." In a statement released Monday, American Atheists' Public Relations Director Dave Muscato argued that the issue with the monument was due to it being placed on government property. "If this monument were on privately owned land -- say, in front of a church -- there would be no legal conflict," said Muscato.

The monument's defenders claim it has historic value and therefore does not violate the Establishment Clause. The NYC-based Satanic Temple has been attempting to place a monument to Satan nearby.

NEW JERSEY: Atheist Group Launches Billboard Campaign On Disaster Relief

The Los Angeles Times reports:

A New Jersey-based atheist organization is castigating the work of Pope Francis and others who respond to natural disasters with prayer, Bibles and rosaries. The billboards then encourage people to go to Atheists.org for more information, including a list of secular agencies that American Atheists endorse for disaster relief efforts. The organization accuses religion in general, and Pope Francis in particular, of exploiting natural disasters to bring more people into the fold. Pope Francis, the organization noted, used Twitter to ask followers to pray for typhoon victims, and was retweeted more than 35,000 times. “Imagine if the pope had asked for people to send money to victims or to send needed supplies. How much more useful would that have been to the people of the Philippines?" American Atheists President David Silverman said in a statement, going on to say the pope's actions were "repugnant." "Natural disasters should not be viewed as opportunities for proselytization."

The Times article concludes: "Could that same criticism apply to the American Atheists? Their billboards are being used to drive people to their website. Is that a form of exploitation?"