Dan Barker, Co-President of Atheist Group Freedom From Religion Foundation, Files Lawsuit Against Prayer at Barack Obama's Inauguration

Dan Barker, co-president of atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against prayer at Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration. He said that the government is picking a winner between "believers" and "those who don't believe" and subjecting atheists and agnostics to someone else's religious beliefs. Wow, so I am guessing that we must walk on egg shells around atheist and promote their beliefs at the expense of ours. He has joined with Michael Newdow, who fought to have the words under God removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, in a federal lawsuit seeking to enjoin the Presidential Inaugural Committee from sponsoring prayers at the official inauguration.

The 34-page legal complaint similarly seeks to enjoin Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr., from adding the phrase "So help me God" to the presidential oath of office. "We're hoping to stop prayer and religious rituals at governmental functions, especially at the inauguration," Barker told FOX News Radio. "The inauguration is not a religious event. It is a secular event of a secular country that includes all Americans, including those of us who are not Christians, including those of us who are not believers," he continued.

Barker, who said government's not picking sides on the issue of religion is "hard wired into our Constitution," called the 29 members of the suit all atheists and agnostics who love their country and participating in the inauguration. "Yet we are subjected to someone else's religious views with the endorsement of the government, which makes us feel like second class outsiders," he said.

Barker argued that by allowing religious phrases to be used in the ceremony as well as inviting Revs. Rick Warren and Joe Lowery, who are named as defendants in the suit, to participate in the inaugural festivities, the government is picking a winner in the dispute over religion and atheism. "Those people who do pray do believe in God and they are in fact trying to use the government to pick sides. In America we are free to disagree. We can disagree with Rev. Rick Warren but we're not free to ask our government to settle the argument," Barker said, adding that government causes harm when it takes on "the mantel of religion and expresses religion as an official governmental function." Source: Fox News

So, here is another group trying to influence the belief system of others. The gay and lesbians had a problem with Rick Warren and now these atheists have a problem with prayer. It is time for Christians to make their positions known, since every other group seems to be throwing their weight around. The last time I checked, the United States of America was built on religious principles. Dan Barker and his posse are fighting a losing battle. Yes, I am not ashamed to say, "in God we trust."