Rationalists of East Tennessee provided an invocation at the Lenoir City Council meeting Monday.

[LiberalAndProud]

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local-news/atheist-group-provides-invocation-before-lenoir-city-council-meeting_44997911

"Now let us not bow our heads, but hold them high, with eyes open,"
...

Ledendecker was followed by Ron Jordon, assistant pastor of First Baptist Church of Lenoir City who said a short prayer praising the freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.

Pastor Tommy Patterson of the Maranatha Church of the Harvest in Lenoir City said a short prayer followed by the comment, ‘I'm glad we live in a country like this."
...
Councilman Bobby Johnson Sr. said he wasn't sure why the organization felt it needed to make its statement at a City Council meeting, but he said he supported their right to express their opinions.

One has to ask if Bobby Johnson Sr. ever wondered why the pastors feel they need to make their statements at a City Council meeting. Something tells me, probably not.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. Didn't the liberals get murdered at the UU church in Knoxville?

July 27, 2008. Tennessee Valley Unitarian-Universalist Church.

From Wikipedia:

During the interview Adkisson stated that he had targeted the church because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets. Adkisson made statements that because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement that he would then target those that had voted them into office. Adkisson stated that he had held these beliefs for about the last ten years.

Two people killed, seven others wounded.

[trotsky]

4. Amazing how quickly that story got shoved down the memory hole.

Seemed at the time it might just be a wake-up call for the right-wing media and the hatred they were encouraging with their lies. Ha, as if!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

6. Atheists and secular humanists don't count.

Because atheists and secular humanists are hated as much as Muslims.

Oh, but if you can't shove Christianity down peoples' throats, then YOU are being oppressed.

[onager]

3. Thanks! Outbreak of common sense in South Carolina too.

Here in the Upstate, the Pickens County school board has been wrangling with the FFRF for months over its invocation policy for public meetings. (As noted before, I recently moved back to SC and Pickens County is right next door.)

At issue was whether or not the invocations could invoke specific deities/Fractional Deities like Jebus H. Christ.

This has been a real comedy of errors for a long time, with the Board voting one way, then reversing itself when the threat of a lawsuit showed up. I'm too lazy to post links, but just search on "pickens county school board prayers" and you can follow the whole weird story.

According to the morning paper - last night, the Board voted to keep its current non-specific invocation policy.

The vote was a whisker-close 3-3 tie, meaning the current policy stands.

No less than 8 local pastors showed up to whine about persecution and "religious censorship."

Board member Brian Swords, voting against Jesus and All That Is Right And Good, said: "This issue is complex and affects our students. Over $50,000 has been spent on legal aspects of prayer in the past."

[Arugula Latte]

5. "Fractional Deity" = JC

Here he is ... Math Jesus! He's ready to help you with fractions! As he says, he puts both the fun and unction back in functions.



https://twitter.com/mathjesus1

[onager]

7. Ha! At first, I read that as "Meth Jesus."

Which also works. Like religion, provides a quick rush but very dangerous when it becomes addictive.

Only mentioned "fractional" because, for some weird reason, I've been bumping into the Xian concept of the Trinity a lot recently. In which Jesus is 1/3 of God, while simultaneously being his son. And all that.

Somewhere on the internet, I read that even the greatest apologist for Xian nonsense in history, Thomas Aquinas, flat gave up on logically explaining the Trinity. Aquinas couldn't find any of his usual bullshit "logic" to support that craziness, and finally said believers just have to accept it.

Thomas Jefferson had a lot of fun with the idea. He said it described the Xian god as "a three-headed Cerberus," among other neat things.

[Arugula Latte]

8. There is a lot of convoluted stuff in Xtianity, but the Trinity is one of its

biggest steaming piles, and perhaps THE biggest steaming pile. It's actually quite amazing that such a bizarre religion has gained so much traction worldwide. Imagine trying to explain it to people in order to convert them... "Well, see, there's God, and then he raped a woman to produce a son. So this Son is also a magical god, and he's the same as God, but they're different. Now, let's talk about the Holy Spirit ..."

HUH?

[Duppers]

9. I'm a member of ASK...

Atheist Society of Knoxville and
RET by default. Lots of friends there.

But this is the first time hearing this since I've not been reading the emails from them lately. So, thanks for posting.