American Atheists' Monument Dedication Saturday In Starke

[rug]

Site of American Atheists monument, Bradford County Courthouse (Credit Cyd Hoskinson / WJCT)

9:38 am
Fri June 28, 2013
By Cyd Hoskinson

The first monument to atheism ever erected on government property in the U-S will be dedicated tomorrow in Starke.

The monument will be in close proximity to a black granite display of the Ten Commandments installed in the courtyard of the Bradford County Courthouse last year.

The group, American Atheists, sponsored the display after losing a lawsuit to get the Ten Commandments removed.

38-year old Daniel Cooney was the local plaintiff in that case.

http://news.wjct.org/post/american-atheists-monument-dedication-saturday-starke

1:08 audio at link.

The monument will be a bench at that site. The Ten Commandments are in the background.

[The Wielding Truth]

1. Certainly there are no graven images in Atheism. Hope it says something wise.

[okwmember]

2. Good on them.

Next time I'm on my way through to Macclenny or Jacksonville, I'll have to stop and take a look.

[immoderate]

3. The plan is to have all monuments gone within two years.

I am told that a third group, which is more unpopular than the atheists will bring a third monument to the area. The permits have to be reissued every two years. (I don't know which group that is, but they told me it's a real stinker.)

The area is very conservative, and from what I understand, the people will have had enough of this fairly soon.

--imm

[rug]

4. Which group is that?

[immoderate]

5. They wouldn't tell me.

I spoke to a board member of American Atheists who was a part of the negotiations, but he wouldn't tell me the name of the organization. But he assured me they were less popular than the atheists.

--imm

[gcomeau]

8. Let's hope it's a bunch of Satanists...

IF they actually follow through on this as a long term strategy I will retract my evaluation of this action as stupid.

[immoderate]

11. The strategy is for removal of all monuments.

I guess sometimes you have to break eggs to make omelets. (I made that up.


--imm

[cbayer]

6. Hmmm, so the political goal is to move towards something that is so objectionable that

the ten commandments will be voluntarily removed?

Are they not pursuing this any further in the courts?

[immoderate]

9. I think you are right.

I was not present at the negotiations, but the board member I spoke to was. He was against the plan but was outvoted by the other reps. But he alluded that the plan was going well.

Since the objective of AA is to have no religious monuments on public land, it's apparently working. Obviously it would have been better to not have the monuments in the first place, but that didn't occur.

--imm

[cbayer]

10. I hope they are also pursuing legal options, but this approach may be equally effective

in achieving the goal.

From you perspective, is it increasing communication or is it further polarizing or something else entirely?

[immoderate]

12. Well, I don't think it's "increasing communication" but we may be past that.

The site is well in redneck country. They host one of the few remaining electric chairs in the country. The people there are fine with the ten commandments. But I think they did not expect to be a home to the first government sanctioned atheist monument in the US. That woke them up.

--imm

[cbayer]

13. They are apparently fine with the ten commandments except the one that says

"Thou shalt not kill".

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Best of all possible scenarios would be some increase in understanding, but that sounds unlikely.

Thanks so much for the info.

[immoderate]

15. I'm happy to assist.

But realize that nothing you hear from me is "official."

--imm

[immoderate]

14. The atheist monument looks like this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/atheist-monument-starke-florida_n_3368319.html#slide=2518574

--imm

[cbayer]

16. Interesting that most of the quotes speak to secularism and not specifically to atheism.

[immoderate]

17. Well inasmuch as atheists agree on only one thing...

That there's no reason to believe in a god, it's always hard to find a unifying message.

Our major annual events, Darwin Day, and Carl Sagan Day, don't bring up atheism, but are aimed at promoting critical thinking. Pretty sneaky, huh?

--imm

[cbayer]

18. This is where believers and non-believers can often find common ground.

Distinguishing those believers that are also secularists, believe in evolution and honor Carl Sagan's scientific findings can be a road for forming coalitions and fighting against those that want to post the ten commandments on public lands.

Not sneaky at all, but a great way to unify!

[immoderate]

19. As always, cbayer...

You make it hard to disagree.

--imm

[gcomeau]

7. To reiterate my previous comments on this... stupid stupid stupid.

They are simply legitimizing the practice of government endorsement of religious monuments. This is nothing but a negative and anyone who thinks otherwise isn't thinking.