Discrimination against atheists topic of ABC program

[Mathematician]

American Atheists Media Alert
http://www.atheists.org

"OKLAHOMA OUTRAGE," DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST ATHEISTS TOPIC OF ABC PROGRAM
This Friday, May 11, 2007 ~ Kagin, Smalkowski Family

WHAT: A special two-hour ABC Network program scheduled to air this Friday, May 11 will discuss prejudice against Atheists in American, particularly in the city of Hardesty, Oklahoma, where Nicole Smalkowski was expelled from public school on false charges when she refused to stand in a circle on the auditorium floor with the girls’ basketball team and recite the “Lord’s Prayer."

Her father Chuck Smalkowski was falsely indicted on criminal charges, all because of prejudice against their assertion of their rights as Atheists. American Atheists participated in Chuck’s criminal trial that resulted in three “Not Guilty” verdicts by a jury. Edwin Kagin, National Legal Director for American Atheists, persuaded the jury to swear to believe an Atheist under oath over a Christian if the facts so warranted. Following the verdict, American Atheists and the Smalkowski family filed a lawsuit for civil rights violations by state actors, under color of state law, in the Federal Court of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Smalkowskis, Edwin Kagin, and Richard Dawkins share a nine minute segment of this program that was recorded in ABC’s studios in New York City, and on location in Hardesty and Guymon, Oklahoma. Richard Rice, a Christian, who has agreed to serve as Oklahoma local counsel in the lawsuit, was interviewed on camera in Oklahoma. The four days of filming, condensed to nine minutes, will of necessity omit many things and one or more of the persons filmed may be cut.

WHO: American Atheists members Nichole Smalkowski and Chuck Smalkowski and Edwin Kagin, National Legal Director for American Atheists.

WHEN: Friday, May 11, 2007 for two hours, starting at 9:00 pm (EDT).

WHERE: 20-20 show on ABC television, thought to be titled “Religion in America.”

MORE INFO:

www.atheists.org/flash.line/smalko1.htm

www.atheists.org/flash.line/smalko3.htm

http://www.atheists.org/legal/Smalkowski/Entry of Appearance Kagin filed 24 Aug 2006.pdf

 

[Jistyr]

It's coming up soon! I think I will actually watch it despite my dislike for the news.

 

[gnomon]

Thanks for posting this. I remember reading about the story from JREF, I think, and it will be interesting to watch the segment.

 

[Mathematician]

I just finished watching the show. Nicole's story infuriates/saddens me.

 

[The Seeker]

I just finished watching the show. Nicole's story infuriates/saddens me.

I saw it also. It blows my mind how some people/communities that consider themselves to be strong Christians are anything but.

 

[MaddLlama]

I saw it also. It blows my mind how some people/communities that consider themselves to be strong Christians are anything but.

It seems some people pride themselves on taking the "Christ" out of "Christian".

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

It seems some people pride themselves on taking the "Christ" out of "Christian".

If there's one thing I hate, it's an ian.

 

[Namaste]

Shucks, I missed it. Nothing on YouTube yet. Does anyone know where I could find a small recording of this?

 

[Thales of Ga.]

Yeshua had mean comments about disbelievers! Of course, half the stuff one recorded about him is not real anyway according to scholars.Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus" shows that and Bishop John Shelby Spong has rought things to say about the Bible. Not many Jews or Christians follow the book anyway, thank goodness! Real Christians are both fundamentalist and non-fundamentalist: one exegetes the book according to ones eisegesis as William Kaufmann so well showed.