Opposition to prayer in schools is often silenced by intimidation and threats from religious "extremists," the executive director of the Louisiana branch of the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday. Joe Cook told the Press Club of Baton Rouge that before the organization challenged the practice of the Tangipahoa Parish School Board of starting its meeting with a prayer, it had also received complaints from Orleans and Ouachita parishes about prayer at school functions.
[Note that as usual, the code word for 'religious people doing things we don't like' is 'extremist.' The code word 'fundamentalist' has the same function. But also as usual, this is defining things after the fact. They did something they didn't like, so they're extremists. Before that, they were just other religious people doing other religious things. This sort of labelling after the fact is a useful way for religious people to keep their tax breaks and social power without ever having to 'clean house.' Because the only way to reform religion is to be less religious.]
Post a Comment