I’m kind of hardcore about separation of church and state. Most of the religious things that people want to bring into the government aren’t things that I oppose specifically–I have no problem with the Ten Commandments, and I prayed in school every day I went to school from kindergarten through 12th grade–but I don’t think they belong in a public forum. Faith is personal, and shouldn’t be legislated, in my opinion.
Well, my opinion isn’t worth much in Kentucky, where God has been legislated into the State Office of Homeland Security. The Washington Post reports:
A group of atheists filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to remove part of a state anti-terrorism law that requires Kentucky’s Office of Homeland Security to acknowledge it can’t keep the state safe without God’s help.
American Atheists Inc. sued in state court over a 2002 law that stresses God’s role in Kentucky’s homeland security alongside the military, police agencies and health departments.
Of particular concern is a 2006 clause requiring the Office of Homeland Security to post a plaque that says the safety and security of the state “cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty God” and to stress that fact through training and educational materials.
The plaque, posted at the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort, includes the Bible verse: “Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
“It is one of the most egregiously and breathtakingly unconstitutional actions by a state legislature that I’ve ever seen,” said Edwin F. Kagin, national legal director of Parsippany, N.J.-based American Atheists Inc. The group claims the law violates both the state and U.S. constitutions.
Scary! Also, much as I like to believe that God protects groups He has an affinity for, I feel like this week hasn’t exactly been the best proof of that theory…
