American Atheists
Office of the North Carolina State Director
http://www.atheists.org
http://www.atheists.org/nc/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2003
For more information, please contact:
Wayne Aiken, North Carolina State Director, 919-954-5956,
waiken@atheists.org
Dave Silverman, Communications Director, 732-648-9333,
dsilverman@atheists.org,
ATHEISTS AND CHURCH/STATE SEPARATIONISTS TO PROTEST TEN COMMANDMENTS
CARAVAN IN RALEIGH
Wayne Aiken, North Carolina State Director for American Atheists,
announced a protest of the "Ten Commandments Caravan" that is traveling
across the south on its way to Washington D.C. Atheists and other
supporters of the constitutional principle of separation between
religion and government will demonstrate against the rally in Raleigh,
NC on Wednesday, October 1st, at 2:00 p.m.
The protest is scheduled for 2:00pm, immediately after the time reserved
for the Ten Commandments rally, on the northwest corner of the State
Capitol grounds, in downtown Raleigh. This corner of the State Capitol
grounds is at the intersection of Edenton and Salisbury streets. Some
people may be there ahead of time to observe the theocratic rally, but
the official protest does not begin until the first event is over.
Aiken said, "This rally is completely misnamed. It isn't so much about
the Ten Commandments per se, its about using government power and force
to spread their religion. This is anti-American in the extreme, and is
closer to the philosophy of Osama bin Laden than Thomas Jefferson."
Aiken urged local politicians to avoid giving support to this rally.
"The Ten Commandment supporters aren't interested in the constitution,
they want only government support of their particular religion. The
offices of governmental power must be used to protect the rights of all,
regardless of one's own personal beliefs. Involving the government in
what should be a private and personal matter, compromises the
government's role in protecting that right. It sends a clear message
that anyone who believes differently -or not at all- is a second-class
citizen."
"I ask all people who cherish their individual freedom of conscience,
and fear the corrupting influence of government, to join us," Aiken
concluded.
AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for
nonbelievers, works for the total separation of church and state, and
addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
American Atheists Inc. P. O. Box 5733 Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
Tel: (908) 276-7300 Fax: (908) 276-7402
--
Larry Mundinger (aa#451) American Atheists Internet Representative
<irep @ atheists.org> <http://www.atheists.org/>
<http://www.americanatheist.org/> <http://www.atheistviewpoint.tv/>
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