Atheists want God out of security - Security- msnbc.com

[Paul Finkelman]

Might prove that God does not want politicians using his name to further their own ambitions. Shades of Roger Williams

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Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208

518-445-3386 (p)
518-445-3363 (f)

pfink at albanylaw.edu

www.paulfinkelman.com

--- On Wed, 12/3/08, Ed Brayton <stcynic at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Ed Brayton <stcynic at gmail.com>
Subject: RE: Atheists want God out of security - Security- msnbc.com
To: paul.finkelman at yahoo.com, "'Law & Religion issues for Law Academics'" <religionlaw at lists.ucla.edu>
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 8:59 AM








In Georgia last year, Gov. Sonny Perdue held a public meeting to, as he put it, “pray up a storm” to help the drought and it worked. Kind of. There was a big storm the next day in Northern Georgia and Tennessee that brought more than an inch of rain. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to help the drought. It did, however, rip the roof off a Baptist church in Tennessee, which injured three children and sent them to the hospital. Not terribly relevant to any legal analysis, but there it is.
 
Ed Brayton
 

From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu [mailto:religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Paul Finkelman
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 8:44 AM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: Atheists want God out of security - Security- msnbc.com
 





The really interesting aspect of this is the way in undermines religion for those who take it seriously.  Does this mean that IF there is a terrorist attack in KY that God no longer cares about Kentucky?  GW Bush was arguably the most religious president to ever sit in the office; lof of good it did us on Sept. 11.

 

This reminds me of when I first moved to Oklahoma, in the summer of 1999; there was a serious drought in the state. The Governor did not ask the people to conserve water or stop washing their cars or watering their lawns every day. Instead, he asked everyone to reserve the following Sunday to "pray for rain" at their church.  I suppose that exempted Jews, Seventh Adventists, Moslems, and some others from worrying about the problem

 

Alas, it also gave of fabulous proof of the efficacy of prayer.  They all prayed on Sunday and guess what --

It did not rain for weeks or maybe even months.

 

So much for the power of prayer when the government tried to commandeer religion for its own political ends.  The Baptists -- of all faiths -- those who started with Roger WIlliams and were whipped and jailed in post-Revolutionary Virginia -- should have the good sense NOT to corrupt their faith by allowing politicians to score points.  

----
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208

518-445-3386 (p)
518-445-3363 (f)

pfink at albanylaw.edu

www.paulfinkelman.com

--- On Wed, 12/3/08, Joel Sogol <jlsatty at wwisp.com> wrote:

From: Joel Sogol <jlsatty at wwisp.com>
Subject: Atheists want God out of security - Security- msnbc.com
To: "Religionlaw" <religionlaw at lists.ucla.edu>
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 7:01 AMhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28029857/    _______________________________________________To post, send message to Religionlaw at lists.ucla.eduTo subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, seehttp://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw  Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people canread the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward themessages to others.
 


      
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