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| Kalei Wilson wants to start club for Atheists. |
According to one source, “the attorney for the school district has indicated that if [Kalei] make[s] a formal request to start the SSA group with Principal [Greg] Bailey, the group should be allowed to form.”
Kalei will be meeting with the Bailey early this week to begin (again) the process of forming the group.
I just spoke with her over the phone and she told me that nearly a dozen students have already expressed interest in joining the club — which is already more than some of the other clubs at the school.
Assuming everything goes smoothly from here on out, Kalei hopes to get in as many group meetings as possible before the end of the school year and show the community that “we’re good people, not bad people.”
Well good for Kalei!
Just one more step toward gaining acceptance, and proving that Atheists are not the frightening people that some in the religious community like to paint us as.
For those who did not read my original post on this, that can be found here.
What I find frightening is the power and control religious fanatics have over our public property and facilities nowadays. 50 years ago, my Grandparents, staunch Lutheran Republicans, who were 1st generation Americans, would have been appalled at the behavior of today's "religious right" and would have been the first to denounce them and their behaviors.
ReplyDeleteSurprising Religious Facts About U.S. Presidents You Probably Didn't Know
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/16/presidents-religious-fact_n_4790985.html
I'm proud of you, Kalei!
ReplyDeleteGood for her.
ReplyDeleteThis is showing up on other sites and, of course, them thar religious folk are having fits about it. Quite ok for other groups to have religious clubs, though.
Pat Padrnos
Good for her and the students of the club. In North Carolina, it takes guts to start a club for atheists.
ReplyDeleteComing from New England, I sometimes fail to appreciate the hardships others face in other areas of our country for following their beliefs (or lack thereof). Here in Maine, most folks would prefer that no one speak of their religion thinking that is a private matter.
My own parents are/were (Dad died) agnostic as are many people here. Judging from church attendance, I would say that the majority of people do not attend. But what really matters to most is the kind of person you are; not the church you attend.
I myself believe in God, but I never put that belief on my kids. It is up to them to believe or not. And as long as they are good people, who cares anyway? I don't think God cares either. Then again, I have never been baptized and I don't attend any church as I think if you want to walk with God, you have to walk alone, so what do I know? And that's the point; no one living knows for sure but there sure are a lot of people out there trying to jam their religion down other people's throats.
Good for me, those people don't live here.
I wonder if some people will watch it as a place to get names for assaults. You know, because they are atheists and shouldn't be allowed to exist?
ReplyDeleteAnybody want to bet whether or not the police will do anything if a complaint is filed by one of the club members? Or if an assault actually happens and the person ends up in a hospital?
I think this is an incredibly brave set of kids (most especially her as the founder) and I laud their efforts - and their guts!
(I live in SC so I know what being an atheist is like down here and how it affects your life.)
YES! Gryphen just found the cure for this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOS3HdxpS88
Good for the students! Maybe they'll show the others there's not much difference to fear from thinking differently. Inclusion is a wonderful thing!