Displays of Religion

In case you missed it, (and since I'm assuming you don't track hate-mongers and bigots for the sake of tracking them you probably did) Bryan Fischer posted this article about "religious liberty."  Evidently a Rhode Island public high school had a prayer banner (picture after the jump) hanging on one of the walls, a gift from its first class of students.  This did not sit well with an atheist junior who lobbied to have the banner removed.  (She was successful.)  Mr. Fischer took umbrage with that decision calling the girl a "little atheist bully" among many, many other things.

As you can see the banner is one of the least offensive, barely religious pieces of cloth that could possibly be hanging on the walls of a public school.  Because of this fact, I actually find myself agreeing with one of the (SPLC designated hate group) AFA's voices of bigotry.  Now, don't get me wrong, 95% of the article is vile and disgusting rhetoric aimed at stirring up an easily riled base, but we find common ground here:

[The Banner] had not been bothering anybody since it was first put up in 1963.

Now, I will never be a friend to any sect of Christianity (or any non-pagan religion), but their displays don't offend me.  A prayer banner such as the one above is a far cry from the insidious tendrils of Christianity seeping into public sex education, or states allowing the "morals" of various religions to dictate who can and cannot marry.  I'm fine with inoffensive prayer banners, nativity scenes, statues of Buddha, or Native American totems on public property because I don't think they infringe upon any other religion, and I certainly don't think they bother anyone aside from the most easily offended individuals.  It's when those things start seeping into legislation that I take up arms because your invisible man in the sky should have no bearing on what I am allowed to do in my personal life.