By Christy Barritt

Atheist Group Planned Outreach to Christians

An atheist group, claiming to be participating in an “outreach” effort, sent an e-mail to 50 ministers in Texas on Good Friday. The e-mail read, “God is Dead, Have a Good Friday.”

The group, called the Dallas-Forth Worth Coalition of Reason, claimed the purpose of the e-mail was to reach Christians and ministers who might question the teachings of the church and be interested in exploring atheism.

When word of the e-mail leaked, it sparked outrage, especially through online media. Many found the message to be offensive and in poor taste, especially when considering it was sent during a time of year meant to celebrate the hope of Christianity and on the day when Christ is remembered for dying on the cross.

Many atheists even called the effort “sophomoric” and “inconsiderate.”

Morality in Media Lists Dirty Dozen ‘Sex Exploiters’

Morality in Media, a faith-based, non-profit organization that seeks to raise awareness about the harms of pornography and other forms of obscenity on individuals, families, and society, released its list of the worst offenders of the year.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made number one on the list. In 2011, Holder shut down the Department of Justice’s Obscenity Task Force, which prosecuted distributors of hardcore pornography. No programs have been implemented to replace the former task force.

The nonprofit said the purpose of their list is to target, expose, and shame the top 12 enablers of our country’s pornography pandemic.

Others who made the list include Comcast, Facebook, Google Play, Hilton, American Library Association, Twitter, Wikipedia, Cosmo, Barnes and Noble, and the Department of Defense.

Boy Scout Troop No Longer Welcome at Elementary School

An elementary school in Utah has told a Boy Scout Troop that they can no longer meet on their property because of the organization’s ban on openly homosexual members and leaders. The school district said this is because the Boy Scout policy conflicts with their anti-bias policy.

The principal at Mountain View Elementary School made the decision to expel the scouting organization, though the school originally said they would wait until the Boys Scouts of America made its final decision on its policy toward homosexuals before they granted or denied the meeting request.

One school board member filed a complaint in March with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil rights, saying that these Boy Scouts are being discriminated against because of this anti-bias policy.

Lawsuit Surrounding 9/11 Cross Dismissed

A lawsuit filed by a national atheist organization that petitioned the courts to remove a steel beam cross from the 9/11 Museum in New York City has been thrown out.

American Atheists claimed that the cross promoted Christianity and caused certain individuals to suffer “depression, headaches, anxiety, and mental pain and anguish.”

The president of the organization also called the cross, which was found in the rubble of the World Trade Centers, a Christian shrine that does not represent Jews, Muslims, Mormons, or atheists, who also died in the terrorist attack.

The judge who dismissed the lawsuit said the cross served both a “historic and secular purpose.”

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons.
www.christybarritt.com