AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
http://www.atheists.org
http://www.americanatheist.org
 
For more information, please contact:
Joe Zamecki, Texas State Director (512) 927-6863
Dave Silverman, Communications Director (732) 648-9333
 
July 9, 2008
 

Texas Supreme Court Ruling Paves the Way for Religious Abuse Nationwide


American Atheists stated today that the 6/27/08 Texas Supreme Court
ruling in the case of a victim of religious exorcism set a bad legal
precedent for all of America. The religious laws in place set up to
protect churches and other religious groups from prosecution for crimes
they commit while expressing their religion go too far. But they usually
don't go this far!
 
The violent actions of the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God's staff, who
were performing an "exorcism" on one of their own 17-year-old
congregants, should not go unpunished. They harmed her, physically and
mentally, and should be held accountable.
 
In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the violence that came to that
young congregant was allowed under laws on the books today that protect
"religious expression." To call this violent incident "religious
expression" is to indict religion, but to insist that any law absolves
anyone of consequences for violent and harmful acts is just plain
irresponsible.
 
This is why American Atheists and other state/church separation groups
spoke out so loudly against the passage of these religious laws. A
religious organization should never be given any government privileges,
but this one is outrageous.
 
The additional bizarre notion that enforcing the law equally on a church
would amount to a state/church entanglement is preposterous. There is
already an obviously unwise entanglement between church and state, in
the form of unjust religious laws that give special rights to religion.
The only way the playing field would be level is if those religious laws
were to be repealed.
 
Texas State Director for American Atheists, Joe Zamecki, said "Any law
that specifically protects a religious group from appropriate legal
action is a special privilege, especially when that religious group has
clearly harmed someone in the course of their religious activities. I'm
finding that more and more religious groups in America want blanket
protection from any kind of consequences for violating peoples' rights
and actually harming them."
 
American Atheists National Spokesperson Dave Silverman said, "If
Atheists had committed the exact same atrocities, then they'd go to jail
for child abuse. See that? Same crime, one gets punished for committing
a crime, and one escapes punishment because they did it for religious
reasons. That is the exact opposite of freedom of religion."
 
For more information, contact:
 
Joe Zamecki, Texas State Director, AMERICAN ATHEISTS   512-927-6863
 
David Silverman, Communications Director, AMERICAN ATHEISTS   732-648-9333
 
AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for
Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and
addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
 
American Atheists, Inc.
P. O. Box 158
Cranford, NJ 07016
Tel: (908) 276-7300
Fax: (908) 276-7402