AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
PRESS RELEASE
Feb. 3, 2000


          AMERICAN ATHEISTS:  VIRGINIA "MOMENT OF SILENCE" BILL
               IS "CHRISTIAN PRAYER IN WOLF'S CLOTHING."
             Majority-Rule Christianity - A Dangerous Trend

    American Atheists today criticized the Virginia Senate which passed a
bill Feb. 1, requiring students to observe a moment of silence for prayer,
meditation or reflection.

    Ellen Johnson, President of American Atheists, noted that "bills such
as the one passed in Virginia clearly demonstrate Christianity's dependence
on the government.  If people aren't praying or going to churches, then
Christian interests goad the government into forcing citizens to comply
with authoritarian and submissive activities.  Government has now been
recruited to do the churches' work.

    "This bill will open the floodgates for Christian ritualizing, if
history is any lesson," continued Ms. Johnson.

    "In the past, fundamentalists and evangelicals have used every
opportunity to turn so-called individual moments of 'personal meditation,
silence, or prayer' into full scale religious services. There's no reason
to think that will stop now.  Examples of this type of abuse are legion."

    Ron Barrier, National Spokesman for American Atheists, called the
legislation "forced observance of a religious activity.  It's Christian
prayer in wolf's clothing. This is nothing less than majority-rule
Christianity."

    "This bill has everything to do with promoting Christian prayer at the
expense of religious diversity in the public school milieu. I sincerely
doubt that any individual in the great state of Virginia would publicly
acknowledge that he or she requires elected bureaucrats to set aside a
block of time for meditation and/or reflection.  The issue is Christian
prayer - not meditation and/or reflection."

    "Those who wish to participate in religious rituals, activities, or
other forms of religious exercise can do so - freely without government
interference.  It appears, though, that those who choose not to - well, the
government of Virginia is going to make sure you do whether you want to or
not.

    "It is a clear violation of the separation of state and church and
illustrates the current trend that Christianity can and should be
legislated and that a citizen's right to religious freedom is subject to
majority rule," said Mr. Barrier.

For more information, please contact:
Ellen Johnson, President        (973)334-5110 
Ron Barrier, Spokesperson       (718)967-6453

http://www.atheists.org
http://www.americanatheist.org

American Atheists, Inc.
P.O. Box 5733
Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
Tel: (908)276-7300
Fax: (908)276-7402