AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2000

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

              LOUISIANA PRAYER STATUTE RULED UNCONSTITIONAL
         Newest Ruling Begs Question, "What exactly is Religion"

    American Atheists today praised U.S. District Judge Robert G. James
when, on Wednesday, June 14th, he ruled that a Louisiana statute advocating
and permitting prayer in the public schools was "to endorse religion."
    Ron Barrier, National Spokesman for American Atheists, said the ruling
"was a much-needed safeguard to protect our childrens' constitutional right
to an education.
    "Now, hopefully, all children can go to school for an education without
the spectre of 'instant indoctrination' hanging over their heads like a
Sword of Damocles," said Mr. Barrier. "Maybe this is the beginning of the
end of 'majority-rule' rituals."
    He noted that the language Judge James used in issuing his ruling was
"of particular interest."
    "In his decision Judge James noted that 'the court finds the language
disavowing a religious purpose does not change its conclusion that the
Legislature's actual purpose...was to endorse religion,'" he said.
    "What's particularly interesting is that those parents, teachers,
ministers, and legislators who advocated the prayers in the schools
essentially claimed that prayer had no religious purpose," said Mr. Barrier.
    "The result is shocking when you add this up with arguments by
Christians that the Ten Commandments are not religious, or that Genesis is
not religious. In fact, Christianity has agreed with the Supreme Court's
ruling that the word 'God' in our national motto has no significant
religious purpose.
    "If all of these things - prayer, commandments, God - are not religious,
then what exactly is religion?"


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


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