Religion-based discrimination against homosexuality supported by House Resolution 115

On June 25, Representative Tom McMillian introduced House Resolution 115 into the Michigan Legislature. This bill supports the practice of religious discrimination against homosexuality by alleging that Eastern Michigan University unfairly discriminated against a graduate student in their counseling program, Julea Ward, who refused to see a client based on her objection to his homsexual behavior.

It is EMU policy not to discriminate based on sexual orientation. EMU's faculty told Julea Ward in classes prior to her counseling Practicum that she could under no circumstances counsel a student to change their homosexual behavior.

Ms. Ward did refer the case to another counselor before the first meeting, so no harm was done to the student, but should someone's faith-based choices to be intolerant of others be tolerated in a professional setting? Should our legislature be condoning this practice?

Michigan Atheists will remember Tom McMillin in his role as the Mayor of Auburn Hills, where he was often the go-to person for a counterpoint in the press regarding issues of separation of state and church. His common line was that we were trying to rewrite history by supporting separation of state and church--that the United States is a Christian nation founded on Christian principles.

Read more about the resolution and the court case here:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-9106-Detroit-Church--State-Examiner~y2009m7d5-Tolerating-intolerance-Michigan-House-Resolution-115

Find and contact your representatives here:

http://house.michigan.gov/

Salvation Army Harbor Light program in Michigan appropriations bill

On April 22, the Michigan House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill that included funding for The Salvation Army's Harbor Light program, as it has annually for several years.

The program has been in existence in the Detroit area since 1939, and has expanded across the country. It provides rehabilitation services for substance abuse and programs for the homeless.

While the program itself does not appear to involve proselytizing, the continued state funding for the activities of The Salvation Army and those of other religious charities, such as those run by the Catholics, provides stability, assets, and PR for religious organizations.

The question raised in my mind about this program is this: what does this program offer that a secular alternative cannot? If money is to be appropriated for substance abuse, as with this appropriation, then why not choose a secular non-profit or have a state-managed operation? Does the state take bids on this sort of service?

I will be exploring this issue in depth, since I have seen funding for this program on appropriations bills since 2001, when I began following legislation in Michigan. In the meantime, read more about it here.

Writing for The Examiner

I have become the Detroit Church & State Examiner for Examiner.com. I have several article ideas, but there are two ways I want to involve Michigan Atheists. First, I want to give Michigan Atheists as much positive publicity as I possibly can, since the primary reason Michigan Atheists exists is to educate the public about separation of state and church issues. The second is that I want to document individual events and help promote them.

I will be writing four to five articles per week for Examiner.com. While I won't be focusing one hundred percent of them on Michigan Atheists, I would like to raise awareness of issues by presenting the facts on Examiner.com, then coming here and calling for action when it is necessary.

I would love your thoughts.

My first article may be found here.

Michigan Atheists State Director to be on Lou Perry Radio Show

WHO: Arlene-Marie, Michigan State Director
WHAT: Guest on the Lou Perry Radio Show
Topic: church and state issues
WHERE: WLBY Radio – 1290 AMAnn Arbor, Michigan(covering a number of communities in Michigan, but not a national program)


WHEN: Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:30 p.m.
CALL-IN: 734-827-1290


ARLENE-MARIE, Michigan Atheists State Director*Director, Michigan Atheists Affiliate *Chairman, American Atheists Convention 2009*American Atheists, Inc., Board of Directors
amarie@atheists.org
Phone: 313-938-5960
http://www.michiganatheists.org/
PO Box 0025, Allen Park, MI 48101

Correction

My appearance on the bob Dutko show will be on January 28th. I corrected it in the article, but corrections within posts already created do not get sent to the group.

Another Bob Dutko Show Invitation

Some time ago, I made a deal with one of my colleagues at work that if he'd read a book on evolution, I would debate Bob Dutko on 103.5 FM on the subject. Bob Dutko is a Christian radio talk show host who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

I emailed Bob, telling him I was a biology major in college (before I switched), that I am a board member for Michigan Atheists, and that I would like to debate with him regarding evolution. He responded promptly, and that's how it began.

Since then, we've had conversations (they are not formal debates in any sense) about separation of state and church, the plausibility of dinosaurs and humans coexisting, and the existence of gods. We're having another round regarding the last subject.

There have been mixed reviews. Some people will say I did well; others will say I missed this or that point; others will say that I failed to "go for the jugular". All I will say is this: I am not going on Bob Dutko's show to win or lose. I will answer his points as well as I can and as time allows, as always, but my real goal is to demonstrate that an Atheist can stand his ground and be civil about it. My goal is to show Bob's audience that Atheists aren't bitter, angry, hateful people; we're rational, sane, and reasonably intelligent.

So far, it's worked fairly well. Bob's audience members have called and written him to say that the Atheist he had on seemed like a nice guy. They like that I don't try to shout him down--which means that ultimately, they'll be likely to listen to the whole conversation. I know that several of my colleagues at work do, and their feedback has been positive. I've given them things to think about. They may not give up religion, but at least they know someone who is an Atheist, so their prejudices toward and caricatures of Atheists have to come into conflict with what they know about me.

In any case, the show will be airing live at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 28, for anyone who wants to listen.

Southfield Churches Involved in Michigan Politics

In the pictures above, we have three churches (two pictures are from one church) in Southfield, Michigan, which have become involved in state politics by advising voters to vote "no" on Proposal 2, an initiative which deals with public funding for stem cell research.

Whatever view voters take on stem cell research and the public funding of it, the issue here is that churches may be overstepping their bounds when it comes to maintaining their tax exempt status. They are quite welcome to preach within their walls about the "evils" of stem cell research, but when it comes to telling voters how to vote, and not just their congregants, but every voter who drives along Lahser, Berg, and Ten Mile Roads in Southfield (just to name a few--I have seen these signs in front of churches in Clawson and Royal Oak, too), they should refrain from telling voters what to do with their tax dollars--or they should pay their fair share of taxes.

The churches in the pictures are Our Lady of Albanians on Lahser Road, Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Church on Berg Road, and the Church of the Transfiguration on Ten Mile Road.

If you see any churches with signs in front regarding ballot proposals or supporting candidates, please snap a picture, if possible, and send it to gregtreich@comcast.net.