They're never going to stop. We need more militant atheists.

Even though it was decided by the Supreme Court more than 40 years ago that teacher-led, mandatory prayer in public schools was unconstitutional, we have yet more shenanigans going on thanks to the fundie wackos in Alabama.

As I've said hundreds of times, the fundie Christians don't care about the Constitution. All they care about is their Bronze Age Bible, their religion, and their desert tribal god Yahweh.

So, now we have this going on:

Public school teachers in Alabama would be required to begin each day by reading opening prayers that were given in Congress under a bill proposed by a Republican lawmaker. The bill would set aside 15 minutes at the start of each school day to study the procedures of Congress, and give a verbatim reading of a congressional opening prayer, The Anniston Star reported. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Steve Hurst, told the newspaper that teachers could choose a prayer  related to the day's lesson. He said teachers might choose a prayer that was said on a particular day in history.

"If Congress can open with a prayer, and the state of Alabama Legislature can, I don't see why schools can't," Hurst said. "They could read the prayer from the day war was declared in World War II. They could read the prayer the day after Sept. 11."

Susan Watson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, told The Anniston Star the proposal is teacher-led prayer being dressed up as a civics lesson. "Religious practices and beliefs are best taught at home and in our religious institutions," Watson said. "The Alabama Legislature can try to pass anything it wants, but our public schools must still abide by the United States Constitution."

Alabama bill would require reading of  congressional prayers in school

I mean, seriously, enough already. I'm tired of these loons trying to sneak prayers and god and creationism into our schools through the back door, hoping no one would notice. It should also send a message to congress that making a show of praying to God when they are supposed to be a secular government is inappropriate. Congressmen and women can pray all they like privately, but to open every meeting with a damn prayer sends a message to fundie Christians that we don't REALLY mean what we say about a separation of church and state.

Hopefully THiS stupid bill will be crushed, too.

Republican sympathisers retired to fixed positions behind their barricades as soon as America elected a President of the wrong hue. Some of them are even willing to see America fail, rather than accept the situation.

That is one place where the UK is so different is it not?
We do not rely on religion in meetings or politics like the USA does.
Atheism is far more acceptable in the UK if not the majority against theism, hence the closure of so many churches.

It's coersion pure simple, designed to isolate those children who don't share their Christian beliefs and pressure them into conforming.

It's also unconstitutional. It's a shame they can't see the hypocrisy of waging war in the middle east ostensibly to free people from religious tyranny, while trying their best to take the first step towards precisely the same religious control of education themselves.

The odd thing is that the UK has had a state relevant religion doing just this for centuries and we're a far more secular country than north America.

Perhaps it's an own goal none of us can see as well as being unconstitutional?

Though I suspect it has more to do with the Christian right being frustrated at failing to get their whacadoo creationism into the curriculum.