Three Tampa city council members walk out during atheist's invocation

[cheezus]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-730atheist,0,1213421.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

snips:

Three Tampa city council members walked out of chambers rather than listen to an atheist give the opening invocation.

Council members Kevin White, Mary Alvarez and Rose Ferlita left their seats Thursday rather than listen to Michael R. Harvey, a member of Atheists of Florida who had been invited by council member John Dingfelder to offer the invocation.

Even before Harvey spoke, White was pushing to cancel the invocation. These are sacred moments that refer to a supreme being, White said, and this speaker doesn't believe in God.

``We have never had people of an atheist group represent Americans,'' White said. ``And I don't think it is appropriate in this setting.''

[geek tragedy]

1. Say wha?

I'm an atheist-leaning agnostic myself, but this seems like a weird situation.

[cheezus]

3. a councilman invited the head of an atheist group to do the invocation

after said atheist pointed out that the invocation violated seperation of church/state.

I guess their point was that the invocation isn't religious, it's about goodwill. Some bigoted members of the council proved otherwise.

[Ganja Ninja]

4. I saw it on the news last night.

The guy started his invocation and was cut off right away. When he was asked how he could give an invocation as an atheist he said that he wasn't invoking a deity but was invoking humanity instead.

The whole thing really points out how pushy the religious fanatics are. The guy was simply following his non-religious beliefs and they had no tolerance. No tolerance for atheists now and soon no tolerance for Muslims then Jews then Catholics then.....

[havocmom]

2. So now they get a taste of how others feel when they do their prayers

without regard to those who believe differently. Next time they get snotty, beat them over the head with this.

[gratuitous]

5. Well, isn't that nice?

First it's, "Well, it doesn't really mean anything." Then, it's time to defend God himself. Pissy little hypocrites, if you ask me.

[UdoKier]

6. Disgusting Bigotry

The last acceptable form of bigotry it seems.

I would be curious to hear what kind of invocation he gave...

[bloom]

7. "I just can't sit here and listen to someone that does not believe in a

supreme being"

Yeah - I would like to know what he did say. I bet it was reasonable.

""""Horrors"""""

[bbernardini]

8. Contact info?

I'd love to write to them, as I'm sure a lot of you would. :)

[madrchsod]

9. listen closely,it`s called

----separation of church and state-------

[Sabriel]

10. Now they know how I feel

Every time I have to sit through God this and God that. And I just sit there! I'm not so rude or ill-mannered as to get up and walk.