Atheist Group Attacks Prayer

The case began after a tragic shooting spree in Ocala, FL. Community leaders proposed a prayer vigil in response, and the local chief of police, in keeping with a long history of public officials calling for prayer in response to crises, encouraged citizens to attend the prayer vigil. Some local atheists didn’t like the idea. But the event went forward, and a group of atheists attended to “observe” what they expected to be, in their opinion, a violation of the “separation of church and state.” After the vigil, the American Humanist Association and four atheists filed suit in federal district court, claiming a violation of the Establishment Clause and asserting the right to sue as “offended observers.” The ACLJ stepped in to defend the city.