I don't have to pretend about what an atheist thinks. What is a free thinker? You assume that anyone who thinks for himself thinks like you. You may not realize this, but if you truly are a free thinker, you are in the early stages of free thought. Your angry tone suggests that you have allowed emotion to dominate logic, not the trait of a thinker. If you are to find the truth, any truth, then you must subjugate your urge to accept what you desire to be true as truth, in favor of discovery of truth, no matter where that leads. Avoid the trap of belittling others for their opinions, as they may well have something to say that you have not considered, which you cannot hear if you will not listen. No one can hope to discover everything there is to know on their own. We need input from others for a more complete understanding of truth. I also condemn the intolerance of any church that claims privilege for itself or attempts to coerce. As I said before, true religion must be based on free will choice.

It's foolish to think that all Christians are intolerant of atheists just because some are, just as it's foolish to think that all atheists ignore history just because some do. Some atheists actually believe their own propaganda, while some very well know the truth but deny it anyway since it doesn't help their position. While this country is based on the idea of freedom of religion, atheists promote the concept of freedom from religion. Freedom from religion is not a founding principle of this country, as a passing knowledge of American history confirms. Conversely, Christians do not always adhere to their own principles. Showing intolerance for others is proof of that. Intolerance is a human trait that seems to permeate the whole race, regardless of religious belief, or lack thereof.

melstew...., how are we going to blog if we mind our own business?

While we're all clinging to our guns and religion over 4000 Americans have died in Iraq, with almost 30,000 wounded. We're no closer to leaving than the day it started. It's putting us more and more in debit to the people that don't believe in religious freedom, and they're getting a lot richer off this than anybody in Janesville. Let's get real.

People need to get a life and stop worrying about this crap! As long as taxpayer's money wasn't used, I could care less.

the chinese doing well?
ask tibetans then get back to me.
but then again, they would get killed for replying - so perhaps not.
Christians in China are muzzled and need to gather underground -- or face charges for just about anything -- many face death for practicing their faith.

We however, live in America.
Supreme Court Justice Elect Gablemen is free to do what he wants -- and I encourage him to do so.
Freedom From Religon can say whatever they want.
Gablemen does not NEED to heed their request.
I would love to hear him tell them to stick it in their collective ears (or elsewhere).

DanHartung:
I have to take issue with a couple of your statements. You said "These experiences and others led the Founders to be skeptical of religion's place anywhere near government". It's true that they had an aversion to established state churches, but they were quite in favor of public exercise of religious belief by government officials. They were the ones who established the tradition of opening each daily session of congress with prayer.
That quote from the Bible is a little misleading. Christ was asked whether it was right for Jews to pay Rome taxes. He asked them whose image was on the coins they had. Their answer was Caesar's image. That's when He said, as you wrote, " Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and render unto God what is God's". This was His admonishment to those who asked to concern themselves with what God expects from them and not to get caught up in legalistic arguments such as paying taxes to a pagan government. But it is true that the Bible rejects forced religious practices. God makes it clear in the bible that true religion is totally a free will choice.

The Chinese doing well? The Chinese hierarchy is doing well. Most of the Chinese do without the luxuries in life like indoor plumbing, electricity, paved roads, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to procreate. Other than that, things are pretty good in China, unless you’re Tibetan, or you're discontent. The proof, of course, is in their immigration rates. People are standing in line to get in to China, which is good practice for all those lines they'll be standing in to buy staples, once they move into their new luxury quarters. The Chinese do a great job of separating church and state. If you have religious beliefs, you are separated from just about every opportunity worth having. And each church must register with the government, which controls religious expression, lest any religious sedition take hold and disrupt civil tranquility, much as Gaylor's group would do if they could.

Separation of church and state derives from the First Amendment, which affirms that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion", that is, creating official sponsorship of a church. The Founders knew indeed what they were talking about as many of them were in the Americas because they did not have the free practice of religion in Britain, which severely restricted Catholics and non-Anglican Protestants in their rights to build churches and worship freely, up until the 19th century. Many of the Founders were descended from people who rejected the established Anglican church -- the Pilgrims were Puritans, who believed in the Bible over ritual. If they did not follow the rules of the church they could be excommunicated, and many of them had to flee Britain clandestinely as they could not obtain the equivalent of passports. Others came from countries where religious persecution was even more direct and sometimes violent. These experiences and others led the Founders to be skeptical of religion's place anywhere near government.
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Of course, "separation of church and state" is also in the Bible, and it's fun to remind some people of that. "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and render unto God what is God's." So, even Christ thought it was a good idea. He lived under an administration that wanted to pick and choose what religious practices were acceptable.

If America is so blessed because of it's belief in God, why are the Chinese doing so well?

I've got news for you self-righteous folks. This is NOT a Christian nation. It is a nation of all religious faiths, and of no religious faiths.

No one is trying to keep anyone from exercising their religious practices. The FFRF is only trying to make sure that tax money is not being spent on such practices. Believe as you will, but don't ask me to fund it. Do you want any of your money to fund Islam, Buddhism or any other non-christian religions? Would you be offended if at a local football game, an imam came and gave a Muslim prayer? To mouse's argument, I encourage to re-read the article. No one would ask him NOT to go if the sheriff's office was not a tax funded office. I would care if the sheriff used tax money to go to a buddhist retreat. Another problem is that America was not founded on Christian beliefs or ideas. Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and many others were deists, not theists. I encourage you to read The Treaty of Tripoli, the first treat entered in to by the US. As a non-christian I make this promise: I will not accept any public funds to subsidize my religious beliefs. I hope all people of all ffaiths can will make the same promise.

Why don't Annie Laurie Gaylor go to a country that doesn't believe in God and see how well off they live. This country was founded by God and Country. This nation is free to express their love for God and country. We as Christians has taken alot of grief from people like her and her organization. I saw leave this country of ours and see how the non Christian countries live......

Well said Mousemarie!!

When are people going to stop going on and on about "separation of church and state???"

First and foremost no such thing exists in the Constitution or anywhere else in this country's founding documents.

Second what does exist is the right for each and every person to choose their own religion and the prohibition of the government from DECLARING a National religion. If Justice Gableman would like to exercise his right to choose his religion by attending a prayer breakfast, then there exists ZERO basis for argument against that in the Constitution he has sworn to uphold. In fact that very Constitution was written to GIVE HIM that exact right.

Third, why is always the Christian-based organizations and events that are targeted as violating 'separation of church and state?' Why isn't anyone upset when a Justice attends a synagogue or a Sheriff goes to a Buddhist retreat?? I get so tired of the farce of 'separation of church and state.' Find something with a legal basis to argue about, please!

“That your inappropriate government sponsorship of a religious event apparently has been going on for eight years only increases our dismay,” Gaylor wrote.

It's been going on since this great nation was founded.
Maybe Annie Laurie Gaylor needs to move to a country that wasen't founded on Christian beliefs! The 1st ammendment says that the government doesn't have the right to interfere with our religious beliefs..
The Annie Laurie Gaylor's have been trying to twist that around for years, This isn't a new concept. You have to deny God in order to attempt to prove yourself his equal. Stalin tried, Hitler tried, Mussolini tried. The many Caesar's tried and one after another failed.
I applaud Sheriff Dean Roland for standing firm on his Faith.

who cares, leave people alone and mind your own business!