American Atheists, Inc. calls out Florida school leadership for showing religious favoritism

American Atheists, Inc., has released the following statement:

Cranford, NJ – Orange County, Florida school leaders have given approval for members of World Changers of Florida to distribute Bibles by placing them on tables near student lunchrooms on Wednesday, January 16, 2013.

David Silverman, President of American Atheists said,

"Orange County is showing favoritism by allowing the distribution of Bibles in the county high schools. This is an issue of preserving the rights of all students, regardless of their beliefs. We will be moving forward to distribute books written by Madalyn Murray O'Hair on atheism in the same manner. Our request will be presented to the school board asking for a specific date when we can place our books in the schools. We expect equal treatment for us; as well as any and all other religions that want to distribute their literature in the same manner."

This type of passive distribution isn't a new occurrence in the Orange County Schools. According to the group's web site, the distribution is an annual practice. An article on the website states,

"We are excited to again be able to distribute Bibles in Collier and Orange county high schools. We have given out thousands of Bibles over the last few years and we are working to expand the program to many other school districts." (Emphasis American Atheists)

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a national 501(c)(3) organization that defends civil rights for atheists, freethinkers, and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of religion and government; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.

Al Stefanelli

Al serves on the Board of Directors for The Clergy Project, and is the former Georgia State Director for American Atheists, Inc. He is a retired journalist and the author of "Free Thoughts - A Collection Of Essays By An American Atheist" and "A Voice Of Reason In An Unreasonable World - The Rise Of Atheism On Planet Earth." Al began writing in 1985, starting with the New York Times. In 1993 he joined a McClatchy newspaper, writing a weekly column for ten years. His writing continues to be widely distributed on the Internet and in print. He also produced and hosted a weekly syndicated radio broadcast for three years and was the founder and President of the former United Atheist Front, Inc., which functioned as a civil rights organization. Al is a former Southern Baptist Pastor, having served two churches and as pulpit supply for three counties. Currently, he writes for The God Discussion, hosts his own blog on WordPress, submits content to a variety of publications, and co-hosts "American Heathen Radio" and "Reap Sow Radio." Al lives in Peachtree City, GA., a suburb of Atlanta.

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