Recently, local atheists tried to get
a Prayer Caravan in Cullman, Alabama stopped in its tracks. The Freedom
From Religion Foundation sent a letter to Billy Coleman, the school district
superintendent, demanding that he put a stop to the event.
Before taking the position of
superintendent, Coleman was a pastor; and he did not like being told that no
one was allowed to pray on school property … even if it was a purely voluntary
community event. He refused to cancel
and the FFRF threatened a legal
battle. This was the third year the
Prayer Caravan was held. The first year
only had about a dozen people who met at one of the district’s schools where
they prayed for the students and faculty; then they traveled to the next school;
prayed and moved on until they had prayed for all of the local schools, the
students and faculty. Last year, several
dozen people showed up and again traveled from school to school, praying for students
and faculty.
This year’s event had a huge turnout …
thanks (in part) to the protests and demands made by the local atheists. Some estimated the Prayer Caravan crowd to
reach nearly a thousand people. Considering
the total population of Cullman is just under 15,000 residents, a turnout of nearly
a thousand people is quite substantial. Going
from several dozen to a thousand people gathering to voluntarily pray for
students and faculty is largely attributed to the whining of a few atheists. All the atheists wanted to do was stop the
event from taking place. Instead, their
actions led to a 2800% increase in participation.
Isn’t it great how God uses people
like atheists and humanists to help His causes along? It reminds me of Genesis 50:20a which states:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”
Perhaps FFRF should consider changing its name to FFYRF – Freedom From YOUR Religion Foundation. This would be more truthful! It is our 1st amendment constitutional right
to exercise freedom of (not from) religion.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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