Dear Friends & Supportes,

Below you'll find the text for a press release concerning the recent bill
requiring students to learn "respect for the Creator". We got a real klunker
on our hands here folks! This amendment was slid into a very popular bill
right before the vote, which came down without a single vote against.
However, now that it has moved into the Senate opposition to the amendment
is building. Contact your senators and urge them to oppose the amendment,
not necessarily the bill.

The bill establishes a "character education curriculum" and will probably
fly through the Senate as well, once we get this silly thing off it.

You might also contact Senator David Scott, Chairman of the Rules Committee,
since this is the group that gets to decide what bills get voted on and
such. His contact info is:

David Scott, Senate District 36
State Capitol
Suite: 453
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 656-0090
Fax:  (404) 651-6768
     
Sorry I don't have the bill number; a couple of my calls today went by
unanswered, but just mention the bill as the "character education
curriculum" bill and they'll know which one you mean.

Incidentaly, our chapter has gotten a  letters back from a few Reps stating
their position on some of the past bills we've contacted them about, so we
ARE starting to make a difference!  Keep those letters going! We may not
have the money the Christian Coalition has, but the First Amendment can be a
heck of an equalizer!

Also note the mention of the meeting set for March 9th with Bunnie Riedel
from the AU national office. This is going to be a heck of a meeting and
everyone, everyone is invited to attend. It will be at the Unitarian
Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 1911 Cliff Valley Way NE. You can get
there by taking the N Druid Hills exit off of I-85 and go north about 1/4
mile on the access road that runs right next to the interstate on the east
side. Hope to see many of you there!


Thanks so much for your help!

Skip Evans, President
Americans United/Atlanta


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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LOCAL CHAPTER OF CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION GROUP OPPOSES "RESPECT FOR CREATOR" 
LEGISLATION, PLEDGES INCREASED ACTIVITY IN 1997.


The Atlanta Chaper of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a 
national organization dedicated to maintaining church-state separation, 
criticized an amendment inserted into a Georgia House bill that establishes a 
character education curriculum for Georgia Schools.

The amendment mandates students be taught "respect for the Creator", and 
Americans United says this amounts to government sponsorship of religion, a 
violation of the First Amendment establishment of separation of church and 
state.

"It is not the government's place to teach religion in the public school
system. 
This is a well learned lesson we're talking about here," says Atlanta Chapter 
President Skip Evans. "Religious beliefs are matters for families to decide and 
practice for themselves; it is not the place of the government to tell children 
what to believe."

Americans United maintains that such practice violates the religious
freedoms of 
students whose religious practices may differ from the majority. Government is 
supposed to stay neutral on matters of religion.

Evans continues, "Both government and especially religion are best served when 
lawmakers stay out of peoples' personal religious beliefs."

Americans United/Atlanta further vows to step up activity in the Atlanta
area in 
1997 and beyond, having just recently organized a Board of Directors from its 
three hundred and fifty plus membership.

"Now that we have an organized chapter and our membership is growing we'll be 
taking a proactive role in church-state issues," says Evans. He cites public 
money for religious schools, creationism evangelism in science classes, and 
fundamentalists' attempt at public library censorship as major areas of concern.

The chapter will be hosting Bunnie Reidel, from the national office of 
Americans United, on March 9th in a meeting at the Unitarian Universalist 
Congregation of Atlanta that will bring together a broad coalition of 
organizations in the area that are deeply concerned about the instrusive 
activities of the Religious Right. Groups at the meeting will include, in 
addition to Americans United, the Atlanta Freethought Society, Citizens for the 
Middle Ground, and Humanists of Georgia.

"You'll see a lot of coalition work from now on in Georgia," says Evans. "This 
is the beginning of a new level of activism to preserve the separation of
church 
and state and to oppose religious intolerance."


For further information contact:

Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Atlanta Chapter
Skip Evans, President

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Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Atlanta Chapter
PO Box 79174
Atlanta GA 30357-7174
404-607-0660
tallulah@mindspring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~tallulah/au/
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