>>What some people seem to forget is that the first amendment guarantees freedom OF religion and not freedom FROM religion.
>
>
>Even purists acknowledge that rights are contextual. So in certain cases I think it's an "it depends"
>
>For instance, I've been an atheist pretty much all my life. In elementary school our chorus sang religious/Christian Christmas carols, our high school football team had a few banners in the high school halls with Christian quotes, and there were other elements of religion in different areas. I never cared one way or the other and wouldn't care today. When I see atheist organizations getting all worked up about really stupid and trivial things and saying they should be protected under the notion of "freedom from religion", I revert to a different saying - "no harm, no foul". I'm not ideologically (nor physically) harmed nor fouled by any of it.
>
>Now...if our neighborhood police suddenly decrees I have to have a nativity scene in my front yard because it's a Christian neighborhood, I think most would agree that's a different story.

A propos to this discussion, just ran across this: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/opinion/sunday/the-bible-as-bludgeon.html?_r=0