Judge Strikes Reference to God in Ky. Law

(AP)  It is one thing to trust in God, but quite another to be ordered to rely on protection from above during national emergencies, a judge has ruled.

Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate said in Wednesday's decision that references to a dependence on "Almighty God" in the law that created the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security is akin to establishing a religion, which the government is prohibited from doing in the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions. Ten Kentucky residents and a national atheist group sued to have the reference stricken.

"It is breathtakingly unconstitutional," said Edwin Kagin, national legal director for American Atheists Inc. in Union, "and Judge Wingate goes to great detail as to why it is."

The judge wrote in the 18-page ruling: "The statute pronounces very plainly that current citizens of the Commonwealth cannot be safe, neither now, nor in the future, without the aid of Almighty God. Even assuming that most of this nation's citizens have historically depended upon God, by choice, for their protection, this does not give the General Assembly the right to force citizens to do so now."

The language in the 2006 legislation had been inserted by state Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, a pastor of Christ is King Baptist Church in Louisville.

Riner said he planned to ask Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway to seek a reconsideration of the order. Conway has 10 days to do that, and 30 days to appeal.

"They make the argument ... that it has to do with a religion," Riner said, "and promoting a religion. God is not a religion. God is God."

A spokeswoman for Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway says he has not yet decided whether to appeal.

The state Office of Homeland Security was created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, Wingate said in the order, and two amendments added to the statute creating the office were at issue.

One required that training materials include information that the General Assembly stressed a "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth." The other required a plaque to be placed at the entrance to the state's Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort that said, in part, "the safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

Wingate noted in the order that there are 32 references to God or Almighty God in state statutes and the state constitution.

But the reference in the homeland security law "places an affirmative duty to rely on Almighty God for the protection of the Commonwealth," Wingate wrote. "This makes the statute exceptional among thousands of others, and therefore, unconstitutional."

Riner said he was not willing to consider rewording the phrases to make them pass muster.

"This is no small matter, the understanding that God is real," he said. "There are real benefits to acknowledging Him. There was not a single founder or framer of the Constitution who didn't believe that."

[s57g67l]

by JVgirl August 30, 2009 3:01 AM EDT "You might think their all the same but I don't! There is no record that I know of that Allah even had a son and he certainly didn't send him to die on a cross for the sins of the world. I worship the Lord God Jehovah because he gave his best for me. He gave his son, the Lord Jesus Christ."


Like I said, not enough educating of oneself. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe that their ONE TRUE GOD is the GOD of Abraham.

I never said Muslims believe that Allah sent his son into the world. That is because they believe and follow the teachings of Mohammed. Muslims do not deny that Jesus existed they, as well as Jews do not believe he was the Son of God. Both of those religions regard him as only a teacher/prophet.

So, back to what I said in my first post . . . . these 3 religions took different paths from the story of Abraham.

And, Whimwham, this is not nonsensical new age rubbish. The stories of Abraham are in the Torah (or Talmud or whatever it's called), the Bible and the Quran. So, if each book is proclaiming the god of Abraham is Yahweh/God/Allah, then that pretty much makes them the SAME.

[JVgirl]

You can call me uneducated if you want to but, like I said, I worship the one who gave his best for me. I worship the one who loved me so much that he sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins and for the sins of the world. There is no greater love than that! To me that makes Him different!

[Dadgumgerman]

Boy, some judges just seem to make the Constitution a god. Forget about the piece of paper written by men, this country needs God on our side. Atheists seem to ignore all the chaos, murder, and total mayhem that is going on around them, because God has been besmirched, and toyed-with.

[Jzyehoshua]

Yeah, Kentucky was way out of line. So were these guys:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them..."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...."

"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions..."

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

-Declaration of Independence, 1776

[s57g67l]

by JVgirl August 28, 2009 2:24 AM EDT "I worship God, not Allah."
Unfortunately, this is the problem with most Christians(Jews, Muslims)-----they do not completely educate themselves on their religion.

Everyone please pay attention. Jehovah is God is Allah. Judaism, Christianity and Islam ALL worship the SAME deity. They just use different monikers. Each of these religions are worshipping the "God" of Abraham. Do some reading. All three of these religions take different paths after accepting the story of Abraham. If you believe and follow the teachings of Moses, you are Jewish; if you believe and follow the teachings of Jesus, you are Christian; if you believe and follow the teachings of Mohammed, you are Muslim.

Get it? It's all the same Creator/Deity/Higher Being---just different names.

[JVgirl]

The Lord God Jehovah is the one who loved me enough to send his only begotten son to die on a cross for me. You might think their all the same but I don't! There is no record that I know of that Allah even had a son and he certainly didn't send him to die on a cross for the sins of the world. I worship the Lord God Jehovah because he gave his best for me. He gave his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other God but the Lord God Jehovah. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is the creator of this great universe. He is also the Yahweh of Judah and, yes, he's the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the only true God and he is is the one I worship. All others are false gods.

My only difference with the Jews is that they don't accept Jesus as the son of God or the Messiah. They are still looking for the Messiah to come. We Christians say that he has already come. He came over 2000 years ago as a baby in Bethlehem. We, however, are looking for his second coming but not as a baby this time, but full grown and in his full glory. He promised before he left that he would come again and receive us unto himself. We Christians live for that day!

[barbaram99]

What I see here is war. They both want control. The church want control. The govt want control. Who is will win. Nobody. Men wrote the bloody bible. Yep. Chridtians. The bible was written by men. Women we were nonody, If ye will we were no better than the slaves. Yet. We were treatrd awful. It is appalling the remakes thrown at me as a blind lady from birth. The hate in America is so bad today.
Thw caused more suffering and pain.

[hungry1968-16]

by Whimwham August 27, 2009 2:16 PM EDT
Bravo *sound of 1 hand clapping*

Once again the minority rules.

A pyrrhic victory for pathetic atheists who actually believe striking the word 'god' from a legal document will remove religion from society.

What a waste of time on the taxpayers' dime.







The intent wasn't to remove religion from society. We could only be so lucky if that happened.

The intent was to STOP alienating non-christians, in accordance with the first amendment of the US constitution.



The ONLY reason that it was put in the bill in the first place, was to FORCE those religious beliefs on Americans that do not believe in those myths.

[hungry1968-16]

by hower4 August 27, 2009 2:34 PM EDT
by DaVicar5 August 27, 2009 12:29 PM EDT
No, Christianity is the MAJORITY.
----------------
Do you mean in the world or only in America?






In his mind. Of all the voices in his head, christianity is the most dominant of all of them.

[hungry1968-16]

by DaVicar5 August 27, 2009 1:31 PM EDT
Because it makes them a better person, and brings great blessings into their life.






"Great Blessings"?

Like having children?

Winning the lottery?

[endurorob]

Whimwham August 27, 2009 2:16 PM EDT
Bravo *sound of 1 hand clapping*

Once again the minority rules.

A pyrrhic victory for pathetic atheists who actually believe striking the word 'god' from a legal document will remove religion from society.

What a waste of time on the taxpayers' dime.



It is not an attempt to remove religion from society it is removing religion from government and keeping it from infecting the lives of those who do not have your irratinal beliefs.

[naj1953]

Like I said before posted somewhere else....Religion is the problem. Its not that people don't believe in God. I just don't believe in, who is teaching about God...We have not been living the way God wants us to. Do you think God believes in our Government with all the Greed? Religion or churches have lied to people saying they are the way to heaven...blah blah... I like to think that is between me and God.. Believe however you want, but when you say your religion and how you believe in God is the only way...then I think you should take a look at your own religion and wonder.God has always given man free will, but we just don't seem to live the way he wants us to.