FIrst the banner, now the oath....

Cheered on by their victory over the the various town square Santas, School grad ceremnonies, Military funerals and grave-sites,  and of course the 'prayer banner' of Cranston HS; the Atheist movement has now set it's sites on the US pledge of allegiance.

ACTON, Mass. –  A family has reportedly asked a Massachusetts judge to order a school district to remove the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Interestingly enough, the plaintiffs, who are atheists and call themselves the "Does" to protect their identity, are not citing the establishment clause of the First Amendment in making their case. Instead, they are challenging the Pledge on the basis of the Massachusetts Constitution's guarantee of "equal protection."

The Does argue that schools discriminate against atheist children by taking part in a pledge that makes them feel “marginalized,” the Boston Herald reports.

Superior Court Judge Jane Haggerty will hear arguments Monday in Doe vs. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District.

In another challenge against saying the Pledge of Allegiance in Brookline Mass., a group called "Brookline Pax" had asked the town to vote in favor of a resolution calling for the school committee to rescind its Pledge of Allegiance policy and stop the Pledge from being recited in the schools.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/13/family-asks-judge-to-order-massachusetts-school-district-to-remove-under-god/?test=latestnews#ixzz1mIwu3Pkk

So, because a few kids have fringe beliefs that make them feel 'left out' they want to alter or even SCRAP this oath?

Link between Atheism and Autism in study

Atheism as an Autism?

"People with 'mild' forms of autism are more likely to be atheists, according to a controversial new study - and more likely to shun organised religion in general."
Or so states a study from Boston, quoted in the UK's Daily Mail and found here.

It seems people of sub to normal intelligence with 'mild autistic' tendencies, such as Asperger's syndrome, are inclined to be Atheist, more so that other belief systems.
Funny how that compares to the Platonic view of the cave, isn't it?
Is medical science finally catching up with philosophy. Or is it that this kind of dustbin diagnosis, evolutionary psychology driven, mind as matter stuff has finally turned on its own? I am sure we will see as more of these studies are duplicated.
The researchers involved are quick to warn: "'It is important that people with autism have the freedom to make their own choices about their beliefs and receive the support they need,'"
I would think it is important to let them be happy. If their Atheism is of no matter, then let it be. If it is ruining their life, a caregiver has the DUTY to help them out of that monistic box. Not to convert, but to release.
They also note: "'This doesn’t mean that a huge proportion of atheists are high functioning autistics (though there may be a larger proportion than the general population).'"
So, you don't have to be mentally limited, or psychologically myopic to be an Atheist- It just helps a whole lot if you are? I am almost offended for the Atheists....almost.