PRESS RELEASE ISSUED FEBRUARY 4, 1994

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American Atheists, Inc.
P O Box 140195, Austin, TX 78714-0195
(512) 458-1244
BBS: (512) 302-0223
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"Senate seeks votes, magical solutions" in facing the school 
prayer issue, says American Atheists

For immediate release

February 4, 1994

"Concern over moral decline isn't at the heart of the Senate's votes 
to withhold funding from schools not permitting 'voluntary prayer' 
and to mandate a 'moment of silence' in the schools, Jon Murray, 
president of American Atheists, said today. "The desire to pander to 
religious voters is."

Murray spoke in reaction to amendments to the Goals 2000 education 
bill. One Thursday, a rider sponsored by Senator Jesse Helms was 
adopted which would deny federal funds to state or local agencies 
barring voluntary prayer. Today's resolution offered by Senator 
Danforth would encourage public school administrators to have a 
"moment of silence" each day for student to reflect on their 
religion.

Murray pointed out that truly voluntary prayer has always been 
allowed and available to public school students. "They can pray at 
home, before school, after school, at their lockers. What they 
cannot do," he continued, "is the same thing teachers and school 
adminstrators are not allowed to do: force other students to pray 
with them." This, he argued, is what happens when students vote to 
broadcast prayers on school loudspeakers or to include religious 
services at graduations and other school events.

Offering the bill to the Senate, Jesse Helms claimed that "You can 
pinpoint when the decline of this country began" -- referring to the 
1963 Supreme Court decision disallowing Bible reading and prayer 
recitation in the public schools. The suit was brought before the 
court by Jon Murray's mother, Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

Jon Murray called Helms' statement "simplistic." He noted that the 
U.S. now has the highest church attendance in its history and that 
Atheists are statistically underrepresented in our nation's prisons. 
"It is valid to argue that the nation needs less religion -- not 
more -- to solve its 'ethical crisis,' " he commented.

"What is really going on in the Senate," he explained, "is that a 
majority of Senators seeks to avoid the real problems in this 
country by catering to emotional issues such as school prayer. 
Students will learn neither math nor good manners from a moment of 
silence or a prayer. It is the job of our schools to teach 
citizenship and the three R's -- and leave the fourth R, Religion, 
to the home and the church where it belongs."

Voting against the amendment denying funding to educational agencies 
not allowing 'voluntary prayer' were Senators Box, Feinstein, 
Inouye, Simon, Harkin, Kassebaum, Levin, Riegle, Wellstone, 
Danforth, Bryan, Moynihan, Glenn, Metzenbaum, Hatfield, Specter, 
Chafee, Pell, Jeffords, Leahy, Murray, and Feingold. The Goals 2000 
education bill must be reviewed by a House and Senate conference 
committee before it can face a final vote by the two houses of 
Congress.