East Bay Atheists Soldier On,
Aiming to Split Church and State

BERKELEY -- When the U.S. Federal Appeals Court in San Francisco ruled last June that it was unconstitutional to require public schoolchildren to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, one small group of citizens here applauded the news amid the tumult of moral outrage that erupted across the nation.

The citizens call themselves the East Bay Atheists, and like the court they believe that any hint of religious overtone -- including the phrase "under God" in the Pledge -- should be stricken from public arenas, including the nation's public schools, under constitutional provisions mandating the separation of church and state.

While the San Francisco court soon voted to reconsider the ruling after heeding the widespread criticism it prompted, the Atheists here struggle proudly on. To critics, they may seem zany and outrageous. But the Atheists consider themselves nothing less than serious political activists protecting the constitutional right to both believe in religion, and to believe not.

The East Bay Atheists comprise two groups, one in Berkeley and the other in San Leandro. On average about 15 to 30 people show up to each group's monthly meetings. By pooling resources with the San Francisco Atheists and the Atheists of Silicon Valley, the group's newsletter reaches over 1,000 people.

"We don't want to be forced into religion," said 77 year-old Tom Maley, East-Bay Atheists founder and coordinator for the San Leandro group. He cites the 1996 welfare reform law "Charitable Choice," which allows states to funnel welfare funds to the needy through community and faith-based organizations.

"The ideas are fine," he said about giving medicine and assistance to the poor. But that's not the point. "The point is," said Maley, "the money goes there and in order to receive the money you have to be proselytized."

Maley listed other examples where he believes the line between church and state has been crossed. Maley doesn't want his tax money paying for the three-figure salary and office of the Chaplain of the U.S. Congress, for instance,, nor does he believe religious institutions should be exempted from paying property tax.

If it were up to Maley and his fellowAtheists, religion would be completelyexcluded from the political arena. Whenever President Bush issues the words, "God bless America" in his speeches, "we cringe," said Maley, "but we understand what he's doing. We're accustomed to it."

According to a poll conducted by the City University of New York in 2001, 14 percent of the adult population living in the U.S. do not identify with a religion.

Even though atheists are a minority in the U.S., the group is more than a voice for those who do not believe in god. "Church and state separation are important for believers and non-believers," said Ski Grabowski, coordinator of Berkeley's East Bay Atheists.

Both Maley and Grabowski said that the organization supports no political party, and in fact has members representing nearly every political persuasion..

"We have them all. From the Libertarians to the Communists," said Maley, all united under a common belief. "We want to live a religion-free life," he said.
The East-Bay and San Francisco Atheists will be hosting a rally for the wall between church and state in San Francisco this Saturday in Justing Square

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