# Is the ACLU anti-Christian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 12, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855 "2004-05-12T20:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/21 "2004-05-14T22:53:30Z")
Hmmmph! Yet another thread gets off into a gun-control argument. Next time we get a thread that heads off in the direction of “morality of homosexuality,” I’m going to test which hijack is more powerful, by bringing up a Lesbian who owns a pistol to defend herself against anti-gay harassment, and see where _that_ argument goes! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Otters\_We\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3da27b/32.png) [@Otters\_We\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otters_We_Love)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/22 "2004-05-15T01:12:50Z")
talk about twisted sister! ---
**Author:** ![Making\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Making\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Making_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/23 "2012-07-29T03:41:54Z")
ACLU foundation rests on Atheism. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/24 "2012-07-29T04:08:38Z")
For any who are about to reply, this is a zombie thread. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/25 "2012-07-29T04:09:49Z")
That’s one of the least apt user names I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/26 "2012-07-29T04:15:50Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That’s one of the least apt user names I’ve ever seen. You owe me a new keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/27 "2012-07-29T04:20:02Z")
> [@Making\_Sense](#): > > ACLU foundation rests on Atheism. Incredibly insightful post. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/28 "2012-07-29T04:25:06Z")
> [@Making\_Sense](#): > > ACLU foundation rests on Atheism. Did you have a point to make --other than the one atop of your head? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/29 "2012-07-29T04:34:13Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That’s one of the least apt user names I’ve ever seen. And its his only post… How the heck would a new user decide to post first on a thread that was active when Obama was still a state legislator? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/30 "2012-07-29T04:38:23Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > And its his only post… How the heck would a new user decide to post first on a thread that was active when Obama was still a state legislator? They probably googled something like “ACLU Anti-Christian”, posted their bit of inspirational wisdom, and ran without bothering to look at the date. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/31 "2012-07-29T06:38:10Z")
So far at least, the new guy has had the decency to make his one pointless point and then STFU. Would that all our new class of July 2012 had the same discretion. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/32 "2012-07-29T08:42:03Z")
> [@Making\_Sense](#): > > ACLU foundation rests on Atheism. The founders were [Roger Baldwin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nash_Baldwin) and [Crystal Eastman.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Eastman) Don’t know if either was an atheist. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/33 "2012-07-29T14:09:42Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > It looks like they are actually driven by an agenda that has little to do with the constitution or bill of rights. They have certain things that they want to protect. Some of these things correspond to the bill of rights such as freedom of speech and association. However, others aren’t on the bill of rights at all, like right to privacy… > > They also are pro-choice, something which isn’t in the bill of rights at all. Yes, privacy and abortion rights are indeed rights that have been upheld by the courts. If you think our rights are ONLY those listed in the Bill of Rights, you need to read the Ninth Amendment. It says that our rights are not limited to those specifically listed. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/34 "2012-07-29T14:10:43Z")
> [@Making\_Sense](#): > > ACLU foundation rests on Atheism. Genetic fallacy. And false. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/35 "2012-07-29T14:14:25Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Did you have a point to make --other than the one atop of your head? This is still not The BBQ Pit and personal insults are still prohibited. Knock it off. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/36 "2012-07-29T14:42:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The founders were [Roger Baldwin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nash_Baldwin) and [Crystal Eastman.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Eastman) Don’t know if either was an atheist. Baldwin was raised Unitarian, (which any number of Fundamentalist groups would label as close enough to atheism as to not matter), but I have never seen any references to religious beliefs in his adult life–other than the clear efforts of the ACLU to defend religious expression in the U.S. I don’t have any information on Eastman. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/37 "2012-07-29T17:22:32Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Baldwin was raised Unitarian, (which any number of Fundamentalist groups would label as close enough to atheism as to not matter), but I have never seen any references to religious beliefs in his adult life–other than the clear efforts of the ACLU to defend religious expression in the U.S. > > I don’t have any information on Eastman. According to wiki, admittedly not the most reliable of sources, both of Eastman’s parents were Congregationalist pastors and ardent abolitionists. The abolitionists of the 19th Century were, with extremely rare exceptions, very devout Christians. Whether she herself was I don’t know but I certainly don’t see any evidence that she was an “atheist.” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/38 "2012-07-29T18:02:54Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Baldwin was raised Unitarian, (which any number of Fundamentalist groups would label as close enough to atheism as to not matter), but I have never seen any references to religious beliefs in his adult life–other than the clear efforts of the ACLU to defend religious expression in the U.S. > > I don’t have any information on Eastman. When he was a child, Unitarians were pretty mainstream Christians - in the U.S. they actually descended from Puritans, believe it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/39 "2012-07-29T23:05:50Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > When he was a child, Unitarians were pretty mainstream Christians - in the U.S. they actually descended from Puritans, believe it or not. They certainly weren’t mainstream theologically and plenty of liberal sects are descended from very conservative ones. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855/40 "2012-07-30T03:39:12Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > According to wiki, admittedly not the most reliable of sources, both of Eastman’s parents were Congregationalist pastors and ardent abolitionists. The abolitionists of the 19th Century were, with extremely rare exceptions, very devout Christians. > > Whether she herself was I don’t know but I certainly don’t see any evidence that she was an “atheist.” Well, she definitely was a socialist, which to some minds, if that is not too strong a word, amounts to the same thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-aclu-anti-christian/244855.md?page=3)