Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
You might remember the story about a school in Ohio whose mission statement declared belief in God as one of the values the school supports. It looks like they may be changing that statement:
The Lake Local Schools Board of Edcuation gave temporary approval to a change in two policies that involve the school district's mission statement in response to the possibility of a lawsuit by the Freedom from Religion Foundation.The change involves removing the phrase of valuing a "belief in God" but leaving in a phrase about valuing religious freedom. The board will vote on giving final approval to the change at the next board meeting, Jan. 11.
And naturally, the idiots are out in force in the comments:
* this is a sad day!! the fact that this wisconsin group is going to get its way because its easier to just bendover for them than fight. has anyone looked up this goofy group of people?? i am sick and tired of these 'special' intrest groups that go around imposing their will upon us. i thought that the community should decide how THEIR school district should be run not some group from wisconsin. how many people from lake local were complaining?? two if i remember...maybe three. i can't help but wonder that if they are so against God, how can they stand to use US monies that say 'IN GOD WE TRUST' on every bill. gee, it's almost Christmas, i wonder if these people put up a Christmas tree, or celebrate Christmas or even say 'Bless You' when someone sneezes?? it is still sad that only 5 residents showed up to support the district. i bet that if this would have been to remove football from the school half the county would have been there.* WELL.........GOOD LUCK WITHOUT GOD !!!!
As if taking that statement out of a mission statement removes God from the world. These people are ridiculous.
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---As if taking that statement out of a mission statement removes God from the world. ---
That assumes if there WAS a "God" to remove in the first place. Then again; religion is like a business in that not buying it pretty much defeats it since it's the only place where the 15,000 Frenchmen Cannot Be Wrong logical fallacy actually works.
Posted by: Gregory Weagle | December 21, 2009 9:32 AM
It's becoming more and more clear that these people don't actually believe their god has any power at all. They have to force everyone to praise their imaginary friend ever second of every day, plaster their bullshit all over every available surface, because their god is so very very weak, so utterly powerless, so pitifully ineffectual, that it will evaporate into nothing if anyone is allowed to question it.
Posted by: phantomreader42 | December 21, 2009 10:25 AM
I know just how he feels ....
Posted by: Scott Hanley | December 21, 2009 10:49 AM
I don't say "Bless You" when someone sneezes. Sometimes I get glared at for my omission. It's annoying.
Posted by: chris | December 21, 2009 11:03 AM
WELL.........GOOD LUCK WITHOUT GOD !!!!
I wonder if Pat Robertson thinks they'll get a natural disaster now, too - just like the people of Dover, PA. Oh, wait...
I say "Tsering" when someone sneezes, which I picked up from he Tibetans. It means "long life".
Posted by: Jeff Eyges | December 21, 2009 11:17 AM
Or you can say "Salud" - "health" - which is what is said in many Latin American countries. Okay, so it may carry connotations in Spanish with God blessing you to have good health, but it's a lot closer to the "Tsering" that Jeff points out, and (imho) sounds less like a sneeze itself. ;-)
Posted by: Umlud | December 21, 2009 11:32 AM
Reference to homosexual acts ... check.
ad hominem attack ... check
Complete lack of self awareness in mid projection ... check.
Followed up by a willingness to trample on others' rights... check.
Followed by an appeal to a tyranny of the majority ... check.
We have a silly reference to an unrelated issue... check.
War on Christmas reference... check.
And a "if this was something people really care about instead of something really important" whine ... check.
Vague reference to some sort of disaster occurring because you don't get to force your invisible man in the sky on other ... check.
All I see missing is fatwa envy and a reference to Obama being "a Muslim atheist." Awww shucks, you missed a perfect score by two.
Posted by: dogmeatib | December 21, 2009 11:41 AM
Actually to be fair I'll give them a 90%, the Obama reference has to be considered extra credit. ;o)
Posted by: dogmeatib | December 21, 2009 11:44 AM
I always used to say "gesundheit", which just means "health" -- no divine implication. Now I rarely say anything, but if I do, it's that.
Posted by: Nemo | December 21, 2009 1:16 PM
I've heard it as "Salud" for the first sneeze, "Dinero" (money) for the second, "Amor" (love) for the third.
Then there are some variations for subsequent sneezes, offered jokingly, such as "Allergias" (allergies), "Gripe" (a cold), or if they keep sneezing, "Enfermedad" (severe illness), and "Muerte" (Death).
Posted by: DaveL | December 21, 2009 1:54 PM
Posted by: thinkoplex | December 21, 2009 2:01 PM
In Spain, we say "Jesús", when someone sneezes.
Posted by: Hel | December 22, 2009 8:21 AM
Oh sure, God exists. He's not omnipotent though. In fact, the biggest threat to His health appears to be "hurt feelings".
Posted by: James Sweet | December 22, 2009 12:40 PM