23rd
Atheist teen speaks out, lands $44,000 scholarship:
A Rhode Island teen is learning that it pays to deny the existence of God: Prominent atheists plan to present Jessica Ahlquist with a scholarship of at least $44,000 — and possibly more.
It seems they were impressed with the way Ahlquist, 16, handled herself amid a roiling controversy that began in July 2010, when she complained about a prayer banner hanging in the auditorium at Cranston High School West that referred to “Our Heavenly Father.”
School authorities brushed off her complaint, saying the banner was artistic and historic, as it had been hanging there for decades. Ahlquist later joined the American Civil Liberties Union in a suit alleging that the banner made her feel “ostracized and out of place.”
After much legal wrangling, a court ruled that the banner needed to be removed — and an uproar ensued.
Photo: Jessica Ahlquist, top center, sits amid supporters during a school committee meeting at Cranston High School in Cranston, R.I. Credit: Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
(Source: Los Angeles Times, via brooklynmutt)
