AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
P O Box 140195
Austin, TX 78714-0195
(512) 458-1244

November 28, 1994


                GINGRICH TOLD TO EMBRACE REALITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     Newt Gingrich should face reality and admit that his plan to
force prayer into the public schools will do nothing for school
children or U.S. society, says Jon Murray, president of American
Atheists.

     During the last month, Rep. Gingrich has repeatedly called
for a constitutional amendment mandating prayer in public
schools. In a speech to the Heritage Foundation on November 15,
he claimed that school prayer "will have a surprising impact
within a year on the quality of life in the schools."

     Mr. Murray agreed with Gingrich that there should be a
debate "over freedom of religion versus freedom from religion."
Challenging the representative by mail, Murray emphasized further
that the debate should include the question of whether children
should be taught to base their actions on "spirituality" or
objective reality.

     "Gingrich should face facts: prayer will not clean up our
schools. People will. Or as the old Atheist saying goes, 'Hands
that help are better far than lips that pray,'" emphasizes
Murray.

     American Atheists, a national organization of nonbelievers
based in Austin, Texas, works for complete separation of state
and church. It was founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whose law
suit against Bible reading and prayer recitation in the Baltimore
public schools resulted in the 1963 Supreme Court decision
banning state-sponsored prayer in public schools. The group is
mounting a war chest to combat any legislation to sponsor a
silent moment or state-sponsored prayer in the schools.

For further comments, contact: Jon G. Murray or Robin Murray-
O'Hair at (512) 458-1244.


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