Atheist Group Encourages Opponents of Supreme Court Hobby Lobby Ruling to 'Knit Bricks'

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter Friday, July 18, 2014

An atheist group is encouraging those opposed to the recent Supreme Court Hobby Lobby ruling to crochet or knit rectangular pieces of fabric, meant to represent bricks, and send them into the organization's national office in Washington, D.C.

The Secular Coalition for America launched its "knit-a-brick" campaign earlier in July, shortly after the Supreme Court ruled in a 5 to 4 decision that corporations may refuse to provide birth control insurance coverage to its employees based on strongly-held religious beliefs. The atheist group plans to collect the "bricks" built by its supporters and sew a giant "wall" to symbolize the Separation of Church and State that it believes has been violated by the recent Supreme Court ruling.

The atheist group said on its website that it started the "knit-a-brick" campaign earlier this month to "harness outrage" following the Supreme Court ruling, as well as "create a striking visual impact for lawmakers and speak directly to Hobby Lobby's consumer base with the Knit a Brick campaign."

Those who can't knit are encouraged to donate money and have a SCA staff member knit the brick instead. To have Amanda Metska, president of the atheist group, knit a brick, one must donate $100, while an intern's brick only costs $10.

While the Knit a Brick campaign has already received 250 bricks, its goal is to accumulate 400 by Aug. 5. Should the total reach 400, the SCA reportedly promises to deliver the bricks to the steps of the Supreme Court. If the total reaches 800, the bricks will be delivered to Congress, while the SCA will reportedly try to deliver 1,200 bricks to the Obama administration.

The Secular Coalition for America is an umbrella nonprofit organization that represents several atheist groups in the U.S., including the American Humanist Association and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Several of the atheist groups that fall under the Secular Coalition for America have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court's late June ruling that favored Hobby Lobby chain craft stores, owned by the Oklahoma-based, evangelical Green family.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has called the ruling "damaging, dangerous and unprecedented," arguing that it "[ignores] the rights and needs of thousands of female Hobby Lobby employees, and millions of women nationwide who work at for-profit corporations."

Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, previously said of the ruling: "The Supreme Court has placed the religious views of corporate shareholders over the legitimate health care concerns of employees."

"This isn't religious liberty—it's religious intrusion that will negatively affect many hard-working Americans."

Those who supported the Supreme Court ruling applauded it as a victory for religious freedom in the U.S.

"The Supreme Court's decision today makes clear that the government cannot force Americans to defy the basic tenets of their faith simply because they own a business," Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a statement.

"I am glad the Supreme Court has preserved our Constitution's protections of religious freedom from another overreach by the Obama administration."