Alabama Governor Labeled 'Terrorist' for Bible Study
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley seen in his Capitol office in Montgomery, Ala., in this Feb. 7, 2003, file photo. Riley and his staff have begun weekly Bible studies in his Capitol office, a move critics decry as a troubling display of religion in the halls of sta
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Gov. Bob Riley and his staff have begun weekly Bible studies in his Capitol office, a move critics decry as a troubling display of religion in the halls of state power.
Riley, a Southern Baptist, holds Bible study classes with Cabinet members and his senior staff each Tuesday morning. Other staffers attend a Wednesday morning session.
Riley's chief of staff, Toby Roth, said no state business is discussed during the classes, and he makes sure Cabinet members have plenty of other meetings with the governor so that they don't feel the need to attend simply to have a word with the boss.
But Larry Darby, Alabama director for American Atheists, said there is no way the classes can be truly voluntary as long as the governor is involved.
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