I want my atheist pastor!

In Denmark, about 90% of the citizens (nominally) belong to the State Church, which is Lutheran. Last week, one parish's pastor gave a newspaper interview in which he revealed that he is an atheist. As a result, his bishop prompted suspended him, pending a clarification of what he meant and what his purpose was.

Now, hundreds of the suspended pastor's parishioners are protesting the bishop's actions! The head of the parish council stated, "If there is no place for our pastor in this Church, then there is no place for many of us either." Yes, I'm serious! These people want to keep their atheist pastor, and are upset that the bishop responsible for their spiritual well-being has suspended the man!

What's more, one group has filed a police complaint against the state church, stating that the pastor's freedom of expression has been violated and that the church has thus violated the national constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights!

Unbelieveable!

[Thanks to Mark for the link.]