Talk:Michael Newdow

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Crackpot. The guy's an ordained minister. Yes, it's a paper church, but still. If he's such a strong athiest, why'd he go and become an ordained minister? —User:ACupOfCoffee @ 08:17, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

I think it's because the Universal Life Church is such a strong proponent of freedom of religion. I'm guessing maybe the irony has something to do with it too. --Maxamegalon2000 14:27, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it is NPOV to call him crackpot. I find the irony quite interesting, as it is analogous to religious persons trying to infiltrate secular institutions, like science. PHF 02:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The Universal Life Church will make anyone a minister - some join up as a kind of joke. Saying Newdow is a crackpot may not be NPOV - perhaps it would be better to criticise him in more neutral terms. Autarch (talk) 20:04, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't think people start churches for the sake of irony. His actually meets, 'every new moon', according to him in one of his speeches on youtube. Despite the humorous dressing, I imagine he is fairly serious about it, as its establishment may have some value in future legal arguments. -David Hunt, 27 April, 2008

Crackpot? This is an ignorant statement. Being a minister has nothing to do with whether you believe in a god or not. For example, Unitarians could be considered Atheists since they do not require one to believe in a god.Mr. Newdow is a lawyer and understands the PR value of aping the substance of traditional religious institutions. Some in the Atheist community advocate making Atheism a religion in order to gain equal government status to that of other philosophical organizations.Aredant 16:24, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Titles

Newdow's doctorate and ordination both appear to come from the Universal Life Church, which will grant them to anyone no questions asked. [1] I don't think it's appropriate to use the titles "Rev." and "Dr." under those circumstances. Consequently I am removing them. (I'll grant that someone could be referred to as "Rev." if they were an actual Universal Life Church member, but as far as I can tell Newdow doesn't actually participate in the ULC in any way.) Elliotreed 04:40, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Oops! Newdow appears to be an actual medical doctor. [2] So that one I will grant. Elliotreed 04:43, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

I don't feel strongly enough to argue against removing the "Rev." title on my own, as long as it's mentioned in that first paragraph. --Maxamegalon2000 04:47, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

I would note that the the references to 'Dr. Newdow' and 'Mr. Newdow' throughout an article seems like fairly uncommon pattern in wikipedia articles. My suggestion is stick with 'Newdow' after the opening bit. If someone is reading the article, they are probably aware he is a he, a doctor, holds a law degree, and runs a church. -David Hunt, 27 April 2008.

[edit] Spamming

Please note a banned user operates a website which has no tie to the Michael Newdow. That website appears to be commerical in nature and has no business being listed in this article. Below is a list of spamming by that banned user adding in that link.