An Open Letter to All Christians

May 2011

On the topic of the Seperation of Church and State, most Christians just don't seem to get it-- and the reason they don't get it is that they are in the majority. Many of them think that the idea of "Freedom of Religion" is an important U.S. value-- that is, until Muslims attempt to build a mosque in their city, or a Hindu attempts to read a prayer before a City Council meeting. Then the Christians claim that this is a "Christian Nation". They attempt to pass laws that ban sharia law. Religious Freedom only applies to you if your religion is Christianity, or so it would seem. Furthermore, when an Atheist objects to a Christian cross or nativity scene on official government property, then Christians cry out that their religious freedoms are being trampled. When anyone makes an attempt to stop them from forcing their opinions on the rest of us, they claim to be wounded-- that we are trying to take away their right to practice their religion they way they want to. They just don't seem to get it. Is this ignorance genuine? Or are they knowingly misusing our constitution as long as they are allowed to get away with it?
Let me spell it out in a new way. This will require you to use your imagination.

Imagine that I have been elected dictator of the United States, with absolute power. I know, that's your worst nightmare-- an outspoken atheist in charge of this country, but just imagine it for a moment. I have the power to do anything I want.

I have the power to make all children who go to public schools recite an 'atheist prayer' every morning that says: "There is no god". But (and this may surprise you) I wouldn't do it. Because I believe, like Thomas Jefferson, that government's power should extend only to people's actions, not their opinions. Public schools are an arm of the government. The government should have no power to tell citizens what their religious beliefs should be. The government should not be able to criticize your religious beliefs, nor make value judgements on your religious beliefs. How would you, a Christian parent, feel if your child was forced to say such an atheistic prayer every morning? Picture it. Your child, being forced to stand up in their public school classroom, paid with your tax dollars, bowing his or her head, and chanting with the rest: "There is no god..." Well that's how I feel right now. I am an atheist parent of three children who go to public school, and Christians are trying HARD to reintroduce prayers into public schools. If you want to teach your children your religion, that's fine-- do it in your home, your church, or in your private schools.

Back to my imaginary scenario. As the atheist Dictator of the United States, I would not insert the phrase: "One nation, WITHOUT a god, with liberty and justice for all" into the Pledge of Allegiance, and I wouldn't do it for all the reasons I have previously stated. If I did do that, however, how would that make you feel? Really, I want you to take a few seconds and imagine your child standing in a public school classroom, hand over his or her heart, saying THAT alongside all the others. You feel pretty angry, I imagine. Marginalized-- pushed to the side. What do you think I would do instead? I would remove the reference to "God" altogether, and restore the Pledge to its original form as it existed for most it's history.

How about if I put the statement "There aren't any gods" on brass plaques on the walls of courthouses and city halls? How would that make Christians feel? Think about that one for a moment. You would feel that you've entered a building that is not on your side, that doesn't represent you, that's hostile to you and what you believe. You guessed it... I wouldn't do that either. I would remove religious references from government buildings. They simply have no legitimate reason for being there.

I would also have the power to stamp "In God we Doubt" on all of our country's money. I wouldn't do that either. Think about it. Every time you hand a dollar bill to someone else, you are allowing the U.S. Government to make a statement on your behalf about what your religious beliefs are. Do you really think that's right?

All individuals in this country have the right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to pray when they want to, and to practice their religions in any way they choose, as long as it does not violate any existing laws (human sacrifice, for example). But Christians are now trying to pass a law, here in Missouri, that guarantees them "the right to pray privately in public places"! They already have that right! The real purpose of this law is to create the illusion that their religious freedom is under attack. It's not! What's going on here?

When Christians have the power, they take advantange of it. They see no problem with pushing their beliefs, forcing everyone else in this country to pretend that they are christian too. They act like they are the only ones in this country and only their beliefs matter. A few centuries ago (yes, on this soil) they even outlawed beliefs other than their own (including rival Christian sects), punishing people with branding, boring through the tongue and death! People were being punished for "blasphemy", a religious crime, well into the 20th Century. These powers were not given up voluntarily-- religions never volunteer to give up power. Do you think that if they were given the opportunity, churches would once again take up the hilt of that sword and regain their former power?

The Constitution is about "We the People". If this country was framed around Christianity, the Constitution would say so. It does not. The words "God", "Christianity", "Jesus", "Lord", "Bible", and "Ten Commandments" appear nowhere in the Constitution. Read it for yourself.

Some Christians just don't care about the feelings of non-christians-- not just Atheists, but Jews, Muslims, Hindus, natives, etc. Not all Christians think this way, but the dangerous majority does. They think that because they are in the majority, they get to have it all their way. Well, no, that's not how our country works. This is not a majority-rules democracy, it's an equal representation republic. If it were majority rules, then if the majority of the people thought that black kids shouldn't go to white schools, then such laws could be passed. The Constitution exists to protect the minority against the majority, not the other way around. The First Amendment to the Constitution requires that our government (and all of its entities, like public schools) stay out of the business of promoting one religion over another, or promoting religion over no religion.

I, an atheist, would defend the Christian's right as an individual to practice their religion in any way they want. I know that when I defend their rights, I defend my own. I accord every right to them that I claim for myself. I will not, however, sit silently by while they grab all the power. Humanity has already seen what happens when they do that.

Someday, Christians will not be in the majority in this country. They will be the ones calling on the protection of the First Amendment. Think about that.