The Christians in this nation can't find a reason why we should remove the references to God from our government, and the atheists, agnostics, and other non-Christians see it as imperative. The sooner we can remove God from our government, the closer we'll be to a new age of morality, kindness, and understanding of our fellow man.
Or is that too Pollyanna-ish?
More below the fold.
As an atheist who has done the church circuit, I have a different perspective than DarkSyde. I grew up in the Disciples of Christ Christian Church, was baptised at age 12, and at 16 became an atheist.
All Santa references aside, an all-powerful deity is a very primitive notion. Not primitive as in crude - primitive as in going to the very hindbrain of what makes us human. We believe we need to be punished, because we're inherently bad. We believe that we should be rewarded for our good deeds. Who's going to do that? Why, a deity, of course. And when we need help and there's no one else around? Hey, deity, help us out.
I could start building a pretty good case to support the premise that religion has kept us from evolving as a species. We as humans think that the bad people will be punished, and the good rewarded, by our deity of choice - why should we lift a finger? It's not our problem - it's up to God to fix things.
But I'm not. Religion has held us back as a species, but it's also pushed us forward. On one side you have Copernicus and the Spanish Inquisition. On the other side you have Mother Teresa and Gandhi.
I became an atheist for several reasons. One is that I couldn't fit the idea of a deity into my worldview. A nebulous, all-powerful being that created the universe sounded like a science-fiction story to me. Second, I didn't like the reward and punishment system. Being rewarded in heaven makes any good deed a Christian does on earth meaningless.
So when I see all the God references in our government, it makes me mad. `In God We Trust.' What - God is going to stop the travesties of our current government? Or will Karl Rove and George Bush Jr. burn in hell? I'd like to see that, but somehow I doubt it's going to happen. `One Nation, Under God.' God is up in the sky, looking down at us? Let's hope he doesn't have to urinate. God is looking out for the United States? What about all the other people in all the other countries? Is he ignoring them because our nation is `Under God?'
Why do we have so many different kinds of Christianity? DarkSyde rails against the attitudes of wrong-headed Christians. Can we call these guys Christians? They aren't showing a lot of love, understanding and acceptance. Their God is a jealous god, a hateful, boastful god. The thing is, man creates God in his own image. Everybody has a different view of God. Some people see God as a loving, accepting god. Some see him as an avenging deity with a sword of flame. The sooner we realize that, the better off we'll be. Do we really want to worship John Ashcroft's God? The one that doesn't like naked ladies? Or do we want to worship Pastordan's God, who likes Jell-O and tuna casseroles? What if we let everybody worship what they please, when they please, and who they please? Just like things used to be back in 1776?
The American Family Association is afraid of people like Michael Newdow, who's fighting to have `Under God' removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, and `In God We Trust' removed from the currency. They say that he's trying to take away the Christian heritage of the nation. What the American Family Association seems to have forgotten is that our Founding Fathers weren't interested in promoting Christianity.
The United States of America should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy.
George Washington
Twenty times in the course of my late reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out, this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.
John Adams, from a letter to Charles Cushing, October 19, 1756
Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
Thomas Jefferson, from a letter to his nephew, Peter Carr, August 10, 1787
Me, I'd rather not worship any god. I'm happy in my less populated universe, where things happen because of science, not because God didn't like that squirrel. And I'd be a lot happier in my country, if we could bring back the freedom of - and from - religion.