Yesterday, DrSteveB put up a poll to quantify the religious beliefs of Kossacks. With well over 5000 votes, I think we’d all agree that it is fairly representative of the Kossack community. To my surprise, and frankly my delight, the largest group far and away was Atheists at 39%. The second largest group was staunch Agnostics at 16%. That adds up to 55% of Kossacks – a clear majority. Even the remaining 45% includes many groups with "deist" views of a higher power who no longer exists or does not intercede in human affairs that is more freethinker than Holy Father.
What should we make of this information? Follow me for one freethinker’s view.
The bottom line is that freethinkers – atheists, agnostics, humanists, brights, etc. – are a large and growing portion of Americans and a major force among progressives. Many of you are familiar with ARIS (American Religious Identification Survey) which found that the number of non-religious Americans DOUBLED between 1990 and 2001, while the gross number of religious Americans actually declined. The continuing presence of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris on the bestsellers list is indication that freethinkers are activated, engaged and are becoming more mainstream. Other polls show that while 39% of atheists are Democrats, an even larger percentage, 43%, are independents – the group that generally swings elections. And most pollsters believe that surveys undercount atheists who are understandably afraid to be labeled as such in a less safe environment than Daily Kos.
The loud noises made by religionists of all stripes in recent years has given a false impression of the direction our country is headed. Fact is, the population has been moving AWAY from religion in droves. This has been obscured by the deal-with-the-devil struck between the Republican power elite and God, Inc. that put the Bushies and DeLays in power. The media and many Democrats have bought into this myth and talk about closing the faith gap. That is the last thing this country, the Democratic Party or the progressive movement needs.
I make no bones about it – I want to increase the size and strength of the freethought community and reduce religion’s stranglehold on America. I work toward this not only because I’m sick of having religion rammed down my throat whether it’s the politician’s de rigueur "God Bless America" close or Tony Dungy’s nauseating post-Super Bowl "we won for Christ" rant. I truly believe that rational thinking is the best way to improve our society and religion shackles us to old, regressive ways. Studies show that less religious societies (which means every other Western country) are less dysfunctional by almost any measure. Still, I have no interest in taking away anyone’s right to believe anything they want. I want to convince not coerce people into taking a more rational approach to life and society.
I’m not going to claim that atheists, etc. have had it as tough as African-Americans or gays, but we are oppressed nonetheless. The official motto of the country since the 1950’s is "In God We Trust." (No I don’t!) When we go to court we have to hope for justice while staring at those words over the judge's head. In schools and Congress we have to hear, if not recite, the words "under God" that divide "one nation" from "indivisible." As we all know, there is not one openly atheist member of Congress in two Houses that contain Blacks, Hispanics, gays, Jews, Mormons and now even a Muslim. There are probably dozens of atheists in there, it being a representative body, but you’ve got a better chance to get elected as a convicted wife-beater than as an open atheist.
But we are here to work together and to share community. Freethinkers may be a majority of Kossacks but many fine people on this site are religious to some degree. And obviously the country at large is still, for the next couple of decades at least, majority religious.
So here’s the answer – let’s all work together to get religion out of politics and government. Bring religion into politics and you are focusing on what divides us instead of what unites us. Help us take those offensive, unconstitutional words out of the Pledge. They belong in a statement of patriotism as much as a "Whites Only" sign over a courthouse water fountain.
I know the Republicans will try to use our numbers among progressives to turn the country against us. It’s what Republicans do. They’ve used bigotry and homophobia and they’ll use whatever other club they can get their hands on to beat us over the head. But there are way too many of us to fit in the closet anymore, especially when our only crime is a reliance on rational thinking over blind faith.
So Hillary, Barack and anyone else looking to carry the Democratic banner: Please don’t inject God into politics whatever your head, heart or consultants tell you. Tens of millions of your fellow Americans are not religious. Our beliefs are just as deserving of consideration as those of far smaller groups like Jews and Muslims for whom you stick to pushing God and not Jesus. Keep religion in your churches, synagogues, mosques and homes and I’ve got no beef with you. But bring it into the public forum and we will have to take you on. And now you know, we are not only a large and growing part of this country you love, but we are a substantial portion of the political activists you seek.