Make Atheism a Federally Recognized Religion
Everybody! Write to your Senators to request that the federal government officially recognize Atheism as a religion! Here's why: Seperation of Church and State.
Think about it. Atheists are imposing their religious views on America by insisting that the public square only be allowed to have displays and use language that ignores God by citing Seperation of Church and State. However, if Atheism becomes a federally recognized religion then any court or legislative decision to ban religious expression and symbolism becomes government sponsorship of a religion - Atheism! So banning religious expression becomes a violation of Seperation of Church and State!
This will solve a whole lot problems regarding the current trend of the courts to restrict freedom of religious expression.
Think about it. Atheists are imposing their religious views on America by insisting that the public square only be allowed to have displays and use language that ignores God by citing Seperation of Church and State. However, if Atheism becomes a federally recognized religion then any court or legislative decision to ban religious expression and symbolism becomes government sponsorship of a religion - Atheism! So banning religious expression becomes a violation of Seperation of Church and State!
This will solve a whole lot problems regarding the current trend of the courts to restrict freedom of religious expression.
posted by Daniel Levesque at
5:59 PM
8 Comments:
you fail.
the official stance of any state that wishes not to be a theocracy is angnosticism, not atheism. Maoist China was officially atheist. the United States of America are supposed to be agnostic; tolerant of all religious beliefs, stemming from the notion that, having no direct proof of the metaphysical, it is wrong to tell anyone what they should believe, and that this acceptance strengthens a nature through diversity.
so making athesim an official religion doesn't really help your cause, though it is a clever manouvre.
just thought i'd point that out, though i doubt you'll notice the comment, nor will i probably check to see if you've noticed.
peace be with you.
By
chris, at 10:06 PM
Read our founding documents. Our government was founded by religious men who used their Christian beliefs to shape the future of the greatest nation in the world.
By
Daniel Levesque, at 11:27 PM
The problem with your suggestion is that atheism is not a belief system - it is simply a lack of a God-belief.
These are not "opposite" belief systems. Theists have a belief that atheists simply do not have.
Calling atheism a "religion" would be the same as calling a woman "beardless" - it just doesn't work that way. Women don't have beards that they deny by shaving - they simply lack beards by default. They have one less area of hair than men. Likewise, atheists have one less belief than theists.
I admit "beardless women" is a goofy example, but it's better than pretending atheism is a "religion."
By
Anonymous, at 11:40 AM
this is in refence to the other anonymous poster; Atheism is not a lack of belief. What you are describing is agnosticism. It goes like this: Agnostics do not believe in God. That doesn't mean they believe he does not exist. That's an atheist. Someone who belives God does not exist is an athiest. Atheists do not have one less belief. They have an opposing one. It's agnostics who have one less belief.
As for the suggestion of making atheism a state-recognized religion by asking the government to make it so is absurd. For the government to recognize a religion, an organization united by that religion has to exist. While there may be the freethinkers and other groups of atheists, it's unlikely that they would identify themselves or even want status as a "religion". What did you want to do? Round up all the athiests and make them join the religion you just dreamed up?
"All those guys are wearing blue pants. I want the government to recognize that everyone who thinks it's a good idea to wear blue pants also agrees on enough issues to constitute an organization."
Now that I think about it, it sounds a little bit more like a clever way to get all athieists registered as such.
"belive there's no God, eh? write down where you live and who you hang out with. It's so we can recognize you as a religion."
By
Anonymous, at 10:55 AM
I don't beleive there is a god as we have been taught to believe, but just another governmement from another planet. If there was a god who created the earth, he must have been an "alien", because you can't create yourself and the earth at the same time.And if you are an alien, then you will be far more advanced in technology than we are!. I admit that there must be someone out there, but we are certainly not the first. We can only hope that the government looking down on us see us working together as one. Not as our governments do at the moment. Let's face it, If you meet a person from a suppossibly hostile country, they want exactley the same things as you do. Family, love, food, belonging, security, the list goes on. I have no quick solutions, other than maybe we start a poll party "pp". war or not to war. Nobody wants it, so why does it keep happening! I am pretty certain that 9/10 people on this planet want the same thing as me. I am not against religion, I just want what the majority of people living on this small little planet of ours, to tell our governments " BACK OFF". We all want the same thing!! We are all humans born on the same planet, not town, village, city, country.
By
honest, at 3:33 PM
I don't beleive there is a god as we have been taught to believe, but just another governmement from another planet. If there was a god who created the earth, he must have been an "alien", because you can't create yourself and the earth at the same time.And if you are an alien, then you will be far more advanced in technology than we are!. I admit that there must be someone out there, but we are certainly not the first. We can only hope that the government looking down on us see us working together as one. Not as our governments do at the moment. Let's face it, If you meet a person from a suppossibly hostile country, they want exactley the same things as you do. Family, love, food, belonging, security, the list goes on. I have no quick solutions, other than maybe we start a poll party "pp". war or not to war. Nobody wants it, so why does it keep happening! I am pretty certain that 9/10 people on this planet want the same thing as me. I am not against religion, I just want what the majority of people living on this small little planet of ours, to tell our governments " BACK OFF". We all want the same thing!! We are all humans born on the same planet, not town, village, city, country.
By
honest, at 3:37 PM
This is the number 1 google result for my search? You gotta kidding me. The original posting is too dumb to even warrant posting a comment, but the fact that this idiocy somehow swam to the top is worth a comment. I'm sorry teacher spun you a yarn about how you were special, gifted even, instead of preparing you for life as an adult of mediocre intelligence; however, that act didn't license you to articulate your mental bumblings to the rest of us.
By
Anonymous, at 10:14 AM
Ok so there's a few problems with what I've read, thus far;
[this is in refence to the other anonymous poster; Atheism is not a lack of belief. What you are describing is agnosticism. It goes like this: Agnostics do not believe in God. That doesn't mean they believe he does not exist. That's an atheist. Someone who belives God does not exist is an athiest. Atheists do not have one less belief. They have an opposing one. It's agnostics who have one less belief.]
Atheism NOT a religion. By definition, atheism is simply a description of the an ideology that precludes the existence of a deity. Buddism, Shintoism, and Taoism are atheistic religions.
Agnosticism is not BELIEVE that the truth value of certain claims, like the existence or non-existence of a deity, is unknown or unknowable.
As for the original post:
[Everybody! Write to your Senators to request that the federal government officially recognize Atheism as a religion! Here's why: Seperation of Church and State.
Think about it. Atheists are imposing their religious views on America by insisting that the public square only be allowed to have displays and use language that ignores God by citing Seperation of Church and State. However, if Atheism becomes a federally recognized religion then any court or legislative decision to ban religious expression and symbolism becomes government sponsorship of a religion - Atheism! So banning religious expression becomes a violation of Seperation of Church and State!
This will solve a whole lot problems regarding the current trend of the courts to restrict freedom of religious expression.]
Federal recognition of ANY religion is illegal. As a violation of the First Amendment the government does not comment on citizens religious beliefs. (Hence the continued existence of Scientology and LDS) The IDEA of Federal Recognition is the recognition of a "religious group" as a non-profit organization by the IRS.
Now, if a group of people say that the 10 Commandments in an Alabama school is offensive, the government should, legally, order the school to remove it. Schools, Courts, and other public buildings of ANY jurisdiction, are FEDERAL BUILDINGS. The inclusion of religious concepts, symbols, and other such things should not be supported by the Federal Government.
Further more, though the "Separation of Church and State" concept is not a law anywhere on the books but rather was included in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a group of Christians who were complaining about the First Amendment (It's always Christians bitching about too MUCH freedom) Jefferson says " [the] legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions...thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
The original intention for the First Amendment was that the Government could form no public opinion on ANY religion and make only ACTIONS (such as killing baby as part of a "religious ceremony") legal or illegal. That being said, the if the government displays or allows to be displayed, religious texts, symbols, visages, or other such paraphernalia on federal property they would be by de facto supporting that religion. Thus it cannot be allowed by law.
By
Rob Ellis, at 6:21 AM
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