Letters
October 2, 2001
Editor:
I take issue with Kathleen Parker's guest editorial in your
September 30, 2001 edition (God, country gain fragile new
toehold) where she states, "There are no atheists in
foxholes." Contrary to Ms. Parker's uncalled-for slur,
there ARE, and have always been, Atheists in foxholes.
There is even an organization of Military Atheists.
The claim that our institutions are godless is off the
mark. Citizens can pray on their own, or read their holy
books in our public instititions. But that isn't what
Parker wants. She wants government sponsored
religious rituals. It is even hard for organizations like
ours to keep up with the ubiquitous violations of government
sponsorship of religion in our public institutions
that shouldn't even be taking place.
To Parker patriotism and religious belief are inseperable,
if not synonymous. She suggests that "we have to reweave
the rituals of God and country into our institutions."
The problem we have with government promotions of religion
is that those who do not participate, like Atheists, often
have their patriotism questioned as Parker does with the
"no Atheists in foxholes" comment. And editorials like hers
egg them on. Is that good for America? Does that unite us?
No. Does it make her feel better? Probably.
The "marriage of god and country" is exactly what our
founding fathers feared. Such a marriage results in
countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. They are theocracies
and whether she likes it or not American Atheists will
continue to work to prevent that kind of marriage.
We don't need theology to unite America. We were united
the moment those planes hit their targets and lives were
lost. We were united in our patriotism, our compassion,
and our humanity and if that is godless to her then let's
have more of it.
Sincerely,
Ellen Johnson, President
American Atheists, Inc.
October 2, 2001
Dear Editor:
Turning to her advantage the disasters in New York and Washington,
Kathleen Parker [USA TODAY, 9/30/01] taunts the thirty million of her fellow
Americans who are Atheists and Agnostics by glorifying the on-going orgy of
religiosity which has raped the First Amendment and further forced America's
Atheists to stay at the back of the bus. She "can't help notice the silence
of atheists these days." But of course, how could she know about all the
Atheist demonstrations around the country and the Atheist letters written to
editors and public officials protesting these unconstitutional impositions
of religion upon our secular republic? Neither the broadcast nor print media
will report on the activities of Atheists, and a majority of newspapers will
not publish their letters -- even when human lives are at stake.
Recently, when Atheists and other unbelievers demonstrated in Washington
on behalf of Dr. Younis Shaikh, the Pakistani professor who has been
sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy, no media would touch the story. Of
what value is the life of a man who is an unbeliever? Atheists are the last
minority in America against whom the majority not only may discriminate with
impunity, but even draw praise.
Ms. Parker supposes there were no Atheists in the World Trade Center on
Sept. 11, re-echoes the canard that there are no Atheists in foxholes, and
exults that "now there are none anywhere to be found." It is a sad surprise
to see such unbridled bigotry printed in the pages of USA TODAY.
Readers should reflect upon the fact that there were no Atheists among
the terrorists -- all of whom were devoutly religious men -- and that the
point of origin of this spiral of violence is firmly centered in all three
of the Abrahamic religions. More religion can only make things worse. Prayer
-- a failure of reality testing -- at best will be useless in this crisis.
Only minds that are objective and free of the superstitions that have caused
this disaster can interrupt this cycle of totemic violence. If salvation is
to be found anywhere, it is in anthropology, not theology.
Frank R. Zindler, Editor
American Atheist Press
Columbus, Ohio
Editor,
In her October 1 column "God, country gain fragile new toehold" writer
Kathleen Parker used the tragedy of Sept. 11 to attack 27,000,000 of her fellow
Americans.
She stated that "there are no atheists in foxholes" but this would be
news to the members of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers.
Atheists are not only found serving honorably in all military branches but
also in police and fire departments. They are doctors, teachers, lawyers and
every other profession including the clergy. They pay taxes, vote, do
volunteer work, and contribute to charity. They do not, however, use the
misfortune of others to promote an agenda. Perhaps that is why Parker hasn't
noticed us lately.
Why do the religious feel that they must attack those who disagree
with them and insist that their religion must be promoted by the government?
Perhaps Benjamin Franklin was right when he wrote "When a Religion is good,
I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and
God does not take care to support it so that its Professors are obliged to
call for help of the Civil Power, it is a sign, I apprehend, of its being a
bad one."
Instead of promoting divisiveness, we should instead restore the motto
of the United States to the original "E Pluribus Unum" which is Latin for
"Out Of Many, One." If there ever was a time for us to be one it is now.
Larry Mundinger
St. Augustine, Florida
Dear Editor,
Kathleen Parker's article "God, country gain fragile toe hold" (September
30) misses the mark and sadly misrepresents the Atheist perspective of the
September 11 disaster. Atheists do not try to proselytize to a people whose
deep grief makes them vulnerable, and certainly Atheists do not try to use a
disaster to find meaning in their philosophy as she appears to think
Christians must do. Her reference to Allah is disingenuous; how can she
even presume to answer for Muslims at this time?
To begin my protest of Ms. Parker's empty statements, viewing the horror of
this disaster and the theists responses to it, I would quote Abraham Lincoln
from a letter he wrote in 1862 to the Rev. Byron Sunderland, the Senate
Chaplain at the time: "We, on our side, are praying Him to give us victory,
because we believe we are right; but those on the other side pray Him, too,
for victory, believing that they are right. What must He think of us?"
Perhaps Ms. Parker and others theists like her who take advantage of this
catastrophic situation should not be praised, but should be derided. As do
all Americans at this time, Atheists feel deeply pained by the terrorist
killings. Indeed, Atheists understand that there is no afterlife and so our
grief is extreme - we accept that all living things on earth must do what
they can in this life to lead long and exemplary lives and we must help
others do the same simply to make our world a better place. When lives are
cut short we mourn, deeply, for their end.
Atheists do not shout from the rooftops when tragedy strikes - why should
we? We understand that grief is intensely personal - regardless of belief
or non-belief - and why should we interrupt to force our philosophy on
others? Atheists also understand that in a time of crisis the greatest
support they can give is to act, quietly, and without a need for any
recognition. In this terrible situation Atheists give blood, donate money,
time and goods, and work to actively support those in our society who have
been hurt, whether they are theists or not. We certainly do not attack them
directly or indirectly for their beliefs or lack of them. And to say that
none of the people killed in the tragedy were Atheists is to make an
insidious presumption that cannot be proved.
What is evident in the aftermath of this tragedy is that the Bill of Rights,
and the laws of our land guarding the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of
Rights, are very fragile and must be protected. This disaster provides the
opportunity for unscrupulous individuals and groups to perpetrate rampant
attempts to undermine freedoms - there must never be an arrest without
public trial, for example, and there must never be an eroding of the private
freedoms of individuals whose beliefs, or lack of them, differ from the
majority.
Ms. Parker maintains that our children must be confused - she is right, but
not because of their upbringing in "ungodly institutions" but because they
are told that god is a god of love - and how can a god of love allow six
thousand people to be burned to death? Atheists have a different problem;
in a recent letter to me from an Atheist mother she described her third
grade son's feelings after being called to an assembly and told to say a
prayer - the child was confused because this had never happened before, he
was very upset because the prayer went against everything his mother had
taught him, and he was terrified that if he was not seen by his peers to
mouth the prayer that he would be victimized. This young child respected
school authorities and had been taught to do so, but when they demanded that
he go against his mother he was distraught - which way was he to turn? He
actually hid the printed prayer (given out to all the children for this
assembly) from his mother, not wanting her to know that he had been forced
to say it. The school was wrong. Atheists will fight for the continued
separation of state and church.
Ms. Parker's insinuation that Atheist Americans are not patriotic Americans
is nonsense, but her suggestion that this disaster should be used to promote
an erosion of our Constitutional rights is a disgrace.
Since I began by quoting Lincoln to emphasize the god-conundrum in the
context of the terrorist attacks I will ask this question, and end with a
quote from Thomas Jefferson: Why, if gods exist, would any god that is all
powerful and omnipotent allow such a disaster to happen (even if he gave
humans free will, if he sat and watched six thousand people die, what kind
of god is he)? I quote from Jefferson; "On the dogmas of religion, as
distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the
world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one
another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others,
and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind." from a letter to
Archibald Carey in 1816.
What everyone is missing in this tragedy is that it resulted from theistic
belief, not in spite of it. These tragedies will continue until we refuse
to accept that theism can ever be a guiding light in the darkness of
superstitious ignorance. Atheists care deeply about their fellow human
beings, and watching from the periphery of society as it is torn apart by
the very belief that theists think saves it, is deeply disturbing to us.
Atheists weep for all of us at this time and hope and work for a time when
reason will prevail.
Sincerely,
Chris Morton
New York
October 3, 2001
Letters to the Editor
USA Today
Kathleen Parker's recent column suggests America has just discovered God and Country as of September 11. Weren't heaping doses of patriotism and religious "values" dished out by former President Ronald Reagan and by former President George H. Bush? The senior Bush even campaigned in flag factories.
Dollops of patriotism and religion from them did not assuage the legacy of mistakes they left behind for us. Despite the 1983 suicide bombings in Lebanon that killed 260 U.S. Marines, Reagan cut and ran. The senior Bush left Saddam Hussein continue in power in Iraq.
One might even say that their goody two shoes bravura gave them cover and allowed them to avoid having to really get the job done. Patriotic songs with God in them --- which were also quite prevalent in their time--- might have even have distracted them from paying attention to the hard choices they needed to make.
Today this religious fervor is precluding a serious examination of the tenets of the Muslim religion that has inherited Mohammed's own historical legacy of viscous military conquest. More recently Islam has been responsible for a spate of fatwa death sentences and blasphemy convictions against dissidents and authors. Many Islamic governments today denigrate the status of women. Veterans stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War can testify to crudity of Arab jurisprudence: weekly choppings of criminals' body parts in every town square across Arabia. But the current euphoria with religion causes all this to be overlooked.
This religious bliss and national chauvinism lead to the uncritical acceptance of knee-jerk reactions repeating mistakes of the past. God's invisible hand and national honor make real solutions superfluous.
Our political leaders have unquestioningly adopted the policy of subsidizing the "loose cannons in the sky". They are putting billions of taxpayer dollars into airlines which have also demonstrated some saturation --- witness flight delays and weather cancellations of the last few years. Instead we should be investing in electromagnetic bullet trains such as are running now in Germany. Trains are less likely to roam and be misrouted.
The politicians are also rushing in a fit of comeuppance to rebuild the World Trade Center. Perhaps instead businesses should be encouraged to locate closer to workers' homes in the suburbs. The traffic congestion and long one hour or more commutes each way could be avoided.
Religion and national chauvinism are not the solutions--- they are the problems.
Jim Senysyzn
Peoria, Illinois
The Silence of the Rationals
In response to Kathleen Parker's "God, Country Gain Fragile New
Toehold," it is not the silence of atheists that she is noticing but
the din of the faithful. Who could expect to hear the quiet reasonings
of freethinkers over the praying and singing that has grasped this country
of late? Aren't tent revivals always noisier than libraries?
But because Ms. Parker cannot hear us does not mean that we are
not here. Perhaps she should turn down "The 700 Club" long enough to
listen to the subtler voices of reason. Has she not read Richard Dawkins'
"Religion's misguided missiles"? Did she miss Natalie Angier's "Human
Evolution: Of Altruism, Heroism and Nature's Gifts in the Face of Terror"?
Has she failed to participate in the online buzz of atheist internet
discussion sites like atheism.about.com, infidels.org, and American Atheist
chat? Shouldn't she, as a national journalist, get her facts straight
before she writes?
There are atheists in foxholes, there were atheists in the World
Trade Center, and there are plenty of atheists in America today, thank
you very much. If anything, the unprecedented attacks have inspired
an unprecedented mobilization of atheists and theists alike, each to
their own; our local organization has seen a dramatic increase in interest
and membership. All Americans are angry about the attack and desperate
to understand it, and atheists--and some not-yet-atheists until September
11--are exasperated with the claptrap and irrationality that have followed.
Why Americans turn to a god who, if he exists, has let them down,
is quite frankly beyond us. When the pious clamor "God bless America,"
I want to add something like "for a change" or "please, please," for
it is imminently clear to anyone with functioning critical faculties
that there was no blessing in the tragedy. Those who claim that their
god was present and operating in, say, the one plane in which passengers
foiled the hijack attempt overlook or dismiss the fact that this god
enjoyed only a 25% success rate (what about the other three planes?)
and that the best he could come up with was to crash the plane and kill
the innocent anyhow. Is this the god they turn to for comfort? Let's
hope he answers them with more than 25% success and with better results
than on that sad day.
The scariest part of Ms. Parker's argument is that she thinks
this marriage of church and state is a good thing and even that it was
the intended thing all along. Neither could be further from the truth.
The liberal decades of the 1960's and 1970's, which she bemoans as the
source of the loss of religiosity in America, were in fact the fulfillment
of the promise of freedom and equality in America. It was these decades
that saw the first true progress toward racial and gender equality, and
they saw the first true progress toward religious equality too. Let's
not forget that our first Catholic president kicked off the period, and
let's not forget that we atheists were really "in the closet" until Madalyn
Murray O'Hair took on the yoke of often-violent discrimination in order
to achieve some rights for atheists. Previously, we were denied employment,
prohibited from full participation as citizens, and often in jeopardy
for our lives; still in parts of this country there is legal discrimination--in
Texas and North Carolina among other states there are even today laws
against atheists holding political office--which would not be tolerated
against any other minority. And we are reminded again, by the likes
of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, that we are not welcomed or accepted
by this society. We would not be surprised if an angry mob molested
us at any time. And you wonder why we are a little quiet?
But the real point that Ms. Parker misses, and that she and other
pumped-up theists need to comprehend, is that, while piety and patriotism
have often been intertwined in this country, the fine minds of its founders
perceived the risk of this situation and put strong barriers in place
to restrain it. The separation of church and state that was promised
in the 1780's but only delivered in the 1960's is not only good for atheists
but for the church and the state themselves. People like Ms. Parker
should think carefully about whether, if state marries church, it will
be her church that is the bride. As we have already seen, not all churches
or religions have been invited to the ceremony.
In conclusion, there has indeed been an upsurge of emotion and
unity in America, one that only the most hardened sort could denigrate.
But this emotion and unity, while too often expressed in and attributed
to religion, is really about the freedom that makes America great and
unique, and that freedom is built firmly and solely on the ground of
reason, not faith. There is no religion in the world that values the
kind of freedom we practice here in America--the kind that tolerates
all religions and even the non-religious. It is reason and reason alone
that values freedom, individuality, equality, and real justice. Until
reason prevails in this country, people like Ms. Parker will always sneer
at and condescend to us atheists and we will continue to feel endangered
and nervous. It frightens and saddens me to ponder that perhaps she
and her kind do not want to hear atheists or even acknowledge that we
exist.
David Eller
Colorado State Director, American Atheists
Atheists have not been silent. We are just been ignored by the media. We do not need to fall back on ancient superstitions during times of disasters.
There have always been Atheists in foxholes defending this secular country and the freedom from religion. I can assure you that none of the terrorist were Atheists. They all worshiped the same mythical god that you worship.
America and the government have never been about any mythical god. Nowhere in the U. S. Constitution is any god mentioned. The First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution has been correctly interpreted by the U. S. Supreme Court to mean that the government and its' representatives can not endorse any religion.
I am raising my son to honor that part of our heritage that is honorable and remember those things that are part of our heritage that is not honorable. He knows the original "Pledge of Allegiance" and the original "National Anthem." They were "godless" until the mid 1950s. My son starts each school day, the way I did, by reciting the original "Pledge of Allegiance" and National Anthem.
Patriotism is not "unfamiliar" to my son nor to American Atheists. You seem to be criticizing the fact the many have insisted on protecting the rights of not only American citizens, but also the rights of non-Americans living in America.
The only time any government was entwined with religion in this country was when we were colonies. Each colony had a government-sponsored religion, if you did not belong to that religion, you could be arrested, tortured, exiled, or killed. We had to become secular to give everyone freedom of religion, which includes Freedom from religion.
Monty Lee Gaither
Arizona State Director of American Atheists
Phoenix, AZ 85082
Editor,
I would like to take a moment to publicly apologize to Ms. Kathleen Parker
for not being vocal enough about my Atheism in this time of crisis.
You see, while she was praying to her god, along with thousands of her
fellow followers, I was working at a food shelter near New York to help the
newly needy. While she was marveling at the "God Bless America" signs
plastered all over the walls of our public buildings, I was giving blood,
and working with others to give blood as well. While she was writing that
long article in which she seizes the opportunity to blame and insult
Atheists (instead of promoting unity, love, understanding, or other
Humanistic values), I was doing everything I can to help my friends,
coworkers, and complete strangers who lost someone in the attacks.
So I'm sorry, Ms. Parker, but I don't point fingers at the innocent instead
of actually lending a hand to help my fellow human -- no matter what they
believe. I also don't worry about people trying to evade the part of the
constitution hated most by our enemies -- the freedom of religion and the
separation of church and state -- when my fellow man is suffering an
immediate need for blood and clothing. Finally, I just don't have the
stomach to capitalize on tragedy to push my ideological or political agenda
on a mourning country.
Indeed, I am nothing like you -- and in reality, I'm very far from sorry
about that.
Most sincerely,
Dr. David Silverman
NJ State Director
American Atheists
Piscataway NJ
Dear Editor:
After reading Kathleen Parker's editorial, I was appalled to think
that there are actually people in America who are using this national tragedy to
forward their religious beliefs. If nothing else, the events of September 11th
should raise doubts about the validity of the existience of a god. We Atheists
are able to look upon the situation with reason and mourn without having to
point fingers at various groups or ask an apparently merciless deity why. People
who are using this tragedy to support ideology that we need to make state and
church one and the same need to understand that doing just that would only add
fuel to this already rampant fire. Religion is the cause, not the solution, to
these recent and most all previous tragedies. Whether in Israel, Bosnia, Kosovo,
Northern Ireland, Rwanda, East Timor, Sri Lanka, or New Your City, religion has
once again proved to only be a reason to hate and destroy one another rather
than be a solution to our problems. Religions are nothing more than hate cults,
and these types of tragedies will never cease as long as we attempt to make
theism part of public life. There is no difference in the ideologies of
Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, and Jerry Falwell. Each believes (or believed)
that eradication a given group was or is the solution to our problems. I am
angered as well as fearful that I am a member of a group that Mr. Falwell
believes was the root cause for the tragedies, when in fact he is. People like
Jerry Falwell and Kathleen Parker are one and the same in that they can not see
what is truly happening because their visions are obscured by the false sense of
hope that a deity brings to them. To fully rebut Ms. Parker's claims about
Atheists being quiet during this time I say this: Atheists are not, nor have
been in the recent past, quiet in regard to any issue of great importance. We
are not silent, but silenced, by those who want to keep our thoughts away from
the public. To take measures as described in Ms. Parker's editorial would be to
take a step backward in civil rights, and enter a world where religious hate
crimes are all too common in a world that could have been so much more peaceful
had we all just listened to reason.
Sincerely,
-Kyle M. Oden
South Carolina State Director
American Atheists
USA Today,
In response to Kathleen Parker's rather divisive and derogatory guest column
I have to agree on one part. I was never an atheist in a foxhole. You see
in the US Marine Corps we called them fighting holes so one does not cower
in prayer when the bad guys are shooting. I am also an atheist in a warship
along with numerous other atheists.
Her column struck at the quiet response of atheists to people's public
display of religion. It was not out of spontaneous conversion to her
Christian religion but out of respect for person's trying to deal with a
tragedy in their own way.
Atheists are not visible in a crisis because we are the ones pulling up the
rubble, treating the wounded, fighting the fires, etc. Atheists do just as
the religious would in a crisis with the exception of saying we're atheists
during this time. It's easier to spot the religious as their heads are bowed
down at disaster while an atheist would look forward.
Of course, Ms. Parker then brings idle memories of when her religious
beliefs were played upon the unlearned school children, even mentioning
reciting of the "Lord's Prayer". Ironic that this was a prayer suggested by
Jesus to be told while one is alone with God. That Jews, Buddhist,
Muslims, Atheists and true Christians might take exception to such
religious teachings and ceremonies being performed by government employees
escapes Ms. Parker's concern.
It is sad that Ms. Parker is equating Patriotism with religion. It is made
more so by the fact this prejudicial piece of jounalism is allowed in such a
widespread publication. Already we've dealt with the hatred of Jerry
Falwell trying to blame the Sept. 11 attacks on all but the murderers
themselves. Now we must presume that one's personnal beliefs must match
those of the nation. She forgets the very nature of her religion suggests
that God cannot be cast out as "he" is everpresent. But such is our fate to
have those that don't understand their own religion try to enforce it on
others.
Perhaps she would be happier in Afghanistan as I hear they have a wonderful
state-run by religion over there.
Charles Applin,
USN active
Born atheist and seeing no reason to change.
As an atheist, and a 10 year military veteran, I take
great offense at Kathleen Parker's remarks. She is
completely wrong, there always have been, and always
will be, atheists in foxholes. Ms. Parker would do
well to appreciate their patriotic efforts as she
would "regular" Americans. I spent 7 years with the
famous 82nd Airborne Division, and faced death while
serving my country. I was an atheist all the while.
Comments like Ms. Parker's do nothing but divide
America. In the face of current events she should be
ashamed. The reason you haven't seen atheists in the
public square denouncing govt. intermingling with
religion is because we, unlike Ms. Parker, understand
that this is a time for the nation to come together
despite any differences we may have. Atheists are
here, we are Americans, and we love our Country and
its founding document, the Constitution. We will not go
away, but will continue to keep America as the
founding fathers intended, free for all. That must
truly be Ms. Parker's worst nightmare.
David Clark
Round Rock, Texas
Editor USAToday,
I would like to make a few comments in response to a recent column you ran,
"God, country gain fragile new toehold" (9/30/01) by Kathleen Parker. If
god is now suddenly around because of the terrorist attacks, where was IT
and ITs love for a nation when the attacks occurred? I hope Ms. Parker is
not of the Robertson/Falwell mentality that god intentionally murdered
thousands of people to "teach our country a lesson". With a god like that,
who needs enemies? And if she thinks atheists have been silent, I'd like to
know where god was and why god was so silent when the attacks occurred. God
is not NOW everywhere anymore than it was on September 11. The only things
that are now more present are the futile prayers to superstitious faiths.
I do like the analogy of god "like mildew in a damp basement." It well
describes the insidious myths that most current religions propagate. If god
is anything, it is a fungus that infects and parasitizes living humans in
the dark dungeons of ignorance and superstition.
There are atheists in foxholes and I personally know of some of them. I
would have been one of them but I served on a ship in the Navy during Viet
Nam. I can guarantee you there were and still are, atheists on war ships
who also face the prospect of death without wavering from atheism one tiny
bit. And if Ms. Parker had any idea of statistics and probability, she
would know there were undoubtedly atheists in the World Trade Center during
the attacks and there is absolutely no reason for an intelligent person to
"guess" otherwise. And, there are still plenty of atheists to be found
everywhere.
America has not always been "about God and country". Ms. Parker needs to
study up a bit on the Constitution and those that wrote it. School days in
parochial schools may begin with any prayers they wish but in public
schools, funded by the government and tax payers who are many different
faiths as well as having no faith in a god, forced religion is denying a
basic freedom to choose not to worship at all.
"Which is to say, our children must be awfully confused. Reared
and educated in godless institutions that also scarcely
acknowledge the importance of patriotism - watching adults
sing songs they've never learned - they must wonder
"wassup."
It's as though America's adults belong to a secret
society to
which their children have never been exposed."
If the children are confused then the parents may educate them in parochial
schools or at home about religion. No atheists that I know are opposed to
the teaching of faiths, or songs, in the privacy of a home or private
institution. If Ms. Parker has confused children, that is her fault and not
that of the government because it does not teach children religion. She is
free to teach her son the Battle Hymn of the Republic but it's not the
public school system's job to do that. Perhaps she should spend more time
with her son instead of writing biased articles with incorrect facts and
assumptions.
Also for Ms. Parker's information, atheists have just as many good values
as religious people. Values and morals and ethics are not religion
dependent and the abundance or lack of them in today's society has nothing
to do with a faith or lack of it in a god.
"I believe in God and I believe in my country.
From the beginning of American time, the two have been
entwined and inseparable. Today, we seem to have no
trouble seeing how necessary the one is to the other [god and
country].
By whatever name you call God - yes, including Allah - there's no extracting Him from our moments of
greatest valor and our times of deepest despair."
I am an American patriot who served my country honorably during the Viet
Nam conflict because I believed in this country and the freedoms it offers.
I have a great deal of trouble seeing how god is necessary to this country
or any country. As an atheist, god is extracted from all my moments. For
Ms. Parker to think as she has written, shows a complete lack of knowledge
or understanding of atheists. Perhaps she should do a bit of research
before making such incorrect statements. She is free to weave whatever
rituals and superstitions she wants in her own home but if she intends to go
public with her misconceptions, perhaps she should start by learning decent
journalism.
Sincerely yours,
Daevid Lutz
October 3, 2001
Editor:
I am writing to express my outrage pertaining to the article “God, Country Gain Fragile New Toehold” by Kathleen Parker. To put in your paper outrageous statements like “there are no atheists in foxholes”
And “There were none in the World Trade Center on September 11, we can guess.” I must tell Ms. Parker and your newspaper that I personally know foxhole atheists and there is overwhelming evidence for me to say that there were indeed atheists in the World Trade Center on September 11. It is reckless for your paper to publish these insults. I doubt in the history of your newspaper that you have ever insulted another group of people such as you did here, slamming atheists and freethinkers who are law abiding citizens and tax payers who don’t agree with the Christian way. This is part of our basic right for living in America.
I must inform you that the persons who did these evil acts on our country were devout god believers, not atheists. Many statements like Jerry Falwell’s headline “God Gave Us What We Deserve” where he states
“God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve” as he stated on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “700 Club” on September 13, 2001 hosted and agreed to by Pat Robertson. This type of fanatical thinking does not lead to any type of rational thought.
Another example was in Kabul, Afghanistan when prayer leader Imam Mohammed Haqqani who during a prayer service on September 14, 2001 said, “Any enemy of the Muslims will be punished by God”. And “The United States and Israel are enemies of Islam”. Or prayer leader Maulana Abdul Aziz at a mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islambad “Allah intensified the fire and destruction of those planes.”
It’s plain and simple to me that these ridiculous religious squabbles leads some to promote hate. Atheists in general are not like this. I have found my life has been richly rewarded living my life as an atheist for the last 27 years. I have met many fine, upstanding citizens who are perfectly comfortable living life without a god. As an atheist reader of your paper and fine web site, I urge you to please have consideration for us to live our life as we see fit and in the future not to print slurs against us. Thank you.
John Obst
Maryland State Director
American Atheists
October 1, 2001
We atheists are silent because have been silenced so viciously and for so
long that we dare not utter a peep.
But for two hundred twenty-five years, we atheists basically haven't
*needed* to say much in order to maintain our inalienable right to practice
the religious views which seem sensible to us when we open our eyes and take
a look at the world in which we live. This is because the United States
Constitution forbids, for example, the President from directing the
religious exercises of his constituents. Ms. Parker is allowed to express
contempt toward people simply because they disagree with her about gods and
demons, but the government is not allowed to do this.
We are hoping that President Bush's complete disregard for the Constitution
that he swore to uphold does not get used as a precedent for later
demolishing that Constitution completely.
Then again, if you examine the makeshift "oath" which President Bush
conspired with Chief Justice Rehnquist to utter and compare it with the Oath
of Office provided for in the United States Constitution, you will notice
that President Bush did not state the genuine Oath of the Office of the
President, but he stated something else entirely. (The real Oath of Office
lacks the language, "so help me God.") Thus, it does not surprise us to
discover that President Bush's loyalty is to some "Kingdom" other than the
country which he claims to serve (see John 18:36), that his "citizenship is
in Heaven" (see Philippians 3:30).
It certainly does not surprise us that Bush and his fans would exploit the
most harrowing tragedy our nation's people have ever been through in his
ongoing attempts to install his religion as the official religion of this
nation -- which nation was the very first to erect a godless Constitution.
Thomas Jefferson repeatedly warned us about those who, even in his day, will
try to abolish the Liberties guaranteed to us by that Constitution.
Unfortunately, having been so thoroughly silenced when it comes to
participating in the affairs of our homeland, we atheists really don't have
much say in this matter. We have learned the hard way, particularly since
the 1950s, that food on the table is sometimes more important than standing
up for what is right.
If you think we atheists are silent, think again. We know better than to
tell certain people that we are atheists: we do need to hold our jobs and
keep the peace with our neighbors. But there are place where we can and do
speak out without fear of retaliation. One of those places is the Letters
section of Positive Atheism Magazine. Having personally posted those
letters, I will assure you that the ratio of those who are deathly afraid of
George W. Bush to those who respect him is an accurate reflection of what we
received. To put it bluntly, *both* of the letters that we received praising
President Bush have been posted (out of over 1,600 pieces of e-mail that
we've received since September 11th). And to be fair, one of the two letters
we received praising President Bush came from a Christian, and the other did
not really praise him but simply called upon atheists to unite behind him.
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Six years of service to people with no reason to believe
P.O. Box 16811
Portland, OR 97292
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/
editor@PositiveAtheism.org
5 October 2001
Editor
USA Today
Dear Editor:
What Kathleen Parker's column of 1 October lacks in objectivity, it amply
makes up for with Christian bigotry and a readily discernible lack of
understanding of what this country is all about.
Atheists tend to be concerned with the reasonable, the rational, and the
things supportable by tangible evidence. But that does not make us
insensible or untouched by tragedy, whether natural or man-made. We
simply respond differently, and that is, with reasonable, rational efforts
calculated to provide real assistance to those who need it. Collectively,
we see little to be gained from groveling before some icon erected to
venerate some mythological deity. It is particularly puzzling, to me at
least, when the Christian God and the Allah of the terrorists allegedly
got their starts from some of the same prophets such as Adam, Abraham and
Noah.
Atheists prefer to fly our flags proudly in support of this Nation and its
Constitution which insures that we are free to pick and choose our
beliefs, and not to have them foisted upon us by some ignorant or
dishonest
cleric. It was especially disheartening when our President demonstrated
such a casual indifference to the separation of state and church by
calling
up his day of prayer activities. In spite of the window dressing, can
anyone seriously dispute that he was playing solely to the Protestant
Christians and their God?
Contrary to the opinion of some, Atheists are a proud and patriotic
segment of our society. Many have served honorably in the military, and
anyone who says there are no Atheists in foxholes knows little about
foxholes and even less about Atheists. I do not purport to speak for all,
but I had no problem remaining an Atheist throughout my military career of
a
total of 26 years, 2 months and 5 days. I served in the United States
Navy
most of that time, both enlisted and officer. The last 15 years as a
Judge
Advocate. During the first years as enlisted I served primarily aboard
destroyers. I made three combat tours to Korea aboard one of them. While
we were unable to dig foxholes on the main deck, I can assure you the
neighbors were just as disagreeable. Never once did I feel compelled to
shed thinking for believing, even temporarily. Nearly 60 of my 71 years
(the last 38 as an attorney and state court judge) have been as an Atheist
and never once did I notice that it stunted my growth or impaired my
education.
Sincerely,
Duane C. Buchholz
National Legal Director/Wyoming State Director
American Atheists, Inc.
P.O. Box 6832
Sheridan, Wyoming 82801
Let us imagine for a moment a nation where church and state are intertwined; where the schools take the responsibility for teaching children the "values" of religious faith and patriotism. What would it be like?
The immediate problem that we run into is one of a teaching standard. Which religious ideology do we teach? Which one comes closest to going hand-in-hand with patriotism? Do we leave it up to the majority of members of a community? What if the community is sixty percent Catholic and forty percent Baptist? What if it is ten percent Muslim, fifteen percent Jewish, thirty-six percent non-denominational Christian, twelve percent Atheist or agnostic, two percent pagan, and twenty-five percent Methodist? Each sect has its own idea of values; each has its own doctrine; each has its own holy book. Twelve percent in the latter scenario have no holy book and use reason rather than faith to guide them. Do we toss them aside or force them to choose a religious ideology, when, to them, the very idea defies reason?
These are some of the questions that went through my mind when I read Kathleen Parker's editorial entitled "God, country gain fragile new toehold". In light of Parker's comments, we should remind ourselves that we have eliminated the idea of indoctrinating children in our public schools because of an idea that remains one of the oldest foundations of our great country: "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This clause, appearing in the First Amendment of our Constitution, gives individuals the freedom to choose belief systems for themselves, without the threat of one religious sect invoking the concept of majority rule to decide what the rest of the country should believe.
One of the most frustrating themes of Parker's opinion piece was the assertion that Atheists have been silent and virtually nonexistent during this crisis and other tragedies we have endured as a nation. We have not been silent; we have been ignored: ignored by the media, ignored by our President, ignored by Congress. I wrote 400 e-mails the week of the disaster, giving my opinion to newspapers and other media venues, government officials, friends, and family. I expressed my outrage at this act of hatred and (dare I say it?) religious fanaticism on the part of Bin Ladin and the Al-Qaida. I protested the command of media attention that our President and Congress used as a bully pulpit to dictate to Americans that they should grieve by praying and attending church services. I applauded the displays of humanist values when Americans rushed to give blood, money, labor, and other aid to the victims and their families. Athei! sts grieved and took action like the rest of the nation, but we didn't use prayer to get us through our healing process; we used reason, reflection, and compassion.
We exist. We will not be silent, even if we are ignored by many. We will resist any attempt toward the establishment of a national religion, as should anyone who wants to perserve their right to free exercise of theirs. Who are we to say this? To paraphrase a fellow atheist, we are your neighbors, your family members, your teachers, your students, your doctors, your lawyers, your scientists; we are scattered throughout society, often afraid to express ourselves for fear of the violent backlash so often recorded in history as the standard reaction of the devout to our heresy. Heresy, it seems, is virtually our only crime, as we have shown ourselves to be the most law-abiding segment of the population, comprising only 0.2% of the prison population. We are 10%-18% of the population as a whole by comparison, depending on whose statistics you trust.
We respect your right to free exercise of your religion; please respect our right to be free from religion. We promise to defend our nation's freedoms along with the rest of you, as long as you promise not to take ours away. We are patriots. We are citizens. We are Atheists.
Greg Reich,
American Atheists
Michigan Atheists
It's obvious to Atheists why Kathleen Parker needs to attack us. Kathleen
is a christian who believes in her religion devoutly. To that end, she MUST
trivialize and demean us because to do anything else, to acknowledge that
Atheistic existence may be positive in any way, is to admit that her own
beliefs may be flawed. Kathleen never makes mistakes, does she?
If Atheists are good and decent people, and there really is no god, then
what's the point of christianity? What's the point of any religion at all
if Atheists are right? Of course, there's no chance of Atheists being
right. Is there?
Just by our very existence, we threaten the fragile structure of
religion. Everything theists have been brought up to believe is suddenly on
the line. People attack others when they feel threatened. Is Kathleen
feeling threatened? She did attack us.
Too many Theists have been brainwashed into believing that only good and
decent people believe in a god. These same theists must label Atheists as
evil, immoral, cowards, or any other label they don't apply to themselves.
Kathleen NEEDS Atheists to be perceived as evil and inferior otherwise
people might think we areŠ. EQUAL? Maybe we are even more secure about
ourselves than theists because we don't require wild fantasies to get
through life.
Atheists exist in dissent of Kathleen's beliefs. We are living proof
that religion is irrelevant, insignificant, and ignorant. Her worst fears
are that people will see we really are moral, law abiding Americans, and if
that's true, what does that do to Kathleen's self esteem?
"There are no Atheists in fox holes." This is a christian lie the
purpose of which is to deny the fact that Atheists exist. It's wishful
thinking on the part of Kathleen. It makes it much easier for Kathleen to
cling to her fairy tale if she believes there are no Atheists who know her
god is a pipe dream.
If theists acknowledged Atheists in fox holes, theists may suddenly
realize they've been hoodwinked by religion. Well guess what? There ARE
Atheists in fox holes, and what are the chances that theists have been
hoodwinked by religion?
For the time being, religion enjoys safety in numbers. 85% of the
population must keep convincing each other that the invisible man in the sky
is looking out for them or testing them in some strange way. It's the only
thing that keeps the fragile, religious house of cards from falling in on
itself.
Religious beliefs are based on, innuendoes, rumors, and lies. It's very
easy to knock over any part of this house of cards with simple logic. Where
was this so called all seeing, all knowing, and all powerful god on
September 11th? Out watching reruns of the Flying Nun? Atheists know where
this god was.
Like any house of cards that is falling apart, religion just uses more
cards to patch up the errors in its flawed logic. Logic need not be applied
to fairytales in the first place. There is a never ending supply of cards
in the deck of religion because theists can make up any story they want to
cover for the errors in this flawed logic.
"God works in mysterious ways" and "You just have to have faith" are
standard default statements most theists have memorized (In Case of Atheist
Encounter). Straight from the religious deck of cards, these statements are
used for patching up the big house of cards. But a house of cards is a
house of cards. And it will fall. Sooner or later.
Indeed, the effort of many theists to get our government to support
their religion is because their religion can't survive very well on its own.
The effort to get forced prayers and the Ten Commandments into schools,
court houses, and other public venues is a last ditch effort to save
religion.
Atheists understand perfectly why we are seeing "god bless America"
everywhere. We know why theists are telling each other that their god
really is on their side. It's because a major part of the religious house
of cards came down with the WTC on September 11th. Your god did not protect
us. Additionally, the hijackers believed the same god was on their side.
How could anyone ever prove he wasn't? The logic is failing and theists
must hurry to patch up the religious house of cards lest it fall in on
itself.
How many new Atheists were conceived by religion's flawed logic on
September 11th? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? People are
finally realizing there is no god to protect them and that to make this
world a better place, humanity must stop relying on prayers to non-existent
entities. We have to put faith in ourselves and in each other. We need to
find strength from within ourselves and each other because it exists no
where else.
This is not as hard as it may seem. Any theist that got strength from
an entity that does not exist, really got that strength from themselves only
they don't know it. Humans themselves deserve the credit, not a fictitious
god.
Most Atheists used to be theists. We just made the realization as to
where our strengths and weaknesses really come from. It was not that big of
a move. Atheists that were raised as Atheists, just knew this their entire
lives. Humanity comes from humans.
Atheists have faith solely in humanity. Even in Kathleen. We don't
think Kathleen is an evil person for attacking us. Only misguided by
religious ignorance. We have faith Kathleen and others like her can learn
because ignorance is not an incurable disease.
In fact, most Atheists are fairly optimistic the dark veil of religious
ignorance is lifting. Slowly to be sure, but humanity is moving forward.
One of the reasons we are optimistic is the bible isn't taken very seriously
anymore. Slavery was abolished in most of the world. Women can now vote
and have more rights. We don't have Crusades or Inquisitions. We don't kill
Witches, Atheists, or anyone else not a christian. The attitudes shared by
christian extremists like the KKK, Aryan Nation, World Church of the
Creator, and Nazi Party is looked upon as rouge by most people.
I hope Kathleen would agree the world is better off without the above
religious practices. But humanity has a long way to go. There is still too
much bloodshed in the name of some fictitious god. September 11th was only
the latest effort in the name of a god. Sadly, there will likely be more.
Religion's track record is written in the blood of millions throughout
history. Consider this passage from Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on Virginia":
"Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women and children,
since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined,
imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has
been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other
half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth."
The founders of this country knew full well the tyranny of religion.
They ensured the US Constitution was godless because they remembered this
country was formed by people fleeing religious persecution in Europe.
Article six, section three of the US Constitution is the only article that
mentions religion. It states religious tests for public office are strictly
prohibited. Too bad this constitutional law is violated continuously by
government officials forcing people to state "So help me god" when they take
an oath. It seems some of those evil religious persecutors have followed us
over here and worked their way into our government.
It is unfortunate that humanity must take several steps back as it moves
forward but that is the effect religious beliefs have. Science and reason
move us forward, religion drags us back.
This is how it's always been. Galileo Galilei was taken to the
christian Inquisition because he said the Earth was not the center of the
universe. Galileo was forced to retract this statement under penalty of
torture and death. The christian church maintained the Earth was the center
of the universe and the Earth was flat until it became too obvious to
ignore.
Kathleen can take little comfort that her beliefs are shared by a
majority today. The majority that used to believe the flat Earth was the
center of the universe is now an extreme minority. Majorities change. It
may take a while longer, but religion will become the minority. Humanity
can't be fooled forever because it's evolving with time. Like it or not,
time waits by no one and that's all evolution needs.
The higher that religion builds its house of cards, the more of mess it
will make when it comes crashing down. Part of it came crashing down on
September 11th when a non-existent invisible entity failed to protect its
followers from: more of its followers. Amazing what religion has done for
us.
Every time Kathleen sees or hears an Atheist, one of the cards propping
up her reality starts to flutter. It's easy to understand why Kathleen needs
to attack Atheists. She put herself in a position where she has no other
choice. She touted her religious ignorance and put her reputation on the
line like so many other theists. She must now defend her ignorance at all
costs because the alternative is that she may actually be, grab a seat
before I say itŠ..mistaken.
The cards are starting to fall Kathleen. The blood that is written on
them is from the hands of religious ignorance and hate. The same ignorance
and hate you have spread yourself.
It's time for humanity to wake up and smell the ignorance.
Bart C. Meltzer,
AE1, USN (Ret.)
Editor,
American Atheist Newsletter,
Arizona Edition
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