theist civil rights activists and others can challenge government officials when they issue proclamations supporting religious programs such as "America's Christian Heritage Week" or "National Bible Week." Check out our suggestions for action in your state and community. Here are some "talking points" about this important issue...

¶  GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD NOT BE ADVANCING RELIGION BY ISSUING PROCLAMATION ABOUT BELIEF, HOLY BOOKS OR CREEDS...

    Both "America's Christian Heritage Week" and the lamer, more mainstream "National Bible Week" specifically call upon political officials to use their office in a shameless, overt promotion of belief and, in these cases, specific denominational dogmas. The Bible is an amalgam of Judeo-Christian teachings, and the "Christian Heritage" Week event explicitly proclaims the alleged foundations of the nation in a specific religious ideology. Both clearly violate the First Amendment's establishment clause, and, specifically, the "Lemon test" from LEMON v. KURTMAN. Government officials are clearly engaged in an activity which promotes and elevates not only specific religious beliefs and writings, but clearly fosters the illusion that belief is somehow preferable to non-belief.

¶  BUT ATHEISTS AND OTHERS WHO DON'T AGREE WITH THIS ARE NOT FORCED TO PARTICIPATE...

    This is only partially true, of course; the government is not compelling us to report to churches or temples for periods of mandatory Bible reading, although some who support these proposals feel that students and those attending government meetings should, indeed, be compelled to pray or listen to prayers. And there is a distinct element of compulsion involved here -- we are compelled, through our tax money, to essentially support proclamations, activities and offices which are promoting religious belief.

    The wider issue here concerns the role of the government in "establishing" or promoting religion. Both the "America's Christian Heritage Week" and "National Bible Week" do just that. American Atheists takes the position that civic leaders have no business using public offices and facilities to promote religion, whether in the forms of writings, symbols, displays, songs or other teachings. Religious belief -- or the lack of it -- should be a private affair, not the business of government.

¶  BOTH ''AMERICA'S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK" AND "NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK" INSULT AND MARGINALIZE NONBELIEVERS.

    Nearly 10% of Americans -- over 25 million persons -- identify themselves as atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, or some other term which covers the notion of "non-belief." That figure is larger than most Christian denominations! Millions of other Americans are branded with the pejorative label of "unchurched," and do not regularly attend church, temple or mosque rituals. For them, religious teachings and activities play little or no role in their lives.

   These proclamations put the government in the position of being a "prayer bully," where civic, public institutions, offices and officials are cast in the role of judgmental authority figures "scolding" the citizens for irreligiosity, and encouraging not only religion, but a specific form of religion. Along with the millions of atheists and other nonbelievers who are being insulted there are millions of non-Judeo-Christians who embrace some other religion -- Islam, Hindu, Buddhist for instance. How would Christians feel if politicians suddenly declared "National Koran Week," and encouraged a "moral revival" by having people read and meditate upon verses from the Islamic holy book? Or what about having the President, or the local mayor endorse the religious writing of L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology)? Is any of this fair and proper? We say it is not.

¶  THESE ACTIVITIES DO LITTLE IF ANY HARM... WHY OPPOSE THEM?

    We have two responses to this question.

    First, these proclamation are harmful in that they undermine the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and set a poor precedent in terms of state-church separation law. Courts are grappling with important First Amendment issues; and cases which defend egregious violations of state-church separation (such as school prayer or "special rights" for religious groups and believers") often use the fact that government has in the past supported activities like National Bible Week and America's Christian Heritage Week as precedent.

Second, these declarations don't exist in some kind of cultural and political vacuum. Bible reading and claiming a "Christian Heritage" for the nation are part of larger culture war issues. This truly separates those groups who advocate the use of religious ideology in the "reconstruction" of modern society (and the creation of "One Nation Under God") from secularists.

¶  WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THIS ABUSE?

   Check out our proposal for action. Atheists, nonbelievers and secularists should oppose any efforts to have political leaders in their state or community declare either of these religious events. The American Atheist web site will be posting more information on this issue in the coming days. In the meantime, these abuses of state-church separation need to be raised in letters to officials, and in the public media. Protests of some kind should be considered in those communities and states where "America's Christian Heritage Week" and/or "National Bible Week" have been proclaimed. Leaders need to be challenged on why they approved this invasive, constitutionally-suspect and bigoted proposal -- and, politely asked to withdraw it.

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