I thought of this thread as I read the paper this morning, and thought I'd share the editorial that was in today's newspaper:
from http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/562061.html (the underlined section is mine, not the paper's)
Atheist placard: Issue is rudeness, not law
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: December 9th, 2008 12:05 AM
Maybe we missed them, but we havent seen any placards in Christmas-season displays that go something like: Atheism releases human beings from all traditional moral constraints. Such atheists as Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot murdered countless millions of people in the 20th century.
As the founders of this nation said, religion is a necessity for good government and the happiness of mankind. The founders of science included such devout believers as Galileo and Newton, who searched for and found a divine order in the universe.
Merry Christmas.
Incendiary? Sweepingly judgmental? Contemptuous? Guilty on all counts. But thats the equivalent of the anti-religious placard Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist group, has placed in the state Capitol building. It reads, in part, Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has been taking misdirected heat from Fox TV talk show host Bill OReilly, among others for refusing to evict that placard from a holiday display.
The fact is, she cant evict it without also evicting the Nativity scene next to it. The First Amendment forbids any government from giving privileged status to any belief, and that goes for signs designed to offend the convictions of many Capitol visitors. That legal reality seems lost on protesters who just want the thing gone.
But the real issue here isnt constitutional; its simple boorishness. Freedom From Religion is grinching the holidays for others just because it can. Its members somehow imagine they win converts by spitting on their beliefs. Thats hoping for a high order of miracle.
Lets imagine a different set of nonbelievers erecting a different message, this one plucked from the Web site of the American Humanist Association:
Secular humanism is a progressive philosophy that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The lifestance of Humanism guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience encourages us to live life well and fully.
Chances are, a sentiment like that wouldnt have hundreds of incensed Washingtonians demonstrating outside the Capitol. Its even compatible with the spirit of a season that, along with its religious dimensions, celebrates generosity, good will and, yes, aspirations for the greater good of humanity.
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: December 9th, 2008 12:05 AM
Maybe we missed them, but we havent seen any placards in Christmas-season displays that go something like: Atheism releases human beings from all traditional moral constraints. Such atheists as Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot murdered countless millions of people in the 20th century.
As the founders of this nation said, religion is a necessity for good government and the happiness of mankind. The founders of science included such devout believers as Galileo and Newton, who searched for and found a divine order in the universe.
Merry Christmas.
Incendiary? Sweepingly judgmental? Contemptuous? Guilty on all counts. But thats the equivalent of the anti-religious placard Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist group, has placed in the state Capitol building. It reads, in part, Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has been taking misdirected heat from Fox TV talk show host Bill OReilly, among others for refusing to evict that placard from a holiday display.
The fact is, she cant evict it without also evicting the Nativity scene next to it. The First Amendment forbids any government from giving privileged status to any belief, and that goes for signs designed to offend the convictions of many Capitol visitors. That legal reality seems lost on protesters who just want the thing gone.
But the real issue here isnt constitutional; its simple boorishness. Freedom From Religion is grinching the holidays for others just because it can. Its members somehow imagine they win converts by spitting on their beliefs. Thats hoping for a high order of miracle.
Lets imagine a different set of nonbelievers erecting a different message, this one plucked from the Web site of the American Humanist Association:
Secular humanism is a progressive philosophy that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The lifestance of Humanism guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience encourages us to live life well and fully.
Chances are, a sentiment like that wouldnt have hundreds of incensed Washingtonians demonstrating outside the Capitol. Its even compatible with the spirit of a season that, along with its religious dimensions, celebrates generosity, good will and, yes, aspirations for the greater good of humanity.
