The Atheist Monument: Herding Cats
http://news.yahoo.com/atheists-unveil-fla-monument-near-ten-commandments-195201537.html?bcmt=1372541797213-71a500db-32cb-4a2c-ae09-4e3108700284_00017b000000000000000000000000-c51e4269-cfa9-4732-a165-f73a534800b8&bcmt_s=e#mediacommentsugc_container
There is a lot of controversy even just among atheists about the monument put up in Stark County, Florida to counter the Ten Commandments in a "free speech zone" on the courthouse square.
Separation of Church & State is more than just a phrase. When religion is allowed to stand alone in the public square, it yells to me that I am a lesser citizen. That this country of my birth is not mine. When tax dollars are spent on upkeep for a building, or a plaza, or a park, or a school that allows Christian proselytizing, my government told me that the 1st Amendment to the Constitution is not law, not serious, and the law stands only for those with power and influence, and can be broken by them at will. My government tells me to go with Christ or get out.
And it's more than that. Your government is telling you, not only that you must worship, but who and how you must worship. Any sect of Christianity should shudder when your country tells you that this is how things should be run, that this PARTICULAR sect is the chosen religion, and the others are just "tolerated". Any Jew, any Eastern Orthodox person, any Muslim, Hindi, Jain, Sikh, Wiccan, agnostic, or Jehova's Witness should understand that their faith has just been knocked down a peg in the eyes of the law, and that they have to pay for the privilege. No one made the argument for drafting the religious exclusion clause in the 1st Amendment more forcibly than ...wait for it....the Baptists. Look it up.
Even without being a counterpoint to a monument of the 10 Commandments, even without the controversy, I think the monument stands on its own. It is informative. It is utilitarian. It commemorates an important part of Americana that is all too often overlooked in our culture and education. It is a memorial of what is an important touchstone in the battle for civil rights, and for that, important history. It is not religious, and for that should pass the 1st Amendment religious exclusion test. (For those of you that still harbor the idea that atheism is a religion, you're right. But only if you think "off" is a TV channel.) And I think it looks rather snazzy.
So it pisses some people off. Some people don't like it. Some people are still pissed about Rosa Parks and MLK. Some pacifists are offended by our remembrances of war in public places.
Recently, my posts often deal with how the future will look back at us. I believe that humanity will get past this obsession with Bronze Age myths, and wonder what we were thinking. I would hope that future generations would have that statue there to look at and ponder the struggles we went through to be understood, to progress. Many atheists argue Sam Harris' point that the term "atheist" shouldn't even exist, and wouldn't, if it weren't needed to counter god fantasy. But it does exist. And we need it. And when the day comes (and it will) that it's no longer needed, it still was a part of our history.
So, to American Atheists, I say, "Good job. Keep it up." I hope we get more of these throughout the country.
http://www.atheists.org/
There is a lot of controversy even just among atheists about the monument put up in Stark County, Florida to counter the Ten Commandments in a "free speech zone" on the courthouse square.
Separation of Church & State is more than just a phrase. When religion is allowed to stand alone in the public square, it yells to me that I am a lesser citizen. That this country of my birth is not mine. When tax dollars are spent on upkeep for a building, or a plaza, or a park, or a school that allows Christian proselytizing, my government told me that the 1st Amendment to the Constitution is not law, not serious, and the law stands only for those with power and influence, and can be broken by them at will. My government tells me to go with Christ or get out.
And it's more than that. Your government is telling you, not only that you must worship, but who and how you must worship. Any sect of Christianity should shudder when your country tells you that this is how things should be run, that this PARTICULAR sect is the chosen religion, and the others are just "tolerated". Any Jew, any Eastern Orthodox person, any Muslim, Hindi, Jain, Sikh, Wiccan, agnostic, or Jehova's Witness should understand that their faith has just been knocked down a peg in the eyes of the law, and that they have to pay for the privilege. No one made the argument for drafting the religious exclusion clause in the 1st Amendment more forcibly than ...wait for it....the Baptists. Look it up.
Even without being a counterpoint to a monument of the 10 Commandments, even without the controversy, I think the monument stands on its own. It is informative. It is utilitarian. It commemorates an important part of Americana that is all too often overlooked in our culture and education. It is a memorial of what is an important touchstone in the battle for civil rights, and for that, important history. It is not religious, and for that should pass the 1st Amendment religious exclusion test. (For those of you that still harbor the idea that atheism is a religion, you're right. But only if you think "off" is a TV channel.) And I think it looks rather snazzy.
So it pisses some people off. Some people don't like it. Some people are still pissed about Rosa Parks and MLK. Some pacifists are offended by our remembrances of war in public places.
Recently, my posts often deal with how the future will look back at us. I believe that humanity will get past this obsession with Bronze Age myths, and wonder what we were thinking. I would hope that future generations would have that statue there to look at and ponder the struggles we went through to be understood, to progress. Many atheists argue Sam Harris' point that the term "atheist" shouldn't even exist, and wouldn't, if it weren't needed to counter god fantasy. But it does exist. And we need it. And when the day comes (and it will) that it's no longer needed, it still was a part of our history.
So, to American Atheists, I say, "Good job. Keep it up." I hope we get more of these throughout the country.
http://www.atheists.org/
- Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millenia ago. They were...more trouble than they were worth.
- -Worf, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “Homefront”
http://jpetrie.myweb.uga.edu/startrek.html
And no, I don't think I've cheapened my argument with a Star Trek reference. If you think so, "Pthhhh!"
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