US Law and the 10 Commandments

The following information was offered by my awesome husband Butch to a friend on Facebook (we'll call him Enoch), regarding the 10 commandments. This is what Enoch said:

Why is it when a political candidate is openly religious, people bring up the "separation of church and state?". Read the words. It doesn't say that you can't have a picture of Jesus in a school or the ten commandments in a courthouse. It just says that there will be no government sponsored religion (read Henry VIII establishing the church of england because the Pope wouldn't let him get a divorce). It just means the government can't make you go to a particular church, or any for that matter.

Butch replied:

But putting religious symbols on government property equates to governmental endorsement of that religion.What if the phrase "In God We Trust" on our money, or "Under God" in the Pledge were replaced by "Allah Akbar?" Would you be OK with that? Would you be OK with Naqibs being part of a school's uniforms? Or, if they displayed every religious symbol with equal time & space, would you be OK with an islamic flag & a star of David flying above a cross?

Enoch said:

This country was (partly) founded on the basis of religious freedom. The ability of the individual to worship as they see fit, or not at all. I don't believe that these symbols are an endorsement of religion. You can make the argument that the ten commandments are the basis in one way or another of all of our laws (and the placement of a copy of the ten commandments in a courthouse could be considered an endorsement of judaism, since they are found in the old testament of the bible, which is an interpretation of the jewish torah). True muslim teachings believe that christians and jews are people of the same god, that jesus was just one of the series of prophets like those in the old testament, and that Mohammed was a prophet that followed Jesus. Christians and jews are only infidels because they have not followed the teachings from God handed down through Mohammed. And no, I would not be ok with the replacement of in God we trust or under god (which was added to the original text of the pledge). But a display of multiple religious symbols being given equal time/space I would not have a problem with. The point I was trying to make, however, is that we should be able to look past a political candidates openly displayed choice of religion and look at the greater issues involved. The constitution states that you won't be forced to worship one way or another. We are a country of many faiths, christian, jew, islam, buddhism, etc. And for the argument that it will start I will even state that atheists are people of faith, for they wholeheartedly believe that there is no God. That is an even greater faith than any religion, for even believers can have a lapse of faith while atheists never will.

Egads! Let's see how Butch retorts:

I don't really have a problem with any religious candidate, what I DO have a HUGE problem with is a candidate who even hints that US law should be brought into line with their particular interpretation of biblical law. I feel that once they say that, even if caught accidentally in a private conversation, they should IMMEDIATELY be disqualified from holding any kind of elected office. Again, would you want your Representative or Congressional delegate to be a mullah? I wouldn't. As for the 10 commandments being the basis for the laws in this country, I'm afraid you're mistaken. Regarde: 1)No other gods before me: There is no law anywhere that says you shall have no other gods before the god of the OT. Quite the opposite, in fact, as it's the First Amendment. 2) No graven images: No laws against Idolatry, either. 3) Don't take the lord's name in vain: No law anywhere forbidding using the lord's name in vain. Once again the 1st Amendment. 4) Keep the sabbath holy: No law requiring the honoring of the sabbath either. 5) Honor your father and mother: No law requiring you to honor your parents. 6) Don't kill: Laws against murder predate the OT. It's illegal in non-JudeoChristian countries as well. 7) No adultery: No laws against adultery, otherwise there'd be no porn & 95% of Congress & the Senate would be in prison. 8) Don't steal: Refer to #6 9) Don't bear false witness: The only time it's illegal to lie is when you're giving testimony in a court of law, otherwise refer to #7. 10) Don't covet: Our entire economy is in direct conflict with this one. The entire marketing industry is based on peoples' desire for "better" things. Lastly, saying atheists have faith is wrong. There are too many different types (I'm a skeptic, personally, which means any claim presented to me needs solid evidence as proof) to lump them all together.

I will write about what atheism is and is not next, because this is a common myth.

Church and State Collide Again

I just received a notice from the Secular Coalition for America telling me about House Concurrent Resolution 13. It does two things; It unnecessarily reaffirms our nation's official motto as "In God We Trust", and supports and encourages the public display of that motto in all public buildings, public schools and government institutions.

This is the "fine" work of Rep. Randy Forbes, Republican for Virginia. There were 24 cosponsors, most god-fearing republicans (except where noted):  Rodney Alexander of LA, Spencer Bachus of AL, Marsha Blackburn of TN, Paul Broun of GA, Michael Burgess of TX, Jason Chaffetz of UT, Mike Coffman of CO, Michael Conaway of TX, Geoff Davis of KY, Bill Flores of TX, Scott Garrett of NJ, John Gingrey of GA, Walter Jones of NC, John Kline of MN, James Lankford of OK, Daniel Lipinski (dem) of IL, Gary Miller of CA, Mike Pence of IN, Nick Rahall (dem) of WV, Phil Roe of TN, Mike Ross (dem) of AR, William Shuster of PA, Addison Wilson of SC and Frank Wolf of VA.

I don't know about you but my Church/State Separation hackles are up. This seems like a blatant and insidious erosion of my constitutional rights. Luckily the SCA is on the case. They sent a letter to the House Judiciary members where they asked the Committee members to “focus on protecting the rights of all U.S. citizens and the integrity of the Constitution,” rather than wasting time on a resolution that does not alter law in any way.

Here are some snippets of the resolution that got me all fired up:

Whereas the sentiment, `In God We Trust', has been an integral part of United States society since its founding;

Whereas in times of national challenge or tragedy, the people of the United States have turned to God as their source for sustenance, protection, wisdom, strength, and direction;

Whereas the Declaration of Independence recognizes God, our Creator, as the source of our rights, `We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.';

Whereas the national anthem of the United States says `praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation . . . and this be our motto: in God is our trust.';

Whereas if religion and morality are taken out of the marketplace of ideas, the very freedom on which the United States was founded cannot be secured;

Whereas as President Eisenhower said and President Ford later repeated, `Without God, there could be no American form of government, nor, an American way of life.

Are you kidding me? Where do I begin? This is so completely full of bullshit.

And how marginalized does this make minorities like atheists, agnostics, humanists, and any religious person who worships something other than "God"? This reminds me of George H. W. Bush saying that atheists aren't even citizens and don't deserve any rights.

Do these congress people even know what the separation of church and state is? Apparently not.

Well, I don't normally talk about politics, but when it comes to this issue, I have to call on you to contact your congressman if you are in one of those states, represented by one of those bible-thumping idiots.

And help me keep an eye on this issue. Let me know if you hear anything about it that we can actually take action on, although I'm pretty sure the SCA will notify me if I can write a letter or something.

Atheists Know Best: US Religious Knowledge Survey

If you don't live completely under a rock, you've heard about the US Religious Knowledge Survey by now. Atheists are "lording" it over everyone else that we know more about religion than the religious. Which is true, according to the survey and my personal experience. But the Jews are a very close second, and Muslims are a close third.

~EDIT: One thing the survey doesn't show is why are atheists/agnostics so knowledgeable about religions? You can't tease out causation from this. The only thing I can offer is my own experience.

I studied many world religions looking for one that wasn't a hypocritical mess of nonsense. I couldn't find any. Then I studied the big three religions in search of understanding them and how they began. Then I studied history to understand the world as it was when the modern religions of today were created. Then I finally realized it really all was about people wanting to live forever, and about power and control of those people.

So for me, I learned about religions and then became an atheist when I realized they were all created by man out of fear and wishful thinking. I think a lot of atheists I know would say something similar. But, to complicate matters, as an atheist activist now, I study religions to know how religious people think and what motivates them. So maybe it's both the chicken and the egg.

Either way, it shows that education and understanding of religion is a powerful tool that could help people free themselves of dogma. It certainly worked for me and many of my atheist friends. Of course, many people will cling to religion no matter what. It's comforting to them.

~

Let's look at the survey and see what it says. By the way, CNN has a short 10 question quiz that you can take. I took it and got 10 out of 10. But honestly, if you don't know a couple of the questions, it might just be that you haven't learned anything about Indonesia, for example. The world is a big place. We are all ignorant of much more than we actually know. What matters is that we keep learning and growing.

Better yet, The Pew Forum has a 15 question quiz that will compare your answers to the actual survey. Also, the questions are worded a bit better than the CNN quiz. I just took that one and got 14 out of 15. I got the last one wrong. I had never heard of it. Apparently only 11% of the respondents got that one right so I guess I shouldn't be too devastated.

Go take the quiz and come back. Because I want to talk about the questions of the survey. I'll wait.... (insert cheesy hold muzak here)

Now, remember, only 3,412 adults were surveyed. It's not a huge sampling, or at least it doesn't seem huge to me. And since the breadth of the 32 questions were all the major religions, it's probably understandable that a lot of people don't know when the Jewish Sabbath starts. Some of the others, well, they're pretty important, like what public school teachers are allowed to do in class.

Basically, America is one of the most religious countries out of the world's developed nations, with almost 60% of adults saying religion is "very important" in their lives and about 40% saying they attend worship services at least once a week. But they don't know very much about the major religious traditions. While they don't know much about their own religion, they seem to know even less about others. Many people also think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are stricter than they really are.

Let's go over the questions. Here is a link to a pdf with the actual questionnaire. It's very interesting, explaining how the people were screened (asking for the youngest adult male or female in the household; oversamples taken for Muslim, jewish and atheist/agnostic to get a fair sampling of these small populations; political and science questions, etc) some of the questions were scrambled.

Dan Barker on Faux News Explains the National Day of Prayer

Dan Barker from the Freedom From Religion Foundation explains the unconstitutionality of the National Day of Prayer and how we are not a christian nation. And for once, Faux News has an intelligent conversation instead of trying to have a pissing match. (~ 5 minutes)



Obama still proclaimed the National Day of Prayer this year, even though the ruling said it was unconstitutional. The government is wasting good tax dollars appealing. Of course. Power hungry sycophants!

I guess we'll still keep holding the National Day of Reason until reason and the constitution prevail.

Cross-posted from Morgantown Atheists

No More AA For Nonbelievers!

In California a Sacramento federal court judge ruled that an atheist parolee should not be forced to participate in a religious drug program, due to his constitutional rights. Hopefully this will spread throughout the country!

Here is what American Atheists said:

ATHEISTS HAIL DECISION -- NONBELIEVERS CANNOT BE SENTENCED TO FAITH-BASED REHAB PROGRAMS AS PAROLE CONDITION

An Atheist public policy group praised a U.S. District Court Judge in California for defending the constitutional rights of a prison inmate who was compelled to attend religion-based drug and alcohol rehab sessions in order to qualify for parole.

Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. ruled that California officials erred when they forced 41-year-old Barry A. Hazel Jr. to enroll in Alcoholics Anonymous after serving a one-year sentence for drug possession. Hazel, a computer programmer, demanded that he be given access to an alternative secular program instead, and was mistakenly informed that one was not available. After refusing to participate in the faith-based 12-step regimen, Mr. Hazel was re-arrested and had to serve another three months in jail.

Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, praised the court for its finding in this case. "It is outrageous that any citizen be coerced into attending religious services or programs that 'push' religion in any form."

Buckner noted that just weeks after Mr. Hazel protested the violation of his rights, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation issued an order to all parole agents pointing out that they "cannot compel" a parolee to participate in any religion-themed program.

Dave Silverman, Vice President and Communications Director for American Atheists said that "While Atheists and other non-believers make up a very small percentage of prison populations -- by some studies far less than one percent -- violating someone's religious liberty and freedom from religion is not some kind of a numbers game."

"There are secular programs for drug and alcohol rehabilitation that are available, and the government has an obligation to respect the rights of any incarcerated individual to refuse religious 'treatment'."

Atheists in Prison - 1997 Statistics:

Your Two Cents About the Faith Based Initiative Program

The Secular Coalition of America sent me a request a few minutes ago, asking me to write a letter to Obama about the Faith Based Initiative Program. I pretty much keep my nose out of politics, but I thought I'd pass this along because I firmly believe in the Separation of Church and State as my God Given Right! :P

Seriously, this country was founded on the incredibly important idea of religion and politics being separate. If you want to see a country where there is no separation, just go to Iran. I'm pretty sure they are a theocracy. Don't hold me to that, though. My world politics skills have never been very sharp.

Anyway, I think letter writing campaigns work best when the people or organization targeted gets absolutely inundated from all over the place with the same request. Here is what the Secular Coalition for America says:

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama promised to abide by "a few basic principles" that would protect the constitutional separation of church and state in his plan for an expanded faith based initiative program. He was specific: "First, if you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them - or against the people you hire - on the basis of their religion. Second, federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples, and mosques can only be used on secular programs."

On February 5, 2009 President Obama issued his Executive Order establishing his Faith Based Intiative program. Twelve months later at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama claimed that his administration had "turned the faith-based initiative around" from its misuse during the Bush administration. But it appears the only thing President Obama has changed about how millions of federal dollars are spent is that the office guiding the direct funding of houses of worship is now called the "White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships" rather than the "Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives." Twelve months, Two words. That's not a turn around, it's a re-branding.

Go Here to Send a Letter to Obama through the Secular Coalition of America. Hey, maybe if enough of us say something it might just make a difference.

Why Do Christians Hate The ACLU?

Because I'm sure many just see it as a title, or an acronym, and recall their mention in the news involving lawsuits, lets start by answering a basic: What is the ACLU?

American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 by Crystal Eastman, Roger Baldwin and Walter Nelles. It was founded to assist in defending the rights of citizens as granted by the United States Constitution. At the time, the three biggest concerns were freedom of speech (for anti-war protesters), civil rights for blacks (and other minority races), and equal rights for women. On their site, the ACLU proclaims themselves as a "guardian of liberty, working [...] to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country."

This is the group who has time-and-time again gone to bat for the 'little guy' to insure their Constitutional rights as a citizen and a human are upheld. The Christian's very doctrine urges them to help the weak, the sick, the poor, the unfortunate, the 'little guy'. So why do so many Christians harbor such vitriol and hate towards the ACLU?

Objective Versus Subjective

I'm seeing this video being repeatedly posted on Facebook as it chains its way though the theist world. From what I've gathered from the YouTube mirroring, this is a TV commercial running in the Republic of Macedonia. The campaign is apparently something like "Knowledge Is Power." And this part of the campaign is apparently sub-headlined "Religion is knowledge, too. Bringing religion back to school."

Congress Goes to Recess - Secular Successes and Failures So Far This Year

As nonbelievers I think 'separation of church and state' issues tend to show up on our radar much more easily than it does for believers. Too few believers realize that separation of church and state is what allows them to practice their flavor of Christianity. So many who push for more Christian influence in government don't seem to realize that they might end up disagreeing with the flavor that comes to power. If only more believers realized this, I think we would have so many more supporters of the separation of church and state.

The 111th Congress has gone to recess for their August break. Ill-timed I think, considering all the stir with bills and propositions and initiatives, dealing with the economy and health care reform. But it is their 'scheduled vacation' and-all, so there's nothing we can do about it.

The Secular Coalition for America has listed some of the successes and failures in the separation of church and state fight from this year so far. I thought them worth sharing; especially since it seems we hear about these in the news when they are being argued over, but the results seem to be slipped into the news as an afterthought.

Its Time For Some New Currency

Oh what a mistake it was adding 'In God We Trust' to the United States currency.



It started with coins in 1864, gained new legs with the motto in 1956, then made its debut on paper currency in 1957.

Kingsville: King of Ignorance

Kingsville Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County; in January of 1997 county commissioners unanimously designated "heaven-o" as the county's official greeting.

Okay, I know that's not really breaking news; but I've been on a bit of a separation of church and state kick, so when I stumbled on this I thought I'd share.

So what is wrong with using "hello?" Well it turns out that Leonso Canales Jr. thinks "hello" is a negative greeting due to its association with "hell." What?!

Happy Treaty of Tripoli Day!

The Treaty of Tripoli was negotiated while George Washington was president; eventually ratified by the U.S. Senate on June 7th, 1797; and then signed by President John Adams on June 10th, 1797. Although this treaty is no longer in effect today, Article 11 provides some significant insight into the infancy of the United States as a nation.

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

My Letter To President Obama

The other day I told you to write or call the White House to add your voice as an atheist regarding the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the issue of the separation of church and state. I thought I'd share my letter with you. Here it is, short and sweet.

Dear President Obama and staff,

Thank you for your hard work.
As an atheist and a taxpayer, I am dismayed and alarmed that my tax dollars are funding a faith based program like the Office Of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. I firmly believe in the separation of church and state. The government should not have anything to do with religion, as stated in the Bill of Rights. We are a country founded on freedom of - and from - religion.
If we must have a faith based program, please at least get rid of the Bush era rules that are still in place. Please issue an executive order barring proselytism and employment bias in all publicly funded programs run by faith based organizations. Please make these programs fully accountable to the public and please make sure my tax dollars do not go to an advancement of religion in any way.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
An ethical atheist

You can use the White House contact form like I did, or you can write or call:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

TTY/TDD
Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

Here's a link to the First Amendment if you'd like to refresh your memory on the wording. He's our president. Let's at least try to hold him accountable to our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Updates: A New Study and Obama's Faith Council

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about Sheeple: Studies About Social Conformity. I focused on 3 studies that show how people are easily influenced and manipulated, mostly by the authority figures in their lives. The other day a new study was published that added to this and I wanted to share it with you.

Financial Advice Causes "Off-loading" In The Brain shows that expert advice may shut down areas of the brain responsible for decision making processes, particularly when individuals are trying to evaluate a situation where risk is involved. This study focused on financial advice given by an "expert" to participants in an fMRI machine who were told to make a decision on how to spend money. I have a feeling that this is also the case in other areas of decision making as well. Hopefully it will be investigated and tested.

It makes sense though, when you look at how easily people are led by those in positions of authority. If someone is an "expert" this study shows that the brain offloads the decision making process. It trusts the expert and gives up responsibility for that choice.

"This study indicates that the brain relinquishes responsibility when a trusted authority provides expertise, says Berns, the study's lead researcher. "The problem with this tendency is that it can work to a person's detriment if the trusted source turns out to be incompetent or corrupt."

Remaking America - Day One

We have a new president! Our 44th president of the United States of America!
The full video of the oath and address available here.

This is an exciting time! And dare I say it? The future looks promising. We have some hard work to do, to hopefully fix the mistakes of previous administrations, but if President Obama really meant what he said in his speech, I think things are looking up. I'll say this for our new president, he gives a great speech. It's thrilling to see an eloquent and educated person leading us to our bright future once again.

I want to go through and highlight some of the points he made. My emphasis is in bold, the transcript is in its entirety, thank you Huffington Post.

Prayer Is Worse Than Nothing

Let's talk about prayer and visions and things today.

First, let's talk about the inauguration with Obama. Even if I weren't a vocal atheist, I'd be offended by the choice of rick warren to deliver the prayer. Of course, as a Constitutionalist, I believe in the Separation of Church and State. The office of president of the United States is earned by votes. Not direct votes of the people, but hey, let's not nitpick on that issue at the moment. This job of president is purely secular. Why is there a bible, a pastor and prayer involved at all? The FFRF is suing to get rid of the reference to god and the prayers, at least.
warren, this hypocritical slimeball, is going to act as an agent of the state to deliver the invocation and benediction. Read more about warren and how he backs a man (martin ssempa) who burned condoms in the name of jesus in Africa, virtually stamping out the free distribution of condoms to people to replace it with abstinence only (yeah, we all know how well the abstinence program works!). Oh, and let's not forget how warren compares homosexuality to pedophilia, incest and beastiality. So now we know how far off his rocker he is.

The Reason I Speak Out Against Religion

This idiot epitomizes the christian fundamentalist thinking prevalent in America today. She and her ilk are systematically driving this this country into ruin by forcing their iron age bible thumping "morals" on the rest of us. (1:40)

Her hypocrisy, hatred and bigotry are apparently common among "true" christians, and she is why I do what I do, why I speak up, why I am intolerant to her cultivated ignorance and arrogant stupidity. This is why we need to come together and find common ground, to find a way to stand up and speak out against blatant bigotry, ignorance, the muddied mess of church and state, and our basic Constitutional rights.

One Lockstepping Jackboot Closer To a Theocractic Police State

I'm sure you've heard of this insidious law in Kentucky, by now. State Rep. Tom Riner, a southern baptist minister, tucked a provision in a homeland security bill in 2006 that lawmakers overwhelmingly approved.

Apparently you don't need intelligence or common sense to hold a government position in America these days. You certainly don't have to adhere to the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.

The statement begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty god."  Basically, Homeland Security's religious duties come before everything else, including how to spend the millions of dollars ($28 million this year) they get from the federal government and whatever possible threats they might think they have in the middle of nowhere.

Two More Reasons To Vote

I don't like beating this poor dead horse any more than you do. But we have to talk politics again today. The only thing I can think of is that you have to vote November 4th. If you like these stories and feel that this is a good direction for the country to head in, vote McCain/Palin. If you think these stories are insidious attacks against the rights of good citizens in this country, namely the precious First Amendment, then you must go out and vote for Obama/Biden.

Here are two stories I've read lately:

Let's Pick Out The Lies - Part 2

This is part two of a forwarded email I received the other day. Part One is here.

The rest of this email was all added on sometime in 2006. It was NOT said by Ben Stein. This kind of stuff drives me crazy. People forward emails because they blindly believe what is being sent. They just accept that it's all true and important, so they send it to me, and you, whether we like it or not. I really can't stand spam when it comes from someone I know.

Anyhoo, the following is a combination of older items about a TV appearance of Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter) made just after 9-11 and the false claim that child care expert Dr. Benjamin Spock's son committed suicide.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:  This is not intended to be a joke;  it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Talking about an invisible man in the sky does not really require thinking. It is blindly believing in fairy tales, but I digress.