Blog against Theocracy: Contribution to April 7-9 blogswarm
April 7th, 2007 by Alan
The following are my comments on the critical importance of separating church from state.
Religious belief has always been a strong force in American life (“in God we trust” on all our money and as the motto of my alma mater, Brown), and there have been several attempts to formally declare this a Christian country.
Even now, people are trying to rewrite American history to portray it all as the story of the emergence of a Christian nation.
But thoughtful people of reason must resist — vehemently and articulately –the natural aggressiveness of religious fervor and orthodoxy, or else we are in for some very bad times. Live-and-let-live is no longer an option.
America is a secular nation, of course.
There is no question in my mind that the Founders of our country were as close as you could be to secular humanists in the late 18th century.
Then as now, religious words and attitudes were cultural touchstones. They mentioned “the Creator,” granted. But look at their behavior! They didn’t spend their lives studying the Bible and praying. The reshaped the real world.
Look at what they founded: A country with no divine right of kings, no monarchy at all, a government by the consent of the governed, with liberty and justice for all. Were these not profoundly humanistic ideas? And the Founders wrote a Constitution that specifically bans state-sponsored religion, because they knew the evils that it brings.
Not that long ago, politicians were expected to be churchgoers, but little more. Today they wear their religion on their sleeve and proclaim it at every opportunity. Jesus is Bush’s favorite philosopher? Does he even know any others?
When politicians get religious, it’s not a good sign. I don’t know who came up with this prediction (mistakenly attributed to Sinclar Lewis), but I like it: when fascism comes to America it will be “wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.”
I consider that a piece of excellent foresight – but not a very encouraging prediction. History proves that when politicians think they have divine approval, when state power is melded with and reinforced by religious authority, there is invariably a loss of personal freedom and usually a whole lot of death and destruction.
A personal comment: I am honored to support what I see as a growing movement. But cyber-atheism must now take the next step – into the real world of politics and media, where religion is accorded way too much respect, given center stage, and allowed to perpetuate its evils and delusions.
_______________________
Alan M. Perlman is a secular humanist speaker and author — most recently, of An Atheist Reads the Torah: Secular Humanistic Perspectives on the Five Books of Moses. For information, go to www.trafford.com/06-0056.
[…] Blue Gal (who started the whole thing) has an excellent post up on Christian Leftists. The Jewish Atheist has a post up about the notion of America as a humanist nation, and the Springy Goddess has an outsider’s view into American politics tinged with worry, hope, and well wishes. […]
[…] The links so far: From Kristim (at MPS)The AristocratsMontag at Stumplanelife’s journeyChip Berlet (at T2A)Frederick Clarkson (at DKos)A poetic justice (several poems)DriftglassThe Quaker AgitatorBalls and WalnutsZaius NationBirmingham BluesGod is for Suckers!There are no Barking SparrowsBeep Beep It’s MeCause for ConcernThe Jaded SkepticCassandra Waites (at T2A)Hot Cup of JoeBig Brass BlogDawne Gee at Clean Cut KidxcsharpshadowxCross LeftTen PercentKilling time, making noisePhillip AllenLive and times of an ex(2)-pat YankDarwin’s DaggerLes EnragesLaelapsDavid 2’s Brutally Honest Random ThoughtsRunesmith’s Canadian ContentNonsensical Ravings of Finely Tuned InsanityBarefoot BumNo More Mister Nice Guy!do not read this blogPandagoncommander others otherwhirledJourneys with JoodFitness for the Occasionafter the bridgeReconstitutionHard-boiled Dreams of the WorldThe Daily PulseMidget QueenThe Jewish AtheistFetch Me My AxeNorth of CenterDoing My Part for the Left (podcast)Liberal Street FighterBlue WrenLaughing GooRobert Colgan (at MPS)Flatus the ElderProgressive HistoriansVirus HeadClub LeftyBlue GalRecovering LiberalBlast Off!Ordinary GirlThe Neo-SkepticNot Soccer MomHullabalooMock Paper ScissorsA Blog Around the ClockAn American in MelbourneEverything and moreAtheist RevolutionAbout KittyHalf NixonI Speak of DreamsFeminists Don’t Bake BreadAmericans United BlogDog EmperorAt Center NetworkGod Vs. DarwinAction SkepticsCreeksideRascalityFrank L. Cocozzelli (at T2A)BiblioblographyThe Largest MinorityFacilitate Wonder ReconsititutionFrom Sorghum Crow (at MPS)Mauigirl’s MeanderingsChris Rodda (at T2A)The Spiritual Humanist BlogThe Stormy Days of MarchThe Springy GoddessThe Shikon JewelClyde the f-ed up cousin of Jimmy Dean (at MPS)Vagabond ScholarRon’s BlogJourneys with JoodThe Learning CurvePissed in NYC (at MPS)This is it.Tangled up in Blue GuyA Stitch in HasteOne Act in the Eternal Play of Ideascommander other (at MPS)Thoughts in a HaystackWe Are All Giant Nuclear Fireball Now PartyCoffee MessiahRadRobinFitness for the OccasionPeace, order and good government, eh? No Comments » […]
Back in the 80s, a sociology professor (recently quoted in Harper’s magazine) predicted that when fascism came to America it would be “wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.”
FYI: the unnamed sociology professor was quoting author and playwright Sinclair Lewis, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Lewis’ best known work was Elmer Gantry, a scathing rebuke of evangelical hypocrisy.
Wikipedia: Sinclair Lewis
He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1926 — which he rejected — for Arrowsmith, a novel about an idealistic doctor. Elmer Gantry was the story of an opportunistic evangelist, if not an outright charlatan; it was banned in Boston and other U.S. cities; Main Street, Babbitt, Kingsblood Royal, and Cass Timberlane all were banned in their turn. In his Prize lecture, he lamented that “in America most of us — not readers alone, but even writers — are still afraid of any literature which is not a glorification of everything American, a glorification of our faults as well as our virtues,” and that America is “the most contradictory, the most depressing, the most stirring, of any land in the world today.”
[…] 64) The Jewish Atheist: “Even now, people are trying to rewrite American history to portray it all as the story of the emergence of a Christian nation. But thoughtful people of reason must resist — vehemently and articulately –the natural aggressiveness of religious fervor and orthodoxy, or else we are in for some very bad times. Live-and-let-live is no longer an option. America is a secular nation, of course. There is no question in my mind that the Founders of our country were as close as you could be to secular humanists in the late 18th century.” […]
Hats off, this is one of the best posts of the blogswarm I’ve read. I especially like the part where you say:
“Look at what they founded: A country with no divine right of kings, no monarchy at all, a government by the consent of the governed, with liberty and justice for all. Were these not profoundly humanistic ideas? And the Founders wrote a Constitution that specifically bans state-sponsored religion, because they knew the evils that it brings.”
Reply to SadButTrue:
Thanks for the info. — and thanks for visiting and reading!
Reply to Wade:
I sit silently at my keyboard and reach out to like-minded lovers of reason and truth. Thank you for lettting me know I have found one.
Alan
THIS IS CRAZY!
How did the race of Jews start? Whether you want to believe it or not without God Jews would never exist as a race or religion. The whole notion of a Jewish person being an atheist is mind boggling to me. No disrespect to this blog and to people who are atheists but how can that be? Did you forget your heritage, did living the life of Jewish law too problematic for you?
Nice to hear from you, Kenny.
You and I will have to learn to share the world peacefully, because we live in very different realities. In MY reality, anyone is psychotic who believes in a deity who never shows up, allows Holocausts, and requires endless rituals of propitiation.
If you will take your knowledge from historical data instead of rabbinical say-so, you will understand that there were indeed Jews before Yahweh, that the early Jews had many different beliefs, that the Jews were never slaves in Egypt. The Torah is a story; it is not the history of the Jews.
I am very cognizant of my heritage. But religion is not just preserving the past. Those early Jews created the tradition by adapting Judaism to their needs. Why can’t we? That’s what Humanistic Judaism tries to do.
“The life of Jewish law” is an unnecessary complication — life itself is hard enough, wouldn’t you say?
Thanks for writing.
shalom,
Alan
I must admit that I have no Jewish background, however I am very “Jewish Atheist/Humanistic as Alan portay’s himself; at least in my minds eye. If we really think about the immensity of time and space that surrounds us and the proportion of our miniscule lives compared to the universe, let alone multiverse, it’s quite hard to believe that one book, fable, bible, koran, or tanakh could be literally true to the verse in only the most extreme of potential existences (i.e. Not Likely).
Life should be about so much more than living, dying, and indentured servitude towards some singular and blind hammi-down ideal. Humanism is the key….. helping one another is what makes life worth living. Why can’t we seam to rise above our animal instincts of rude and crude nature. Marital Infidelity, selfishness, greed, rape, murder and genocide, not to even begin to describe these naturalistic abominations, top the list of human injustice.
Some day the world will learn….. in an everlasting, eternal struggle with our own self consciouses we shall aspire to overtake these most basic of human emotions and urges. We shall realize our situation and strive endlessly to improve it. We are at the tip of the iceberg… Humanity is on the move. Let not the religions of the world hold us back for sake of superstitial comfort. Let the Kenny’s of the world cower in the face of the positive global human view of optimism.
One perspective of the glass is viewed as half full, one is viewed as half empty. This is what the religious refuse to accept… an acceptance of the fact of “un-control” or in other-word’s the ability not to use an abstract pawn (i.e. concentric religion) as your basis to keep on living. An almighty intangible being means nothing without a “responsible” population of believers. Education is the key Mr. Alan. Education and an unlimited amount of open mindedness.
I must digress before i start to babble as mine internal nature would dictate.
Peace out.
Over and Out RubberDucky.
Good Talk