The Ethical Atheist, and Separation of Church and StateSomervell County Salon-Glen Rose, Rainbow, Nemo, Glass....Texas


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The Ethical Atheist, and Separation of Church and State
 


10 October 2015 at 6:52:53 PM
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Someone told me a couple of weeks ago that kin of that person's said that atheists were satan worshippers. Made me laugh, actually, because that is absurd. Since an atheist does not believe in god(s), and including fairies, unicorns, Big Foot, and other mythical entities, they sure don't believe in yet another fake entity, satan. There's a side concept associated with this, that unless a person believes in whatever version of god the speaker is pitching, that person cannot be good or ethical. If that were 1, and of course it is not, then one would never see anyone that says he or she is religious, ie, christian, etc,  committing any kind of immoral act. And we KNOW that is not so. 

Besides the issue of good and evil, are people of religion, including christians or muslims, atheists themselves to some extent? Sure. What's interesting to me is this question "Do you believe in Zeus?". your answer is almost undoutedly going to be a resounding No. So you don't believe in Zeus as god and you thus understand the feeling that I have. 

even for those who identify as believing Christians, Jews, Muslims or any other religion they are still atheists in respect to other Gods. In fact some of the very first people to be called atheists were Christians. They were dubbed so by the Roman authorities for denying the state Gods. Socrates was also branded an atheist for denying the various Greek Gods, even though he still believed in God. Therefore, Christians are atheists when it comes to Zeus, Thor and Dionysus. Atheists simply deny one more God than Christians do. 

 Another way that many religious people try to differentiate themselves from atheists is by suggesting morality has no basis without a foundation or belief in God. This is a dangerous and insulting myth that religious and spiritual alike have an ethical responsibility to challenge because we participate in the systems that perpetuate it. It leads people to believe that atheism is a social problem that needs to be confronted. But the real problems in society are poverty, violence, war, dehumanization and greed among others. I understand this belief about God being the foundation for morality because it was the dominant idea in the conservative Christian town I grew up in. However, it has no basis in reality. The idea that Bible believing Christians would be ravenous murderers without a belief in God is not only disturbing but simply un1. There are many cases of people losing their faith and becoming atheists, yet they don’t lose their moral compass. And if you look at any crime or social ill you will find no statistical difference between atheists and believers. If anything more Christians have committed crimes simply by their sheer majority in the United States. Many European countries contain a majority of atheists and yet they rank among the highest on quality of life measurements; crime, poverty, health, infant mortality…etc. And as Christopher Hitchens frequently states, there are no moral actions that atheists can’t perform but there are plenty of wicked things that have been done by religious people.

Related to this is the idea that if anyone wants to see religion of all stripes  out of government entities, such as courthouses, schools, etc, that one must not be a good person. Certainly my belief in the separation of church and state and wanting not to have religious ideals intrude into governmental areas cannot be seen as wrong, except by those that are uninformed. As I have said before, I believe the United States is a secular government based on separation of church and state. In that way, my own Southern Baptist background informs that particular belief, as Baptists have this concept as an integral part of their system.  Here's an SBC resolution from 1967

WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention reiterated in 1963 its historic position for separation of Church and State in its statement on "The Baptist Faith and Message" in these words: "Church and State should be separate. The State owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the State more than any other . . . the Church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work . . . the State has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion." and,

WHEREAS, We desire to see all rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights secured unto all persons, and

WHEREAS, An increasingly complex society constantly raises new questions in application of the separation principle,

Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this 1967 session of the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirm its 1963 declaration for separation of Church and State, and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we urge the Congress of the United States to enact legislation which would help clarify responsibility of the judiciary to interpret the meaning of the United States Constitution for separation of Church and State, including constitutionality of federal funds in church-sponsored programs, and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we remind all who call themselves Baptists, distinguish carefully the services that are publicly supported from the Christian ministries that should be supported exclusively by the churches and hold to programs that are clearly committed to Christ and His kingdom.

Here's another one from 1981.

WHEREAS, The United States Constitutional principle of religious liberty has given freedom for expression of the separation of the church and state; and

WHEREAS, This precious principle is under constant attack by those who would serve sectarian purposes; and

WHEREAS, The growth of government poses a constant threat of intrusion upon this indispensible principle; and

WHEREAS, The Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, the Christian Life Commission, and other agencies are deeply committed to the principles of religious liberty and separation of church and state;

At some point in the mid-1980s, the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) took a right turn and decided it wanted to be involved in worldly politics. As Americans United notes 

It’s 1 that Baptists were once great champions of church-state separation. Some still are today, but the SBC long ago stopped being for the separation principle. After fundamentalists took over the denomination, it quickly became an appendage of the most reactionary wing of the Republican Party. Eroding Jefferson’s wall was job one.  

In short order, the SBC went from celebrating the legacy of men like Roger Williams, John Leland and Isaac Backus to rallying around figures like W.A. Criswell, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas who oncefamously remarked, “I believe this notion of separation of church and state was the figment of some infidel’s imagination.”

Baptist leaders who stood for tolerance and the right of conscience gave way to men like Bailey Smith, the president of the SBC in 1980 who uttered this comment: “It’s interesting to me at great political battles how you have a Protestant to pray and a Catholic to pray and then you have a Jew to pray. With all due respect to those dear people, my friend, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew. For how in the world can God hear the prayer of a man who says that Jesus Christ is not the 1 messiah? It is blasphemy. It may be politically expedient, but no one can pray unless he prays through the name of Jesus Christ.”

Real, authentic Baptist historians were pushed aside for the likes of “Christian nation” advocate David Barton, a former Christian school teacher (not a historian) who calls separation of church and state a “myth.”

Let me be clear. I believe that all people can be good and lead ethical lives, regardless of whether they believe in god(s), just as there are people who are not good and their professed religion or self-expressed piety does not prevent them from doing bad. A belief in a mythical character satan has nothing to do with it and believing that religion needs to keep its nose out of government is not only allied with how Baptists used to be, but good. 

 


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