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a day of appropriate activities!
Today our Great Leader has issued a proclamation! He has said:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 30, 2006, as the 50th Anniversary of our National Motto, "In God We Trust." I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
The full proclamation can be read here.
I say that we do as he has asked! First of all, send a letter to our noble leader at comments@whitehouse.gov telling him that he should leave religion out of his politics. Here's mine!
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing to express my extreme anger and feelings of marginalization upon reading your proclamation regarding the "50th Anniversary of Our National Motto, "In God We Trust," 2006."
You say in your second paragraph that "the United States has been a Nation of faith" and then you say in your next paragraph "our country stands strong as a beacon of religious freedom." Those two statements are in direct contradiction. Being a beacon of religious freedom doesn't just mean allowing people to worship God in different ways - it also means that some people do not worship at all. And we have not always been a nation of faith. I would like to think we still are not a nation of faith. We are a nation of a diverse set of beliefs, and as a nation there is not one single religious belief or faith we agree on, including whether or not we have faith to begin with. I am an atheist, and that does not make me any less a citizen of the United States.
Please stop wasting your time with proclamations that only serve to further divide the citizens you are trying to unite. I would personally advise you to stop trusting in God and start doing some work. After all, God helps those that help themselves.
Sincerely,
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wavyarms
Then, I advise you to read this article from the New York Times about Rev. Gregory Boyd. Here's a quote from the article:
After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called “The Cross and the Sword” in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns.
Cool guy, eh? Write him a supportive letter telling him how much he rocks. I wasn't going to give out his e-mail address at the church, but when I sent my letter I got an automatic response that says he gets so much mail he might not read it, and has other people to sort through it for him. So now I think it's OK. Also, it was really easy to find through the website of his church, Woodland Hills Church. He can be reached here. My letter is doofy, but here it is:
Dear sir,
I have read a few articles about you recently, first in the Daily Kos, and then in the New York Times. (I included the links below in case you're curious!) I just wanted to write and thank you for supporting the separation of church and state, and being willing to defend the religious diversity of our country.
I myself identify as an atheist, and I can't deny that in recent years I have felt angry and marginalized by the politics of the US, and by evangelical Christians who insist that their opinions are the only morally defensible ones. The message coming from conservative politicians and media shows is that since I am not a Christian, I am less moral, and care less about my country.
It means a great deal to me to hear you say that "the church should steer clear of politics [and] stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation”." It reminds me that I shouldn't be angry at all evangelical Christians, that I need to set aside my stereotyping and prejudice, because there are good people everywhere. Today, especially, when the president has issued a proclamation on the "50th Anniversary of Our National Motto, In God We Trust, 2006," it is very meaningful to me for someone behind the pulpit to defend the separation of church and state. Thank you for doing your part to help heal the divisions in our country.
Sincerely,
wavyarms
P.S. Here is the Daily Kos link:pasted link was here
and here is the New York Times link: pasted link was here.
I think those are appropriate activities with which to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our national motto, don't you? Many thanks toa517dogg for pointing me to both links.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 30, 2006, as the 50th Anniversary of our National Motto, "In God We Trust." I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
The full proclamation can be read here.
I say that we do as he has asked! First of all, send a letter to our noble leader at comments@whitehouse.gov telling him that he should leave religion out of his politics. Here's mine!
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing to express my extreme anger and feelings of marginalization upon reading your proclamation regarding the "50th Anniversary of Our National Motto, "In God We Trust," 2006."
You say in your second paragraph that "the United States has been a Nation of faith" and then you say in your next paragraph "our country stands strong as a beacon of religious freedom." Those two statements are in direct contradiction. Being a beacon of religious freedom doesn't just mean allowing people to worship God in different ways - it also means that some people do not worship at all. And we have not always been a nation of faith. I would like to think we still are not a nation of faith. We are a nation of a diverse set of beliefs, and as a nation there is not one single religious belief or faith we agree on, including whether or not we have faith to begin with. I am an atheist, and that does not make me any less a citizen of the United States.
Please stop wasting your time with proclamations that only serve to further divide the citizens you are trying to unite. I would personally advise you to stop trusting in God and start doing some work. After all, God helps those that help themselves.
Sincerely,
wavyarmsThen, I advise you to read this article from the New York Times about Rev. Gregory Boyd. Here's a quote from the article:
After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called “The Cross and the Sword” in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns.
Cool guy, eh? Write him a supportive letter telling him how much he rocks. I wasn't going to give out his e-mail address at the church, but when I sent my letter I got an automatic response that says he gets so much mail he might not read it, and has other people to sort through it for him. So now I think it's OK. Also, it was really easy to find through the website of his church, Woodland Hills Church. He can be reached here. My letter is doofy, but here it is:
Dear sir,
I have read a few articles about you recently, first in the Daily Kos, and then in the New York Times. (I included the links below in case you're curious!) I just wanted to write and thank you for supporting the separation of church and state, and being willing to defend the religious diversity of our country.
I myself identify as an atheist, and I can't deny that in recent years I have felt angry and marginalized by the politics of the US, and by evangelical Christians who insist that their opinions are the only morally defensible ones. The message coming from conservative politicians and media shows is that since I am not a Christian, I am less moral, and care less about my country.
It means a great deal to me to hear you say that "the church should steer clear of politics [and] stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation”." It reminds me that I shouldn't be angry at all evangelical Christians, that I need to set aside my stereotyping and prejudice, because there are good people everywhere. Today, especially, when the president has issued a proclamation on the "50th Anniversary of Our National Motto, In God We Trust, 2006," it is very meaningful to me for someone behind the pulpit to defend the separation of church and state. Thank you for doing your part to help heal the divisions in our country.
Sincerely,
wavyarmsP.S. Here is the Daily Kos link:pasted link was here
and here is the New York Times link: pasted link was here.
I think those are appropriate activities with which to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our national motto, don't you? Many thanks to
a517dogg for pointing me to both links.
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That's not what his pappy believes! This is from when H. W. Bush was VP:
Sherman: What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are atheists?
Bush: I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me.
Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?
Bush: No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.
Sherman (somewhat taken aback): Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?
Bush: Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists.
http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/ghwbush.htm
no subject
*sigh*
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And the Reverend in Minnesota does sound like a cool guy. Skimmed that article today while procrastinating on drafting a paper. I now have one page and need four more before going to bed . . . plus a draft of a whole other paper -- both due Wednesday. Just shoot me. So unmotivated by this paper writing business.