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Part of the problem is the misrepresentation we receive from the media, the religious right and their cohorts, and not to mention the direct hostility from the current administration. Take for instance Attorney General Barr’s words when he spoke at Notre Dame University last year calling those who identify as secular, “militant”, and went on further to say, “the problem is not that religion is being forced on others, the problem is that irreligion is being forced — secular values are being forced on people of faith.” This antagonistic label of “militant” makes zero sense, as our founding document clearly states the secular nature of our government. Therefore, it is the other side who are “militant”, our side merely wants our government to follow the law of the land as stated in the Constitution. Hardly militant. Not to mention the blatant lie he followed it up with. Let me be clear. Secularists do not want to force their values on anyone. We simply want our government to reflect the document upon which it was founded, particularly the First Amendment, and do not want others’ religious values forced upon us.
Other examples of open hostility towards our community from the administration can be found of course from the President himself on numerous occasions; and even his children have joined in the atheist bashing. The President’s son, Eric Trump, recently stated in an interview, "[President Trump has] literally saved Christianity, there is a full out war on faith in this country by the other side. The Democratic Party has become the party of the quote-unquote atheists, they want to attack Christianity, they want to close churches..." Again, the misrepresentation and fear mongering could not be further from the truth. Atheists, while not necessarily agreeing with other religious views, are far more likely to openly support an individual’s right to theistic belief and practice than any other demographic. In many ways, atheists are very liberal in the classic sense when it comes to our collective view on religious belief and practice. Do not force me to believe what you believe, and I will do the same. It’s that simple. Eric's misleading statement regarding church closings is just another example of how our views are twisted to serve a political purpose by the other side. With the rapid spread of the virus at that time, and closures happening in every other sector of society, our community’s concern was strictly public health based, and had absolutely nothing to do with preventing worship (which can be done anywhere).
As the nation watches the Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, we are hearing the same old rhetoric from the right, who have once again climbed onto their soapbox to protest (imagined) faith bashing. In actuality, not one single member of the other side has asked any questions nor made any statements regarding Judge Barrett’s faith. In fact, the only negative statement made regarding faith, or the lack thereof, was from Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) who said, “America’s secular cultural elites aren't sure that a faithful Christian can be entrusted with the law...they want blood.”
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