Category: Religion

Found at Proud Atheists:

Many Americans today claim that the United States is a Christian nation. "In God We Trust" is on our money and the phrase "under God" was inserted into our Pledge of Allegiance. Even the the Declaration of Independence refers to "nature's God" and "Creator" in a very deistic sense and only in the first two paragraphs.

However, the U.S. Constitution does not mention God, Jesus, the Bible and Christianity within its texts. Many of the "founding fathers" may have had Christian backgrounds, but they dared not insert their personal faiths or even their choice of deity…into our nation's legal foundation. This document was created with the intention of secular governance.

The authors of the Constitution had the forethought that others of different faiths will sooner or later enter this nation, and should be allowed to do so without the fear of legal discrimination and bigotry. This is the foundation of our great country, not God.

Nor is there any requirement in the Constitution to adhere to, be a member of any specified religion or even be a believer in any god. Freedom from religion is just as important to some individuals as the freedom of religion.

The First Amendment reads:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The Second Amendment affords us the "right to bear arms", but in no way does it require any type of firearms ownership…nor is gun ownership a requirement to run for public office.

Our Constitution was written and tailored to afford us personal freedoms, not requirements to submit under peer pressure to conform to religious views and laws.