Religious neutrality is not hostility

I wrote a very short piece about the people's misuse of government power a few months ago, but did not specifically call out any groups. In this article, I'm looking at you, Mr. or Mrs. Religious Righty. The religious right seems unbearably intent on including the government as a part of their Biblical megaphone.

As with most things regarding their religion, they just don't see the problem with prayer in school ... or the Ten Commandments in courtrooms ... or a National Day of Prayer. They can't understand how anybody would complain about something so moral and fundamental to America.

I can't even begin to deal with the mess of this clip. Sarah Palin at least puts it on the table.



So if there's no conceivable objection to prayer, why not include the daily Islamic prayers? It's praying to the God of Abraham. What could be wrong with that?



What about a simple Hebrew prayer? That's Judeo-Christian, right?



We all know what they mean by prayer and other religious overtures. They mean Christianity. But whose Christianity is it? Catholics? Methodists? Baptists? Mormons? Which is it? Surely we can make it common enough to cover them all? What about Jews and Muslims? Why not have one of the above prayers? What about Buddhists and Hindus? They don't even claim a similar monotheistic God. What about atheists and agnostics?

To quote myself, "Government can be secular, impartial, and unemotional, allowing the individual to be the opposite of all of those in any way they desire. In fact, I think this inherently allows an individual to be however they want and co-exist with others that are different."

This necessity of religious neutrality in government is NOT the hostility that so many Christians feel.

"When a Religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it
does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its
Professors are obliged to call for help of the Civil Power, it is a sign, I
apprehend, of its being a bad one." - Benjamin Franklin

Christians, go to your churches. Pray in your homes. Pray in public. Pray at school (personally and quietly please). Do not use this government to further your agenda. If you are so righteous, your path will be self-evident. You do not need to compel others through force.

Atheists are not (should not be) opposed to your rights, but we would like ours. The only way to do that is to keep government and religion separate.