Your right to belief in God, Karma, the Wheel or Nothing

There has been in recent times a fight brewing in the U.S. that strikes at one of the founding principles of our forefathers. These men came to this country to escape among other things religious persecution, yet this today seems to be something that is rearing its head among us.

I am talking about the battle between those that follow a religion and those who declare themselves to be Atheists. As an Agnostic, I am sitting in a unique position to observe this fight, although, the conservative in me wants to come down on the side of the religious. These two groups fight over things like Swearing into Office on a Bible, Swearing an Oath under God in Court, announcing in the Pledge of Allegiance that we are “One Nation under God”. The Atheist all take umbrage at each of those, screaming about the separation of Church and State, although that isn’t mentioned in the Constitution, or in the Bill of Rights.

The only thing that those grand Articles mention is the freedom enjoyed by all to either practice or not practice as they believe, which is in the Bill of Rights and states:

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.

That is Article of the Third, (First Amendment) for anybody who wants to look it up. The actual phrase “Wall of separation between Church and State” was a line mentioned in passing, made by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists. This in turn was later interpreted (twisted) in Court since he was a founding father. I am sure he would be so proud.

Since we weren’t established as a Theocracy in which our rulers have to be priests, then I submit that we already have a separation of Church and State without recourse to the Courts having to be dragged into it.

The main fight seems to come from the Atheists that somehow believe they are being abused by references to God in just about any public place. Remember religious freedom was a founding principle. The most ridiculous of such fights was recent in which a father took umbrage at the Pledge of Allegiance and took it to court. Well sir, it is simple, nobody is making your child say, “One Nation under God”. That is your religious freedom in action. Your child and you were not lined up against the wall and shot, nor were you tortured, you were not even beaten by those around you. Amazing how religious freedom even provides for those who wish to believe in nothing, are free to believe in nothing.

The funny thing is, you could take an Atheist and place him in the middle of a group of religious people and he would be free not to participate, but if you place a person in the midst of a group of Atheists and he prays amongst them, I dare say they would take offense.

In closing I would simply say to the rabid Atheist grow up, if it bothers you, don’t listen and to those of the fanatic religions, I submit that you can’t force a person to believe and the more you push the more somebody will fight it. There was never any reason for this to have even come before a court other than pure childishness.