Posted by
Bob Siegel on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:06:38 PM
It was Easter Sunday, but I had not been to church. Instead, I attended an
invitation from the National Atheist's Society to do a debate on Sunday morning
in San Antonio, Texas.
The debate had gone well. In fact, many atheists approached me after the debate
to reluctantly admit they thought I had won.
Now, I was at the airport, waiting for my plane back to San
Diego. Sitting across from me was a fellow about my
age, waiting for his own flight. He introduced himself by saying that he had
been in the audience watching the debate.
"You know," he started in, "Whether or not God exists, does not
really concern me. My concern is that Christians are taking over the
country and violating our separation between church and state."
I found this to be a rather bizarre statement in as much as
we had each just returned from an atheist conference, open to any who wanted to
participate, and there was certainly no plot from the government to close them
down.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Give me an
example."
"Well, abortion. How about that one?
Just because Christians think abortion is wrong, they want to pass laws
against it."
"Did you feel the same way about the March On Washington in the sixties?
This was done in the name of Christianity, led by the REVEREND Martin Luther
King.”
He looked quite taken back. "Ah..No...That one was OK."
"Why was it OK? Because in that case you agreed with the cause?
Let's be clear: You do not object to Christianity mixing with politics. You
only object to the discussion of certain issues like abortion."
If we really are a democratic country and if at certain times in our history we
are also a majority of Christians in this country, then we are entitled to pass
laws based upon our convictions. All laws are the result of somebody's standard
of morality. If not our standard, it would only be the humanist standard. That
is a religion too. It makes ultimate statements about human beings and human
destiny. And it backs up these statements with blind faith.
Do not let anybody get away with this
nonsensical claim that Christians have less rights to be vocal on social issues
than anyone else. Our forefathers created a law which forbade mandatory state
church. It did not forbid Christians acting out their convictions in the world.
It was never their intention to limit religious speech to boundaries within
cathedral walls.
This is Bob Siegel, making the obvious, obvious.
Also by Bob Siegel:
Does
the Bible Really Speak About the Future?
What
is the Unforgivable Sin and How Do I Know If I've Committed It?
Does
The Bible Teach An Age of Accountability?
Was
Jesus Gay?
How
Should We Pray For Healing?
Is
The DaVinci Code Something to be Taken Seriously?
How
Does One Become a Christian?
My
Brief Time In the Occult
How
Do We Know Which Manuscript Copies Truly Belong In The Bible?
Does
The Bible Teach That God Is Everything or that God Created Everything?
Was
Jesus A False Prophet?
Why
Are There Different Versions of the Bible?
Three
Questions That Test Your Friend's Opinions
Subsiding
All The Passion Over "The Passion"
Cherry
Picking Our Doctrines
St.
Bob's Epistle To The Calvinists
Oh,
That Horrible Christianity!
Was
Judas Forgiven?
Oh
Yeah? Well David Did Alot of Stupid Things
If
You Don't Like Her, Take It Up With Jesus
Calling
God Allah: What's In A Name?
How
To Cause A Muslim Freudian Slip
Behavior
Not Even A Christian Apologist Can Defend
Evidently
Christians Don't Hold A Monopoly On Stupidity
I'm
Not Doing It For the Warthog and the Pine Cone
Is
Persecution Good For The Church?
A
Pro-Choice Christmas Card?
The
No Longer Sacred Santa
Can
A Christian Be Pragmatic?
Now
Kids, Keep The Name of the Holiday a Secret
Are
Christian Ministers Just In It For The Money?
Christianity,
Judaism and Islam: Comparison
Is
Mormonism Really a Cult? Let's Finally Settle This Once and For All
How
a Reformed Jew Became an Evangelical Christian Part One
Are
Christians Expected to Keep the Sabbath?
If
The Gospel Was Fake, This Would Have Been A Really Dumb Thing To Include
Did
Jesus Really Claim To Be God?
Did
Jesus Really Claim to be The Messiah?
The
Prayer Game
Can
The Existence of God Be Proven?
Can't
I Accept Christ On My Deathbed?
The
Day God Gave Me One Hundred Dollars (And Believe Me; I didn't Deserve It)
Is
Tithing Really Biblical?
The
Day A Scholar Said Scholars Aren't Scholarly
Of
course the Trinity is Impossible! Haven't You Ever Studied Math?
Jesus
Didn't Rise! Wait Until You Hear How They Decided
Did
Jesus Fulfill Bible Prophecy? Isaiah 53