Atheists, Secularism, Secular Government: Why Atheists Care About Secularism
Question:
Why do atheists care about secularism and secular government so much? Why don't they let the Christian majority make its own laws?
Response:
There is nothing about atheism which absolutely requires that one care about secularism. In practice, however, secularism and secular government are the primary foundations for religious liberty in society. This protects irreligious atheists who dissent from the dominant cultural expressions of religion from being forced into supporting, expressing, and helping religious beliefs and institutions in any way.
Secularism benefits everyone, religious theists as well, but it helps remove the presumption of religious belief from public institutions.
Members of the Christian Right often try to tell atheists that they should be more grateful to Christianity for its role in the development of Western democracy and liberty, even though there is little within the Bible or ancient Christian traditions which provide any support for the sort of democracy we have today. What's ironic is that one thing for which atheists should perhaps be grateful to Christianity is also the one thing which the Christian Right most abhors: secularism.
The concept that there is a difference between the spiritual and political realm can be found right in the Christian New Testament. Jesus himself is cited as advising listeners to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. Later, the Christian theologian Augustine developed a more systematic division by distinguishing between two "cities," one that ordered the things of the earth (civitas terrenae) and one that was ordered by God (civitas dei).
Even more important to the development of modern secularism were the devout Christians who were aghast at the devastation caused by the religious wars that swept across Europe in the wake of the Reformation. In Protestant countries there was initially an attempt to translate the principles of the religious community into the wider political community; that, however, failed due to the growing divisions between Christian sects. This forced a reduction of overt and explicit references to specific Christian doctrines ? reliance upon Christianity, if it remained, became more general and more rationalized.
In the end, political and cultural secularization occurred because of Christians who realized that overtly Christians states did far more harm than good. The modern secularism which protects members of all religions, as well as irreligious atheists who are critical of all religions, is thus a product of Christianity ? not so much Christian doctrine and scripture, though they provided some backing, but Christian experiences with what happens when too much civil and religious authority becomes combined in the same people and institutions.
The Christian Right abhors secularism because it prevents them from promoting or imposing their vision of religion and religious beliefs over society. They would like to start with broad strokes, ideally getting the government to endorse a general sort of monotheism which would appear to be inoffensive to all or most religious groups. This would, however, be more than enough to tell atheists that they don't really belong ? that they are second-class citizens. Some of these atheists are irreligious critics of religion, some religious themselves, such as Buddhists or members of the Raelian group.
If it weren't for the secular nature of America's government, it would be easy for Christian extremists to begin the process of establishing Christianity by establishing monotheism. Fortunately, however, the authors of the Constitution recognized the need for a secular government ? they not only refused to insert Christianity into the document, but they refused to insert any sort religion or even theism. The Constitution doesn't authorize the government to promote, endorse, or encourage even simple belief in a god on any level.
American law and government don't promote atheism in any way, but they also don't have the authority to promote theism, monotheism, or any theistic religion. This means that the secular nature of American law and government protect the basic rights and liberties of atheists in America. Atheists should care about secularism because secularism is largely what keeps them free and equal.
Why do atheists care about secularism and secular government so much? Why don't they let the Christian majority make its own laws?
Response:
There is nothing about atheism which absolutely requires that one care about secularism. In practice, however, secularism and secular government are the primary foundations for religious liberty in society. This protects irreligious atheists who dissent from the dominant cultural expressions of religion from being forced into supporting, expressing, and helping religious beliefs and institutions in any way.
Secularism benefits everyone, religious theists as well, but it helps remove the presumption of religious belief from public institutions.
Members of the Christian Right often try to tell atheists that they should be more grateful to Christianity for its role in the development of Western democracy and liberty, even though there is little within the Bible or ancient Christian traditions which provide any support for the sort of democracy we have today. What's ironic is that one thing for which atheists should perhaps be grateful to Christianity is also the one thing which the Christian Right most abhors: secularism.
The concept that there is a difference between the spiritual and political realm can be found right in the Christian New Testament. Jesus himself is cited as advising listeners to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. Later, the Christian theologian Augustine developed a more systematic division by distinguishing between two "cities," one that ordered the things of the earth (civitas terrenae) and one that was ordered by God (civitas dei).
Even more important to the development of modern secularism were the devout Christians who were aghast at the devastation caused by the religious wars that swept across Europe in the wake of the Reformation. In Protestant countries there was initially an attempt to translate the principles of the religious community into the wider political community; that, however, failed due to the growing divisions between Christian sects. This forced a reduction of overt and explicit references to specific Christian doctrines ? reliance upon Christianity, if it remained, became more general and more rationalized.
In the end, political and cultural secularization occurred because of Christians who realized that overtly Christians states did far more harm than good. The modern secularism which protects members of all religions, as well as irreligious atheists who are critical of all religions, is thus a product of Christianity ? not so much Christian doctrine and scripture, though they provided some backing, but Christian experiences with what happens when too much civil and religious authority becomes combined in the same people and institutions.
The Christian Right abhors secularism because it prevents them from promoting or imposing their vision of religion and religious beliefs over society. They would like to start with broad strokes, ideally getting the government to endorse a general sort of monotheism which would appear to be inoffensive to all or most religious groups. This would, however, be more than enough to tell atheists that they don't really belong ? that they are second-class citizens. Some of these atheists are irreligious critics of religion, some religious themselves, such as Buddhists or members of the Raelian group.
If it weren't for the secular nature of America's government, it would be easy for Christian extremists to begin the process of establishing Christianity by establishing monotheism. Fortunately, however, the authors of the Constitution recognized the need for a secular government ? they not only refused to insert Christianity into the document, but they refused to insert any sort religion or even theism. The Constitution doesn't authorize the government to promote, endorse, or encourage even simple belief in a god on any level.
American law and government don't promote atheism in any way, but they also don't have the authority to promote theism, monotheism, or any theistic religion. This means that the secular nature of American law and government protect the basic rights and liberties of atheists in America. Atheists should care about secularism because secularism is largely what keeps them free and equal.
Source...