Freedom for all?

In July of 1776 our Founding Fathers had laid down a document that-though imperfect-would allow Americans to preserve what are known as fundamental human rights, through the mandatory preservation of liberties and equality, called The Declaration of Independence of which our Constitution, the source of those rights, is predicated on. These rights include freedom from tyranny, taxation from an unrepresented government, the right to vote, the right to assemble in protest, etc. Mind you this was not the most Civil Rights minded bill, but through progress as a society we have been able to amend the Constitution to preserve liberty and equality among every citizen that is born or nationalized in the United States.

It seems, however, that tyranny still reigns here in the United States even after nearly four centuries of ‘freedom’. Who is the despot that controls and manipulates the minds of ‘free’ individuals here on our home soil? It is us! Yes, the ones who are descendants of men, women and children that bled on battle fields, in their homes and abroad to emancipate what is to become the “freest nation in the world.’ I have bear witness to some of these most atrocious acts of manipulation and usage of fear tactics perpetrated against man in the last week than in my entire life. Who are these people? I call them hypocrites. These are the same persons who denounce the ideologically charged attacks of 9/11, which is arguably the largest and most devastating attack on our homeland since our independence. Ideologically charged attack it was! The faith and tenets of an extreme form of Islam was purposely used to justify the killing of Americans to flex its elusive power over those who disregarded or blatantly disrespected their views. This is a call to those who do not believe; destruction will follow.

Here is the tie-in; last week a group of atheists set out to protest the Mayor of Harrisburg, Linda Thompson, due to her call to congregate the three Abrahamic religious groups, Muslims, Christians and Jews, for what became a large concerted prayer group and three day fasting. In addition, today, July 4^th, 334 years after the signing of the Declaration, atheists (American Atheists) are organizing, in states around the country, small engine planes to carry banners that say, “god-Less America” and “Atheism is Patriotic.” These, any rational human would agree is simply an exercise of the fundamental rights bestowed to us by the blood, sweat, tears and heartache of men fighting for freedom. As far as I see it, this is a peaceful demonstration protected by law.

The significance here is that in both cases, religious people set out to use coercive, manipulative and even retributive tactics to stifle this right. A right, which they themselves, would not live without under any circumstances. This is hypocrisy of the worst kind.

The protest against Mayor Linda Thompson yielded devastating results of our protesting Americans. Among the ridicule that was received at the protest, tires were slashed, rocks were thrown at houses and shout of “God loves you” could be heard from the streets. In the case of the fly over banners, a popular CNN blog shows that pilots are quoted as “fear” of being “shot down” as the major factor for not participating. One gentleman was told by his wife that she would “leave him” if he flew the plane.

Atheists, in this sense, are exposed to the same kind of bigotry that plagued African Americans for hundreds of years. How so? Well if you take into account that religion is mostly inherited, just like, skin color, then any difference is moot. The same xenophobia that plagued our society in regards to race continues in the same spirit of the Dark Ages; threaten, insult or attack them back into their hole.  The same applies to homosexuality.

Yet, aren’t atheists Americans as well? Do atheists not share the same rights, free from tyrannical manipulation, as believers do? And yet there is palpable threat that looms over the heads of atheists (or those that support them) despite the continual broadcasting of rights, such as, freedom of speech, assembly and to bear arms among others which is the antithesis of what is being celebrated! Why is it that atheists and homosexuals, among others, have a contingent Constitution whereas believers do not? I thought the Constitution was for ALL Americans.

I understand that we are not all going to agree on every issue. Actually, it is that fact that makes this country great. It is our difference of opinion, our ability to argue those opinions and compromise on what works best from those opinions.

It is here that I would like to quote some work from John Stuart Mill. Mill was a 19^th century philosopher who not only influenced democracy as a whole, but more specifically, influenced Thomas Jefferson in his contributions to the Constitution.

“It remains to be proved that society or any of its officers holds a commission from on high to avenge any supposed offence to Omnipotence, which is not also a wrong to our fellow-creatures. The notion that it is one man's duty that another should be religious was the foundation of all the religious persecutions ever perpetrated, and if admitted, would fully justify them. Though the feeling which breaks out in the repeated attempts to stop railway travelling on Sunday, in the resistance to the opening of Museums, and the like, has not the cruelty of the old persecutors, the state of mind indicated by it is fundamentally the same. It is a determination not to tolerate others in doing what is permitted by their religion, because it is not permitted by the persecutor's religion. It is a belief that God not only abominates the act of the misbeliever, but will not hold us guiltless if we leave him unmolested (On Liberty).”

I do not need to go into great length the details of the perpetrations in the past that have occurred in the name of religion inspired by the innocuous act of non belief, but I would like to add one more quote from Mill that exemplifies the importance of public opinion:

It is, however, obvious that law and authority have no business with restraining either, while opinion ought, in every instance, to determine its verdict by the circumstances of the individual case; condemning every one, on whichever side of the argument he places himself, in whose mode of advocacy either want of candour, or malignity, bigotry, or intolerance of feeling manifest themselves; but not inferring these vices from the side which a person takes, though it be the contrary side of the question to our own: and giving merited honour to every one, whatever opinion he may hold, who has calmness to see and honesty to state what his opponents and their opinions really are, exaggerating nothing to their discredit, keeping nothing back which tells, or can be supposed to tell, in their favour. This is the real morality of public discussion; and if often violated, I am happy to think that there are many controversialists who to a great extent observe it, and a still greater number who conscientiously strive towards it (On Liberty).”

Thus, the greatness of our country is not derived from one single ideology. Rather it is a culmination of many different ideologies. This is the essence of democracy. This is the essence of freedom; to express oneself as they wish without risk of persecution. I argue that any American who has their voice stifled by fear is not a free American; and one that should disappoint even the firmest of believers. Had it not been for the explicit design of our Constitution particular beliefs would be abolished for the tyrannical rule of a single religion where piety is judged, not by the standards we have derived from discourse and debate, but from the given law, to be abided by under the watchful eye of our neighbors and the church.

I urge my fellow believing Americans to recognize this hypocrisy and take heed that it breeds hatred and breaks down the core of what we know as civilization. Do we not, at this shining hour-where we pause to recognize the freedom we have because man stood next to man, irrespective of religious belief, to fight for the right for the other to practice in peace what they believe- feel obliged to the kind behavior that validates their lives? I believe we do. I hope you join me.