Letter to the Editor: Christianity under attack (Ortega)

Some who value the separation of Church and State are nonbelievers, while others are Christians. Claiming that “atheists are attacking Christians’ rights” is a stereotype. To continue in this paranoid persecution complex does not bring people together. It is a divisive “us vs. them” mentality. We need unity, not disunity.

Speaking of unity, the original de facto motto of the United States of America was E Pluribus Unum, which means “out of many, one.” This was replaced by “In God We Trust” in the 1950s due to fear of Communism. I suggest we seek the unifying principle of the original motto. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, and nonbeliever, alike — out of many, we are one.

The “rights” Mr. Anderson claimed were being robbed are not rights. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment grants you the right to believe whatever you wish. Though, the Establishment Clause ensures one religion is not forced onto others or endorsed by the government. Having the word “God” on your money is not a right. If it were, would it be a right for Muslim or Hindu Americans to demand “Allah” or “Brahma” printed on U.S. currency? The First Amendment grants us all the right to believe (or even disbelieve), and protects us all from one religion being granted favoritism.

Speaking of rights, the Mormon Church spent millions on Proposition 8 to deny civil liberties to homosexuals. The Catholic Church would deny the reproductive rights of women. This year alone, at least five states have proposed creationism bills. Lawmakers of a particular Christian perspective, not scientists, are legislating personal religious beliefs into the classroom. They are forcing nonscience into science classes — not the other way around.

Nobody is “forcing” anybody to learn a secular ideology in school. Evolution is not an ideology. Scientists from diverse fields, in many countries and from many backgrounds, have come to this consensus. Experiments have proven evolution time and time again — just as it has with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Newton’s Theory of Gravity. Should we stop teaching biology and gravity in high schools to appease one particular version of Christianity?

Creationism is not a unified scientific theory. Rather, it starts from a presumption of faith. There are “young Earth” and “old Earth” creationists. There are “theistic evolutionists” or “evolutionary creationists.” Then there are varieties based on a literal interpretation of the Bible. Science cannot speak to the concept of a talking snake shilling magical fruit to a man made from clay and a woman made from his rib.

Which nonscience-based version of creationism should be forced on America’s children? The Muslim version? The Hindu concept of samsara? Theistic evolution as Pope John Paul II supported? Or just one particular version of Christian creationism? Like anything else we are told on television or in a classroom, we can choose to believe evolution or not. The parent’s responsibility is to guide their child as to what to believe, but it is the teacher’s responsibility to teach science as it is currently understood.

Mr. Anderson complained about atheists mocking religion, but we must understand that because a few atheists mock religion, does not mean all atheists do. I can attest to the many times I’ve been personally insulted by Christians. Does this mean all Christians are intolerant? One cannot walk through campus without encountering at least two preachers who hold up signs (some offensive, saying “sodomites” will burn in hell) while shouting at students. Yet there is one quiet, little group respectfully handing out fliers for the secularist events they arrange for an underrepresented group — Titans For Reason. How are these atheists attacking anyone’s rights?

Separationists are simply trying to take religion out of the public sphere and place it where the Founding Fathers thought it should be — a personal and private matter. I suggest, instead of making the divide larger and resorting to “us vs. them” thinking, we look for common ground. Consider the original U.S. motto and try to reach out to your fellow Americans (even those who disagree with you). E Pluribus Unum.

Christopher Ortega
Anthropology/Comparative Religion Major

Arafat

I see one large problem with your logic and it involves Islam.

Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s.”

Jesus had no interest in political power and his life proved this to be so. In SHARP contrast to this Mohammed was a megalomaniac for whom unlimited power was not enough. And this is where the problem lies.

For Islam there is NO separation of mosque and state for they are ONE. This can be seen clearly by looking at almost every single Muslim dominated country. And therein lies the rub.

Historically when immigrants came to America they accepted our Constitution and did not try to replace it with, say, Sharia law. Immigrants to our country understood that if they did not obey our laws that there would be a price to pay. For many Muslims this is not the case. This can most clearly be seen in a country like the UK or France where Muslim immigration has gone on for far longer than it has here. In these countries there are many no-go zones where non-Muslims are not safe and where Sharia law rules the day. No doubt, if left unchecked, this is what we could expect in America too, and our founding fathers would roll in their graves if they saw what was becoming of our founding principles.
Christopher Ortega

Arafat,

I do not wish to make it a practice to address every single criticism of something I write, but I do wish to address ugly stereotypes.

Your stereotype of both Islam (as a religious system) and Muslims (as a group) is baseless. Some modern Muslim societies do have religious freedom for Hindus, Jews, and Christians. Not all Muslims who come to America want to enforce Sharia Law in their neighborhoods.

The paranoid claims that American Muslims want to establish Sharia Law is not only unfounded, but it has been met with legislation based entirely on these delusional and irrational fears. Muslim Americans are Americans. Like any American, they respect the Constitution and the law of the land.

I would ask if you have any Muslim friends, or even talked at length with Muslims. I would also ask if you have actually read the Qu’ran or know anything about Islam.

While I am an atheist myself, I am also double majoring in Anthropology and Comparative Religion. In religion courses and on my own I have studied Islam. I have read the Qu’ran and over 7,000 hadith. In anthropology classes I have studied many cultures. The facts do not support your stereotype of Islam/Muslims nor your fears of Sharia Law in America.

Herein lies the actual rub: we are too quick to stereotype and pre-judge atheists, Muslims, “the scientific community” (as if it were a monolithic entity), and various others. We are less inclined to actually get to know “the other” and look for common ground.

Letter to the Editor: Christianity under attack (Ortega)

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