Just Maybe…
Published 28-Jan-09 in The Times
A recent lawsuit was filed by Illinois atheist, Robert Sherman because of a law that required a moment of silence in Illinois schools. While, I don’t know that it’s necessarily valid for a moment of silence to be mandatory, it certainly doesn’t hurt anything. Sherman told the Associated Press, "What we object to is Christians passing a law that requires the public school teacher to stop teaching during instructional time, paid for by the taxpayers, so that Christians can pray". It is both ironic & hypocritical that he is draining far more tax dollars by causing government & school officials to combat his lawsuit. What a waste. This should raise question of his true motive.
Given Sherman’s track record of activism & lawsuits against anything “religious”, it seems his real motive is to silence all other religions so that his can rule. Yes, atheists have a religion. It’s called secular humanism. While this religion doesn’t look like most & lacks any depiction of the supernatural, it certainly involves worship of & strict obedience to its ideology & all things natural. Without room for God, some, not all, atheists are becoming increasingly intolerant & hostile towards anyone or anything that alludes to the natural worship of the Supernatural. Everyone worships something.
Sadly & astoundingly, such atheists are infecting the thoughts & fears of many. Under the guise of being “unconstitutional” or violating “separation of church & state” (phrase not actually in U.S. Constitution), they lodge accusations & lawsuits against various individuals & organizations in an effort to terrorize & intimidate others from freely expressing or continuing any religion. They are seemingly successful because atheistic religion appears “sterile” & “non-religious”. So if they can scare away any semblance of theistic religion, then they have pleased their “god” of secular humanism. Thus you have atheistic religion verses theistic religion.
Sherman’s lawyer said the Illinois law is an attempt to inject religion into public schools in violation of the 1st Amendment. Not only is this doubtful, it’s not possible, nor is any specific religion being promoted. You can’t force people to believe anything. However, you can deceive & persuade them. Ironically, the goal of activist atheists is to influence people & dissuade them from any exposure to theistic religion.
For the record, the U.S. Constitution’s 1st Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Press & Expression reads “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.” Notice that it is freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. It prevents the government from sanctioning a state-ran religion such as our fore-fathers had to escape from. It does NOT preclude any government or government funded official, sign, seal, building or monetary note from bearing any trace of religion. The stripping of all such things would not only be defrauding history, but establishing atheistic religion.
Mr. Sherman blames Christians for the noted Illinois law, but the law is merely for a moment of silence, not a mandate for prayer to the Christian God. He attacks Christianity, perhaps because it is the most prevalent in the U.S. & is so because it is our heritage in which our free society has flourished & experienced God’s gracious blessing.
Maybe, just maybe, terrorist attacks, school shootings, recent economic crises & the like are a result of America’s abandoning of God & His necessary morality. Perhaps this happened out of affluent complacency or perhaps from being unknowingly victimized by angry atheists, not taking a stand against them. Maybe, just maybe, if America would seek God while still possible, circumstances would be better. Let the Bible dare be quoted: “if my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7.14).