Until Atheists Are Respected, Religious Tolerance Will Remain An Ideal (Alex Wolinsky/Contra Costa Times Teen Correspondent; April 14)

The idea of a god has never made sense to me.

Even during my early childhood, the notion of an invisible figure watching over us struck me as fallacious. I found it difficult to believe that an allegedly rational being could allow evils such as genocide to persist. The customary counterargument is that we cannot understand the ways of God, or that “he” is “testing” the victims. Both reasons are uncorroborated, and the latter offends me.

A prominent and misguided opinion is that atheists and agnostics lack morals. This is evidenced by political rhetoric, as well as other media. In 2007, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney stated in a speech that “freedom requires religion,” implying that those who lack belief cannot enjoy liberty. According to journalist Robert Sherman, in 1987 President George H.W. Bush went so far as to say, “No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”

Contrary to Bush’s assertion, the United States was not founded on Christian values. The words “God” and “Christian” are entirely absent from the Constitution, and religion is mentioned only to assert that the government will take no actions to restrict one’s choice of faith and that candidates will not be barred from office because of their religious beliefs. A fundamental principle of America’s founding was the freedom to believe in what one chooses – or, as the case may be, to believe in no supernatural being at all.

In addition, the passage in the Pledge of Allegiance to which Bush alludes was not included in the original text. The words “under God” were not added until 1954, six years after Chaplain Louis Bowman proposed their addition during a meeting of Sons of the American Revolution, an exclusive organization for descendants of America’s founders. The United States was simply “one nation, indivisible” from the Pledge’s composition in 1892 until the aforementioned date.

In reality, belief in God has no effect over one’s moral perception. The world’s largest humanitarian aid organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, lacks religious affiliation. In addition to this, 25 of the 40 groups on the American Institute of Philanthropy’s list of recommended organizations for Haiti relief donations are entirely secular. Lack of faith in religion has not diminished my capacity for compassion, and, clearly, it hasn’t reduced that of other nonbelievers. [For more on this subject, see the entry I posted on Oct 27, 2008.]

As an atheist, I do not resent those who believe in a deity. While I disagree with their convictions, I make no effort to publicly discourage or intimidate them.

Unfortunately, atheists often do not receive the same courtesy. I have experienced innumerable threats and even mild physical attacks due to my lack of belief, and others have endured far worse. Many religions support this prejudice with the conviction that nonbelievers are condemned to eternal suffering.

Peaceful acceptance of others’ beliefs is expected in the United States, but until an olive branch is extended to atheists, religious toleration will remain an unrealized ideal.

(Alex Wolinsky is a high school senior.)