And it won't last long that way. You keep referring to countries which are atheistic and successful. Please give us examples of ANY country which has been successfully established based on a rejection of God. Please give us an example of any country which has continued to be successful when it has rejected God.
Our country is in the rejecting God stage and is beginning to bear the fruit of that rejection. Moral values are being lost; human life is being devalued; crime and corruption are increasing. Nothing good comes from a rejection of God.
Atheists have no standard on which to base a value system. Situational ethics don't work. What it finally gets down to is might makes right and people who manage to get into power impose their belief and value systems on others with the heavy hand of tyranny.
We want to be able to subject religious institutions to the same controls and criticisms we apply to everything else.
I'll bet you do.
That is what it means to live in a free society.
No, it isn't.
Our Constitution restricts what the federal government can do in regards to religion. What you are championing violates the Constitution.
“Please give us examples . . .”
Metmom, I’ve given the examples of China and France already.
“Nothing good comes from a rejection of God.”
I don’t think that’s accurate.
And let’s face it, governments generally tend to be corrupt. Religion does not protect governments or individuals from corruption. It does not eliminate sin. It does not protect people from pain, sorrow, or suffering.
I don’t see the world’s ills coming from a rejection of God. However, I do see a number of them stemming from an irrational devotion to religious dogma.
“Atheists have no standard on which to base a value system.”
The standard is rationality.
“Our Constitution restricts what the federal government can do in regards to religion. What you are championing violates the Constitution.”
How is championing secularism a violation of the Constitution?
Truly, our Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion - not the freedom from religion. The restriction is that congress shall not establish a (state) religion.
Our Constitution is good for the governance of a good and religious people, it is inadequate for any other - John Adams.
Adams is stating the truism that freedom must come with a set of COMMON internal controls on behavior. Situational ethics cannot provide this framework or society. Only a “good and moral people” can live in such freedom.