By: Mary Mostert, Analyst, Banner of Liberty (www.bannerofliberty.com )
January 12, 2005
Atheist Michael Newdow filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on December 17, 2004 claiming that the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which states: “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.” Newdow claims in his complaint that as an atheist and an American citizen “who sincerely believes that there is no such thing as god or God or any supernatural force” and since he “denies the existence of God” to him “acknowledgements of God (much less endorsements of God) do not solemnize public occasions. On the contrary, they ridicule public occasions, making a mockery of the wonders of nature and of human achievement.”
He argues that “acknowledgements of God remind Plaintiff of the myriad wars fought by those convinced that their religious “truths” justified intolerance. They remind him of September 11, 2001, when a fanatic and his religious followers turned four of our airplanes into bombs, murdering 3000 of our citizens …all in the name of their God.”
In his complaint Newdow objected to the Rev. Franklin Graham (who of course was not a government official) beginning his invocation with the words, “Let us pray.” That, Newdow states, in his legal document, was “constitutionally offensive.” Why, you ask? According to Newdow, it was because “Plaintiff witnessed these purely religious exercises. Seeing them intruded into the midst of his nation’s presidential inauguration made Plaintiff feel like a second class citizen and a “political outsider” on account of his religious beliefs.”
He goes on to say that “One cannot freely live as an Atheist when the government uses its “power, prestige and financial support” to impose a contrary religious doctrine in the midst of its ceremonies.”
As a former agnostic humanist, I think I have just the solution to Newdow’s pain. I suggest that when the inauguration takes place, he turn off his TV set. Then he won’t have any pain and he won’t see or hear things that make him feel like the political outsider and second class citizen that he has chosen to be. Just because Newdow made the choice to BE an outsider and to make a fool of himself doesn’t authorize him to force the rest of us to abandon public prayer or our belief systems. The 1st Amendment does not require all of us to AGREE – just to not interfere in the religious beliefs of others.
Besides, since Newdow doesn’t believe God exists, why does it bother him when a minister talks to God? What possible harm can it do Newdow for the Rev. Franklin to talk to a non-existent God? Newdow’s position is illogical and contradictory and he appears to know it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t get so upset over the whole thing.
In many ways the year 1794, was similar to the year 2004. George Washington was in his second term and the Reign of Terror in France was raging. More than 17,000 people, starting with the king and queen, had been beheaded in France over just this issue. The architect of the Reign of Terror, Maximilien Robespierre, like Newdow, did not believe in a caring and loving Father in Heaven. He outlawed Christianity and tried to force on France deism, or humanism, the rejection of anything greater than “human reason.”
Washington was determined to remain neutral through all that and according to Vice-President John Adams “Nearly one half of the continent (of America) is in constant opposition to the other and the President’s situation, which is highly responsible, is very distressing.”
Although many university professors in America today claim the founding fathers were deists, it was George Washington, as president of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, who agreed with Benjamin Franklin’s suggestion to have prayer at the convention. Franklin said: after weeks of debate leading nowhere “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”
From that day to this, Congress has opened with prayer offered by ministers. Two years later, in October 1789, Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation which began:
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."
In November 1794, on returning to Philadelphia after leading 13,000 state miltiamen into Western Pennsylvania to put down rebellious farmers who refused to pay the excise tax on Whiskey they made, Washington told Congress, some of whom, like Jefferson at the time, WERE deists or what we would call humanists today:
“Let us unite, therefore, in imploring the Supreme Ruler of nations, to spread his holy protection over these United States: to turn the machinations of the wicked to the confirming of our constitution: to enable us at all times to root out internal sedition, and put invasion to flight: to perpetuate to our country that prosperity, which his goodness has already conferred, and to verify the anticipations of this government being a safe guard to human rights.”
Somehow they all, including the Christians, Jews, deists and the atheists, managed to survive and the country went forward to a prosperous and free destiny. President Bush, or the Rev. Franklin, after this year of war, tsunamis, earthquakes, plagues and other disasters, hopefully will remind us, as did Washington in 1794, that we need to unite in prayer for God’s continued protection over these United States; “to turn the machinations of the wicked to the confirming of our constitution; to enable us at all times to root out internal sedition and put invasions, (such as those that occurred on 9-11,) to flight.”
To Comment: Mary Mostert