After reading too many grim opinions expressed about our declining civilization I am reminded of a different view. Civilization has survived the dark ages, witch hunts, burnings, and vicious crusades when Christians attempted to force their view on others.
Fortunately, our American forefathers had the good sense to separate church from state leaving each free to follow his own chosen religion without government support nor suppression.
George Washington recognized that the greatest source of controversy, and division were religious issues. Ben Franklin thought that God himself should care enough to support a religion, and not need civil power. James Madison recognized that during almost fifteen centuries the Christian religion demonstrated pride, indolence, ignorance, superstition, bigotry and persecution. John Adams said, “The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion”.
So when one sees a devoid of belief in God as a negative, I instead see it as enlightenment and freedom, without the decay of superstition, and myth, without fairies, angels, demons, without the words expressed by anyone who heard the voice of God and then put this hearsay in print as truth.
Of the many generous, thoughtful people I know, some are Christian, some Muslim, but most of them are atheists. A healthy humanist civilization is not God dependent. It is the other way around. Cast off the superstition.
Respectfully, Geri Jensen,
Grand Marais
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