President's Message-What's in a Word
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers." These words from President Obama's inauguration address have excited and encouraged the freethought community, but their influence has reached beyond, with an approving editorial from no less than the New York Times-and panicked derision from conservative talk shows.
I was confused. Bush 43 made similar statements. (I am indebted to Joy Sanz-Agero, Matt Waggoner, and Carol Smith for verifying my memory of several such statements as "You're equally American if you choose not to have faith," from the national prayer breakfast of 2006.) Somehow, we forgot them as they clashed with the actions of his office.
We have every reason to expect that Obama will show the same ceremonial deference to religion that Bush 43 did. We have seen the inaugural prayers and the "So help me God." He is on record as having said that we atheists "go too far" when we ask that In God We Trust be removed from our money.
Still, everyone took notice of his nod to our existence. It has generated responses ranging from joy to outrage, depending on the personal philosophy of the person hearing it. Such reactions suggest that we think he means it.
More important than prayer breakfasts or symbolic music is the lifting of the global gag rule so clinics that discuss abortion may still get American aid; the start of meaningful stem cell research so lives are no longer held hostage to someone's religious beliefs; and the administration's appointment of people who have proven expertise in their fields rather than established ideologies from Bible colleges.
So we note the words, but only because they seem to be compatible with the actions. Basic to our atheism is the concept that actions speak louder than words. Many religions attribute a power to words that does not hold up in the real world: the prayer for healing; the priest's blessing; the shaman's incantation; the Buddhist's chant. In all of these traditions, it is likely that most practitioners see the words as ritual and not really invoking a divine power; but with each custom there are those who have relied on the magic words alone, often to tragic results.
Words do matter. We teach our children "please" and "thank-you" at an early age. I have too-many-occasions-to-remember that "I'm sorry" mitigates most mistakes. Obama's eloquence is a major reason he was elected. But when words are contradicted by action, they echo with a cacophonous clang that hurts the ear and the sensitive human brain.
So, Mr. President, we hear your words, and we believe them. We will continue to disagree about the symbolic ceremony of religion; but if your actions are secular, most of us will likely live with the blot of contrived tradition. Actions speak louder than words.
If we expect our leaders to live up to their words, we must expect no less of ourselves. If we say that atheists are as compassionate as religionists (I think we are), we must show our compassion in the community. If we welcome new members, we can't just say it; we must show it by talking to them and-much more important-by listening. If we say we support the programs of Atheists United or any other organization, it is incumbent on us to make that support tangible with our money and with our volunteer time, whatever we can spare.
For the President and for the people, talk is cheap, but demonstrated commitment is priceless.
I was confused. Bush 43 made similar statements. (I am indebted to Joy Sanz-Agero, Matt Waggoner, and Carol Smith for verifying my memory of several such statements as "You're equally American if you choose not to have faith," from the national prayer breakfast of 2006.) Somehow, we forgot them as they clashed with the actions of his office.
We have every reason to expect that Obama will show the same ceremonial deference to religion that Bush 43 did. We have seen the inaugural prayers and the "So help me God." He is on record as having said that we atheists "go too far" when we ask that In God We Trust be removed from our money.
Still, everyone took notice of his nod to our existence. It has generated responses ranging from joy to outrage, depending on the personal philosophy of the person hearing it. Such reactions suggest that we think he means it.
More important than prayer breakfasts or symbolic music is the lifting of the global gag rule so clinics that discuss abortion may still get American aid; the start of meaningful stem cell research so lives are no longer held hostage to someone's religious beliefs; and the administration's appointment of people who have proven expertise in their fields rather than established ideologies from Bible colleges.
So we note the words, but only because they seem to be compatible with the actions. Basic to our atheism is the concept that actions speak louder than words. Many religions attribute a power to words that does not hold up in the real world: the prayer for healing; the priest's blessing; the shaman's incantation; the Buddhist's chant. In all of these traditions, it is likely that most practitioners see the words as ritual and not really invoking a divine power; but with each custom there are those who have relied on the magic words alone, often to tragic results.
Words do matter. We teach our children "please" and "thank-you" at an early age. I have too-many-occasions-to-remember that "I'm sorry" mitigates most mistakes. Obama's eloquence is a major reason he was elected. But when words are contradicted by action, they echo with a cacophonous clang that hurts the ear and the sensitive human brain.
So, Mr. President, we hear your words, and we believe them. We will continue to disagree about the symbolic ceremony of religion; but if your actions are secular, most of us will likely live with the blot of contrived tradition. Actions speak louder than words.
If we expect our leaders to live up to their words, we must expect no less of ourselves. If we say that atheists are as compassionate as religionists (I think we are), we must show our compassion in the community. If we welcome new members, we can't just say it; we must show it by talking to them and-much more important-by listening. If we say we support the programs of Atheists United or any other organization, it is incumbent on us to make that support tangible with our money and with our volunteer time, whatever we can spare.
For the President and for the people, talk is cheap, but demonstrated commitment is priceless.
