PRESS RELEASE
Sept. 13, 2001

Contact: Atheists United Office: 323-666-4258;
Bobbie Kirkhart, Co-President: 213-

LOS ANGELES - Atheists United and its members, along with most of the world, share the anger and sorrow at the tragic events of Tuesday, September 11. As atheists, we are tempted to blame religion for this carnage, and indeed, religions of all varieties are being used today, as they have been used throughout history, to direct human anger and ignorance to violent ends.

If, indeed, events prove that this was the case in Tuesday's tragedy, let us remember that no one religion or philosophy has an exclusive claim on terrorism. Furthermore, our honesty and rationalism force us to admit that followers of nontheistic ideologies have also been guilty of heinous crimes against humanity.

This is a time, more than any other, for tolerance and understanding. We do not belittle our friends and neighbors their private or church-sponsored religious services. They have every right and reason to seek whatever small comforts they may find.

From our government, however, prayer proclamations and Bible readings are disrespectful to the thirty million Americans who are nonbelievers, and especially to the hundreds of atheists among the dead, missing and injured. The Constitution has not been suspended, and we must not imitate the "God is on our side" philosophy which may well have caused this catastrophe.

Furthermore, regardless of the cause of this tragedy, we call on the US government to discontinue aid to the Taliban of Afghanistan and other theocracies; in addition, we must refuse further assistance to fundamentalist rebel movements throughout the world, even though we may believe that their enemy is our enemy."

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