Can't We All Just Get Along

I'm writing this on December 25th and I feel a little wierd about it. I truly believe it is in the spirit of Christmas to write an article about religious tolerance, but because I'm defending all religious beliefs, I will probably be accused of trying to sway people away from faith in Jesus on his holiday. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus himself said to "judge not, lest ye be judged." [Matthew 7:1]

The subject of separation of church and state comes up every Christmas when Liberals complain about the placing of Nativities on Government property, while Conservatives complain about retail stores wanting their money but refusing to promote their faith. Non-Christian faiths, Agnostics and Atheists argue that Americans are supposed to have the freedom to believe what they choose, and that Church and State are separate. Christians are afraid that if we allow ourselves to move away from promoting Christianity, it will be the downfall of Western Civilization.

Somehow, a debate on Atheism got started on my Facebook page this Christmas season, and I made the mistake of siding with Religious Freedom. I wasn't siding against Christianity, or even for Atheism, but suddenly I'm a closed-minded, ignorant bigot that people feel sorry for. It seems that when you ask people to tolerate you, they call you intolerant of them. I guess the old adage that you don't discuss religion and politics applies, but I disagree. When a small minority is afraid to debate it's viewpoint, it can't overcome the prejudice against it.

One point I made was that Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. I backed it up with a 2006 study by the University of Minnesota. Americans trust Muslims more than Atheists. I've since looked up another study showing that the percentage of Atheists in prison is much smaller than in the general population. In fact, of the eight largest industrial nations, Japan has the most Atheists and the lowest murder rate, while America has the fewest Atheists and the highest murder rate. Does that mean if we were all Atheists, there would be less violence in the world? No. It simply supports the position that Atheists are not immoral people who can't be trusted. Show me some evidence that Atheism hurts anyone.

Of course, I already know what a Christian would say to that. Atheists will not go to Heaven and anyone they "convert" will not go there either. But, God gave us free will, and that includes the ability to doubt Him. It's the same argument people use against homosexuality. If it's accepted, it will spread, and society will crumble. In fact, I've been debating the issue of Atheism entirely with gays and I've come to the conclusion that it's a sore subject because of the misconception that gays are Godless. I think I also pushed a button when I suggested that Atheists faced more "discrimination" than gays. I apologize for that one. A better word would be "prejudice." I believe they face more prejudice than gays.

It's the same way that African Americans don't want their "civil rights struggle" compared to that of homosexuals. They are discriminated against for the color of their skin, and gays for their lifestyle. In a way, that's correct. It's not exactly the same, unless you believe that being gay is 100% genetic. Most gays do, while only 34% of the general population does. But, in another way, everyone simply wants the right to equal treatment, whether you are discriminated against for your appearance or your beliefs.

If you removed everyone from the country that wasn't a white Christian heterosexual male, you would be left with something like 25% of the population. Exact figures are of course impossible, but if everyone, that was part of a minority in some way, banded together and demanded equal treatment for all Americans, we could stop fighting amongst ourselves and start worrying about more important things like war, poverty and disease.

But it all starts with yourself. You can't force other people to respect you and your beliefs, but you can treat others and their beliefs with respect. The best way to lead is by example. The best way to affect change is to by talking about our differences and showing each other that we are not all that different.