Atheist - someone who denies the existence of god.
It is truly remarkable that in America, a country that guarantees religious freedom, one is called an atheist simply because he or she has a different opinion or a different faith. Apparently, if you believe that the Bible should not be used as an instrument of division then you're an atheist. If you choose to worship God over religion and believe in science and medicine, then you're an atheist. The truth is that God existed before there was religion and God will be here long after.
To call anyone an atheist simply because you disagree with them is wrong. It is as wrong as when Christians who stand for social justice are called socialists. You may feel you have the right to question one's faith. But that doesn't make you right. One's faith is between them and God. And only they will decide the terms of their relationship.
The belief that no one has the right to impose their beliefs on others does not make one an atheist. It makes them an American. God exists outside religion. Now religion is capable of good deeds. But religion is manmade and therefore it is fallible. Our founding fathers believed this. They had learned and witnessed how religion had been used to enslave mankind and perpetrate many evils throughout the world. This view is evident in their writings and they put specific language in the constitution to ensure that no one religion would dominate the new world. That everyone created equal by their creator could worship or not worship freely without penalty. Does this make the founding fathers atheists?
In the centuries between the fall of Rome and the Age of Enlightenment, competing churches branded all who disagreed with them atheists, heretics and non believers. Many fled this old world to escape the tyranny and bloodshed caused by religious intolerance. They settled upon this continent seeking religious freedom and their descendants made sure that the religious freedom they sought and found would never be taken away. It was with that thought in their hearts that they gave us the constitution to protect us from tyranny of all forms.
In the Middle East and Asia, the people are not guaranteed such freedoms. And many in that region would like to spread their religious intolerance across the world. Should this be our fate? Should America eliminate its religious freedom to establish religious uniformity? I believe that many who cherish freedom and their faith would say no.
So as we each prepare, in our own way, to recognize the day Jesus entered Jerusalem, the day of his crucifixion, and celebrate his resurrection and ascension, let's remember some of his words from the Book of Matthew: "You shall not bear false witness"; "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get," and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
