'Day Of Prayer' Exploits Tragedy
Allen J. Gies
From: "Gies, Allen J"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Sent: September 14, 2001 7:43 PM
Subject: God Bless America?
Dear Cliff,
Positive Atheism is a superb atheism site. Best on the www. I've been hitting it on my lunch break every day for a good two weeks now and haven't even scratched the surface on all that I want to read. My compliments and thank you for all your hard work.
Not to trivialize the recent terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but it bothers me when I see things like Congress singing God Bless America, President Bush reciting Psalm 23, and "Days of Prayer" being called for. It just seems like the fundamentalists are taking advantage of the situation to advance their agenda on the separation of church and state issue. Besides, where was their God when all this was happening? Why are we asking him for help now when he obviously didn't lift a finger to prevent it?
Am I just being an asshole? Any thoughts on this?
Allen Gies
From: "Positive Atheism Magazine" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Gies, Allen J"
Subject: Re: God Bless America?
Date: September 14, 2001 7:03 PM
You hit it on the head: The religionists are exploiting a tragedy to issue forth their propaganda. They are very practiced at doing this and immune to any human sensitivities about it because they do this almost any time somebody dies. Their emotions are so utterly scarred from conducting funerals and exploiting death and grief for personal gain and for the furtherance of their cause that they not only think nothing about doing this today, they will viciously attack anybody who thinks there's something wrong with what they are doing.
I have only this to say to them: This tragedy will scar us all for life and has uprooted countless lives. Please let us deal with it the way we think is best. Please do not ask us to pray to a deity, not while we are wondering what kind of deity could have possibly been in charge on Tuesday!
Perhaps they see this too. Perhaps they see that this event could result in wholesale loss of religious faith on the part of Americans, as happened in Europe after World War II. Still popular is the notion that people cannot be moral without religious faith (it's a bigoted lie, but it's still almost as popular as it was during the times of Washington and Adams). Perhaps they're thinking that they need to try to save religion from the inevitable fruit of its not being an effective explanation for the evil which befalls us.
Nevertheless, I still try to have patience. I will grieve and I will speak out. If somebody thinks I'm evil for this, so be it.
Cliff Walker
Positive Atheism Magazine
Six years of service to
people with no reason to believe
From: "Gies, Allen J"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Sent: September 14, 2001 8:54 PM
Subject: RE: God Bless America?
George Bush and some of the members of Congress might see it that way. I doubt the general fundamentalist populace does though. They more than likely see it as one of the many sick and cruel ways that their god corrects those he loves and will thank him for how he saved some kitten from getting conked on the head but at the same time, ignore the fact he didn't stop the whole thing in the first place.
Being a recent ex-fundamentalist (since about March) I know that they are currently in the mode of thinking that we are in what they call a "cultural war". They think America is backsliding morally and the only thing that can save us is a good old fashioned dose of Judeo-Christian values right down the ol' windpipe.
That's how I viewed the spontaneous singing of God Bless America. It just came across to me as an "in your face" statement to those who oppose their Christian philosophy, not just as a statement to the terrorists. I mean, why didn't they sing the Star Spangled Banner?
From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Gies, Allen J"
Subject: Re: God Bless America?
Date: September 14, 2001 10:02 PM
Falwell and Robertson see this as God's judgement, but many do not. Christian fundamentalists are not a unified lot by any stretch; as many as follow Robertson, many more than that denounce him.
In fact, many fundamentalists read the words of Jesus forbidding public prayer and thus will not participate in today's activities.
We cannot be lumping them all together as thinking one thing. The only thing they all have in common is fundamentalism, but since the Bible is such a hodge-podge of contradicting values, it's only possible to apply bits and pieces to one's life: they will never be unified on any matter.
I do see the in-your-face singing as a sort of "reminder" to those of us who do not believe. I have always seen the various activities such as public prayer to be a kind of "statement" to the rest of us -- even since I was a child. You can't help but think that, because that's how it comes across when seen in light of their evangelism efforts.
Are they trying to guilt-trip us? It sure seems that way: they need to explain this tragedy to themselves. They surely didn't do it. They have avoided God's wrath through faith in Jesus. But why did it happen? why did God allow this to happen to us? Well, if it wasn't them, then God must be sending a message to those of us who don't believe.
So, yes: They are sending a message to us. And thus is their right, I suppose, but this is being done both on national television and at the behest of our President.
Cliff Walker
Positive Atheism Magazine
Six years of service to
people with no reason to believe
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