In spite of Christian opposition, secularism prospers in America

"The obvious question is why people of such extraordinary intellect value the secular view over religion."

The American Religious Identification Survey 2001 conducted under the auspices of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) a follow-up study of a similar 1990 census. The poll utilized a sample of over 50,000 randomly selected respondents. It is described as “the most comprehensive portrait of religious identification in the U.S. today.” Very briefly, it revealed, for instance, that Roman Catholics as a percentage of the population decreased nearly 2%. Protestant’s proportion dropped sharply from 60% to 52%, a 13% decrease.

One of the most significant findings was the change in that segment of the adult population "identifying with no religion." In 1990, 14.3 million or roughly 8% identified with this category. The 2001 ARIS count shows that the non-believer population grew to 29.4 million, roughly 14.1% of the American population, a 76% increase.

This growth in secularism is particularly interesting. American media consistently give Christian spokes person’s opportunity to express their bias in the most favorable light. Almost without fail, this always includes statements maligning secularists. Rarely, is any secularist given the same opportunity to state why the secular view might be more meaningful or intellectually honest than the Christian view. Most significantly, the secularists have no national platform or organized leadership or financial funding remotely comparable to the Christians. In spite of all these drawbacks, the secularist view is spreading significantly faster than Christianity.

Secular does not necessarily equate to only agnosticism or atheism. Pantheists and deists, though believing in God, accept a secular worldview. Atheist means “without theism” or without God belief. The atheist has considered the evidence for a God and concluded the evidence is insufficient. Agnostic means “without knowledge”. Agnostics believe only the material realm is capable of exact knowledge and that it is impossible to know whether there is a God. Pantheists believe that God and the universe are the same. Deists base their belief in God solely on reason. Deism’s God created the universe and then abandoned it. He assumes no control over life, exerts no influence on natural phenomena, and gives no supernatural revelation.

Atheists include Thomas Edison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, H L Mencken, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates. Agnostics include Robert G Ingersoll, Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, and Carl Sagan. Pantheists include Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Deists include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison.

The obvious question is why people of such extraordinary intellect value the secular view over religion. Why does the bible’s threat of hell and promise of heaven not affect these people as it does others? Is it any wonder why secularism is such a threat to some Christian clergy? Pope Benedict XVI contends that the chief adversaries of God and the church are secularists. Baptist Tim LaHaye, author of the best-selling “Left Behind” rapture novels in his book “Mind Siege” claims secularists undermine America’s patriotism and moral fabric.

Since we desire objectivity and since religious views on secularism are readily available, it is reasonable to consider a few rarely heard secular responses to the religious defamation.

Agnostic Robert Ingersoll said, “The notion that faith in Christ is to be rewarded by an eternity of bliss, while a dependence upon reason, observation, and experience merits everlasting pain, is too absurd for refutation, and can be relieved only by that unhappy mixture of insanity and ignorance called ‘faith.’”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, woman’s suffragist leader stated, "The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation."

Journalist H. L. Mencken stated, “The Christian religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration- courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth.”

Astronomer Carl Sagan said, "My view is that if there is no evidence for it, then forget about it. An agnostic is somebody who doesn’t believe in something until there is evidence for it, so I’m agnostic."

President Abraham Lincoln said, "The Bible is not my book, nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma."

Pantheist Albert Einstein said, "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism."

President Thomas Jefferson said, "The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites."

President James Madison said, “During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution."

Granted, the above views are harsh, stinging, and undiplomatic. Nevertheless, the contributions to America by non-religious people with secular views are overwhelming, worthy of respect and appreciation, not vilification.