Keeping State & Church Separate
In the US we often don’t make a distinction between “secular” and “atheist”. It’s a very important distinction, and it’s at the heart of what Americans United for the Separation of Church and State does.
Being secular doesn’t mean you’re atheist. Very broadly speaking (these aren’t meant to be a lengthy philosophical or legal definition!), atheism is an absence of belief in god(s).
Secularism is an absence of religion in government. Basically, the separation of state and church. The government doesn’t take a stance on whether there is a god(s). It doesn’t favor one belief system over another. It’s neutral.
Personally, I’m secular politically — I think that government and religion should be separate — and personally, I don’t believe in a god, which makes me an atheist.
Religious people can also be secular. If you don’t want the government messing with your beliefs, you’re probably secular. You want the right to believe, or not believe, what you want without government interference.
The opposite of secularism is theocracy. The government has an official religion, and you’re expected to follow it.
I support a secular government— I think the government shouldn’t regulate what I can or can’t believe, as long as my beliefs don’t actively harm someone else (I can’t say my religion tells me to kill all people named Joe and then say the government can’t do anything about it because of freedom of religion).
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State is a watchdog to make sure that religion doesn’t have an unconstitutional influence in our government. If the government is taking sides, it’s not secular and it’s excluding people.
For example, when lawmakers try to restrict birth control or ban abortion, that is preferring one group’s religious beliefs over another group’s rights, going against the idea of state-church separation.
Or when politicians try to give government money to private schools who teach kids that homosexuality is wrong, they are favoring a religious belief over the rights of LGBTQ+ people. That’s unconstitutional and denies millions of people their rights.
That’s why I support Americans United. Some members are religious (the current president is a Reform Jew, the past president was a United Methodist minister). Some are atheist or agnostic. But they join together to make sure people have a right to their religious beliefs, and a right not to have others’ religious beliefs forced on them.
To find out more about them, or to volunteer or donate, check out their site here:
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