Quote:
Originally posted by Azure Sales@Feb 12 2004, 08:36 AM
Freedom of religion in the US means freedom to be a Christian - don't be fooled in believing that Freedom of Religion means you get to the same treatment as the Christians there is no separation for church and state.
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I'm free to be an atheist. I speak of it publicly. I always have. No one has ever treated me less because of it. Some of my best friends are Christian. Most Christians I've met - Jehova's Witnesses included (well,especially) - have been more than willing to sit down and have a conversation on the topic of religion with me.
I would bet you that atheists tend to look more down on Christians than Christians look down on atheists. My personal experience is that atheists tend to have a huge "Holier than thou" attitude.
Not once in my adult life has my not being an atheist had a negative consequence for me.
Our national Holidays? Which ones? Christmas and Easter? The entire western world celebrates those Holidays. I grew up opening presents and searching for Easter eggs. Most of us did. I've been an atheist since the age of 14 but my daughter celebrates those Holidays too. I really like those holidays.
Of course, there's separation of Church and State and no it has never been total and it it never will be as long as anyone believes in religion. Of course there are countless court cases on this subject and Jefferson's concept of separation of church and state has been used to interpret them.