Sunday, January 6, 2008

When will it END?
STOP House Resolution 888!

Who controls the past now, controls the future.
Who controls the present now, controls the past.
Who controls the past now, controls the future.
Who controls the present now?
-RATM "Testify"

H. RES. 888 Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as `American Religious History Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.


Thanks to vjack over at Atheist Revolution for the heads up on this. He's got a good template for a letter to your Representative and a number of links debunking the assertions of the Resolution.

This is not just a religious issue. This is a group trying to permanently insinuate its myths into American History. What's next on the Christian Revisionism Agenda? American Atheists has an Action Alert up to facilitate writing to your Representative here. If you're uncomfortable using the Atheist site, you can also go here. Please contact your Representative and ask him or her to oppose H. Res. 888. For all the good it will do.

Remember guys, this doesn't end until one group wins. Just because they're not coming for you now doesn't mean they won't.

1 comment:

Pockets said...

Yep, I sent my letter. It went like this...

Dear Representative Maloney,

While I am certain my meager message is a drop in a veritable ocean of commentary, I was very much hoping a single letter might still stir your busy agenda to even more action.

I write to ask that you vehemently oppose House Resolution 888, sponsored by Representative James Forbes of Virginia, a resolution seeking the establishment of an American Religious History Week.

I am not so dim as to disacknowledge the importance and the near ever-presence of religious dogma, mores, and guidance in our nation's history despite the simultaneous championing of a supposed separation between church and state. Rather, I strongly feel much of the verbiage in the resolution undermines the very importance that a sometimes faith-driven government wishes to strengthen. That's to say that, yes, our government's originators and historical figures used guidance taught them through faith-based organization, but that if these historical examples somehow failed to instill everlasting reverence for almighty higher power, then those acts of women and men were clearly too small or too narrow to measure up to anything remotely omnipotent. We'd be pompous to think we might do better modern day.

True higher power, whatever shape that power might take, and therefore the faith in it, needs no acknowledgement from the government, no strengthening by humankind. If said power did need such acknowledgement or such strengthening, if it somehow would require or even smile upon a blatant trinket like an American Religious History Week, well then it would not be omnipotent at all and therefore undeserving of our faith.

I have to agree with secularists on this issue. To desire our government to constantly push for, fight for, and revamp religious presence anew in national institutions is an act that shows our personal faith to be weak, needing, and altogether unreal. I ask that you simply see and show this resolution for what it is.

Sincerely,
Pockets (only I used my real name)