Newspeak: Religion (part 2)

The last post was rather long-winded. Allow me to summarize.

Suppose there is some quality, X.

I wish to pass a law that I believe that will help the nation. Not everyone agrees that it will help the nation, but that is true of all laws. It might be difficult to enforce; but that is also true of many laws. This law, moreover, expresses my deepest beliefs about the good for the nation and about human nature; to ask me to suppress these beliefs is to ask me to suppress everything that I am.

I am not, however, allowed to pass this law, because it would be based on X.

Consider another man, who also wishes to pass a law that he believes will help the nation. Not everyone agrees that it will help the nation, but that is true of all laws. It might be difficult to enforce; but that is also true of many laws. It expresses his deepest beliefs about the good for the nation and about human nature; to ask him to suppress these beliefs is to ask him to suppress everything that he is.

He is, however, allowed to pass this law, because it is not based on X.

Anyone who saw this comparison would see that the people of nation X have written into their laws (or court systems) the belief that X is a Bad Thing. Even if most people would deny that X is a Bad Thing when asked, their behavior implies it. They act like it is, and actions are more eloquent than words. They certainly don't believe that X is a Good Thing.

Now, X is Christianity. We cannot pass laws based on it in the US because of the court system and public libertarian spirit. This is why the US is simply not a Christian nation.

I prefer the atheists who speak of banning Christianity and limiting its exercise as a danger to human well-being--and that means you, Sam Harris et alia--to those who use the rhetoric of tolerance to mask the reality of a secular confessional church: everyone who reaches public office is obliged, more or less, to state that they will not pass laws based on their 'private religious beliefs.' At least the atheists are more honest.