My Letter to the Springfield News-Leader
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:01 am
I thought you might be interested in reading a letter I sent to our local paper (the Springfield News-Leader) last night. I read some religious whack-job's letter to the group at our last meeting, and more are published all the time, of course. I finally got fed-up enough to reply. Now, it should be obvious that I'm not an intellectual on par with Dr. Bill or Doug or Darrel or Mike or so many in our group. I'm just an everyday, regular person and I wanted to voice an opinion in my own way . . . so don't expect much!
NOTE: the list of "famous atheists" was sorted into nice, neat columns originally - but doesn't seem to want to come out that way here. Sorry for the confusing schmear of names. Also, I deliberately picked out names that might have ready-recognition to the general public. I left out more obscure names and those that would only fan the flames, like Karl Marx, Pol Pot, and Stalin. Besides, everyone already knows they were atheists.
"It takes me a while to get worked up and say something, but in reference to Joshua Udell’s letter of March 11, I am finally ready.
Mr. Udell’s letter came across as nothing more than a lecture to those of us who are not 'his kind.' My husband and I are (gasp!) atheists. I have been an atheist my entire life. My husband was raised in the Presbyterian church, but became an atheist in his adult years. An atheist is simply one who does not believe in a god, period.
We have lived in Springfield for about a decade now, and it is crystal-clear that non-believers like ourselves should be considered outcasts of the first order. For whatever reason, the News-Leader seems determined to print letters typical of Mr. Udell’s. At times these letters are openly ugly and hostile. I cannot help but wonder what the point is, frankly. No matter how fervently the good believers of this area pray for it, Springfield will never become a Christian-only, conservative-only community. This city is comprised of every unpopular group one can imagine: gays, agnostics/atheists, liberals, etc. We hold jobs, pay taxes, own homes, and are good neighbors . . . just like YOU. Right, Mr. Udell? In fact, you wouldn’t know my religious status if you ran into me – you would only think I’m a nicely-dressed, semi-attractive, well-spoken, friendly, middle-aged woman. And that’s as it should be. My 'soul' is my own business – and none of your concern. There are thousands of social problems that deserve your attention, and my status as an atheist certainly isn’t one of them. One’s religious status is an extremely private matter, Mr. Udell – or should be. I would no sooner intrude into your beliefs than I would walk into your house and make myself at home without invitation.
I would like to make a few pertinent points:
A. Even if every Founding Father was a believer (and that is debatable), they were wise enough to ensure in our key documents that there is no 'official' American religion and that all citizens are guaranteed the FREEDOM of religion – be that to believe or NOT to believe. Those good people who love to cite the Constitution and Bill of Rights ad infinitum, ad nauseum, really ought to remember this key FACT.
B. A 1997 Federal Bureau of Prisons study finds that of all inmates, 39.164% are Catholics, 35.008% are Protestants, 7.273% are Muslims, and (way down the list) .209% are atheists. Of course, this is only a partial list. The information can be easily found on the internet. As you can see, when it comes to crime, atheists are hardly much of a threat. Perhaps, Mr. Udell, if you would like to lecture someone, you could go to the nearest prison and remind your fellow Christians that murder, robbery, rape, and dealing in drugs are not good things. If you went to the prison to counsel non-believers, you’d have a pretty miniscule audience. Also, you may want to have a word with Randall D. 'Danny' Russell, who appears in the same issue of the News-Leader as your letter. He is on page 2A, 'Pastor pleads guilty to felony sex charges.'
C. Following is a short list of well-known atheists. Again, it is easy to find more complete lists on the internet. I have only included names which may easily be recognized.
Ron Reagan (son of the President) Margaret Sanger Sir Arthur C. Clark
W. Somerset Maugham Robert Louis Stevenson Kevin Bacon
Billy Connolly Dave Foley Hugh Laurie
Ricky Gervais Paul Giamatti Jodie Foster
Katharine Hepburn John Huston Bruce Lee
John Malkovich Helen Mirren Keanu Reeves
Emma Thompson Gene Wilder Mick Jagger
John Lennon Simone de Beauvoir Noam Chomsky
Richard Feynman Sigmund Freud Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Hawking Linus Pauling Ivan Pavlov
Carl Sagan Alan Turing Steve Wozniak
Sir Richard Branson Warren Buffett George Carlin
Thor Heyerdahl Dan Fouts Lance Armstrong
Berkeley Breathed Henri Cartier-Bresson Emily Dickinson
Isaac Asimov Jim Broadbent Butterfly McQueen
Finally, Mr. Udell (and anyone else of like inclinations), please stop lecturing those unlike yourself about what we should do in regards to our religious beliefs. As I mentioned before, this is a highly personal matter. What I or my husband or anyone else chooses to do when it comes to our personal religious beliefs is most certainly no business of yours. We are extremely fortunate to live in a country with this basic and crucial freedom. If you are so inclined, there are any number of countries to which you could move that have mandatory, state-sponsored religions. I believe Iran is one of them. This, however, is the United States of America, and freedom of religion IS the American way – whether you like it or not."
NOTE: the list of "famous atheists" was sorted into nice, neat columns originally - but doesn't seem to want to come out that way here. Sorry for the confusing schmear of names. Also, I deliberately picked out names that might have ready-recognition to the general public. I left out more obscure names and those that would only fan the flames, like Karl Marx, Pol Pot, and Stalin. Besides, everyone already knows they were atheists.
"It takes me a while to get worked up and say something, but in reference to Joshua Udell’s letter of March 11, I am finally ready.
Mr. Udell’s letter came across as nothing more than a lecture to those of us who are not 'his kind.' My husband and I are (gasp!) atheists. I have been an atheist my entire life. My husband was raised in the Presbyterian church, but became an atheist in his adult years. An atheist is simply one who does not believe in a god, period.
We have lived in Springfield for about a decade now, and it is crystal-clear that non-believers like ourselves should be considered outcasts of the first order. For whatever reason, the News-Leader seems determined to print letters typical of Mr. Udell’s. At times these letters are openly ugly and hostile. I cannot help but wonder what the point is, frankly. No matter how fervently the good believers of this area pray for it, Springfield will never become a Christian-only, conservative-only community. This city is comprised of every unpopular group one can imagine: gays, agnostics/atheists, liberals, etc. We hold jobs, pay taxes, own homes, and are good neighbors . . . just like YOU. Right, Mr. Udell? In fact, you wouldn’t know my religious status if you ran into me – you would only think I’m a nicely-dressed, semi-attractive, well-spoken, friendly, middle-aged woman. And that’s as it should be. My 'soul' is my own business – and none of your concern. There are thousands of social problems that deserve your attention, and my status as an atheist certainly isn’t one of them. One’s religious status is an extremely private matter, Mr. Udell – or should be. I would no sooner intrude into your beliefs than I would walk into your house and make myself at home without invitation.
I would like to make a few pertinent points:
A. Even if every Founding Father was a believer (and that is debatable), they were wise enough to ensure in our key documents that there is no 'official' American religion and that all citizens are guaranteed the FREEDOM of religion – be that to believe or NOT to believe. Those good people who love to cite the Constitution and Bill of Rights ad infinitum, ad nauseum, really ought to remember this key FACT.
B. A 1997 Federal Bureau of Prisons study finds that of all inmates, 39.164% are Catholics, 35.008% are Protestants, 7.273% are Muslims, and (way down the list) .209% are atheists. Of course, this is only a partial list. The information can be easily found on the internet. As you can see, when it comes to crime, atheists are hardly much of a threat. Perhaps, Mr. Udell, if you would like to lecture someone, you could go to the nearest prison and remind your fellow Christians that murder, robbery, rape, and dealing in drugs are not good things. If you went to the prison to counsel non-believers, you’d have a pretty miniscule audience. Also, you may want to have a word with Randall D. 'Danny' Russell, who appears in the same issue of the News-Leader as your letter. He is on page 2A, 'Pastor pleads guilty to felony sex charges.'
C. Following is a short list of well-known atheists. Again, it is easy to find more complete lists on the internet. I have only included names which may easily be recognized.
Ron Reagan (son of the President) Margaret Sanger Sir Arthur C. Clark
W. Somerset Maugham Robert Louis Stevenson Kevin Bacon
Billy Connolly Dave Foley Hugh Laurie
Ricky Gervais Paul Giamatti Jodie Foster
Katharine Hepburn John Huston Bruce Lee
John Malkovich Helen Mirren Keanu Reeves
Emma Thompson Gene Wilder Mick Jagger
John Lennon Simone de Beauvoir Noam Chomsky
Richard Feynman Sigmund Freud Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Hawking Linus Pauling Ivan Pavlov
Carl Sagan Alan Turing Steve Wozniak
Sir Richard Branson Warren Buffett George Carlin
Thor Heyerdahl Dan Fouts Lance Armstrong
Berkeley Breathed Henri Cartier-Bresson Emily Dickinson
Isaac Asimov Jim Broadbent Butterfly McQueen
Finally, Mr. Udell (and anyone else of like inclinations), please stop lecturing those unlike yourself about what we should do in regards to our religious beliefs. As I mentioned before, this is a highly personal matter. What I or my husband or anyone else chooses to do when it comes to our personal religious beliefs is most certainly no business of yours. We are extremely fortunate to live in a country with this basic and crucial freedom. If you are so inclined, there are any number of countries to which you could move that have mandatory, state-sponsored religions. I believe Iran is one of them. This, however, is the United States of America, and freedom of religion IS the American way – whether you like it or not."
