The place of nonbelievers in our union
In discussing Obama’s reference to people of no faith in his inaugural speech and his reference to the Golden Rule “that binds people of all faiths and no faiths together,” in his speech at Notre Dame… Jon Meacham, an Episcopalian, had this to say to Bill Mauer, a vocal critic of the effect of faith on our world:
I think his sense is that the American religious experience includes religious freedom and a key element of religious freedom is the ability to be nonreligious… A religious view for the case to protect the rights of people to be atheists and agnostic and live completely unmolested by people of faith is that if God Himself did not coerce obedience, to give you a free choice, then no man should try. That’s a noble tradition throughout Christian thought and I think that’s part of what Obama does. When he says “no faith” he’s making the case for religious liberty. Religious liberty has to be at the center of it and that includes the freedom to not believe.
Add comment May 22nd, 2009
