Atheists and the Establishment Clause:
The First Amendment to the Constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The phrase "respecting an establishment of religion" is the Establishment Clause and prohibits the government from establishing any official religion in America. Read broadly, it means the government cannot prefer, endorse, or promote any religion over any other, or even religion generally. For
irreligious atheists, this is an important legal principle because it ensures that no religions are imposed upon them in any way.
Meaning of the Establishment ClauseWhy Should Ten Commandments & Other Religious Displays Matter to Atheists?:
The Ten Commandments should be a Jewish document, but public displays and monuments are pushed almost exclusively by conservative, evangelical Christians in America. Government promotion and endorsement of religious beliefs harms everyone, but atheists in particular are effectively reduced to second-class status when the government endorses a document which commands everyone to believe in and worship a single god. A secular government of all the people has no authority to endorse or promote such religious doctrines.
Ten Commandments & Religious DisplaysWhy Should the Pledge of Allegiance Matter to Atheists?:
Although some atheists consider the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance to be unimportant, it is a direct attack against the idea that people can be atheists in America. It was added to the original Pledge in order to declare that America is a religious, theistic, and Christian nation in contrast to "
godless" communist governments. Its placement sends the message that America is under the protection of and advances the interests of God, which means that atheists are necessarily outsiders, unable to be genuine or patriotic Americans.
Pledge of AllegianceWhy Should Atheists Care About Tax Exemptions for Churches?:
Church tax exemptions reduce the amount of funds available to local governments, forcing them to tax everyone else more in order to maintain services. The more churches that set up shop, the smaller the taxable property base relative to the number of residents. Ultimately, everyone ends up paying more to provide a benefit to religious organizations. For religious believers this may seem a small price to help their organizations, but for atheists it may be intolerable. Why should atheists pay more in taxes so churches have more funds for evangelization?
Tax Exemptions for ChurchesWhy Should Atheists Care About Prayer, Religion in Public Schools?:
Atheists are probably associated with
school prayer and school religion more than any other church/state issue. Atheists do arguably have more of a vested interested in this issue than others because schools, teachers, and administrators can exercise more authority over the children in their care than most government officials do over adults. This means that schools should be watched with extra vigilance to ensure that government schools don't abuse their authority by promoting, endorsing, or encouraging religion over anyone's children, including atheists.
Prayer, Religion in Public SchoolsWhy Should Prayer in Government Meetings or Government Chaplains Matter to Athei:
The appropriateness of prayers at the start of government body meetings is being increasingly challenged, and not just by atheists. School boards, town councils, and other government institutions are run by people who think they have the authority to invoke the name of their god as part of official proceedings. This effectively tells nonbelievers, and especially atheists, that they are outsiders who don't truly belong. Atheists and others have been challenging such practices and they should continue to do so.
Government Chaplains & Government PrayersWhy Should Atheists Care About Basing Public Policy on Religion, Theism?:
One of grey areas in church/state separation is whether government can base laws or public policies on religious and theistic beliefs, assumptions, doctrines, etc. People who otherwise support separation may believe that it's appropriate for civil laws imposed on everyone to be founded on the beliefs or doctrines of some particular theistic religion. Atheists can be among the first to recognize when this is happening and should object because they should not be forced to adhere to the expectations of anyone's religion or anyone's alleged god.
Basing Public Policy on Religion, TheismWhy Should Atheists Care About Sabbath Laws & Sabbatarianism?:
Some people believe that their god has commanded them to set aside one day of the week to rest rather than work. Not content with merely not working themselves, they would like the rest of the community to also not work and/or to arrange things for the benefit of those who choose not to. This effectively privileges the religion of those who believe in a particular god over other religions and other gods.
Sabbath Laws & SabbatarianismWhy Should Atheists Care About Religious Holidays & Religious Holiday Symbols?:
Can the government take a religious holiday and make it an official state holiday? It is arguably a form of establishment when the government treats the holidays of a particular religion as official state holidays, giving people paid time off to celebrate the holiday and even going so far as to erect displays in its honor. Because of their historical majority in America, Christians have had governmental support for their holidays, putting all non-Christians, including atheists, at a disadvantage. Atheists are effectively forced to observe Christian liturgical patterns.
Religious Holidays & Holiday SymbolsWhy Should Atheists Care About Having to Swear on the Bible?:
There's a long tradition in America of swearing on a Bible when testifying in courts, assuming elected office, and other ceremonies. The fact that atheists couldn't honestly swear to God on a Bible appears to be a reason why atheists were, for a long time, denied the right to testify in courts of law. Even today, there are people think that unless a person is willing to swear on a Bible, they shouldn't be allowed to take public office. Belief in the Christian conception of God and reliance on the Bible as scriptural revelation from God are treated as the prerequisite for being considered a good and equal citizen.
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