Correct the Constitution: Change Freedom of Religion to Freedom From Religion

John Doe, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Dec 6, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

I'm going to propose the unthinkable here: let's rewrite the U.S. Constitution. It's not all that foreign a concept if you want to know the truth.

If you threw a black ballpoint pen in the National Archives and pulled back that foot of protective shatter proof glass, America's religious right would be on it like starving jackals.

So before they get that far, I say we beat them to it. That's right. Wherever you are, left, center, Pluto. It really wouldn't be much of an alteration. The addition of a mere two letters.

That's all it takes to save our country.

The First Amendment is where the dirty work needs to go down. No change needs be made to the text explaining what the Amendment does. I'm focusing on the sub-heading, which currently reads:

Amendment I - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression.

I say we change it to:

Amendment I - Freedom from Religion. Freedom of the Press, Expression.

Freedom from religion. This is an important and crucially misunderstood idea. As stated in the wording of the constitution, it's not conceivable that someone would want freedom from the idea of God. Back in the day that was synonymous with black magic.

Therefore we, as atheists, have no right to be free of religion. We must have a religion, and unless we do, we are looked on with much scorn.

Starting to see why this is important?

The religious impulse is regarded by many to be a beneficial and inevitable part of the human condition for no good reason, when you get down to it. You could say religion redeems itself for things like Alcoholics Anonymous, but it doesn't.

There is nothing in a group like Alcoholics Anonymous that says you must be religious and must attend a church. Hell, they don't even say you have to believe in "God," as it were, just that you should have some sort of higher power.

Great. My higher power is black holes.

By and large most of the philanthropy work done in the name of one God or the other pales in comparison to the damage and destruction it causes. Most of the time these various religious institutions, they're just cleaning up the mess they made in the first place.

Younger generations, kids with access to things like the Internet, acquiring knowledge and bootstrapped educations faster than any in the past, are starting to realize what a fallacy this freedom of religion concept is.

At present, because 20-year-olds still do not rule the world, you are required by a powerful social onus to believe in something, anything.

If you believe in nothing, you might as well be homosexual. Much like homosexuals, atheists aren't really recognized as having a 'legitimate' say in moral or ethical conversations, and many of their societal concerns are completely invalidated because, popular opinion goes, they must be anarchists.

Listen up. My refusal to believe in a big man in the sky does not make me a sociopath. Got it?

My stance also ensures that I am socially ostracized in most company, which is fine.

However, I'm tired of being pestered by pamphleteers and all other manner of God haranguing fascists who, upon learning I don't believe in God, take it as an invitation to attempt a grande royale style bible thumping.

Look: I want protection from cretins like you. Please, if you're a carbon based life form without a soul who thinks this whole universe is just a giant computer for some alien super-species in another dimension, let's get together and make that little change.

It wouldn't be that hard, and the payoff, it'd be so good.

The next time that 500 pound house frau on a mission from Jesus barreled up to you in the supermarket, you'd be able to say, "Sorry, don't believe in God," with absolutely no fear. When she tried pushing the issue, you could say, "Look lady. It's the First Amendment. I have freedom from religion, alright? Leave me alone."

Not only would this give many a long suffering atheist a well deserved breather, it might encourage some of us to come out of the closet. Politicians, community leaders, and all other creatures of darkness

With a higher public profile we'd have a controlling interest in preserving our most basic freedom. We'd be able to get openly involved on a strictly humanitarian basis instead of a religious basis.

Imagine what that'd do for our currently suicidal foreign policy. Hard to imagine, but we might do something logical like allocate resources and support based on. Wait, this is way too easy.

Whoever needs them most.

Published by John Doe

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Correct the Constitution: Change Freedom of Religion to Freedom From Religion

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