Can an atheist be a patriotic American? How?

Question

The explanation of America in the Declaration of Independence, celebrated yesterday, is that the Creator makes us equal and endows us with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, rights that exist independently of government and can never to taken away.

However, the atheists deny the premise of an endowing Creator, which means that there is no basis for claiming equality, and that rights, if any, are the ephemeral grant of government.

When atheist government was tried in the 20th century, nearly half the people in the world lost their freedom and tens of millions were killed, events consistent with the view that no Creator establishes equality or rights, and that human governments are not under God.

How can an atheist participate in the great American experiment in liberty, equality, and inviolable human rights?

Answer 1

The wicked (Atheists and non-believers) are only destructive to any government and nation and they don't understand that their father the devil dictates to them what to believe basically.



Jesus died for us so that we could be redeemed from the hand of the enemy, the very one they are serving while they are putting down anyone who disagrees with them.



Obviously they can not be sincerely patriotic while trying to stamp out all of Christianity which is the foundation of the beliefs in the Declaration of Indepence and the Constitution.



God blesses the nation whose God is the Lord, but the nation that hates God will be thrown into hell. (Ps. 9:17)



They should read the Bible and take it seriously, especially Deuteronomy, but until they are saved, their eyes will be blinded, so I suggest the book of John first.



Christ died for our sins, the godly for the ungodly that he might bring us to God.

Answer 2

Even if you doubt the explanation of the origin of the ideals, you can actively support the ideals of a free and democratic society if you happen to think they are good ideals.



Rights can come from anywhere including Man who claims them as God-given (whether they are or aren't). After all, by Christian belief, we are Man and subject to error. We MIGHT have imagined some rights that really aren't inviolable.



However, you are correct that rights ARE ephemeral - if your government doesn't recognize them. If rights ARE God-given, how did the Holocaust happen? How COULD it happen as it did?



Oh, BTW - Nazi Germany wasn't atheist. Hitler was a Catholic in his youth. Germany had a chaplain corps, mostly Lutheran but a smattering of others. They were down on the Jews and a few other groups because they needed a scapegoat for Germany's troubles.



Rights are inviolable only insofar as we can put a government in place that understands our desire that the rights remain inviolable. Otherwise, not at all inviolable. Here's another example: If human rights are inviolable, what has happened to the Islamic countries where women are treated like chattel and non-Muslims are either expelled from the country or killed, and where homosexuals are just outright killed? Homosexuals and women and non-Muslims were still human the last time anyone did a study on it, so what happened to their rights?

Answer 3

Where as the Declaration of Independence is a wonderful document that stated our grievances with the British and or reasons for declaring our independence, it is not the document on which our country is based. The basis of our government is the Constitution which contains no mention of God at all. The Constitution does guarantee freedom of religion, which also includes the right to be free from religion if one so chooses. To believe that only religious people can love their country is the worst kind of arrogance.

Answer 4

Since only one signer of the Declartion was Catholic, Cahrles Carrol, and the religous backgrounds of many are questionable, your questions certainly has some interest. Many were "Christians" in a metaphorical sense, and many were diests. Many, of course had to resign from the Church of England to whom they were pledged as English subjects, until the Epsicopal church replaced it. The more pertentnint question is that America was a protestant nation at it's inceiption. We all want to believe that Jeffereson was Christian, and I believe he was. He was of course ver much influenced by the enlightenment, whose ideals were profoudnly laid out in the Social contract by Rousseau -- a Catholic. so, to the extent that the ounding of the US was a reflection of the codification of Rousseau's ideas, and that is dependnet to the extent that Jefferson was influenced by rouseau's writings, then a case can be made that the US was a christian nation. However, the fact that Jefferson can be seen as America's lawgover as defined in the social contract not withstanding, the US has been a protestant nation since it's inciption.

Carrol himself suffered and fought great prejudice, which still exists, against Catholics. At one time in maryland, Carrols colony, it was made unlawful for Catholics to hold public office. Carrol fought this and won using up much of his presitge and wealth in the process. His brother John was the first Catholic bishop in the US.

However, since only one of the founders was truly Christian, Carrol, one would be hardpressed from that point of view to argue that the US was ever a Chirstian nation. However, Carles Carrol was there, and thus so was the Holy Spirit.

The amedment against a national religion, and it's intepretation since the revolution is clearly established in law. The US is a secular nation, and all are free here to practice whatever they may call relgion. This fact at once protects our rights as CAtholics, but also allows for the practice of anything including atheiesm. Better we pray than argue.

Answer 5

You haven't done your homework, which is to educate yourself.



These questions have been answered many times.



The Declaration of Independence refers to "Nature's God" -- a deistic god which was their best explanation for many things at the time. It was not the Christian god.



The "atheist government" you are likely referring to is probably Communism, and perhaps fascism.



"The problem with fascism and communism was not that they are too critical of religion. The problem is that they are too much like religions. These are utterly dogmatic systems of thought."

— Sam Harris



There's a reason that "God" is not mentioned on our Constitution; it's because the U.S.A. was founded as a purely secular nation.



"The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

— from The Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11, written during the administration of President George Washington, signed by President John Adams, and unanimously approved by the Senate in 1797

Answer 6

Many a atheist has killed enemies of the United States while in uniform. To be American is above all to want to be a citizen who wants his/her rights protected ! All else come to value judgments.

Answer 7

Have you read the First Amendment? That's the one that says the government won't establish a religion. If you are patriotic as you claim you should respect that part of the Bill of Rights as much as the Declaration of Independence and not try to impose your beliefs on others. It's particularly disrespectful to try and label those who don't agree with your beliefs as unpatriotic. It shows a complete lack of understanding of our Constitution.

Answer 8

for shut up no one cares and the 3 people that thumbed him up, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."



the word creator is in there. its in the preamble. didnt you take 8th grade social studies?

Answer 9

The US was based upon, besides other things, religious freedom. That leaves an American NOT to have one.

Answer 10

I'd say, only an atheist can be a true patriot.



After all, if a decision has to be made between what's good for the country and what "my invisible friend" / God wants, one is never sure, where the true loyalty of a "believer" relay lie.

If push comes to shove: Will he follow his county or his god....

Answer 11

God made Man all equal, whatever their belief. If they say that they don't believe in

God that does not mean that God does not love them also.

There cannot be any reason why they cannot also be patriotic.

Answer 12

Your logic fails so badly. Just because someone doesn't believe GOD gave us those rights, doesn't mean they don't believe we should have those rights.



Just because we don't believe GOD created Earth, doesn't mean we don't believe Earth exists.



Get it? No? Thought so.



Do you think only Christian countries uphold the value of human rights? Do you know most of Europe believes in those inalienable rights, without attributing them to some imaginary deity?

Answer 13

They can be but have no morally honorable reason to do so.



They can be anything they want to be, including the tooth fairy on the moon should they so reason it.

Answer 14

you can still love a country and do w/e for it and have your own set of views

Answer 15

That was written before evolution was discovered, now anyone who isn't an atheist is a moron

Answer 16

According to recent billboards, by not performing mitosis.

Answer 17

Hey, look, more fallacious hateful nonsense from the loving Christians.

Answer 18

That's your interpretation. Where does it say "Creator" in the declaration?

Answer 19

its called supporting democracy

Answer 20

I'm so glad I'm not American...