Senator Dole,

As an atheist, I am appalled at your blatant bigotry against my co-non-religionists. While I am painfully aware that we are the last minority group for whom bigotry against is still politically correct, your trio of attack ads against Kay Hagan is most blatant example I’ve seen since President George Bush Sr. said “No, I don’t know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”

There is nothing wrong with what Kay Hagan did. Taking money from atheists is not bad, and it does not mean that she will support their agenda. Neither is associating with atheists. (I’m sure that if you asked your staff to fill out anonymous forms, you’d find some atheists among them.) We are not evil or immoral. I am a loving father and husband, a hard worker, a loyal friend, and a patriotic American. And yet my lack of belief in god makes me ineligible to lobby my congressman for fear that they would be attacked by the likes of you, preying on the obvious bigotry that still exists in this country.

I do share the ideals of the Godless Americans PAC. I would like to see “under god” taken out of our pledge, to which it was only added in 1951. I would like to see “In God We Trust” taken off of our currency, to which it was added in the mid-1960s. And I support giving people floating Federal holidays rather than forcing them to take Christmas off regardless of their beliefs.

I don’t feel these are extreme positions. I shouldn’t have to lie when I say the Pledge of Allegiance. Something I disagree with should not be put on the money I am forced to use. I should be allowed to observe my own holidays, not forced to observe yours.

I am ashamed that, even in the 21st century, in the most advanced nation in the world, an honest, hardworking American citizen can still be discriminated against in this manner. I would ask for a public apology, but I know that you would never do this. All I can hope is that these desperate smear tactics work against the bigotry that I have felt because of my lack of belief.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Rothrock

I proudly am an atheist;
I do not share your views.
Imagine how insulting,
When I watch the evening news
And I see you point at folks like me
Indignantly, with rage,
As if we were the lepers
Of a less enlightened age!
No need to watch your language
Or to treat us with respect—
Because demonizing us is still
Politically correct.
You’d never talk like this regarding
Blacks, or Gays, or Jews,
But with atheists, just look at all
The language that you use!
“Obama is a terrorist”—of course
The claim’s obscene;
But “Hagan is an atheist”?
The worst you’ve ever seen?!?
Comparing her to me is now
The lowest of the low?
It’s good I don’t believe in Hell—
I’d tell you where to go.

I proudly am an atheist
I proudly am a Jew
I proudly am a Christian,
And I’m proudly Muslim, too.
I’m proud to be both Gay and Straight
I’m proudly Black and White
I’m proudly Man and Woman
And I’ll proudly join the fight.
I proudly am Humanity,
Whatever that is worth;
There is no group below me,
Or above me, on this Earth.

Edited to fix the formatting

Now, slander is defined as “the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation.” Now, I can understand that calling Hagan, who is active in her church, an atheist would be innaccurate. But is it defamatory? Are Christians really that insulted by being accused of being atheists that it would be slander? Would it really be so bad for a group of people to think you’re an atheist.

So I’m not sure which is more insulting: That calling someone an atheist is considered a political attack, or that such an attack is considered slander by believers. I mean, how do you think people would have responded if Obama had called the attacks that he is a Muslim slander?

Ads below the fold.

Here’s Dole’s attack ad:

Here’s both of Hagan’s ads:

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, “What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!

“This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God,” Davis said. “Get out of that seat . . . You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.”

Audio of this bigotry and my letter to her after the jump.

I wouldn’t really mind using taxpayer money to refurbish it if the church had cultural or architectural significance, just like I wouldn’t mind using National Parks money to maintain Fallingwater or using the National Endowment for the Arts to commission works. But I’m neither in Illinois, nor am I aware of this situation.

Anyhoozle, here’s my letter:

Representative Davis,

I was saddened to hear your remarks to Rob Sherman as he gave testimony in front of the House State Government Administration Committee. That such a bigoted opinion could be held in modern America shows how far we have to go to reach a truly inclusive society. And that such an outburst would come from someone whose race and gender have felt the sting of discrimination shows this even more clearly.

I am an atheist, and while I do not believe in a god or gods, I strive to be kind, generous and thoughtful. However, I will, like Rob Sherman, stand up for my rights when I feel they are threatened. And while I disagree that spending government money on restoring a church is inappropriate, I respect Mr. Sherman’s right to speak to his representatives and his fellow citizens on issues that matter to him. Not only that, but I expect a public official such as yourself to hold his views in the same respect.

Mr. Sherman and all other atheists, indeed people of every religion, have as much of a right to contribute to the public discourse, and to live in the United States, as Christians. And our philosophy, while you may consider it to be dangerous, is fulfilling for a large number of people. Indeed, non-believers are more numerous in the United States than Jews or Muslims. We are not nihilists, nor do we wish to destroy anything. I would highly suggest, Representative Davis, that you get to know people before you judge them so harshly. Isn’t that one of Jesus’ teachings?

I think that a public apology to both atheists and non-believers like myself and people of faith, who I think were horribly misrepresented by your outburst, would be the very least you could do.

Sincerely,
Paul Rothrock
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. – Buddha

In the beginning, it was easy to know the Christians, They sent people to convince the uneducated to follow their ways, and they sent armies to kill everyone else.