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

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.