The Freedom From Religion Foundation is one of 21 member groups belonging to the Secular Coalition of America that is calling out recent anti-atheist comments by Donald Trump.
In remarks to the Faith and Freedom Conference on June 24, Trump stated, “Together, we’re warriors in a righteous crusade to stop the arsonists, the atheists, globalists and the Marxists.”
The Secular Coalition of America objects to the defamation of atheists and this vilification of the nonbelieving population of America.
“Atheists are not the enemy of the people; we are a significant portion of the people,” points out the group letter. “Thirty percent of Americans say they have no religious affiliation, and 19 percent say they don’t believe in God.”
The conflation of atheism with Marxism/communism in the last century was inaccurate, unfair and politically motivated, the secular groups note. In comparison with evangelicals, atheists and agnostics show greater support for democracy and civic engagement, the Secular Coalition for America points out.
Since atheism is not connected in any way to arson, the coalition urges, “Please leave us out of any further discussion regarding ‘the arsonists.’”
“This comment makes it appear as though atheism is a crime on par with setting fire to other peoples’ property. We do seek to enlighten,” quips Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president, “including all of those who would atheist bait and seemingly declare an un-American religious crusade against us.” Gaylor objects to the term “globalism,” increasingly used as an anti-Semitic dog whistle, which she calls “deeply distasteful.”
The coalition concludes, “There is no need to ‘stop us’ from anything. Atheists simply want their government to avoid giving preferential treatment to the religious over the nonreligious.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members across the country. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
