Quotes from the leaders of the Freedom from Religion Foundation,
the nation's largest Atheist advocacy organization:
On America's Heritage:
Finally,
Christianity is harmful. More people have been killed in the name of a god than for any other reason. The Church has a shameful,
bloody history of Crusades, Inquisitions, witch-burnings, heresy trials, American colonial intolerance, disrespect of indigenous
traditions (such as American Indians), support of slavery, and oppression of women.
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 217
In any event, the Colonists of the 1630s did not establish our
country. The United States of America was founded a century and a half later. If we are going back one hundred and fifty years
before our founding, why stop there? Native Americans were on this continent at least twelve thousand years before the American
Revolution. These were the true discoverers of our land, and if we must return to the tradition of our founders, then all
"true Americans" should adopt the pantheistic, polytheistic, natural system of Native American religions. The "Christian
nation" argument is racist. (So is Columbus Day, for that matter.)
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From
Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 307
The Declaration of Independence had nothing to do with religious freedom . . .
--
Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 307
On Patriotism, National Unity and the September 11th Attacks on America:
Would you buy a used car from a guy wearing
a button that says, "I'm an Honest Salesman"? That's how I feel about those T-shirts that say, "Proud
to be an American."
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Freethought
Today November 2001
The current climate
in the United States, which is in the throes of a theo-patriotic kneejerk response to 9/11, has had a very depressing and
muzzling effect on the campaign for human rights. Progressive organizations have actually all grown a bit in membership, but
the economic toll is going to be bad in the long run.
-- Annie Laurie
Gaylor, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President - Keynote speech to the International Humanist and Ethical Union, meeting
at Conway Hall in London, England, Fall 2003
Bush's proclamation of Friday, September 14, as a "National Day of Prayer and Remembrance" shows the pitfalls
of the "God is on our side" mentality, and the dangers of religious patriotism. While it may be natural for religious
persons to turn to religion or prayer for solace, it is not the role of the President of the United States, or his spokespersons,
to urge citizens to pray, to go to church, to turn to faith, or to observe a National Day of Prayer with worship. Prayer had
its chance on September 11, and it failed. Imagine the unanswered prayers of hundreds or thousands of the victims of these
terrorists. Official prayer will not solve any problems. The "God is on our side" mentality was responsible for
these tragic acts of terrorism. We must not compound the dangers by a "One Nation Under God" response.
-- Freedom From Religion Foundation Press Release 9/13/07
On Merely Having to Hear the Pledge of Allegiance:
How does coercing my sixth-grader to endorse concepts that run counter to our family's
values promote unity? Whether my child remains seated for the Pledge or feels compelled to stand with the believers (the real
Americans), a precious integrity has been sacrificed...
-- Dan Barker,
Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Freethought Today November 2001
A recitation of the Pledge over the intercom means that pupils cannot escape it, even
if they are not required to rise or recite it . . . We are especially concerned that a captive audience of schoolchildren
could be exposed every day to a religious pledge.
-- Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freedom From Religion Foundation
Co-President press release 9/27/01
On
Regulating Religion and Promoting Religion as a Public Health Hazard:
Although I feel that churches should be directly taxed, the climate might not yet be ripe for such reform...Since
only a tiny portion of church donations truly goes to charity, we should allow only a percentage of religious contributions
to be deductible from personal income.
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President
in Losing Faith in Faith Page 259
Religion also poses a danger to mental health, damaging self-respect, personal responsibility, and clarity of thought.
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 217
Christians have an unhealthy view of human nature, and they seem
hell-bent on proving it. If they had a more natural view of self and sex, and if they were allowed to grow to a level of self
confidence, they could become mature adults able to handle their own sexuality in a responsible and positive manner.
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 285
It is the Gideon Society that is trying to monitor thoughts, placing Christian propaganda not only in every
hotel room, but pushing bibles on children in public schools. They are like those territorial animals who mark off their boundaries
by spraying everything in sight."
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President
in Losing Faith in Faith Page 273
Christianity is responsible for fostering patriarchy and slavery, ideas which only serve to subjugate and control. A true
Christian cannot be a feminist, but must fight to preserve the traditional lines of demarcation...as a male religion; Christianity
is an enemy to humanity, and the antithesis of freedom.
-- Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation
Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 255
On
Tolerance and Respect for the Rights of the Religious Majority:
If Christianity were simply untrue I would not be too concerned. Santa is untrue, but it is a harmless
myth which people outgrow. But Christianity, besides being false, is also abhorrent.
-- Dan Barker,
Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 215
The vote by the House of Representatives on Dec. 11, 2007, to approve H. Res. 847,
"Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith," was both a meaningless exercise in pandering,
and a meaningful gauge of how quickly politicians still roll over and play dead when confronted with a religious "gotcha"
issue.
-- Freedom From Religion Foundation Press Release 12/14/07
In our religion-drenched society, it is just assumed that if it's religious,
it's good. We question whether basing decisions on faith, which basically means with no evidence, rather than on reality,
can ever be good for people or for society. Since there is no proof for various religious claims, it creates divisiveness.
-- Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President press release 12/5/07
On the Unalienable Rights of Man:
Why do believers assume that a higher power is necessarily a more moral
power? How do they know it is not the other way around? If you look at nature, you discover that there is very little crime
in the plant kingdom...Is it a felony when an eagle kills a field mouse?...Perhaps we should benefit from revering the "Lower
Powers" of the universe, and would improve morality if we were to get back in touch with the fact that we are animals
living in a natural environment, and that we are truly part of nature, not something separate and above.
--
Dan Barker, Freedom from Religion Foundation Co-President in Losing Faith in Faith Page 325
On Politics and the Rule of Law:
I think moral relativism is infinitely superior to moral absolutism
-- Dan Barker, Freedom from Religion Foundation Co-President at the "Humanity 3000 Seminar 4" in Bellevue,
Washington, August 22, 2000.
Organized
religion always has been and remains the greatest enemy of women's rights
---Annie Laurie Gaylor,
Freedom from Religion Foundation Co-President "Why Women Need Freedom From Religion"
It's time to abolish the U.S. ambassadorship to the Vatican.
--Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freedom from Religion Foundation Co-President press release 8/11/03
