Statement of Principles
- We demand equal rights including fair treatment and protection in the workplace; when seeking public office and the right to serve on juries and give testimony; and in having a voice in the halls of Congress, in our state legislatures and in other government venues.
- We call for an end to discrimination against Atheists, Freethinkers and other "Godless Americans" in organizations which receive public funds and special entitlements, such as the Boy Scouts of America. Belief must not be a litmus test for inclusion in such groups.
- We demand an end to harassment and other violations of our rights in public schools. "Prayer Bullying," organized prayer and other forms of coercive religion cannot be tolerated in what should be a totally secular public school system. Public schools must not become centers for religious proselytizing, the unconstitutional promotion of religion through teaching so-called "creationism," or smuggling sectarian beliefs into the schools through ruses, such as "student-led prayer."
- We call for an end to the use of government tax money to subsidize religious denominations, faith-based social programs and other entitlement schemes.
- We demand an end to the exclusion of Atheists, Freethinkers and other "Godless Americans" as full citizens of this nation. Our leaders, including the President, must stop calling the nation to prayer, or claim that we are a "Christian" country. Godless Americans have been patriotic, and many have served -- and now serve -- in our nation's armed forces. We are fire and rescue personnel, emergency crisis personnel, white-collar and blue-collar workers. We insist on inclusion when this nation is rallied to appropriate causes!
- We call for an end to the display of religious mottoes and symbols on government property, and especially in public schools. We also call for the restoration of "E Pluribus Unum," ("Out of Many, One") as the secular, national motto of a free people.
Copyright © 2002, American Atheists, Inc.