An Atheist public policy group today sharply criticized remarks by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who appeared on the Bill O'Reilly Factor Thursday night and called for U.S. law to be based on the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Palin, who was the Republican candidate for Vice President in 2008, is reportedly considering a run for the White House in 2012 or beyond.
During her interview, Palin gushed: "I think we should keep this clean, keep it simple, go back to what our founders and our founding documents meant," adding, "They´re quite clear that we would create law based on the God of the Bible and the Ten Commandments."
Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists said that Palin's remarks displayed a breathtaking lack of knowledge about the evolution of law and American history. "If we didn't know better, we might conclude that Sarah Palin's 'education' was somehow carried out in Texas using textbooks that the Texas Board of Education is now trying to fabricate."
"Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are not based on the Bible; and the Founders, some of whom were religious, nevertheless advocated separation between government and religion. In fact, Thomas Jefferson wrote in an official letter as President of the need for a 'wall of separation' between church and state. Jefferson also wrote explicitly about the falsehood that our laws are based on the Ten Commandments."
Buckner noted that key documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence do not refer to the Judeo-Christian Bible or to a particular religious view. As he said, "The Constitution, our basic charter, is historically noteworthy because, for the first time in human history a significant governing charter was issued that did not invoke any deities or supernatural authority at all. It is declared in the name of 'We the people,' not in the name of Jesus or Allah or Buddha. Ms. Palin, the United States has never been a theocracy--and now would be a terrible time to change that."
Dave Silverman, Vice President and Communications Director for American Atheists, said that Palin's poorly-informed comments were a signal that her future campaigns "may end up playing the 'religion card' in order to win votes."
"Palin and her allies on the religious right will continue to capitalize on wedge-issues like the role of religion in American society, even if means grievously distorting our nation's history," said Silverman.
Quote of the Day:
"In the formation of the American government...it will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of the heavens."
--John Adams
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The possibility that this woman could ever become president scares me to no end. Will I need to build a bomb shelter, go live in a cave, or live in another country for 8 years?
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I'm already searching Europe for possible areas to relocate. Holland's looking pretty good right about now. It's frightening to witness what appears to be a gross lack of rational common sense in such a large segment of the U.S. voting population. Even more worrisome is just how focused this population is on turning our democratic republic into a fundamental theocracy--all the while doing it under the guise of "what the Founding Fathers intended," which is all the more ridiculous given that it is doubtful these people have ever even read the writings of the FF's--in which they explicitly state exactly what their original intentions were when they drafted our foundational documents and set up the first overtly secular government. Very frustrating!
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