To the Editor,
When the Brunswick County Commission voted to put “In God We Trust” on police vehicles they voted for religious bigotry over religious liberty. This seemingly innocuous phrase to some is in violation of the separation of church and state and is a form of religious coercion to nonbelievers. It may be legal, but it is not moral. When the Commission said it is to show “integrity” and being “morally correct” they imply nonbelievers are not moral when all the scientific evidence shows just the opposite. In fact, only 0.0261 % of people in prison are atheists.
Today 25% of people are nonreligious, the fast growing demographic and larger than Catholics. Moreover, 39% of Millennials are nonreligious. Hardly insignificant anymore.
Leave religion out of government. How would people react to, “In Allah We Trust”, or “In Satan We Trust, or “In Zeus We Trust?” The Founding Fathers created a secular government after observing centuries of religious wars in Europe. The original motto of the United Sates was “E Pluribus Unum”, or “One Out of Many.”
The Brunswick County commission chose a tyranny of the majority putting one religious belief over all the others, clearly proselytizing, clearly disparaging nonbelievers, and clearly shoving narrow religious beliefs down people’s throats for no other reason than religious domination. Honor religious freedom and individual conscience for all and take down the signs. “To Serve and Protect” is just fine as a sign on police cars.
~ Michael Werner
Note: Michael Werner’s Letter to the Editor was originally published in the StarNews. You can read it online here; scroll down to the bottom of their page to find Mike’s letter.