by Bee Brenton

Created on: August 18, 2011

Let's start out thinking critically about this.  What is this idea of "religious tolerance" and is it spouted in order to trump the rights of the Atheist?  

I claim that it is a ludicrous claim since the secular majority IS Humanist in nature and thus also Atheist in nature.  In fact those that require "religious tolerance" are the ones that are going against the secular norm and hence why they NEED "tolerance".  Don't let anyone fool you that tolerance is taking away the rights of the Atheist because otherwise what would people need to be tolerant from?  Tolerance denotes some main view in which any other view needs to have tolerance to be accepted.  That main view is the one that plugs the television stations, that controls the universities, that shows up in all the text books and that is not a view free of original bias.  It is humanism, Atheism which is that majority view.  

Does humanism necessarily go hand in hand with Atheism?  As the wiki page on it says, It (Secular Humanism) "specifically rejects religious dogma".  Secular Humanism is the religion of the people, an anti-religion and it makes up most of the ideals of our secular society.  Secular Humanism has been in part pre-supposed by the separation of church and state and the first amendment that:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

It has been assumed from that that the State Government must be of NO religion and that no religious by default equals Atheism or secular humanism.

Since the non-religion of the state is Atheism then is it only fair that an idea like "religious tolerance" can protect those with religious ideals from the tidal wave of secular influence all around us.  It seems indeed religious thought goes against the secular grain of accepted ideals.  It is those ideals (of Humanism) that have the major say in the universities, in the workplace, in society and in the media that are the ones that create the philosophy for the society regardless on how many claim to believe or disbelieve certain religious or irreligious truth.

Rights come in only when seen as going against that major say in the universities, in the workplace, in society and in the media.  Thus it is the rights of the RELIGIOUS that are compromised more often than not on a secular level and not the Atheists which is exactly why "religious tolerance" has it's place in our vocabulary today.

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