Speech from an atheist politician

[I wrote this as an assignment for a class on secularism. It is a campaign speech for an atheist politician. I have modified it slightly here.]

Many people believe that atheists cannot be politicians. A 2007 Gallup poll shows that 53% of Americans would refuse to vote for an otherwise-qualified atheist politician. Politicians must portray themselves as devout believers in order to have a chance at election.

I believe that atheists not only can be politicians, but they would in fact make better politicians.

The claim that atheists cannot be politicians is backed up by many old, hateful articles from the Constitutions of many states, including Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Maryland. This claim is backed up by memorable quotes by public figures, such as the elder President Bush. This claim is backed up by our most deep-seated prejudices. This claim is false.
 
I believe, indeed I know, that the opposite is true. I will not be the next President of the United States in spite of my atheism. I will be the next President because of it. Atheism starts with a simple premise, and with it attempts to construct a worldview. This simple premise is that there is no God. From this, it follows that there is no afterlife. All we have is this earth and this life.

Our job on this planet is not to devote our lives and our energy into admittance to heaven or avoidance of hell. Our job is to make life better for our ourselves and for our fellow human beings. I promise you that I will not spend a moment in prayer when there are sick people in need of healthcare, veterans in need of food and shelter, schools in need of teachers, and men and women fighting for our freedom who need to come home!

I share these goals with freethinkers and people of faith alike. Where there is common purpose, there will be common action. That said, it is time to put an end to practices that benefit only the believer, at the literal expense of the nonbeliever. I propose to end the current voucher system, which takes money from every citizen in order to support religious schooling. I will work to take God, in whom not every American trusts, off of our money and out of our pledge.

Detractors will tell me that I am simply persecuting the faithful, as we infidels have so often been persecuted throughout history. They would be wrong. I am merely creating an America in which every person is free to profess their belief or nonbelief freely, without coerced assertions every morning in school or at every purchase. In short, I am aiming to reinstate the separation of church and state in the pantheon of our most cherished traditions.

With the rise of the Religious Right as a dominant political force, Jefferson’s wall of separation has been undermined. Our tax dollars pay for private, religious education. The personal rights of women have been revoked. Our schools are unable to teach scientific knowledge without diminishing disclaimers or pseudo-scientific addendums. All these are changes are wrought of a conservative Christian agenda. They have also managed to religify our public arena, to the point that most of our politicians feel the need to proclaim their devotion as often as possible. I will aim to reverse these trends, so that no religious belief is enshrined in the laws of our great nation.

The great and brilliant James Madison wrote this as part of the original draft of the First Amendment: 

The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretence, infringed.

I will work to ensure that the beliefs of a few shall never abridge the civil rights of others in our great nation.