Atheists and believers: Let’s worry about ‘government as God’

Indeed, I rather prefer faith of the religious variety, as long as it is kept to a slow burn within the hearts of individuals who tolerate religious difference in others. What distinguishes the faithful from the worshipers of government is that most religious folks in America see charitable acts as motivated from within — and moral responsibility for one’s fellow man lies in one’s breast.

Worshipers of government are not so tolerant. They’re not nearly as concerned with your intentions. They have apotheosized compulsion itself, which means they’re worshiping government power. Despite all the talk of “social justice” and the “common good,” they cannot escape the fact that politics is the means by which men bend other men to their will and call it “good.” The casualty is liberty.

Blessed Pluralism

I’ll be celebrating Christmas this year with my Christian family. I might even bless the food. (They all love when that happens.)

The great thing about America is that we’re a pluralistic society. That means it takes all kinds. Luckily the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and expression. You might say we have a free market in belief. And guess what? There’s no shortage of it here — however you like it, however you arrive at it, and however it floats your boat. Likewise, as long as the market for everything else is free, there will be plenty of everything people want and need — including charity.

Some contemporary debates center on questions about God in government: Were the Founders attempting to create a secular state in which church and government were strictly separated? Or did they have in mind a republic that gave a nod to Judeo-Christian moral foundations? In the face of unprecedented socialization in healthcare, banking and other sectors, worrying about whether the word “God” appears on a nickel is like worrying about a spider in the bathtub while someone torches your house. In other words, God in government is a conversation for another day. Government as God? This is what we should be talking about.

Max Borders is a writer living in Austin. He blogs at Ideas Matter.