The United States of Contradictions
Christian faith was the most dominant protocol at display in the inauguration ceremonies of the 45th President of the United States of America.
President-elect Donald Trump officially started his inauguration events with prayers at St. John’s Episcopal Church and concluded with prayers at The Washington National Cathedral. In between, there were invocations, benedictions and choirs at the West Front of the Capitol on January 20th. A bible was placed in front of President Trump to swear his allegiance to the nation.
Ironically, the USA was founded on the core principles of secularism and the Constitution made it imperative to separate religion from every government affair.
Tormented for centuries by tyrant kings and churches, the Europeans flocked to America to create a land free of religion and based on the enlightened rationality of the mankind. A land of God but with no God or his scriptures to dictate public life.
It’s secularism — not God — that has made the USA the most advanced and mighty country on earth. Men and women have used their brains to innovate and create in America free of fear from God and his apostles.
Whilst elsewhere in the world rulers either insanely imposed their Gods on masses or, in the case of atheist communists, tried to suppress peoples’ private spirituality, the USA let its citizens to decide their personal space but drew a very clear redline between the rulers and religion.
Interestingly, the USA is home to almost every religious group the world has to offer, in small and in bigger numbers. More than 23 percent of U.S. citizens — over 75 million people — have no religious affiliation at all, according to a 2014 PEW survey which also stated that the number of “nones” was sharply rising.
For long, billions of U.S. taxpayers money have been spent on programs which aim to promote secular democracy around the world. Americans look down at leaders who say they are accountable only to God and rule with vague and contradicting divine verses.
In my native country, Afghanistan, where religious insanity has always crashed human rationality and thereby kept the county worst in all indicators of a civilized life, it has taken much in blood and treasure from the U.S. to wean off religious mendicants from power.
This policy is not driven by an idea that that religion is bad and should be suppressed but this religion is good and should be promoted. Individuals can claim their religion is better but states, particularly a secular government like the U.S., cannot and must not be an opponent or proponent of any religion.
I liked when some Republican candidates said during the presidential campaign that a Muslim could not be or run for President of the U.S. That’s a great idea! America is a secular country and no religious bigot should be allowed to rule over it.
A U.S. President should demonstrate his irreligiously, specially when running a secular government and leading a country of various faith groups and a very large and growing population of nones, than his profound allegiance to only one line of faith.
For a U.S. President, the most sacred document to which he/she should always abide is the Constitution, not his religious scriptures, and she/he should put a hand on it to swear allegiance to the nation.
Amidst the predominant rubric of clash of religious civilizations and as we hear calls for a total entry ban on one religious group into this country, America needs, more than anything else, to reclaim its secular fundamentals. For only a truly secular government can be the government of all the people, by the people and for the people.
