Promoting atheism?

Inevitably, whenever I'm discussing the unconstitutional nature of schools promoting one religion, believers will claim that 'taking God out of the schools', has led to the schools promoting atheism. This claim is supposed to be proof that the government is biased against Christianity, and that this promotion of atheism is getting special treatment over the challenged promotions in favor of Christianity.

But there's a huge problem with this claim... Namely, the fact that atheism is not being promoted. For some reason, some believers have it set in their mind that if the schools are not allowed to promote Christianity, then they must necessarily be promoting atheism. This isn't even close to the truth, nor is it logically sound reasoning. This kind of black or white, for or against thinking is something that sometimes gets in the way of believers understanding what is actually going on, or understanding our arguments.

Public schools are not supposed to promote Christianity, but they aren't promoting atheism in it's place. What is taking place is that they are promoting either... remaining silent on the issue. If schools were promoting atheism, they would be teaching students unequivocally that God does not exist. Of course, schools do not do this. When they are obeying the law, God isn't mentioned at all. But where are believers getting this strange idea that schools are promoting atheism?

A lot has to do with that black and white mindset I was talking about earlier. If they're not for Christ, they assume that you must be against. Another issue is the teaching of Big Bang theory an evolution. These theories are contrary to many Christian's religious beliefs, so they blindly assume that teaching something contrary to their beliefs is the same as teaching atheism. Not surprisingly, there are problems with that thinking.

For one, there are less literal believers that do not deny evolution of the Big Bang. The second thing is that these items are not tenants of atheism. Atheism does not require acceptance of evolution. All atheism requires is a lack of belief in God. These subjects aren't taught to defy Christianity, but because overwhelming evidence shows them to be real truths. Big Bang theory is taught because the evidence shows that it actually happened. And evolution is taught because the evidence heavily supports it's happening. If Christians have a problem with evolution of the Big Bang, then they need to look inward at the problems with their theology, rather than casting blame on evidenced truths.

But there's more in play with the believer who claims schools are promoting atheism simply by not preaching Christianity. There is the obvious fact that almost all establishments that are not inherently

religious don't actively promote Christianity. By these believer's reasoning, these places are promoting atheism. When you get doughnuts at a Dunkin Donuts, are they promoting atheism since they aren't sharing the 'good news'? What if you go to the grocery store and they don't ask you if you've found Jesus at the check stand? Are those shops promoting atheism? Are Chick-fil-A's promoting atheism since they don't give you a Bible with every purchase or try to convert you?

If Microsoft Word, Target, or an Exxon station aren't promoting atheism for staying silent on theology, then schools are not promoting atheism either. Schools are for teaching facts. And if facts threaten your religion, that's your religion's problem.

 -Brain Hulk

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