To be an American, you must believe in God. Atheists and agnostics can be American citizens, but they are not truly American. It is analogous to the case of a native Ethiopian who becomes a citizen of Denmark. He is no doubt a Danish citizen, but he is not a Dane. Regardless of his citizenship, he is, and will always remain, ethnically and physically Ethiopian, not Danish. He is fundamentally different.
This is an extremely difficult issue for Americans to face. Here, emotions run contrary to reason, and decades of foolish political correctness cloud judgment. But it is critically important for all Americans to put aside emotion and other niceties, and to come to grips with the meaning of faith in God as it relates to the freedom and liberty fundamental to the American experience.
"Freedom and liberty:" What should those terms mean to Americans? Fortunately, no guesswork is required to answer that question. Our freedom and liberty are specifically spelled out in our Declaration of Independence, and our Constitution. The Bill of Rights, the first ten Amendments to the Constitution, declare our specific freedoms. The Declaration of Independence declares our general freedom. But here is where atheists, agnostics, socialists, communists, and all others antithetical to America make their great mistake. Just because our freedom and liberty are set forth in those documents does not mean that they are created by those documents. Quite to the contrary, those documents make it clear that our freedom and liberty come from God. In fact, it could not be clearer. The very first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence recites that "God" has entitled us to independence as a nation. Then the second paragraph recites that "…. all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." And, the first paragraph of the Constitution recites that the Constitution is established to " …. secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity ….."
So why is this reliance on God so important? Why isn't it enough that the Declaration of Independence and Constitution recognize our rights? Why can't atheists, agnostics, and other non-believers be true Americans?
There is a huge difference between freedom and liberty ordained by God, and that allowed by government. What government grants, government can take away. If our freedom and liberty stem from government, then they are contingent on the votes of our elected representatives, judgments of our courts, and curtailment by executive order. In short, we would only be free at the will of the government. That is exactly the circumstance of those suffering under the rule of communist, socialist, fascist, and other forms of totalitarian government. What little freedom they have is subject to the whim of their government. That is why citizens living in monarchies are called "subjects." They are subject to, that is, under the strict control of their king. And that is exactly why the American Revolution took place. Americans are not "subjects." We are free, thank God!
The difference then between totalitarianism and Americanism is the understanding and insistence that our freedom and liberty come from God, not from the government. And that requires, per se, a belief in God. There is no alternative.
At this point in the discussion I would expect atheists and other non-believers to turn beet red and start blustering about freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Such objections are of no avail. Our formation documents are what they are, and they speak for themselves. Our freedom, liberty and unalienable rights as Americans are an endowment and blessing from our Creator. That's what the words say. To argue otherwise is absurd.
Furthermore, belief in God is not "religion" and is not a "church." True Americans may be of any religion or no religion at all, providing only that they believe in God. That is fairly all inclusive, and certainly includes Christians, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, and some Buddhists, to name but a few. It also includes those who don't identify with any organized religion, but believe in God. There is certainly no requirement to join or participate in any group or organization. In short, belief in God is a strictly personal matter. Freedom of religion and separation of church and state arguments are just red herrings.
American citizens are free to be atheists if they chose. But they are lousy Americans nonetheless. They often trumpet their rights as non-believers, even ridiculing and disparaging those who believe in God. Yet they fail to acknowledge that those very rights are secured to them only through the faith of believers who are willing to defend and uphold the Constitution without compromise. And that is only because believers understand that freedom and liberty are unalienable endowments from God. And like the many martyrs gone before, true American patriots are willing to fight and die if necessary in defense of God's providence. And that providence most certainly includes those unalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator. It is not logically possible to separate belief in God from belief in unalienable rights, liberty, and freedom. And that's why true Americans must believe in God.
Finally, it is important for all Americans to see the connection between atheists and their political counterparts, socialism and communism. Liberal politics thrives on big government, government control, and dependence on government. The emphasis on government as the be all and end all of social and economic life tends to marginalize and eventually eliminate God from the hearts and minds of Americans. That in turn plays directly into the hands of those who want to take back the freedoms and liberty described in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. They seek to alienate the "unalienable" by destroying God and replacing Him with big government. If they succeed in effectively killing God, Americans will become subjects of the government. There will be nothing stopping them from ignoring the Constitution and desecrating the freedoms and liberty of all Americans. That effort is already well underway and succeeding. It must be stopped.
Believe in God! Let your friends and neighbors know you believe in God, and tell them why it's so important. Tell them that belief in God is fundamental to the preservation of our freedom and liberty as Americans. Tell them today, because tomorrow may be too late.