On October 16th, 2019 the Freedom from Religion Foundation ran a 30sec commercial featuring Ron Reagan, a self-entitled “Unabashed atheist.” Reagan claims in his monologue that he is alarmed by the “intrusion” of religion into our “secular” government. At the heart of his argument is first the assumption that religion is intrusive, and second that our government is primarily secular. however, Reagan never provides his hearing audience with a definition of “religion.” Clearly, it would be impossible to do such in 30secs, but I’d like to provide you with a simple definition, from a secular website.
The Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines religion in several ways. What’s fascinating is that it defines it both in a theistic and non-theistic way:
- The service and worship of God or the supernatural
- A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices”
- And … one final definition that excludes the any religious jargon = “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith”
In light of Reagan’s assertion and the definitions provided by a simple google dictionary search, isn’t he also to be considered a religious person? It seems reasonable to believe (pun intended) that Reagan and others from the FFRF group are also religious and supporters of a particular type of religion they call atheism. But all one has to do is visit the Freedom from Religion Foundation website to understand their stance on the issues the allegedly stand for and against. They assert, “The purposes of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.”
While claiming that other religions have an agenda of intrusion, they claim their belief system, which seeks to “educate” of matters of nontheism, a religious belief system, is the better alternative. The effort to keep church and state separate is commendable. I agree in principle that church and state should be kept separate. The consequences of such union has yielded some of the most atrocious episodes in human history. When Jesus came to earth he never claimed his followers should overtake governments and establish the public order through the arm of government. In Mark 12:17, Jesus instructed his disciples to “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” indicating his agenda was non-political. The abuses of religion through government have been showcased during periods in history when the church became too political and involved in the affairs of the state. This is also certainly true in the Middle East today in places where Islam rules with an iron fist and dominates the political agenda of many countries in that region. Other examples also exist, but you get the point.
I do wonder however, what religion Reagan is fighting against. Is he fighting against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam? or all religions like Buddhism, and Hinduism, and others? Certainly his issue seems to be mainly against religions that believe in the existence of hell because at the end of his short video he ends with the quip, “Ron Reagan, life-long atheist, not afraid of burning in Hell!”
The veiled snarky remark made by Reagan, though not specified, seems to take aim primarily at Christians. You may disagree, but in the context we live in Christianity is the largest religion and has suffered the most attacks in recent years by those seeking to silence and restrain its reach. If it is true that Reagan takes a shot primarily as Christianity, those who truly believe in Christ and his words in the Gospels should be heartbroken, saddened, and distraught. Why you ask? because of the grim reality for those whose final destiny is hell:
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:49-50
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46
“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…” 2 Thessalonians 1:9
At the end of the day Reagan search for freedom is granted. After all God has given all humans the choice to either believe him or deny his existence. I would on the other hand encourage those who seeks to deny His existence to consider Christ’s claims and the reality that awaits them. Christianity is unabashed in its endeavor to share the message of the gospel. That Jesus Christ, who is God, came to earth to redeem mankind to himself, that he was crucified, died, was buried, and was raised from the dead accomplishing for us what we could not do for ourselves. He not only died so that we would have an abundant life, but that we would not be separated from his love forever in hell. But I’m not merely alluding to the reality of hell, but also of heaven. That God in his benevolence rewards and blesses those who believe in His name for all eternity. Those who choose him in turn become unabashed Christ followers who love their neighbors, seek the best for mankind, seek to end the pitiful plight of the poor and marginalized, and give hope to the world. Though we don’t do these things perfectly, that is our call and the heart of the Gospel. Politics aside, the gospel is more about hope than it is about changing the political structure of our governments.
Written by Daniel Messina