Amanda Donaldson is no longer an employee of Dr. Scott Dawson at El Dorado Chiropractic in McKinney, Texas.  She claims that she was fired because Dawson found out that she is an atheist.  To add insult to injury, the firing came shortly after she returned to work from cancer surgery.  Although it’s hard to prove exactly why someone was fired – the employer can always lie – based on Dawson’s comments it seems clear that his religious bigotry was the reason for the firing.

Religious discrimination in the workplace is wrong and illegal, whether it is due to the employee having a different religion or no religion at all.  Unfortunately, as I have often reported on, many fervently religious people don’t understand that these rights extend to atheists also, and see nothing wrong with discriminating against them in the workplace or elsewhere.

The Good Atheist has more details and commentary on this story.  Austin Cline at About.com does also, and quotes an interview with Ms. Donaldson from the Dallas Atheism Examiner.

This video is going around the atheist blogosphere, and it’s so good I have to jump on the bandwagon.  Enjoy:

If you’re going to criticize atheism, keep secularism out of it.

Bigots have a problem with reality: they tend to not care so much about facts or even understanding the basics of the terminology they use in their attacks on those they hate.  An example that I see regularly in my surveillance of anti-atheist bigots is that they don’t know or don’t care about the difference between secularism and atheism.  This is not to say that definitions of secularism that include rejection of religious beliefs are wrong, many dictionary examples give such a definition as the first option, but dictionary definitions, although used by people who don’t know how to participate in good debate, are by no means evidence of what a word means in common practice.  In most cases a more correct definition is:

the view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element.¹

Secularism is religion being kept out of/not being an issue in government and culture where it is not needed.  It is keeping religion out of things it has nothing to do with.  Secularism is an integral part of American culture and government.  People of all faiths and none enjoy the benefits of secular society.  It is not by nature anti-religion (a secular society says nothing about whether religion is “good” or “bad”), and it is definitely not atheist (it does not assert the existence or nonexistence of any deity or supernaturalism of any kind).

Many Americans, including those with religious affiliation, appreciate secularism in this form and understand why it is important.  Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), a group at the forefront of protecting our constitutionally mandated secular government, is led by Barry W. Lynn, an ordained reverent in the United Church of Christ.  Clearly secularism, especially as it pertains to Church/State separation, is not something promoted only by atheists; it is promoted by Americans from all walks of life.

Here’s a hint for the critics, if you are going to criticize or bash something at least do it right.  If you are going to criticize secularism then criticize secularism, don’t say you are talking about secularism and then go into a diatribe bashing atheists. If you want to justify your hate for atheists then that’s fine too, but be honest about it.  Don’t invoke the concept of secularism as if it has anything to do with atheism.  Don’t try to push your religion onto the rest of society by invoking the irrelevant boogieman of atheism. That just makes you sound silly to the religious and nonreligious who enjoy secular society together.

A message sent to members of the Secular Coalition for America email list:

June 1, 2009

A Message from President Herb Silverman

[...]

Last Thursday, the nontheist movement achieved a new milestone when the Secular Coalition for America had its first individual meeting with White House officials. The Secular Coalition has met with White House officials before, but Thursday’s meeting was unique. It was not a coalition meeting with other organizations, but a special meeting between White House staff and representatives of the Secular Coalition. We had the opportunity to tell the White House who you are, what your policy interests are, and what concerns you.

We have made clear to White House officials that our coalition of nine national nontheistic organizations represents a full spectrum of nontheists. As the broadest, most diverse advocacy group for nontheists in Washington, D.C., we have the credibility to explain our political and cultural interests to our nation’s leaders and provide them with a window into what nontheists across America are thinking and doing in their communities. More importantly we are becoming an influential and increasingly organized constituency, and elected officials want to take our concerns into account.

The goal of the Secular Coalition has always been to increase the visibility of and respect for nontheists in America. Thursday’s meeting was one small step for the Secular Coalition, but an even more significant leap for nontheists everywhere.

My deepest thanks for all you do to support the work of the Secular Coalition for America,

Herb Silverman

President & Founder
Secular Coalition for America