Dear Friend,
I’m sending this week’s email early because tomorrow, millions of people are expected to gather at NO KINGS demonstrations across the country. American Atheists is one of hundreds of partner organizations, and I’ll be there myself at one of the 50-some events planned in Iowa, proudly carrying my “Democracy, Not Theocracy” sign.
Last Sunday’s edition of The Des Moines Register featured an op-ed by American Atheists’ Iowa State Director, Jason Benell. A combat veteran who served in Iraq, Jason is living proof that there are atheists in foxholes. In his piece, he rebuked the dangerous rhetoric coming from the highest levels of government and called on political leaders to choose decency over dogma:
“238 years after the Founding Fathers penned, ‘We, the People,’ it is the civic duty of all American patriots to remind today’s leaders that the laws and liberties of this great nation apply to all people — not just those who adhere to a certain faith.”
That reminder is urgently needed. This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escalated his attacks on the nonreligious, referring to secular humanism an “infection,” moving to strip recognition from 169 religious affiliations in the military, and requiring chaplains to replace their rank with religious insignia. And at the first Pentagon Christian service since the Iran War began, Hegseth prayed for “overwhelming violence” against those who “deserve no mercy,” even asking God to “break the teeth of the ungodly.”
Turns out rotten apples don’t fall far from their charismatic churches: Hegseth’s own pastor, Brooks Potteiger, made news this week, too, when he agreed with a podcast host who prayed for the death of Texas State Representative, U.S. Senate nominee, and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico. The pair then tried to say that by “I pray that God kills him,” they really meant his spiritual conversion to their variety of Christianity.
And in Oklahoma, the Christian nationalist founder of Pastors for Trump, Jackson Lahmeyer, announced his candidacy for Congress this week in the city he calls “Tulsarusalem.” Lahmeyer gained notoriety during the COVID pandemic for selling vaccine exemption slips and making inflammatory statements on social media. He preaches about a religiopolitical war between good Christians and evil “Luciferians.” A member of Trump’s National Faith Advisory Board, Lahmeyer purports to be a defender of religious liberty, though he does not believe the First Amendment applies to Muslims.
Extremism operates by blurring lines, bending language, and portraying violence as virtuous. With such a flexible moral and rhetorical framework, you can justify just about anything. Why stop at excluding religious minorities when violence is righteous and dehumanization makes such dank memes?
That’s why “Democracy, Not Theocracy” is more than a slogan. It’s why American Atheists like Jason telling their story is such a big deal. And it’s why showing up tomorrow means so much. The NO KINGS demonstrations are a visible reminder that this country belongs to all of us, not just the powerful or the religious.
American Atheists is fighting back every day to defend our godless Constitution. If you believe, as I do, in a democracy where all our voices count, there has never been a more important moment to stand up, speak out, and support our work.
See you out there,
Melina Cohen
Director of Strategic Communications & Policy Engagement
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