I’m curious.
When have atheists routinely persecuted anyone?
I suppose that you could make an argument that the former USSR was atheistic, and there were pogroms, Stalin starved millions of people, and so forth . . . but I believe that he would have been just as much of an asshole if he was religious. The People’s Republic of China is officially atheistic, and they are oppressive to their own people . . . but I don’t think that atheism has anything to do with it.
Places like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, and Switzerland have lots of atheists and very secular governments, and they are considered to be some of the happiest places on Earth.
As for equating Satanism with atheism, I imagine that we could argue that the Satanic Temple is window dressing for atheism, but all they do is work to maintain the separation of church and state . . . and while I agree with their philosophy, I don’t always agree with their methods.
As for religion, we have had horrible bloodshed for thousands of years . . . and bloodshed even today, when we should really know better.
And what happens if Christianity becomes the state religion in the U.S.? Do we pick an approved denomination? Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians are fine, but Catholics and Jehovah’s Witnesses are not?
Out of the hundreds (if not thousands) of Christian denominations, which ones would you pick as acceptable state religions? And what criteria would you use for your selection process?
I am interested in your answers, and I hope to hear from you.