"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus-- and non-believers."
This non-believer couldn't be happier about the overt statement that President Obama made today acknowledging that I am not a second-class citizen. It might sound trite, but there was more "change" in that simple acknowledgment than I thought would happen in the entire Obama presidency. This affirmation that the non-religious are as much citizens as the religious gives me positive feelings that I don't believe I've ever had before, with respect to my government.
The last eight years have actively increased my fear that, eventually, my "kind" would end up being the victims of some kind of tangible, physical oppression-- so much so that the idea of even mentioning my lack of religious beliefs in this blog was something that actively frightened me. This statement in Mr. Obama's address today, simple though it was, goes a long way toward easing the discomfort and suspicion that that the last eight years have imparted.
