By
At Monday’s moving inauguration ceremony, President Barack Obama repeated the constitutionally prescribed oath to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Like most but not all presidents before him, he also placed his hand on a Bible and recited the words “So help me God,” which is not constitutionally required. This atheist was, of course, disappointed but not surprised at the addition.
To understand how many atheists feel about this, consider substituting “Zeus” or “Shiva” or “Allah” for “God.” Like the other approximately twenty million non-religious Americans, I wish President Obama had taken his oath on the Constitution under which our nation is governed, rather than on a divisive sectarian book under which we are not governed-thanks be to Thor.
To read the rest of this Washington Post On Faith article, click here.
Herb Silverman is founder and President Emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America, a board member of the American Humanist Association, and author of Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt.