Due to my strong beliefs, I have been called the Antichrist, a witch, an atheist, and a Satanist. I have been told by devout Christians that my “kind” is solely responsible for the downfall of American morality. In fact, none of these labels suit me. I am not a witch because the only modern religion that practices witchcraft is Wicca (American Heritage 1381), and I am not a Wiccan. I am not a Satanist because modern Satanists do not believe in Satan as a real entity; instead, they follow a “religion of self,” as Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey put it. (LaVey 1) Satanists also belong to an organization such as the Church of Satan or the Temple of Set, and I do not belong to either organization. I don't consider myself an atheist because atheists tend not to have well-developed ethical systems. I am a secular humanist. This means that I do not believe in supernatural beings or forces (gods or goddesses, angels, demons, goblins, etc.); that rational thinking is more important to me than blind faith; and that I value freedom of speech, belief and inquiry. Now, because I value freedom of belief, I don't mind people thinking these things about me. If they want to believe that I am flying through the air on a broomstick to an orgy of Satan worship, that is their misunderstanding. If they want to think my life is more exciting than it actually is, they're welcome. What bothers me is how religious intolerance extends to the highest levels of government. George Bush was quoted as saying, "I don't know if atheists should be considered citizens or patriots." We are one nation under God. " ("Quotes" 5) The problem is that the First Amendment states that "C...... middle of paper... of the majority, the minority suffers oppression. The quality of government suffers when it has been too mixed with religion, and the quality of religious motivations suffers when they have been polluted by political motivations Let us move on to a true separation of church and state Works Cited American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd edition Boston. : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1982. "Barron's Concise Student's Encyclopedia 1993 ed. LaVey, Anton. Available at http://www.paranoia.com/~wcs/quotes.htmWorbois, Dean. "Founding Faiths." Online January 13, 1997. Available at http://www.postfun.com/worbois. .html [Note: this document has been moved here --webmaster, 11/25/97]