Are American Atheists and Agnostics "Patriotic" even thou they don't believe in "God"?

Question

I did four years in the United States Coast Guard. I don't believe in God. I invite you to tell me I'm unpatriotic, as is your right, if you'll allow me my first amenment right to tell you to (self censored)

Answer 1

I think I'll check in as the atheist wife of a member of the US Army.
And then I won't come back to this question, because if anyone says atheists and agnostics are not patriotic, I think I may blow a gasket.
And thank you for your service. SOME of us still appreciate our military and love our country.

Answer 2

Yes, they can be. Just as some people confuse sex with love I think you should take into consideration what are ideologies that are conducive or destructive to America. Even the Declaration of Independence acknowledges that we are "endowed by our Creator." Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen noted that the Declaration of Independence is actually a declaration of dependence upon God for our rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Here are a few quotes:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: It is the duty of nations... to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

RONALD REAGAN: Without God there is not virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience... without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not and cannot long endure... If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under.

Now, I do not say you are unpatriotic but I do not agree with everything that is conducive to freedom. James Madison, who wrote the Constitution said we have not staked our freedom on politicians but on the Ten Commandments of God. So, the Founding Fathers knew freedom cannot survive without religious principle.

Now, some athiests act more godly than religious people. The reason this is because of our 3 dimensional existence. What comes from the heart (soul) may not exist in the mind and visa versa. So, it comes down to are you a virtuous person or not. There is a movie called THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM with Gregory Peck in it. He plays a priest that goes to China and his best friend is an athiest. It has some profound wisdom in it and I hope you get a chance to see it some time.

Semper Fidelis (Marine Motto)

Answer 3

What does "even you they" mean?

It depends on what someone means by patriotic. For some people patriotic means adopting whatever position the majority in their country holds. For some it means "my country, right or wrong." For you it seems to mean "a place and system important enough to defend from distruction by external and internal enemies, even if they be the majority". Are you insulted if those with the first two definitions call you unpatriotic?

Answer 4

When George Bush was campaigning for the presidency, as incumbent vice-president, one of his stops was in Chicago, Illinois, on August 27, 1987. At O'Hare Airport he held a formal outdoor news conference. There Robert I. Sherman, a reporter for the American Atheist news journal, fully accredited by the state of Illinois and by invitation a participating member of the press corps covering the national candidates, had the following exchange with then-Vice-President Bush.

Sherman: What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are atheists?

Bush: I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me.

Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?

Bush: No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

Sherman (somewhat taken aback): Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?

Bush: Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists.

Answer 5

There were very few references to god in the framing of our country. And given that the country was framed over two-hundred years ago when they didn't have the benefit of modern science. If the country were being framed by the same people today, mentions of god would be even less prevalent. This is a country based on liberty, not religious dogma.

Answer 6

I would not tell you that, one has nothing to do with the other...a Patriot has love and loyalty to country, not a Deity. In the United States we thank you for doing your duty to country, the terrorists are doing their duty to their God. Just wanted to add that as usual the Christians seem to have a need to say more than regular people need to hear.

Answer 7

Regarding the US, I think patriotism can, does, and should exist totally independent of some bogus Abrahamic religion, or any other man-made faith. I think the US is becoming way too religious, especially the Christians and Zionists. We, as REAL US patriots, should strive to excise religion from Us government as much as possible. Additionally, as religious-skeptics, we must constantly challenge the false beliefs of the Jesus-freaks and their ilk. Word up!

Answer 8

Being patriotic has nothing to do with believing in God. Being patriotic has to do with loving your country and having national pride. I don't think it's a prerequisite to have to believe in God to be in the military. Freedom of expression and religious beliefs.

Answer 9

I'm a patriotic American atheist.

Answer 10

They tend not to be, but there is no reason why they can't be, as you evidence.
Of course most or even all of our Founding Fathers were men of faith and set up the Constitution with their religious ideals in mind, but they also made sure to protect the rights of those with purely secular beliefs so that America wouldn't become a Theocracy like many of the Middle Eastern countries currently are.