Arachnodisiac said, "By the same token, and for the same reason (to ensure that freedom) I will fight to keep all religion from the public life, including our schools, courts and government."
So if you win the fight, then we will be ruled by those with an atheistic worldview (if there is such a thing). Hmmm
not so sure that would be any better than what we've got now. Nations ruled by atheistic governments / rulers haven't exactly given the world anything to desire! One thing about it, to truly have an atheistic worldview government / schools / courts mean there would be a small pool to draw leaders from!
For one thing, we'd have to scrap the entire legal / justice system - since ours is rooted in the Judeo-Christian worldview, and society still seems to hold to the validity of at least some of the 10 Commandments and their inherent principles.
And how would you propose to keep religious people out of all public life? Put them in prisons? Isolate them from society somehow? Make them slaves?
I think, no - I believe, that there have been immense contributions to creating good societies and a lot of very good things to enhance life by people who have dearly held religiously based worldviews. And there still are. In fact, I would go so far as to say the roots of our Western civilization were very heavily shaped and influenced by people with religious worldviews. Has that been so bad it now requires, in your estimation, the dis-allowance of religious peoples' voices in vital areas of society like government, education, and the courts?
I thought that in the post-modern worldview era (which I would presume is the worldview you would espouse), the worldview which supplanted the modern era worldview a couple of decades or so ago, holds as a strong tenet the principle of tolerance that every view, every voice, bar none, is of equal value and validity. So why then is it okay to voice an opinion that a religious person's worldview is invalid and has no role in public life?
By the way, I hold to a Biblical worldview shaped by the Reformed Christian theological tradition - and I'm proud to say so!