North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman is again making waves as Congress’ only proclaimed “humanist.”
During an interview on the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s Freethought Matters program, Huffman, a lawyer by trade, said he believes requiring Congressional witnesses to pledge an oath to God is unconstitutional.
“It’s unconstitutional to require a witness in congressional testimony to affirm an oath to a deity they may not even believe in or to affirm an oath to a singular deity when you might be a polytheistic Hindu, for example,” Huffman said. “It’s just preposterous.”
Huffman, you might recall, became the focus of a 2017 Washington Post story when he told the paper he had become alarmed with the appearance of religion in policy-making, which pushed him to announce — after years of being somewhat cagey about his religious beliefs — that he identifies as a “non-religious humanist.” The Post described humanism as “a loose philosophy based on the idea that humans should work to improve society and live ethically, guided by reason, not necessarily by anything supernatural.”
The Post story went on to cite experts on religious identity in Congress who believe Huffman is only the second member of Congress ever on record describing his or her “ethical system as not being God-based.” For the record, Huffman told the paper he is not the only non-believer in Congress, saying there are “closet humanists, agnostics and atheists” among his colleagues.
Speaking to Freethought Matters this week, Huffman said congressional committees have a “sporadic standard” for including God in their oaths. He said altering the oath or making it voluntary has been proposed in the House but was shot down.
“Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) just went ballistic,” Huffman said of the House Republican Conference Chair. “She smelled blood in the water, went on Fox News and started ranting about how Democrats were dropping God from the Congress.”
Fox News caught up with a spokesperson for Cheney, who reportedly shot back that the member of Congress “will always defend God. Period. If that bothers Rep. Huffman, we’ll be praying for him.”
So Huffman’s got that going for him.
See Huffman’s Freethought Matters interview below:
This article appears in Light into Dark Places.
This poltroon and traitor continues to shoot the country in the back at every turn. What a pathetic crybaby communist pig dog. Should have been run out of the US on a rail long ago. An embarrassment to all liberty-loving, god-fearing citizens.
If these kind of things keep up seems to be no respect for anything that was put in there because that’s the way the people felt when they wrote it that’s why you don’t have to swear to God in a Court you can affirm I believe that’s what they call it there just seems to be no respect anymore in our small County of Humboldt there’s a town called Arcata they want to get rid of the Pledge of Allegiance I guess if you don’t want to pledge allegiance to this country then you better leave it I would call right that was some kind of comment during Vietnam if you don’t love and want to defend our country I suggest you go live somewhere else see how very few Liberties you have
As usual, sepfish Republicans want to push their god on everyone else, whether they want it or not.
It’s none of anyone’s business what other people’s religious preferences are! This country was founded on religious freedom for ALL, not just some. I care about the character and actions of elected officials – and people in general. This is NOT and is not supposed to be a Christian country or government. That is the point of religious freedom and tolerance for ALL.
If Christians think oaths are all right they should reread Matthew 5.
I tire of hearing about ‘respect’ from trogs like Claudia who pull this love-it-or-leave-it horse manure. The rest of the idiotic words they use generally prove that they don’t really know what respect means–they want and love that unquestioning obeisance to nationalistic ritual. They don’t really CARE if you feel it in your heart or whatever–they just want the performance.
As to ‘Mystikal’–your lordsaviorghost-thing doesn’t exist, monk-ey.
Thought you oughta know.
Many people cannot take an oath in good conscience, or cannot include “so help me God” in such an oath.
1. Some Christians, such as Mennonites and Quakers, take the words of Jesus seriously: “But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all…” (see Matthew 5:33-37). Their religious belief and practice preclude them from taking such an oath.
2. Polytheists, such as Hindus, believe in multiple gods. A reference to a single monotheistic deity, named “God,” can have little meaning to them.
3. Atheists, of course, believe in no deity at all.
What shall we do when a witness falls into one of these categories?
One approach is never to call such a witness at all, arguably violating the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the first Amendment, if not the No Religious Test Clause of Article VI of the US Constitution. Even if you don’t mind violating the Constitution, you would deprive yourself of the testimony of that witness, thus defeating your own purpose.
Another approach is to require such witnesses to take a religious oath as prescribed, regardless of their own religious beliefs. In that case you would accept their testimony only if they demonstrate a willingness to violate their own principles. Does that really make sense?
The only sensible approach is to make the religious aspect optional. Let witnesses swear or affirm according to the dictates of their own conscience. That is the approach commonly taken by courts of law. That is the approach taken by the US Constitution, where it specifies the oath of office for the President. That oath does not include the phrase “so help me God,” though it has become customary for Presidents to add it voluntarily (probably beginning with Chester A. Arthur in 1881).
In any case, no one tempted to perjure himself or herself would likely be dissuaded by religious language in the oath. Such language creates problems without solving any.
If I am required to make an oath to a lie – it gives me the right to lie!!!
Mystikal Monk, how ‘SAD’ that you live in FEAR of your imaginary god. You should seek psychiatric help. Maybe a good ‘shrink’ could cure you of your DELUSION.
God DOESN’T EXIST and I have the RIGHT to refuse to believe in the delusions of others! – https://ffrf.org/
Notice how NONE of the silly symbol-minded, tiki-torch holders are demanding a vote after they suffered a resounding loss of that outrageous statue lionizing mass-murderer William McKinley.
A majority of voters are realizing how U.S. imperialism is coming home to roost.
Salute it all you want in the privacy of your own home…while you still have one.
Why the scarequotes on humanist? You guys know it’s an actual belief, right?
http://churchandstate.org.uk/2013/02/christian-fundamentalists-are-driving-our-country-into-the-dark-ages/?fbclid=IwAR0QohoXKSZncYYbf6oiW4dfVjDaoE-ZYgeVFCCPWTSXlM0ro-vLyj-k-SY
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-01-23/tribal-divisions-created-by-religion-most-harmful-in-global-conflict-experts-say?utm_source=usn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1YDXIyQke083boUkVh4kBLD2qivbM4wTbgkV7dyJCnlf8JweeFI17XSZE
The Bible is a compendium of folk tales and fables
recounted orally for generations by primitive tribes from the stone age.
This is the Old Testament.
The new Testes is hearsay since these gospels were written by the faithful
not by objective historians at that particular time.
There are no gods!
—
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cogs.12138
”…exposure to religious ideas has a powerful impact on children’s differentiation between reality and fiction, not just for religious stories but also for fantastical stories.”
Keep the Lies about gods away from children!