We've all heard Obama's speech. As he always does, he hit it out of the park. I got the same goosebumps I felt on that January morning, two years ago, when I watched him launch his campaign in Springfield. I don't want to go over the whole speech, which was full of great moments. I want to focus in on two words he said; words that might pass 90 percent of people without a second notice but made me almost jump up and cheer.
What were those two words?
"...and non-believers"
You see, I'm an atheist (if you want to get technical, I'm an agnostic, but then again, I would contend that EVERYONE is an agnostic). And I've always felt sort of out of place in our democracy. From Bush Sr.'s remarks that "atheists should not be considered citizens", to the God-laced sloganeering on every piece of official government hardware (as I've said, my problem with "In God We Trust" is not so much the "God" as the "We"), to the last eight years of religious attitudes that are positively medieval, I've waited a long time for a President to give the kind of deference to the non-religious that they give to the religious minorities.
In context, the quote read:
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.
Of course, us atheists got lowest billing, even though some estimates peg us at outnumbering Jewish adherents 10-to-1. And more than once he invoked "the grace of God" and other such theological rhetoric. But, if I may break with the caricature of the hyper-sensitive atheist, I don't care at all.
In the not too recent past, to be called an "atheist" was just about the worst insult you could receive. It was a hanging offense well into the so-called "modern" period. And in America, harsh resentments remain against non-believers of all stripes. So for Obama to include those two little words in his speech was a monumental step, for so many reasons; because it could raise the ire of the faithful that form a major block of his political support; because it could spark a distracting controversy that could derail his legislative efforts; and most of all because if he had left them out, we non-believers would've sighed, shrugged, and moved on. We're used to being the wallflowers in the political dance.
But he included us. He showed that he really does want to be everyone's President. He showed that he hadn't forgotten that his mother was a non-believer, and that religion is not necessary to make someone kind, selfless, and saintly. He showed that he hadn't forgotten his own path, which was by his own admission colored for a long time by non-belief. And he showed that he won't be cowed by the political winds into abandoning his principles: Inclusion, humility, interconnectedness.
Thank you, President Obama. Thank you for those two simple words. You didn't have to say them, but you did just the same. And that meant the world to me.