In Santa Clarita We No Longer Trust

  By TurboFool | May 13, 2009 - 12:04 pm | Atheism, Free Thought, Politics, Religion

So a few weeks back, one of our local City Council members, Bob Kellar (ex-mayor, if I’m not mistaken), shocked the room by proposing we add “In God We Trust” to the city seal. His feeling was that it’s somehow raised morale in other cities that have done it, and in these trying times, we all need a little more… what, exactly? What is it that a few words on a sign that reference something a large percentage of the population have no belief in is expected to do?

Either way, it was agreed to table it and discuss a vote at a future meeting. That meeting was held last night.

According to SCVTalk.com, that discussing didn’t go quite as was expected. Seems the council felt it completely unnecessary to have the fair citizens of this city vote on the subject. “I strongly believe we are a representative government,” Mayor Frank Ferry said, according to The Signal [warning, link full of incredibly ignorant comments]. “We are elected to represent the people.” And so, with that understanding, they went ahead and made the decision without us.

Apparently these people are unaware that their view of God is not the only one that exists. Not only that, but apparently it never crossed their minds that the people who voted them into office didn’t do so with any remote expectation that they would be representing not only their interests in managing the city, but also their religious affiliation. While I didn’t vote for any of the people who make up the current council, I also didn’t vote for the people I did based on their likelihood to vote against combining church and state. That was never discussed in campaign speeches or mailings. But then again, with comments like “What I don’t want through a city election is for this to become a religious issue; where it’s atheist verse Christian, Atheist verse Catholic or Christian verse Jew” by Mayor Frank Ferry, maybe I give them too much credit. Apparently they were aware we exist, and were aware we would be upset by this. So, as opposed to recognizing it’s a controversial subject and skipping it, or as opposed to allowing us to be adults and have those arguments, they simply made the decision for us to approve one of those viewpoints over all the rest.

I’m unbelievably frustrated, saddened, angered, and disenfranchised by this. I am not the only atheist in this valley, nor are atheists the only people given the finger by this decision. In God I don’t trust, but I was under the impression that I could trust the people who were elected to manage this city to make decisions in the best interest of its people, and their personal freedoms. Deciding their religion needs to be displayed all over our city in an official capacity does not protect those interests.

Santa Clarita is not in the middle of nowhere. We’re not in the bible belt, we’re not a small town with nothing but churchgoers. We’re in Southern California, not that far from the coast, right outside of the big city, and our town’s made up of people who commute to those coast cities. We’re therefore a melting pot of beliefs and opinions. Yes, this city tends to lean right-wing, and therefore religious, but I never had the impression that it was this close-minded and foolish as to forget such a large percentage of its citizens in exchange for what? Simple platitudes on a wall? Something that will make a few religious people smile when it happens, and then forget about it within days, but will stand as a silent, yet blaring reminder to the rest of us that our city thinks we’re irrelevant?

I don’t know what else to say. I’ve never felt this directly persecuted before for not going with the status quo and pretending to believe in something for which I see no reason to believe. I would never, and will never, begrudge these people their beliefs. And I would never decide, if elected, to modify the city seal to represent something that I believe that others do not share. I would, instead, leave well enough alone and choose to keep the city seal the simple, non-denominational, non-controversial seal it was, and leave the personal beliefs to our homes, churches, temples, synagogues, libraries, strip clubs, movie theaters, and wherever else we feel comfortable expressing interest in things others don’t necessarily share.

I don’t know what, if anything, can be done. But if there’s anyone else out there who’s as pissed off as I am who wants to do it, please join me. Let’s make a difference and remind these people that their entire citizenship matters.

EDIT: A friend of mine recommended the following revision to the seal. Seems just as fair:

A friend of mine hastily provided this alternate seal

A hastily-drawn alternative

EDIT 2: Dave Nichols does a great job addressing this issue, and its overall implications, from a much broader level. Check it out here.

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  • Anon

    We should boil a bunch of spaghetti and show them the roots of the universe.

    Santa Clarita, I AM DISAPPOINT.

  • http://davenichols.net/ Dave Nichols

    Oy. I hope these sorts of christian actions are never the basis for any persecution, but if history is any indicator, they certainly will be. How this could possibly be legal is beyond me, but I wonder if that is due more to my expectation that 14th Amendment style protections are actually part of local and state laws, which they may well not be. Local jurisdictions have a surprising amount of freedom (good in most cases, IMO), but letting them use religious mottos which are intimidating to those of other beliefs or non-beliefs certainly violates the spirit if seperation if not the law.

    • http://turbofool.com TurboFool

      You bring up an important point. Mayor Dude voiced a concern that putting this on the ballot would create fighting and make it a “religious issue.” I’m not sure it crossed his mind what essentially making judeo-christian religions the official religion of our city would do. To the hateful bigots we know exist all over the place, it merely lends them support in their feeling of superiority, and could easily incite violence against those who don’t support what our town now officially stands for. Don’t believe in our god? Then get out!

      I also wonder if it is a direct effort to keep out some undesired element to begin with. Considering the comments on I Heart SCV about godless heathens, it’s clear that people of our belief set (or lack thereof) are not a welcome element to many. We already know Muslims are also apparently universally reviled among the conservative set, almost as much so as atheists. The remaining groups are, simply, too foreign for comfort. Wearing our city’s prejudices on its seal will simply make it that much easier to keep them from ever buying a home here.

      The lack of understanding of our country’s history is saddening. One of the most fundamental reasons for our secession was an issue of religious freedom. These very people’s beliefs were once under attack, and it’s that adversity that led them to take action and create this “more perfect union.” And yet, once they’ve managed to establish the same level of power and majority that once ruled over them, they happily turn around and treat others much the same way. But I fear this is simply a human condition. We’re content so long as what we care about isn’t threatened, and those that don’t agree with us don’t share the same level of importance. I wonder sometimes if it’s something we can overcome, but then I look at the world around us and see examples from all angles. There are countries that have pulled it off and serve as a great example. But can our culture handle the shift? Only time and progress will tell.

  • Pingback: Santa Clarita, CA – You’re dead to me « Skepacabra

  • http://nullsession.net Nullsession

    I am pretty shocked. My stereotype of California is shattered. It’s like we live in some upside down world where Iowa has gay marriage and California has been invaded by morality police.

    In reality, I think it could be two things. First, it could be people afraid that their “way of life” is threatened. We’ve seen that with the “OMG teh Mexicans R coming!” before. People want to maintain the status quo, no matter how illogical and unrealistic that may be. Since they can’t DO much to make people “be like them and think like them” – they do what they have the power to do, pass silly laws that add their superhero to the city shield/logo/slogan/song.

    Second, it could be that they think, now stick with me, that money is “trusted” because it says “In God We Trust” on it, and they are trying to market the city as wholesome and trustworthy.

    But, whether they mean it or not, it’s just another form of discrimination that I hope we eventually overcome!

    Nice post!