On January 20, the 44th President of the United States, in his inaugural speech, became the first President ever to acknowledge the existence of “non-believers”—atheists. “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers,” he said. Caused a bit of a ripple. All American politicians have been in denial about the fact that a large number of their countrymen say they are not affiliated to any faith: as much as 16.1 per cent, according to a Pew Centre study. That’s 48 million people. But every member of the Congress is a believer, or claims to be. Atheism—or even the mention of atheism—is clearly considered one-way street to a career dead end.

“God” has been mentioned 78 times by American Presidents in inaugural speeches. Before Obama, the word “Christian” or “Christians” has been used by six Presidents, among them George Washington (1789), Thomas Jefferson (1805), Abraham Lincoln (1861) and George W Bush (2005). “Muslim” has been mentioned once, by Bush (2005 again), and no one ever mentioned Jews or Hindus. (Irrelevant trivia: “confusion” three times, including, understandably, Woodrow Wilson in 1917, and FDR in 1933; “mad” or “madness” twice, by Grover Cleveland in 1893, and FDR again, in a very Obama-esque situation, in 1933; and “war” 168 times—James Monroe used it 16 times in his speech in 1821.) In his address, Obama invoked the Almighty five times.

Thus, “... the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” “This is the source of our confidence—the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.”

... contd.