Barack Obama is set to violate the terms of his Oath of Office even before he speaks the oath on January 20, 2009. By choosing to have Christian preacher Rick Warren give an official religious invocation before the Inauguration, Obama is unconstitutionally mixing church and state and creating the impression that the Inauguration is a religious ceremony and that the office of President of the United States is a religious office.<Br><Br>Making this situation worse is the fact that Rick Warren has publicly stated that he believes that only people who believe in God should be allowed to become President of the United States. To have a person who is such a prominent proponent of religious discrimination in presidential politics be involved in the inauguration of the President of the United States is an outrageous insult against atheist and other non-religious Americans.<Br><Br>For these reasons, atheists urge Barack Obama to reconsider his decision to have Rick Warren deliver a religious invocation to introduce the Presidential Inauguration 2009.
We, the undersigned, note that:
1. The Inauguration is a secular, public occasion to begin the term of a President who is supposed to serve all Americans, regardless of creed.
2. Rick Warren has publicly declared that he believes that only people who believe in God should be allowed to become President of the United States.
Rick Warren's agenda is contrary to Constitution's ban on any religious test for public office. Furthermore, a religious invocation is in violation of the separation of church and state.
When you take the Oath of Office, you will pledge to uphold the Constitution. Please, don't break that promise with the first act of your Inauguration. We, atheist citizens of the United States of America, urge you to keep the 2009 Inauguration a secular event that speaks equally to all Americans, and to remove Rick Warren from the official inaugural ceremonies.
