American Atheists National Spokesperson Ron Barrier warns of the the religious hysteria and bigotry enveloping our nation in the wake of the Littleton, Colorado shooting tragedy.

n the wake of the Littleton, Colorado tragedy, there has been the usual radar spike of religiosity and godtalk. Parents of the survivors talk about "thanking god" for sparing their children, never entertaining the thought that maybe, just maybe, it was the same god that allowed their neighbor's children to be senselessly slaughtered. Gary Bauer of the Family Research Council, and Republic presidential hopeful said to CNN that "god loves" the students.

    Unfortunately, god did not love them quite enough to give the gunmen heart attacks prior to the assault. It is biblically stated that god knows every sparrow that falls. Apparently that knowledge is not sufficient enough to prevent them from falling.

   Is more religiosity the answer? This general statement has not been followed up with any meaningful explanation. It is generally assumed that most of the students have some belief in a god. Up until this particular incident, every one of the school shootings that have occurred over the last three years have been by believers in god. Every one was a Christian.

    Is Atheism to blame for Christians shooting their fellow students? The implication is yes.

   Gary Bauer, among a host of others, is now blaming the school prayer decisions of the early 1960's of being a line of demarcation between a society that was dreamlike and genteel, and the current society that is steeped in competition, material gain, self-indulgence, and most importantly, an abdication of personal responsibility.

We live in a society that complains about big government, but in the same breath turns around and says that government is not doing enough. Where is the line drawn? Do we want the government to do so much, to be so involved in our everyday lives that we don't have to think? Religious conservatives, faith naysayers and others believe we do.

    To submit oneself to a god is to abandon all sense of personal worth and dignity. God-belief, and the useless prayer that is an essential form of communication with this god, leads to a heightened sense of frustration when one's prayers are not answered. It leads to self-induced anxieties where one becomes obsessed with the false notion that he or she is not "worthy" of a god, especially when prayers are not "answered" correctly, that is, to the satisfaction of the supplicant. But all of these "godfomercials" and other faith cheers we will be hearing over the next weeks, if not months, miss the central point of parental responsibility.

    Recent reports indicate that the motivations and activities of the gunmen and their associates was well known. Yet, no one - parent, educator, pastor or law enforcement official - saw fit to address these young people, or at least their parents in private, about this festering distrust of their fellow man. They all ignored it. It appears to have never dawned on the parents that something was amiss. It never dawned on them that their particular households were anything but average. And when the teapot boiled over, the only solution anyone can think of is "god."

    As long as we don't face the issues that underline life's real pressures and demands,or the institutionalize biases and prejudices that are epidemic in our society then these eruptions will continue to surface.

    We must also remember that each one of these schoolyard shootings have taken place in communities where guns and god are a priority, and probably in that order. The violence in not on TV, it's in their blood. Yes, there are many responsible gun owners who, just like Atheists, are being scapegoated as being part of the problem. This is short-sighted and silly.

   The shameless exploitation of this situation by organized religion and freelance faith peddlers demonstrates its parasitical and predetory. It's goal is not to console with fables and myths - it's goal is to secure some new members, and reinforce the current ones.

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