Atheist Group Requests 'No God' Monument for Arkansas Capitol

An atheist group in Arkansas is requesting that a nonbeliever statue be erected at the state capitol grounds after lawmakers voted to approve a Ten Commandments statue.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation recently sent a letter to Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson requesting that the nonreligious monument be placed right next to the Ten Commandments statue.

"There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no Heaven or Hell. There is only our natural world," the statue would reportedly read, according to the letter. "Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds. Freedom depends on freethinkers. Keep state and church separate."

"The first commandment, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me,' is reason alone to have vetoed the Ten Commandments bill that passed your legislature this year. It is not the business of the state of Arkansas to tell citizens which gods to have, how many gods to have or whether to have any gods at all! It is not the business of the secular state of Arkansas to endorse one set of religious edicts or another, or religion over non-religion," the letter added.

Lawmakers voted earlier this year to place a Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds. The monument will be funded by private money.

The Arkansas secretary of state's office rejected a request to erect a monument honoring Hinduism on Capitol grounds earlier this year.

Rajan Zed, president of the Hindu Society, said in a statement to the Associated Press that the statue "would raise awareness of Arkansans about Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought."