We, the undersigned, hereby declare that we reject any and all attempts to include an exclusively favorable reference to Christianity in the preamble to the European Constitution. We believe that the separation of church and state is essential for the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of people from all creeds and cultures, including people with no religious background. Europe today already includes the formerly socialist region of East Germany, for example, where a majority does not belong to any church (only about 25\% of East Germans believe in God, and only about 55\% of all Germans do), and many European countries have strong minorities from non-Christian denominations.

The principle of state neutrality on matters of faith applies to the European Union as much as it applies to its individual member states. By embracing Christianity alone while rejecting the values of, say, humanism or the Koran, we risk further alienation of citizens of Europe from the European political process.

We ask you, the decision makers of the European Union and its member states, not to fall for the populist campaign that has been initiated by the Christian Churches and to do the right thing: Instead of emphasizing Christianity, emphasize the importance of peaceful coexistence of all beliefs with no preference given to any of them by the state.