America was founded on religious freedom; why do atheists want to ban organized religion?
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Anonymous
Devin Kelley, the 26-year-old suspect in the mass shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs that left at least 26 people dead and another 20 injured, was an avowed atheist who once taught Vacation Bible School. Kelley, who lived in New Braunfels, Texas, died shortly after the attack on the church Sunday. A motive for the attack remains unclear but people familiar with Kelley said he constantly expressed disdain for people of faith on social media. "He was the first atheist I met. He went Air Force after high school, got discharged but I don't know why," Patrick Boyce, who attended New Braunfels High School with Kelley, told DailyMail.com. Kelley had previously served in the Air Force at a base in New Mexico but received a "bad conduct" discharge in 2014 related to charges of assaulting his wife and child in 2012, The New York Times reported. Nina Rose Nava, who also went to school with Kelley, wrote on Facebook how he would dismiss Christians as "stupid." "In in complete shock! I legit just deleted him off my fb 'cause I couldn't stand his post. He was always talking about how people who believe in God we're stupid and trying to preach his atheism.” https://www.christianpost.com/news/texas-gunman-devin-kelley-was-atheist-who-taught-vacation-bible-school.html You seem to have the same personal perspective as this guy. |
Anonymous
| As an atheist of 40 years, I have no F*$&ing idea what you’re talking about OP. |
Anonymous
Your problem is that you mistakenly believe that Christians aren’t allowed to live as Christians in America. The vast majority of Americans are Christian and believe in God. Hobby Lobby is a privately owned company; they are allowed to act like Christians as they run their business. They aren’t breaking any laws. “Since the Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby can deny contraceptive coverage to its female employees, a lot of people have questions about what that ruling means for women. While there are still some question marks, here are five things you need to know: Most women will not lose their health insurance coverage for contraception required by the Affordable Care Act. While the Hobby Lobby decision is devastating on many levels, most women will continue to have their birth control covered in their health plans without a co-pay or deductible.“ https://www.aclu.org/news/religious-liberty/5-things-women-should-know-about-hobby-lobby-decision Woman who work at Hobby Lobby aren’t being denied birth control. |
Anonymous
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-There are laws on the books that prohibit recognized churches from participating in partisan activities/endorsing candidates. This never gets enforced (seriously, look it up.) In fact, preachers have recorded sermons endorsing candidates, put them on the internet, and *dared the government to come at them for it* and the government did nothing.
More Than 1,600 Faith Leaders Endorse Joe Biden for President by Vote Common Good Team | Oct 9, 2020 https://www.votecommongood.com/more-than-1600-faith-leaders-endorse-joe-biden-for-president/#:~:text=Prominent%20endorsers%20include%20Billy%20Graham's,Episcopal%20Church%20Bishop%20Gene%20Robinson. Largest group of faith leaders to back a Democratic candidate in modern history NATIONWIDE – More than 1,600 faith leaders from coast to coast Friday announced their endorsement of Joe Biden in what is the largest group of clergy to endorse a Democratic candidate for president in modern history. See Full List of Signers Here The endorsements, compiled and announced by the faith group Vote Common Good, come from a cross-section of religious denominations, with the vast majority from Catholics, evangelicals and mainline Protestants—closely watched faith communities in the run up to the November election. Prominent endorsers include Billy Graham’s granddaughter, Jerushah Duford; High Priest at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Elder Steven Lindsey; former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches Dr. Michael Kinnamon; and Episcopal Church Bishop Gene Robinson. Notable religious scholars are also among those endorsing Biden, including the Presidents of Calvin University, Eastern University, and the Claremont School of Theology, and many prominent Christian voices. “This record-breaking group of endorsers shows that President Trump’s lack of kindness and decency is energizing faith communities and will cost him this election,” said Vote Common Good Executive Director Pastor Doug Pagitt. “Four years ago, many religious voters decided to look the other way and give Trump a chance, but after witnessing his cruelty and corruption, a growing number of them are turning away from the president.” Many of the endorsers plan to participate in pro-Biden voter rallies, Zoom webinars with clergy to discuss faith and politics, voter engagement trainings for clergy, local campaign consultations and faith voter outreach efforts. “This historic endorsement is a testament to the effort Vice President Biden has put into engaging communities of faith,” said Faith Engagement Director at Biden for President Josh Dickson. “It’s also a sign that the common good values of the Biden-Harris agenda are resonating with voters motivated by faith. We know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the clear moral choice in this election. We hope this show of support will encourage other voters of faith to make their values, not party affiliation, their primary voting criteria this year.” Is this ok, because the religious leaders are endorsing Biden? |
Anonymous
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-Bladensburg cross - a giant cross on government property that the supreme court basically ruled would normally be considered an unacceptable government endorsement of religion except that *it had been there for so long we don't want to make them take it down.* (So... if I break the law for a really long time, suddenly it's cool. And you can bet that no other religion's symbol would be allowed to stand on public grounds long enough to get the longevity needed for this to apply to anyone else.)
The Peace Cross[1] is a World War I memorial located in Bladensburg, Maryland. Standing 40 feet (12 m) in height, the large cross, is made of tan concrete with exposed pink granite aggregate; the arms of the cross are supported by unadorned concrete arches. Erected by 1925 in the memory of 49 local servicemen from Prince George's County who died during World War I, the base of the cross displays the words "valor," "endurance," "courage," and "devotion" as well as a bronze tablet listing the names of those lost in combat. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Cross The memorial was originally commissioned by the American Legion, but since turned over to be maintained by a commission within Maryland. This created an apparent conflict with the separation of church and state, and led to the Supreme Court case American Legion v. American Humanist Association in 2019 which decided the monument was built for secular purposes and had historical importance beyond the Christian symbolism, so there was no conflict for the state to maintain the monument.[2] It’s a war memorial and you are purposely leaving that information out because you are intellectually dishonest. |
Anonymous
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Catholic nuns do not want to provide health insurance that provides birth control. So the government says fine, we will provide it, you just have to fill out a form. Nuns say, no, marking a checkbox on a form is an undue burden on our religious rights *and the court agreed.*
Yes, Catholic nuns are allowed and encouraged to live as their faith leads them to live. Mark Rienzi, senior counsel for the Becket Fund and law professor at the Catholic University of America, said even filling out the form is problematic for the nuns. “On the form, the nuns would certify that they object to contraception on religious grounds. The form is sent to the health plan administrator, which is then allowed to provide contraceptives and seek government reimbursement, Rienzi said. That amounts to an indirect endorsement of contraceptives, which violates the Little Sisters’ beliefs, Rienzi said.“ https://www.baltimoresun.com/2013/12/28/catonsville-nuns-group-not-required-to-provide-birth-control-under-obamacare-judge-says-3/ Why does you and your atheist and anti-theist buddies start a group of atheist nuns and provide birth control to women, problem solved. You can be called nones. |
Anonymous
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Greece v. Galloway ruled that towns who open government meetings with an invocation cannot only restrict these invocations to Christian invocations. Yet pretty frequently when a minority religion or group asks to give an invocation, they get stonewalled, the rules change and invocations go away, or new rules are put in place that don't specifically, but effectively, make it so that only Christians and an occasional Jew get to speak.
“Question Does the invocation of prayer at a legislative session violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment even in the absence of discrimination in the selection of prayer-givers and content? No. Justice Anthony Kennedy delivered the opinion for the 5-4 majority. The Court held that the context and jurisprudence surrounding the First Amendment suggested that the Establishment Clause was never meant to prohibit legislative prayer, which created the proper deliberative mood and acknowledged religion's role in society. The content of this prayer does not need to be non-sectarian, because such a requirement would place the courts in the role of arbiters of religious speech, which would involve the government in religion to an extent that is impermissible under the Establishment Clause. The Court thus held that the prayers in question do not violate this tradition and are therefore acceptable under the First Amendment. Justice Kennedy further argued that legislative prayer is primarily for the members of the legislative body, and therefore such prayers do not coerce the public into religious observance.“ https://www.oyez.org/cases/2013/12-696 I think that decision was solid. What, do you want 5 member town councils to spend thousands of dollars flying people in from distant locations to pray with them before their council meetings? Or perhaps you want a Satanist who really is an atheist with a fake name (Doug Mesner/Douglas Misicko) get up in front of everyone and ramble on about how nothing created everything? Hard pass. |
Anonymous
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Public School athletic coaches are routinely caught leading the whole team/sporting venue in prayer, proselytizing to their teams, and the last guy that took this to the supreme court *won*. We know that if someone got on a loudspeaker and asked everyone to join us in affirming that God wasn't real and we were glad to play football on this beautiful day that had no supernatural purpose, there would be a riot.
Atheists and anti- theists are not athletic. They don’t go to football games or play football. You have zero constitutional right to ask other people to affirm God isn’t real, and to declare for everyone what purpose their day has. |
Anonymous
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Students who only want to sit and not say the pledge of allegiance in schools are routinely disciplined, despite the fact that the court ordered decades ago that the student can't be coerced into participating.
? what does the pledge of allegiance have to do with religion? |
Anonymous
Judaisim believes that a baby isn't "ensouled" until it draws breath; in the event carrying a pregnancy is threatening the health of the mother, the moral decision there is to have an abortion. |
Anonymous
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Lots of prisons will permit inmates to get special privileges for joining a religious group, but only one recognized by the prison. Which is usually Christianity, maybe one other one; often atheists are effectively banned from these same sorts of privileges unless they're willing to pretend to be Christian (or at least, attend a Christian group.)
In a study by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the researchers concluded that religious prisoners found many benefits in their religion, including an easier time adjusting to prison, safety, and an increased ability to cope.[6] Studies have shown that one of the reasons inmates become involved in religion is to improve their self-concept. Many inmates experience guilt, remorse, and pain as a result of their criminal history and background. Religion helps them to feel better about themselves and thus improve their self-concept in this way.[7] There are various other reasons inmates may find religion while in prison. Some prisoners may seek to improve their life and the discipline required to practice religion helps them to change and control their actions. Others may join a religious group as a form of protection from other inmates. It is a rarity for a physical altercation to occur in a place of worship, this means prisoners have a high degree of respect for these places. Social interaction is also an important reason for some inmates to join a religious group. These interactions not only allow the benefit of socializing with other people, but also the benefit of exchanging goods and services among each other.[8] According to the 2013 census, completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the estimated number of inmates in the United States prison system was 1,574,700 people.[9] Of these people, less than 1% (.07%) of inmates identify as atheists, much lower than the percentage of atheists in the non-incarcerated population.[10] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailhouse_Jesus#:~:text=Of%20these%20people%2C%20less%20than,in%20the%20non%2Dincarcerated%20population. -Similarly, prisoners may get preferential treatment at parole board hearings if they "found their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Can you imagine anyone would get the same for seeing the light after years of study of Carl Sagan? Sagan thought that spirituality should be scientifically informed and that traditional religions should be abandoned and replaced with belief systems that revolve around the scientific method. Why did Carl Sagan think religion should be abandoned? And replaced with some kind of cultish worship of the scientific method? Sagan was of course brilliant, but that’s ridiculous. Carl Sagan was clearly delusional when he suggested that religion be abandoned and people worship science. |
Anonymous
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Some prisoners have been required to attend AA as a condition for parole. This is an expressly Christian program, and some people who have asked for secular alternatives have been denied.
There are a number of groups within AA that are not religious in their thinking or practice. These groups don't recite prayers at the beginning or end of their meetings, nor do they suggest that a belief in God is required to get sober or to maintain sobriety. You are intellectually dishonest af. |
Anonymous
The point there was not necessarily that the nuns should be forced to provide contraception, but rather that Christian Nuns can successfully claim that filling out a form/checking a box informing the government they wouldn't be complying with a law is too much of an imposition on their faith; but the bar is *substantially* higher for non-Christian faiths. |
Anonymous
Jehovah's Witnesses don't participate in the pledge exercise at all (IIRC it has to do with idol worship.) Some others object over the "Under God" language. |
Anonymous
It's not that I think that town councils should be obligated to pay money to fly people in in the name of diversity, but when a town has only Christian speakers ever, and a non-Christian shows up and says, hey, I'd like to offer to be a speaker for this, and then they suddenly *change the rules* to lock those people out, because they don't want to have to even *listen* to them. |