You, know if you say one little thing that the church doesn’t like you are considered scum. If you don’t take everything they give you, word for word and if you disagree with them, you are just the scum of the earth, to be purged. You’d churches would teach tolerance. They would have the deepest and clearest understanding of how to accept people for how they are. When I call the church a prejudiced it’s really simple.

 

In America you have the right to believe whatever you want. You can speak to it all you want. But it is unacceptable to impose your beliefs on others. It’s illegal to force your beliefs on others. But no, when people who are offended by seeing the Ten Commandments in a government facility they are considered filth. The government who is supposed to treat all people equal and respect the beliefs of everyone. This type of thing is happening everywhere. How do you think a religious person would feel if every time they looked at a dollar bill it said, God is a Lie? So many people would find that offensive. There would be a huge uproar about how insensitive that is. But when they come to how the term “in God we Trust” is offensive to atheists. Oh, that’s ok, we don’t care about offending them. They’re just scum anyway.

 

Now, yes there are some extreme atheists out there that take things too far. I saw a piece on the news about a group which was upset because the city would put up a cross memorial on public property for any cop that had died in the line of duty. They were upset because every time they turned around there were these crosses (a specifically religious only symbol) in their faces. This is a case where I think they take it too far. If the cop was devout and it would have pleased him to have it then it should be aloud. As long as they weren’t putting up crosses for people of other religions. For example: Maybe a Jewish person wanting a Star of David or an atheist who would rather something else.

 

But still, there are so many places and cases, where people are constantly having someone else religion shoved in there faces. It just comes across to me as hypocritical. They teach compassion and tolerance but they don’t act with it. A simple way to discribe most religions,,,, Hypocritical Bigots!

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Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Fodder:

You, know if you say one little thing that the church doesn’t like you are considered scum. If you don’t take everything they give you, word for word and if you disagree with them, you are just the scum of the earth, to be purged. You’d churches would teach tolerance. They would have the deepest and clearest understanding of how to accept people for how they are. When I call the church a prejudiced it’s really simple...

Golly.

I have yet to encounter people with beliefs like the ones you describe, though aspects of such extreme intolerance are consistent with the most militant muslims...  Your description certainly doesn't apply to Judaism, Buddism, Hinduism, or any of the mainstream Christian religions, thank goodness, so you can find comfort in knowing that the VAST majority of the world's people are more friendly, more tolerant and more loving than the grumpy minority you describe.

Hope:

Golly. I have yet to encounter people with beliefs like the ones you describe, though aspects of such extreme intolerance are consistent with the most militant muslims...  Your description certainly doesn't apply to Judaism, Buddism, Hinduism, or any of the mainstream Christian religions, thank goodness, so you can find comfort in knowing that the VAST majority of the world's people are more friendly, more tolerant and more loving than the grumpy minority you describe.

Well, I guess maybe you don't get out much. Because the people I'm talking about are the Catholics, Christians, Jehovah’s witnesses, Baptists  and most of the people I run into in cities like, Eugene, Salem, Portland and Corvallis. So unfortunately, I don't find comfort. I find intolorance from the VAST majority.

 

 

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Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Fodder:

There are two positions one can have about God, you can be for him, or against him.

But your never without him.

Fodder, I get out a great deal. More importantly, I read voraciously and I travel.

Before deciding to become a parent I spent a LOT of time with all the people you list, because I didn't have the benefit of a religious education and I felt the need to learn more before becoming responsible for explaining "God" to my child.

I started by asking religious friends questions like, "What do you believe" and, "What's the difference between your religion and ______?" I listened, read, explored and questioned - and then I moved on to the leadership with more questions. NONE of the people I spoke to shunned me for my ignorance, upbringing, or any other personal deficiency. All of them, Christians, Jews, Catholics, Episcopalians, Mormons, Christian Scientists - all of them - invited me in and offered to explain their beliefs. I questioned them all, bluntly because of my ignorance, and they ALL showed exceptional patience, grace, and tolerance.

My "search" lasted more than 18 months, and it increased in intensity, as I became convinced that the questions I was trying to answer were the most important in life (and death). I read voraciously, and I returned to the religious leaders with sharper, tough questions until I arrived at what I believe to be the truth. They were all kind and helpful. Even in disagreement they were gracious and tolerant - for what they considered my wrong thinking.

They TOLERATED my ignorance. That doesn't mean they agreed with me, and it doesn't mean they considered our ideas "equal".  Tolerance doesn't require a person to say, "Your belief is just as 'right' as mine." It requires us to TOLERATE (allow) others to believe as they wish when we know they are wrong.

Similarly, our Constitution guarantees that no person shall be prohibited from freely practicing his religion in this country. That doesn't mean that the government is obliged to systematically scrub any reference to God from government buildings or government issue, and it does not guarantee that atheists or others will not be offended by the views of a population that finds it's common root in Christianity, though in the surreal world of Eugene, Oregon there are many who misapprehend the law to mean that.

The Constitution was more than a standard-setting document. It was a contract between the federal government and the states which specified (limited) the scope and breadth of federal power. At the time the Constitution was written the references to God were a hundred times more abundant -- and 95% of the authors/signers were Christian. (Jefferson was a Deist). Their stated intent was to prevent what had happened in England, where the state identified THE church that would be acceptable/supported/tolerated. (The Church of England.) There was no promise to insulate citizens or visitors from the various flavors of Christianity that dominated the colonies. The First Amendment simply prohibits the government from creating a national religion and ensures that government officials may practice any religion they wish.

In this great country atheists have the right to actively disbelieve in God, and they have the right to talk about it, questioning the faith of others. They do not have the right to be insulated from Christianity in a Christian land, nor can they expect to be successful in scrubbing away all they references to God, most of which were put in place or allowed by the founding fathers of this country. They invented the game, so they got to set the rules and we've got to play by them. (The U.S. Supreme Court makes up law as it moves forward, so the Constitution may mean something completely different in thirty or fifty years but, thankfully, I wont be around to see it :-)

Many Christians feel obliged to try to "save" the "lost" (those who do not know God), because they believe that if you die before accepting Christ you will be doomed to an eternity in hell - so many of them work pretty hard at getting the message out, and they can be quite forceful. However, it is the VERY rare exception to the rule who will not leave you alone if you make the request.

Christians also believe that our the imperfection of thought and behavior, which applies to all of us, is "sin". We are therefore all "sinners". That is not saying we are "scum", as you say. It's simply a statement of the human condition that flows from our fall from grace in the garden of Eden.

In a diverse world it's important to learn not to be offended too easily. Why I visit Egypt or Japan I'm not offended that the people there don't share my views on God. And I'm not offended that many Egyptian Muslims think I'm an idiot because of my beliefs. So what?

Atheists living in a county founded and dominated by Christians need to thicken their skins -- and count their blessings that they live in a land in which they have the absolute and vigilantly protected right to be absolutely wrong.