tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post6157937024767308636..comments2023-09-24T07:53:50.826-05:00Comments on The Atheist Experience™: Wildmon is simply freaking!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-42184795664667405202008-10-22T16:10:00.000-05:002008-10-22T16:10:00.000-05:00@myself:ACK!!! I just committed one of my biggest ...@myself:<BR/><BR/>ACK!!! I just committed one of my biggest pet peeves. I got "there" mixed up with "their". For the record, I know I did it....and I'm not a 12-year-old.Sparrowhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520765821903563677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-8923049672570185062008-10-22T16:05:00.000-05:002008-10-22T16:05:00.000-05:00@-cI'm sure there are other reasons, but I don't w...@-c<BR/><BR/>I'm sure there are other reasons, but I don't want to know. I do know of some libertarian types who have been fooled into thinking the Republicans are on there side because they want "small government" or they're really into the whole free market idea...but if you ask me they're just being played like harpstrings.Sparrowhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520765821903563677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-87637995077783113172008-10-22T12:46:00.000-05:002008-10-22T12:46:00.000-05:00Is there _any_ reason to vote republican other tha...Is there _any_ reason to vote republican other than the fact that you're a conservative pro-religionist pro-lifer?<BR/><BR/>Seriously?<BR/><BR/>Can anyone give me one? As an intellectually curious individual I would seriously like to know!-Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07423776253697799481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-72041960266673296042008-10-22T10:57:00.000-05:002008-10-22T10:57:00.000-05:00@phillychiefProtestants are the majority and they ...@phillychief<BR/><I>Protestants are the majority and they didn't want a Protestant Bible used to teach their kids</I><BR/><BR/>While "protestants" are considered the majority, the largest Christian sect is still Roman Catholicism. As far as "protestant unity", I doubt you will find Southern Baptists sitting in the same room with AME parishioners if they could help it. On the other hand, many of the more moderate Episcopals might vote with the Catholics on many issues (except the primacy of the Pope) <BR/><BR/>But you are correct, that it is in large part due to Catholic agitators who worked against the <BR/>"protestentization" (is that a word?) of American society, and in passing, defending a secular society.<BR/><BR/>Although, their first attempt was to simply set up a Catholic school system, potentially ghettoizing Catholics, rather than changing the public school systems.<BR/><BR/>It would be fun to watch (not really to live through) someone like Wildmon having to live in an environment where the Catholics are imposing their version of christianity on him.<BR/><BR/>Maybe we can rig up a "God channel" version of "Big Brother", to see how apoplectic he gets.maddogdeltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657824720032887242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-15682586509930042892008-10-21T12:00:00.000-05:002008-10-21T12:00:00.000-05:00@cipherAgain, I COMPLETELY agree, but what you're ...@cipher<BR/><BR/>Again, I COMPLETELY agree, but what you're describing is not a government that is "hostile" toward christianity. What you're describing is a secular society, one that I would argue for. You just made it sound earlier like you wanted to take it a step further than that. But whatever, I think we can let this rest for now.<BR/><BR/>@phillychief<BR/><BR/>You're absolutely right. Thank you for clarifying.Sparrowhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520765821903563677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-21285568234750697342008-10-21T11:39:00.000-05:002008-10-21T11:39:00.000-05:00...there are a lot of prominent religious folks ou...<I>...there are a lot of prominent religious folks out there who want to paint atheism as sort of a "communist" anti-religion type world view, or paint us as people who want to "take away" the faith of others...</I><BR/><BR/>Then it doesn't matter what I say, does it? <BR/><BR/>Like I said already, anything I say that is at odds with a religious POV, no matter how slight, will be met as a threatening challenge. The problem isn't that I may inflame, but rather how easily they can be inflamed and the willingness, as you've stated, for their leaders to use whatever I say to inflame. Pussy footing around with polite language to limit the material such people have to work with to inflame or get inflamed is a fool's errand.<BR/><BR/>maddogdelta: It was, in fact, the Catholics mostly who we have to thank for a lot of the Bible not in school business because in America, Protestants are the majority and they didn't want a Protestant Bible used to teach their kids.PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-39500254229272410462008-10-21T11:26:00.000-05:002008-10-21T11:26:00.000-05:00"After all, if you make Christian prayer mandatory...<I>"After all, if you make Christian prayer mandatory in public schools again, what does that mean for all those non-Christian students?"</I><BR/><BR/>One point that the fundamentalists forget is that if it comes down to a vote, with the plurality winning, Roman Catholicism would win for the most numerous religion. Which means that without separation of church and state firmly grounded in our constitution, the school prayer would be a prayer for the Pope (regarded as the Antichrist by some protestant sects), and the ultra fundamentalists could be thrown into the jail by the Catholics.<BR/><BR/>It's a good thing that Catholics have never done anything like that....<BR/><BR/>Wait....maddogdeltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657824720032887242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-59941284734696780292008-10-21T11:06:00.000-05:002008-10-21T11:06:00.000-05:00If all you meant was fundamentalism, then that's a...<I>If all you meant was fundamentalism, then that's a different story, if by fundamentalism you mean dangerous fundamentalism...you know, the kind that makes people blow stuff up, etc.</I><BR/><BR/>I mean any kind of reactionary faith-based belief system, which prompts people to attempt to legislate away the civil rights of others. "Blowing stuff up" is merely its most extreme manifestation.Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-17209201918167856332008-10-21T09:55:00.000-05:002008-10-21T09:55:00.000-05:00@CipherOkay. If all you meant was fundamentalism,...@Cipher<BR/><BR/>Okay. If all you meant was fundamentalism, then that's a different story, if by fundamentalism you mean dangerous fundamentalism...you know, the kind that makes people blow stuff up, etc. Unfortunately all you said was christianity. Believe me I'm not about to "defend" christianity itself. All I'm saying is I agree with the tenet that government should be compoletely neutral with regard to religion. And I will admit that I'm not really sure what you guys mean when you're talking about a "society" hostile to religion, but I kind of took that to mean--at least in part--a government that has policies that are hostile to religion. Your "the inmates have been in charge of the asylum long enough" comment in particular is what leads me to believe that's what you meant. I suppose I shouldn't have phrased my comment in that "let's not offend anyone" kind of framework.<BR/><BR/>@phillychief<BR/><BR/>Again, I think maybe I just didn't get the point of the previous posts I was responding to. Maybe people were just trying to be funny or get a rise or something but it sounded like a few of the comments on here were leaning toward the "ban religion" mindset (that's an exaggeration, I know). My problem isn't with inflaming anyone. It isn't just that I'm afraid we're going to "inflame" or hurt anyone's feelings here, it's more just...in my view, there are a lot of prominent religious folks out there who want to paint atheism as sort of a "communist" anti-religion type world view, or paint us as people who want to "take away" the faith of others. Now, if anyone here really does think that way...that's fine. You're entitled to your views. My only point was to just...stop and think if that's ACTUALLY what you want to be saying. <BR/><BR/>All I'm really saying is that my idea really isn't "let's not inflame the religious", it's "let's avoid saying things we don't actually mean". I would just like to think that the goal of a lot of us here is to "clear up" misconceptions about atheism, and I think one of the huge misconceptions being put out there is that we all want to use the state to "take away" people's faith. My only complaint is that the "society hostile to christianity" comments aren't going to help clear up that misconception at all. Unless of course it isn't a misconception and that really IS what you meant. If it is, well that's an entirely different matter.Sparrowhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520765821903563677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-1167328244058973932008-10-21T08:27:00.000-05:002008-10-21T08:27:00.000-05:00With all due respect Sparrowhawk, I think your thi...With all due respect Sparrowhawk, I think your thinking is all wrong and systematic of what's wrong with a lot of atheist thinking. The real problem is religious people think in terms of conflict, of needing to vanquish or suppress opposition. So, with that mindset, they can't see advocating an alternative POV as anything but confrontational and a challenge and if that POV dares to say the world would be better without religion, well, those are fightin' words, all out, life or death fightin' words. See the problem?<BR/><BR/>Your strategy of 'let's not inflame the religious' isn't dancing around eggshells, but rather dancing around a mountain of a problem, the black or white, us or them, eternal struggle mindset of the religious. THAT is what has to go away, and that, like religious faith, grows from the fertile ground of ignorance.<BR/><BR/>What's needed is a war on ignorance. Battling religion is misguided in a way because it's addressing a symptom, not the ill. The ill is ignorance. Now improving education can't happen overnight, but you know where a good place to start is? Improving the perception of ignorance. Today, it's celebrated. That has to change, and why I said I would like to see a society that reacts to religion the way we today react to smoking. First you make it embarrassing and shameful to be ignorant, and then, hopefully, out of that you get a desire to change. <BR/><BR/>So should I fret about 'hurting the cause' by saying I'd prefer society be less religion friendly? Not at all, because feeding that thinking is feeding the greater problem, and, imo, further enabling the problem. Religion is irrational, potentially dangerous and built on and supported by ignorance and therefore should be shunned and discouraged. I do humanity no great harm in saying that. On the contrary. Humanity needs some tough love.PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-22334192915508578522008-10-21T08:23:00.000-05:002008-10-21T08:23:00.000-05:00A society that is hostile to fundamentalism? Sure,...A society that is hostile to fundamentalism? Sure, I mean it.Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-86027903685382943022008-10-21T07:58:00.000-05:002008-10-21T07:58:00.000-05:00I hate to have to say this, but you guys who expre...I hate to have to say this, but you guys who expressing desires for a society hostile to religion, whether you're joking or not, aren't really doing a lot to help the rest of us. I mean sure if those honestly are your views, by all means you're entitled to express them, but it might be worth it to stop and consider how much fodder you're going to the arguments of those who want to paint us as bad "Anti-religious" people who want an "atheistic" society. That might sound like I'm arguing for walking on egg-shells to avoid offending others...I'm not, but do you guys really mean that?Sparrowhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520765821903563677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-58620252463410557712008-10-21T02:51:00.000-05:002008-10-21T02:51:00.000-05:00Well I'm for a society that's hostile to religion ...Well I'm for a society that's hostile to religion in the way society today is hostile towards smoking. It would also be nice if instead of being tax exempt, it was actually subject to a tax, like the "sin" tax on booze and smokes. ;)PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-1213329541772773322008-10-20T13:40:00.000-05:002008-10-20T13:40:00.000-05:00It's funny, I hear so many people talking about th...<I>It's funny, I hear so many people talking about the "judeo-christian" principles on which this country were "founded"...but never once been able to get out of them what those principles are...</I><BR/><BR/>I think it was mostly the slavery thing.Curt Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08048312089881459521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-16074668476907405332008-10-20T12:54:00.000-05:002008-10-20T12:54:00.000-05:00It's funny, I hear so many people talking about th...It's funny, I hear so many people talking about the "judeo-christian" principles on which this country were "founded"...but never once been able to get out of them what those principles are...and how they know we were founded on them. At least those of us who argue for a secular society and a government that is neutral to religion have things to POINT to...you know, the constitution, whatever that is.Sparrowhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520765821903563677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-50661295138487121032008-10-19T10:19:00.000-05:002008-10-19T10:19:00.000-05:00If we start doing things such as jailing parents f...<I>If we start doing things such as jailing parents for teaching their kids religion, then, I'm sorry, that's a can of worms I don't think we should open.</I><BR/><BR/>I agree only to a point. For example, I feel very strongly that threatening children with eternal damnation (by which I mean representing it as a reality in any way) ought to be regarded as child abuse, and appropriate penalties - including removal of the child from the home - ought to apply.Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-18172356564056369862008-10-19T10:14:00.000-05:002008-10-19T10:14:00.000-05:00Cipher we have that in Europe more or less, which ...Cipher we have that in Europe more or less, which is fine. I have no problem with us ridiculing superstition and removing it's lofty status.<BR/><BR/>What I don't want to see is <I>real</I> persecution of people based on their beliefs (not the faux persecution that Christians in the US are claiming). We can win in the marketplace of ideas. If we start doing things such as jailing parents for teaching their kids religion, then, I'm sorry, that's a can of worms I don't think we should open.Kyle Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04569432667084294505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-20580113758748995262008-10-19T08:41:00.000-05:002008-10-19T08:41:00.000-05:00Bruce, I hope you didn't mean you're excited about...<I>Bruce, I hope you didn't mean you're excited about the "hostile to Christianity" part, because governments are supposed to be neutral towards all beliefs.</I><BR/><BR/>I, for one, would actually like to to see the establishment of a society hostile to Christianity. The inmates have been in charge of the asylum for long enough.Jeff Eygeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11967707883565162538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-13730447739916978842008-10-18T19:40:00.000-05:002008-10-18T19:40:00.000-05:00Martin I'm fully aware of Christian Persecution Co...Martin I'm fully aware of Christian Persecution Complex. <BR/><BR/>The point I was making is that they will quote Jesus' words "Anyone who isn't for me is against me . . ." and use that meme to promote the idea that government neutrality towards religion is mathematically impossible. <BR/><BR/>To expand, the United States government either asserts "Jesus is Lord" or the United States will be cursed and is in league with Satan.Kyle Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04569432667084294505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-65494862377812467422008-10-18T19:30:00.000-05:002008-10-18T19:30:00.000-05:00Kyle: Religious fundamentalists are deeply investe...Kyle: Religious fundamentalists are deeply invested in their sense of victimhood and persecution. After all, Jesus is the hero upon whom they wish to project themselves.<BR/><BR/>Daniel: No mistake, no one expects a quick fix to the Himalayan levels of disaster 8 years of Bush have given us. It will take at least two terms, and that's just for starters to get things on an even keel. And personally, I don't want the guy who voted with Bush every effin' time being the guy entrusted with that job. Just sayin'.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17933545393470431585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-14670356864800003322008-10-18T17:40:00.000-05:002008-10-18T17:40:00.000-05:00I dedicated this to the Reverend Donald Wildmon!I dedicated <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK24LzdrQbM&feature=related" REL="nofollow">this</A> to the Reverend Donald Wildmon!Tommykeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751182125861177379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-78161911459975617622008-10-18T17:35:00.000-05:002008-10-18T17:35:00.000-05:00Considering the state our country is in, I'd be su...Considering the state our country is in, I'd be suprised if much gets done during the next term other than the simple act of getting our economics back on the ground and the war(s) being taken care of.<BR/><BR/>Regardless of which side wins.Amnistarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07463779953148898579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-56817987383670349602008-10-18T14:02:00.000-05:002008-10-18T14:02:00.000-05:00Typical consie bullshit.Americans: Realize this.Wh...Typical consie bullshit.<BR/><BR/>Americans: Realize this.<BR/><BR/>Whoever becomes president, they must sort America out in their term or the rest of the world (i.e. me) is screwed.-Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07423776253697799481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-23063825148979955312008-10-17T20:56:00.000-05:002008-10-17T20:56:00.000-05:00Bruce, I hope you didn't mean you're excited about...Bruce, I hope you didn't mean you're excited about the "hostile to Christianity" part, because governments are supposed to be neutral towards all beliefs.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, Wildmon, and people like him, seem to take a queue from Jesus' words "Anyone who is not for me is against me" and then translates that to mean that any government that doesn't actively promote Christianity at the expense of other religions and of no faith is, by definition - <I>hostile</I> to Christianity.Kyle Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04569432667084294505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-70094489355039750092008-10-17T19:10:00.000-05:002008-10-17T19:10:00.000-05:00If the liberals win the upcoming election, America...<I>If the liberals win the upcoming election, America as we have known it will no longer exist. This country that we love, founded on Judeo-Christian values, will cease to exist and will be replaced by a secular state hostile to Christianity.</I><BR/><BR/>I hope this guy isn't bullshitting us, because I for one am truly excited about this prospect.Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338993634025153018noreply@blogger.com