en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/602912 Comments by nobozo http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/06/family-worse-than-christian-extremism.html#IDComment79347329 AndrewHall has it right. When the Family has garnered, gleaned, and stolen the power it feels it needs, this "democratic" nation will become a theocracy. And many of the nation's most influential political leaders (House, Senate) will be leading the charge to dump the Constitution and institute God's Law. The first group to disappear will be the abortion doctors and their staffs; the second will be us: atheists, agnostics, and anyone else who hasn't actively prayed, or something, for the last ten years. Then when we've been eliminated, it's Katie bar the door. Everyone except for the most hopelessly religious zealots will feel the axe of ethnic cleansing. Wed, 9 Jun 2010 19:56:23 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/06/family-worse-than-christian-extremism.html#IDComment79347329 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/03/atheist-dad-considers-civil.html#IDComment63336515 In my experience, any sort of physical display will merely piss off the privileged Christians, which will be in a vast majority, so they'll have a built-in support group right there. Your daughter's best opportunity is in her address. She could lace her words with quotes from atheists from all walks of life. Hundreds can be found in The Atheist Bible, which is subtitled as "an illustrious collection of irreverent thoughts." I bought it at Borders Book Store. Might just be the best seventeen dollars I've ever spent. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:41:10 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/03/atheist-dad-considers-civil.html#IDComment63336515 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/02/faith-as-suspension-of-critical.html#IDComment58674260 It's all of the above. I hate it when I can see value and accuracy in every, or nearly every, response. But it is what I see in this matter. I dealt with a fundamental Christian for about six months. We'd meet somewhere for lunch every so often and discuss Christianity and Atheism. For her, it was Christianity VERSUS atheism; and I would have to admit that it was the opposite for me. But, most importantly, she was adamant in her insistence that she really believed in all the fundamentalist blather: that the earth is 6000 years old, that God put every single thing on the earth, us and everything else, that he loved us and watched over us, that he listened to and granted our prayers, etc, ad infinitum. When I challenged her on anything she denied anything but the items I just mentioned. Those were real, to her. Science has it all wrong, I'm going to burn for eternity in hell because of my blasphemy and atheism. She was brought up in a fundamentalist household. Her husband was, too. They met at a Christian gathering ten years ago. All their spiritual relationship consists of is confirmation of whatever the other one says. But -- mind you -- they both are absolutely certain that they're right. When I say they have no real reason to believe in their way, they deny it, deny it, deny it. There is proof all around, everywhere, they say. There was no getting through to them and I finally refused to discuss the matter any longer. I knew that they believed that way because they were brainwashed as children, and what they learned as a child is in so deep that they'll never discard any of it as nonsense. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:29:54 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/02/faith-as-suspension-of-critical.html#IDComment58674260 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/idiot-of-week-scientologists.html#IDComment54541195 Yes, Scientology certainly is no religion. It is the plot of a science fiction novel from the 1950s being formed and formalized. Nothing more than that. But the fruitcakes that populate it think that -- guess what? -- their path is the true, the only true, path to spiritual salvation. Sounds like every religion I'm familiar with. But with Tom Cruise as their poster boy, they show just how fruity their beliefs, and their members, are. Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:54:28 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/idiot-of-week-scientologists.html#IDComment54541195 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/government-officials-wallowing-in.html#IDComment54121750 I live in fear. Really. These people represent us. We elected them to do so. They must know that religious bias in public office is inappropriate. It could be said to be illegal. If these fruitcakes become a majority, what's in store for us atheists? For Jews? For gays, like Barney Frank? And then Democrats; people who have had an abortion; doctors who performed abortions; people who THINK abortion is a possibility in their own lives. The list could fill several dozen single-spaced pages. These friggin' nuts are dangerous! The people who voted for them are nearly as dangerous. This nation is going to hell in a handbasket. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:44:55 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/government-officials-wallowing-in.html#IDComment54121750 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/helping-haiti-non-believers-giving-aid.html#IDComment53357500 I've already donated $100 to the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders. If we decide to give more, I'll go to your suggested conduit. And -- just trying to help -- it should be ". . .for US atheists to donate. . . ." up there in your first paragraph. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:10:50 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/helping-haiti-non-believers-giving-aid.html#IDComment53357500 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/aclu-and-religion.html#IDComment51702012 I am a contributor to the ACLU, glaad, and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. I know they can't do much without money, so I give them some of mine. They need it. If you want to support them, it's pretty easy, and it's worth it. Believe me when I say that we need them, and they need us to get involved. Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:57:44 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/aclu-and-religion.html#IDComment51702012 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/poll-would-you-attend-atheist-unity.html#IDComment51362616 I'd be there. In a heartbeat. And my wife would want to go, too, I think. Just to be able to show this country that we do exist, and in larger-than-thought numbers. I'd want to do more than that, but just to do that would be meaningful to me. Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:10:24 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/poll-would-you-attend-atheist-unity.html#IDComment51362616 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/delegitimizing-obama.html#IDComment51022911 I'm with rblevy, above. As long as President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate and House cower fearfully and silently in the corner under the diatribes of the religious and political right, the nasty right wing will continue and probably produce some success(es) in 2012. Bob Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, is alone as the only one who seems to see through the fog and call it simple nastiness, and no one else seems to care. The Democrats are the ins now and they take wwwaaayyy too much solace in that. If they don't start speaking out, soon and emphatically, they're going to be the outs, maybe even this year. Fri, 8 Jan 2010 15:03:10 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/delegitimizing-obama.html#IDComment51022911 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/idiot-of-week-editorial-board-of.html#IDComment50202633 Martin Luther, the father of Protestantism, probably summed up what religious devotion is all about: "To be a Christian, you must pluck out your eye of reason." That should tell you what religion is all about. The people sitting on the editorial board have plucked out their eye of reason. News people. No wonder I'm a grumpy atheist. Sun, 3 Jan 2010 12:59:21 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/01/idiot-of-week-editorial-board-of.html#IDComment50202633 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/idiot-of-year-for-2009.html#IDComment49930431 Ten hosannas and a hallalujah for your choice! When you first proposed your nomination plan, I immediately thought of Joe Wilson. But then, with further thought, I got many nominees at least as worthy: Michelle Bachman, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, the Orangeman, James Inhofe. I could go on, but no need; you nailed it, sir! Glen Beck! Perfect! Fri, 1 Jan 2010 13:45:09 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/idiot-of-year-for-2009.html#IDComment49930431 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/hillary-clinton-and-al-gore-linked-to.html#IDComment48099659 I've recently finished Jeff Sharlet's "The Family" and I mostly agree with FSM Ed, above, that it is a difficult read. But I eventually finished it, and I fully expect Sharlet to garner a Pulitzer for this work. It's bulging with exculpatory information about how our senior elected officials don't deserve their position in high-level political circles. These officials are doing precisely what the Constitution forbids them to do: relying on their or someone else's faith to guide their actions, their constituents be damned. This nation is NOT a Christian nation and should not be guided down the path to becoming one; that is expressly stated in the Constitution and yet these social weaklings who "need" guidance from some ghost in the clouds to make a simple decision are vulgarizing our well-conceived tenets of government, which were formulated to keep religion out of it. We need term limits! Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:47:34 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/hillary-clinton-and-al-gore-linked-to.html#IDComment48099659 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/aggressive-vs-friendly-atheism.html#IDComment47857268 There are so many diverse views. In Everything. I've had people who, when they learned of my atheism, thought it was interesting and asked me to settle some questions for them, but their views remained unaltered. I've had people who have become verbally hostile, throwing insults at me as though I was a baby-raper. And I've had a few who immediately became fearful of me and made quick excuses to increase the space between us, presumably convinced my total lack of moral fiber would allow me to kill him/her at any given moment. But one thing pervades the entire spectrum of believers. They really don't want to think or know that they could be wholly or partially wrong in their beliefs. Almost all will dismiss the most obvious truths about reality when such truth calls their belief into doubt. It can be as basic as a beating heart, but its role in keeping one alive will be dismissed outright; it's God who gives us life and who takes it away. When I laugh at the notion that the earth is 6000 years old, and say that scientific evidence galore supports a billion years of existence, they dismiss the evidence as bunk. I've stopped attempting any justification of my view; it's a waste of time, no matter how friendly it is. Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:58:38 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/aggressive-vs-friendly-atheism.html#IDComment47857268 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/senate-democrats-compromise-on-health.html#IDComment46540077 This debacle is easily explainable by sticking to the meat of the matter: our Congress has become the property of lobbyists and special interest groups. Forget the trite claim that they are representing us, their constituents. Joe Lieberman was very clear where he stood. He's representing big insurance. For him to claim otherwise would be laughable. Simply put, we're not going to get much of anything that we don't already have. Big insurance has spent millions, legally and illegally, to make sure of that. Our "representatives" care about one thing and only one: getting re-elected. Receiving illegal money from whomever has it is going to help them finance a campaign for re-election. That's one for the other guys. When do we get ours? When we help them finance their re-election. Forget it, otherwise. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:59:55 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/senate-democrats-compromise-on-health.html#IDComment46540077 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/rapture-ready-christians.html#IDComment46269184 Once again, a brilliant post from kmorgan. Hey, kmorgan, if you need a partner in this venture (a sure-fire winner!) count me in. Tue, 8 Dec 2009 16:23:53 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/rapture-ready-christians.html#IDComment46269184 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/defining-activism.html#IDComment46183901 I have had the opportunity to meet privately with a devout evangelical Christian. She asked me to meet with her to "discuss our beliefs." It became clear to me that what she actually wanted was to debunk my atheism. Once I asked her to explain Numbers 31 to me. She told me, straight-faced, that she doesn't know anything from the bible, and to explain it to her. I told her to go home and read it and we'd talk about it on the second meeting. Then I told her: OK, the new testament; what about Luke 14:26?" She again said she didn't know bible passages. "This is the new testament", I told her, "you mean you haven't read either book? Upon what is your unbending religious devotion based?" "What I've been taught!" she replied, as though I should know. Later, at a subsequent meeting, she told me she had read Numbers 31. When I asked her what she thought about it, she stated "Well, the Midians asked for it. They stopped believing in God." [I'm assuming you know what these passages are about, or that you will look them up.] She thought it was appropriate for her god to wipe out an entire community, every single resident, because they had stopped believing in him. I ended our meetings then and there. She really is unreachable; she could never be reasonable, but she'll always be devoted to her religion. Mon, 7 Dec 2009 19:48:29 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/defining-activism.html#IDComment46183901 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/idiot-of-week-rick-warren.html#IDComment46080412 My thoughts, exactly, Monster. Rick Warren is a poor example of a religious hero, in my opinion. Anyone who can't tolerate behavior that they know nothing about doesn't belong in the pulpit. He should be doing something less potentially harmful to his followers, like packing grocery bags or something. While we're on the subject, this past inauguration would have been a great time to showcase separation of church and state by not having a prayer. So much for progressiveness. Sun, 6 Dec 2009 20:50:55 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/idiot-of-week-rick-warren.html#IDComment46080412 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/tim-tebow-and-christian-privilege.html#IDComment45816452 Point taken. But he doesn't look like a dweeb to mainstream America; to them, he is the ideal of what a young man should be: devout, selfless, and an activist for his faith. WE see him as a dweeb, but he is revered by the large and growing population of religious zealots who want their son(s) to be "just like Tim Tebow." He has been dubbed a demigod and it's only going to get worse. Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:48:56 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/tim-tebow-and-christian-privilege.html#IDComment45816452 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/karma-and-christian-morality.html#IDComment45670929 Wouldn't it be great if we actually did receive rewards by how well we conducted our own lives! I can come up with about a hundred people that I know who would be very disappointed in their deed/reward ratio. All of them are devoted Christians. Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:36:54 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/karma-and-christian-morality.html#IDComment45670929 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/tim-tebow-and-christian-privilege.html#IDComment45545551 I'm a rabid Gator fan, and marveled at Tebow's football talent in the game where he was the third-and-short QB and they beat the Buckeyes for the national championship (2006, I believe). However, since then I've gotten to know more about him, especially his in-your-face Christian fanaticism and he simply pisses me off now. I don't begrudge him his faith, but I don't think the football field is the place to flaunt it. If I were a referee at one of his games, I'd flag him for excessive grandstanding. I wonder if the announcers would read it on the air if I were to paint Luke 14:26 on my face. I sincerely doubt it. Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:17:51 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/12/tim-tebow-and-christian-privilege.html#IDComment45545551