Rational BAC

Crisisgirl-------

Don't know that you have noticed but-------atheists have that same delusional feeling of being persecuted.

Maybe paranoia is more of a human trait than a metaphysical one.

crisisGirl

gasp - so i've been imagining it all along?

so if i go look at my cash (what little there is), i won't in fact see "in god we trust" on all the money?

judge roy moore is not in fact still trying to set up that damn rock in a court in alabama?

george bush sr. did not in fact say publicly that atheists should not be considered citizens or patriots?

i really wasn't ever forced to recite some idiotic line about "one nation under god" in school?

pat robertson and jerry fallwell in actuality didn't go on tv on 9/12 blaming the events of 9/11 on atheists and gays? (the guys in the plane had nothing to do with it!)

oh yeah - christians never blow stuff up? so the centennial park bombing and the other side bombing, and any number of other explosions were all dreams right?

"rational" my ass.

oh yeah - matt shephard is still alive? shit - i need to call him up. how's billy jack gaither doing? how 'bout my boy brandon teena? i suppose these quotes are fake too?

oh yeah, and fred phelps and his buddies weren't in fact standing outside of the world trade center holding signs - or is it that atheists protest funerals too?

and christian charities have absolutely no alterior motive for providing help - no one has ever been forced to pray to the christian god in order to receive a meal at the salvation army?

Rational BAC

Hate to break this to you Crisisgirl but you definitely show signs of paranoia.

If anything ---------over the last 50 years because of the ACLU and because most people have generally become more tolerant of diverse opinion of all sorts---------------we are living in a very tolerant society.

The sky is not falling today for atheists.

You want some real intolerant shit-------go back to the 50's

crisisGirl

dude, where are you from?

i live in georgia, and the stuff i'm describing happens all the time here, and a lot worse.
hate to break it to you, but you're never going to be stopped on the streets to have an atheist not pray over you. i've had xtiants block my path and lay hands on me many times.
matt shephard didn't die in 1950, and no, his case isn't isolated. that kind of thing hardly even makes the news here.
let me put it this way - think of every time that xtians say that if they aren't allowed to insert their god into every orofice of public life, that they're being persecuted. then, replace every instance of "jesus" or "god" with "allah." replace "bible" with "koran." if you think it's so damn easy to be an atheist, try coming down to my neck of the woods.

Rational BAC

I will admit that Georgia is a strange place to be in. Feel sorry for you. You could move and live in the real world.

And it would be "up" to your neck of the woods.

crisisGirl

and georgia is what, neverland? yeah, this is one seriously screwed up place, but it proves my point. perhaps you should ask some of the atheists here about our fundy horror stories - (personal experiences).

no, atheists don't have it this bad everywhere in the world, but here (georgia), and in several other places, we do. i probably wouldn't be so outspoken if i lived in new york or certain parts of europe, for instance. i think that a lot of more outspoken ppl are those like myself, who are stuck in the middle of the fundy farm with no way out. (i'd love to move to canada, but have neither the college degree for a job, nor the money.) having other people's religion shoved in every orofice is a fact of everyday life for me, and a lot of other ppl.

Rational BAC

Georgia aint all bad. I have heard that Atlanta is rather cosmopolitan.

Not that Florida is all that great either. North Florida around Jacksonville is full of fundies. And of course there is the panhandle.

But the vast majority of Americans are not crazy fundies. The sky is really not falling, even though I am sure it must seem that way depending on where you live.

Doctor X

crisisGirl:

Methinks you recognize the difference between experience and paranoia.

--J.D.

diana

From Merriam-Webster Online:

Um-kay.

How does this persecute you, exactly? Has someone been afflicting you with money? Ye gods. When will it end?

Again, this is not "persecution." Nobody's making you look at it. Nobody's bombing your home or strapping you to a tree because you think it should be moved from public view.

This is an opinion. A stupid, bigoted and misinformed opinion, but nevertheless...it does not qualify as "persecution."

Forced? Or what? They'd beat you or something?

I suspect what you mean is that you were taught the pledge with this line in it, and you said it because it was expected. This is not persecution.

Again, the public opinion of two religious nutjobs that almost nobody even took seriously does not "persecution" make.

I'm unfamiliar with this. Are you telling me Christians singled out a group of people on the basis of their nonbelief and bombed them? Please give me a link. I want to read more.

May I take your post here as exhibit A of what crisisGirl thinks qualifies as "rational"?

You confuse persecution of gays with persecution of atheists--which was the comment that Rational BAC made, to which I presume you were responding.

Again...you fail to point out exactly how this qualifies as persecution of "atheists."

We have the right to free speech in this country. That includes the rights of idiots who use their religious beliefs as an excuse to feel superior and advocate hate of others. Hating someone else does not qualify as persecution.

I'm not even sure what the bit about atheists protesting funerals is about, to be honest. Do you have an example of Christians protesting funerals because the deceased were atheists? (I think I'd qualify that as borderline persecution, as it's rude and intrusive.)

Again, this isn't persecution of atheists. I would imagine that Christian charities are such because they believe they are required to provide help for those in need, and because they take that opportunity to share what they believe to be the truth.

Yes, Christians do some crazy things in the name of their religion. Yes, many of them are bigots and that bigotry is condoned by their god.

Also, I think our money shouldn't espouse religion in any form. I think Judge Moore deserves to be tossed out on his keester. I'm not sure whether we should be required to pledge allegiance to our flag (country) at all, actually, let alone to somebody's deity. It just sounds too much like brainwashing to me.

But none of the examples you have listed qualify as Christians causing atheists to suffer for their unbelief.

As an aside, I came from a fundamentalist home and had, let us say, issues to work through when I emerged as an atheist. I understand your anger. You might pop by the Secular Lifestyle and Support sticky thread of deconversion stories and post yours.

Welcome to the board.

d

diana

We cross-posted, so I thought I'd acknowledge this post, as well.

You aren't the only one living in the bible belt. And the larger the city you live in, the less intense the focus on your personal beliefs tends to be, in my experience. If you'd like a basis for comparison, move out to Augusta for a month or two. Or come over here to Montgomery (which, despite Roy's rock, isn't nearly as overpoweringly religious as Augusta).

I would very much like to hear your personal horror stories, etc, with religion, though.

Having religion shoved in every oriface is overstatement, I think. And I would make the claim, lacking any evidence to the contrary thus far, that you don't have it bad. Is anyone denying you a job or a place to live or food or medical care because you don't believe in their god? Are you being beaten for your lack of belief?

(I would ask if you'd been ridiculed, but on second thought, I don't see anything actual distinguishing about that. As a Christian with a particular strain of belief, I was ridiculed. As an atheist, I am ridiculed. Christians who do not believe any given doctrine are ridiculed by those who do. Agnostics are ridiculed by all as "fence-sitters." I don't think ridicule is special to anyone, and therefore doesn't really qualify for "persecution.")

You have it far better than you think. Yes...it could be even better, but nothing changes overnight.

d