Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is to SKIP CHURCH. I'm too old for fairy tales? (Page 2)
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It kinda makes me think "two wrongs don't make a right" but then again, it's good to see religion isn't as prominent as it used to be. More and more people are starting to think more openly.
i believe it's great as well... and church buildings should be abolished
@yaddayaddayadda02
Do you think atheists should be as silent about their opinions as Christians are?
@jacquelsvol Hah! Christians quiet about their opinions? They never are..
Meh. Its ok. I feel the same way but I still go out of respect for my dad while visiting. Although if he is visiting me I am not going. My house my rules
I got piano lessons at the age of 5, even though i hated it back then, well i'm grateful now. What you're showing up there is just abuse of parental authority.
I actually do realize that is a valid counterpoint, or at least it would be - but religion is a mindset instilled through internal fear, while piano lessons are e way to improve a specific skill (and thus actually gain others in hand coordination, melodic and rhythmic sense, etc)
Well in America, they are exercising their right for free speech
So you think it's okay to pick on people?
Sometimes people need a figurative slap to realize their actions.
What actions? o. O
Forceful indoctrination.
Its not really picking on people. Its a statement of belief. I see religious billboards here and no atheist says "why are you picking on me"
@been_waiting Do they directly attack atheism? Do they say skip atheistic seminars? Or do they say something like "Jesus Saves"?
If their was a billboard saying that atheists are going to hell unless they go to church no one would be allowed to be offended...
This is a real issue. There are kids that hate church and don't believe in religion and are forced to go.
@been_waiting So you've seen some billboards that say atheists are going to hell unless they go to church? I haven't seen those, but if so then okay that's picking on atheists.
I didn't say anything about that. I was talking about picking on Christians with billboards. Sure there are kids forced to go to church. Not my point, but okay. Yeah.
It's not the same thing. If you're in the United States, Christianity is THE main belief system. Atheists, Jews, Muslims, etc, are all minorities. You can't cry persecution when you're the majority. That's not how it works.
@MsAnthropist What a ignorant response. I can call fairness and balance if I so choose to.
You are entitled to your own opinions. You aren't entitled to your own facts. "Fair" or not, it isn't persecution.
@MsAnthropist You're just being a ass miss "I believe in magic but not God". Take a seat.
Who said anything about facts? I asked if Been Waiting has seen billboards to say for people to skip atheistic seminars. Besides I am entitled to w/e opinion/view/facts I want to be. You can't say I'm not LOL.
It is persecution to me.
@MsAnthropist Correction: You can say I'm not, but I can still be entitled to it and you can't stop it.
How do I believe in magic?
You're entitled to FEEL like you're being persecuted, but you actually aren't. You can't be fired for being Christian in this country, or stoped from holding elective office, but you CAN be if you're an atheist. That's right, it's against the law in certain states to run for office if you're an atheist.
Now how are you being persecuted again.
No one here said anything about magic. O. o
@MsAnthropist That's a inside thing I'll keep to myself.
You can be fired for being a atheist in this country? o. O that sucks. Still doesn't justify picking on Christians though. Christianity as you mentioned earlier is the major religion here... but not only here but also across the world and since it's the "poster boy" for religion it is attacked the most.
I feel regardless of the laws in some states the two shouldn't pick on each other. It happens. Atheists pick on Christians and Christians pick on Atheists. All goes back to my earlier statement which is it okay? Legally maybe, but from my view no.
At Asker: Inside thing.
If you read my personal response, I said that I prefer messages that highlight our altruism and humanitarian acts rather than aggressive and off putting ones. That's my reaction. More flies with honey.
Yes, you can be fired for being an atheist or for being gay, for that matter. It's ethically illegal, but apparently still protected. Atheists are, by and large, still "in the closet". While they might be constitutionally protected in their lack of beliefs, the cultural (and legal) ramifications are real. No, atheists aren't being stoned to death in this country, but they are in others (as are xtians). But lack of torture doesn't mean that atheists aren't considered reprehensible or vile to their families and friends.
You said, and I quote, "@MsAnthropist You're just being a ass miss "I believe in magic but not God". Take a seat. lb
How do I believe in magic but not God? I don't believe in either.
That was meant to be end quotations, not 'lb'.
@MsAnthropist Well my beliefs very few people in America or any part of the world has soooooo most Christians AND atheists probably see me as vile. My own family doesn't like my beliefs.
Ehhh never mind. It was a inside "joke", but really a cheap shot. I apologize for it.
While I'm at it, you want to know what's the most common question heard at the playground? Other mothers asking each other, "Which church do you aren't?" It's like some litmus test to see if your child can play with theirs. It's ridiculous.
If I were to openly say that I'm an atheist, how do you suppose that would effect my son's social life? And who's picking on who?
Attend, not "aren't".
This tiny fucking font combined with the lack of an edit function is driving me bananas.
@MsAnthropist You mean "What church do you go to?" Yeah I agree. I'm sure that's a common question.
I don't see how saying you're a atheist would majorly affect your son's life. He can still go to a public school or what not. Or would it be a special needs school since he's autistic right? Not being funny. I'm being serious. Why would they care that his mother is a atheist unless it's a Christian place? Maybe the losing your job thing. I see that putting a affect on your son's life.
@MsAnthropist Again there are much more support for atheism than there is for what I believe in even though you can put it under a big umbrella. I feel even within one religion each "sub religion" is it's own and different religion and those different than the others within that same umbrella.
Good memory. Yes, he's on the spectrum, but he's high functioning, so he'll likely attend a special ed or "transition" class (a mix of typical kids with special needs kids and extra aids) for kindergarten and grade 1, then join regular classes. He's brilliant, has functional speech, so he won't need to attend a special school.
Anyway, it's not the school that I'm worried about (although it is aggravating when teachers try to push prayer in the classroom), but his friend's parents that are the problem. We live in Atlanta, GA. The bible belt. Now we live in a very progressive little pocket, but there are still PLENTY of people that wouldn't want their child playing with mine for no other reason than my lack of religion. That's an actual fear that many atheist parents have. That their children will be ostracized for their parent's lack of shared religion.
As far as religious billboards picking on atheists, you've heard of the Westboro Baptist Church, right? They picket funerals, have signs that say "God hates f*gs" and basically say everybody is going to hell but then. They're nuts.
@MsAnthropist Well that's ridiculous. If they don't want their child playing with your child then they can take their child out the school. That's ridiculous. Growing up in public schooling religion was never brought up. Not even among the parents that I knew of. Even if it was it wasn't "forced". Even prayer they didn't enforce. Kids are allowed to pray over their food if they want, but that's on them.
Maybe in GA it's different?
@MsAnthropist Yeah I know. Their the most recent Christian extremist organization. I don't approve of them. However, if you are going to go by who gets attacked more then it's clearly the Christians. They are killed on the spot in many countries. If you don't denounce God they cut your head off.
@MsAnthropist *They're
I'm not talking about school, I'm talking about after school. You know, play dates and sleepovers and birthday parties.
Yes, kids are allowed to pray if they choose. It's simply that teachers aren't allowed to lead prayer. Kids can take their bibles to school, read from them, and even create after school groups (Future Christian Leaders, for example). Those on the right that claim religion isn't allowed in school are fill of it. It's allowed, it just can't be mandated. That doesn't stop teachers from posting bible quotes, bringing up God, praying in front of kids (although it SHOULD. How would xtians feel in the teacher were Muslim and practicing/preaching to their kids).
Part of it is regional. That's why, to bring it back to the OP, it's important for billboards like this to exist. I might not particularly agree with the message, but it's important for atheists to know they aren't alone. To have a sense of community. It's very isolating to be on the outskirts of society. To
Be the minority looking wistfully at the majority.
That's why we have "majority rules, minority rights".
You know that in the same countries where they kill Christians they kill atheists too- right? Atheists don't get some special pass. The only reason that there are more xtians killed in those countries is simply that there are more xtians in GENERAL than atheists. In the U. S., throughout Europe , and in Muslim countries.
When China and Russia became communist, they did try to mandate atheism, but it didn't stick, and it's gone now. It was a short period of time.
@MsAnthropist I still don't remember religion being brought up. Then again we probably all did pray over our food and most were probably Christian. Maybe my memory is bad? I don't know. I know once HS and middle school came around it was never brought up at all. Heck nobody even prayed over their food. I would.
Well yeah you can study religion in schools. There are classes for that. I took a world religion class in college. HS they had like one Bible class I think where you can study the Bible, but that's all by choice. None of that is "forced". I also haven't seen Bible quotes in classrooms. I doubt those are allowed around here. Most of the time teachers would have motivational things that's non religious. Things like "be courageous" or something, and yeah God isn't brought up. Used to I think it was a big thing. A lot of that stuff (if not all) is gone now around here.
@MsAnthropist They'd kill a Christian before they'd kill a atheist probably. Regardless again if you want to play the minority game my beliefs is the minority of all of that. Less people than Islam, less people than major Christianity, less people than atheists, less people than agnostics.