The problem with many religious people is that they see any criticism of their beliefs as an attack — the so-called “War on Christmas” for instance. If you question their beliefs, they think you’re trying to take away their rights. This is ridiculous.
No one is beyond having their beliefs criticized in America. That’s one of the great things about our country and our 1st Amendment (which covers both freedom of religion and freedom of speech). You can believe whatever you want. It doesn’t mean you are beyond question or that people have to agree with you, or even put up with you.
Not surprisingly, many of those sensitive believers who cry about being discriminated against when criticized are the first to speak poorly about Muslims or Scientologists or Wiccans or Atheists. I’ve often found it hilarious how some Christians scream that Muslims are trying to instill “Sharia Law” in America (they’re not) while at the same time they’re trying to make abortion and gay marriage illegal because that’s what their religious law tells them.
Anyway, here’s a clip of my friend David Silverman on Fox today talking about this issue. (Just yesterday, we were having breakfast together discussing it…)
(As an aside, in case you’re unaware, David was the inspiration of the WTF face meme, which was the face he gave Bill O’Reilly when O’Reilly claimed God must exist because otherwise you can’t explain how waves in the ocean work. So far, David is my only friend who has become a meme.)
When people are turning away from religion in huge numbers, when stories of scandal and corruption fill the news, it would be a perfect time for Catholics to embrace the 21st century and perhaps put forward a Pope who would want to change things. Maybe soften their position on gays (especially given how many gay priests they have and know about). Maybe not be as harsh on contraception. Maybe even take a stand against the way their leaders live like royalty, surrounded by gold and living in castles, when the founder of their religion specifically preached against such excesses.
But nope.
Instead, this new Pope is just like the last, ranting against gay rights, saying contraception is a sin, and surrounded by his own personal controversies in Argentina, where he supported the dictatorship there.
Most Catholics in America at least just ignore much of the church’s preaching. (I’m not quite certain how you can pick and choose these things, but I’m no Catholic.) But the numbers show that membership keeps dropping, and will continue to so long as the church tries to pretend the middle ages never ended.
One of the reasons I supported Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton is because I have a real dislike of dynasties. We have over 300 million people in the US. Can’t we stop electing husbands and wives and sons and daughters of the same politicians?
This is nothing against Hillary. I think she’d be a fine President.
But now Jeb Bush may decide to run in 2016, and we could be presented with the third Bush getting a nomination and a race that looks awfully familiar: Clinton versus Bush.
In America, we don’t have royalty, but we apparently have something similar: A Ruling Class. We’ve had our Roosevelts and our Kennedys and our Bushes and our Clintons, going all the way back to John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Not that these people have necessarily been unqualified, but in a country this large, it would be nice to see who else is out there.
It’s just a complete waste of time.
You see, I agree that abortion should be illegal after a certain time, just like it is now. That time should be determined after looking at medical science, concerning viability of the fetus. As science changes, that date may have to be changed as well. It’s a decision based on facts and logic.
Anti-abortionists, however, think that a collection of cells is a “child” from the moment of conception. There is absolutely no evidence to support this position. It is entirely based on either a religious belief or some sort of emotional belief, neither of which belong in our laws.
So whenever I try to debate with these people, I talk science. It doesn’t work. It’s like trying to convince the True Believers concerning creationism or climate change. Facts are meaningless to them when these facts counter their already-held beliefs.
So lately, I have just ignored them. I will fight them every step of the way, because their religious views do not belong in our laws, but I won’t debate them.
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