Atheism

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The War Against Atheists

I thought I’d share this Facebook post from American Atheist President David Silverman, as it might start a nice conversation:

“This is why we are the good guys and they are the bad guys. There is no bill in any state trying to force atheism on anyone. All our moves are defensive, all the time.

Take the religion back out of science class. Give women back full rights over their own bodies. Get that religious icon back off public property. Take the religion back off the money, and back out of the Pledge. Everything, every lawsuit, every complaint, every fight we fight as a movement is all defensive, all pro-equality. We demand religion stay out of our lives, and we are hated for it by those who know we are right, but don’t want to (or can’t) admit it. We want only that which we would want done to us – equality.

The other side can’t say anything close to that. They are doing unto others as they would not want to have done to them – 2nd class citizenship or conversion. They complain about us, but we live by their ‘golden rule’ for real, while they pretend that what they do would not make Jesus puke.”

I would have used “Jesus wept” in there instead, but the point is clear: No matter how much Fox News complains about the “War Against Christians” every single lawsuit and protest has been a defensive one, and I challenge anyone to give an example where that was not the case.

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Me and David (Tall, isn’t he?)

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Atheist monuments deserve to be vandalized, apparently

David Silverman’s American Atheist organization sued Bradford County in Florida after a ten commandments monument was placed on public property in violation of the 1st amendment. As a result of the suit, the atheists are allowed to place their own monument. It will be a bench containing a few sentences about what atheists believe, and will be dedicated next month.

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson shrugged it off, said it was there to taunt Christians, and predicted almost happily it would be vandalized. Because, you know, how dare anyone else exercise their 1st amendment rights. r-ATHEIST-MONUMENT-large570

I mean, they’re just atheists. Who cares?

Can you imagine if he had said the same thing about Christians putting a monument up? It would be the “War on Christians” all over again. Apparently, a war on non-believers is perfectly fine.

I asked David Silverman (who happens to be a good friend) what he thought of this, and here’s what he said:

Just as the Governor of Georgia went out of his way to say he “couldn’t guarantee the safety” of atheist books legally placed alongside Bibles in public cottages, the commentators who laugh at the future vandalism are not only supporting such vandalism, but actually instigating it.

Religion wants nothing more than superiority – it hates equality. In Florida, as in Georgia and at the World Trade Center, atheists are demanding nothing but the equality guaranteed to us by the constitution. Religion views equality as an attack on itself, and facing the threat of equality, may resort to violence and vandalism, yet again. Yes, it’s pathetic. No, it won’t stop us. It will just reveal more of religion’s unseemly underbelly for all to see.

What we need are brave religious people to prove Silverman wrong — I want to see religious leaders decrying anyone who would dare to vandalize the monument. I want to see clerics welcoming non-believers as fellow Americans with just different views. I know there are some very nice and open-minded religious folks out there, because some are my friends.

But I’m not holding my breath waiting for the religious leaders to do the right thing.

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Thanking God for Surviving a Tragedy

Wolf Blitzer interviewed a survivor of the terrible Oklahoma tornado and asked her if she thanked God for surviving. “No,” she replied, “I’m actually an atheist…”

It always struck me as kind of insulting for people to claim that God saved them from a disaster. I mean, what does that say to those who did not? “Sorry, God obviously didn’t like your loved ones; he saved me, though.” Do the families who suffered need to hear that?

I know that’s not what people mean, but it’s kind of insensitive, isn’t it?

And, as this woman interviewed by Wolf Blitzer shows, it’s not even accurate. Apparently God saved the atheist before He saved some believers. (I should note that the woman said, immediately afterwards, “I don’t blame anybody for thanking the Lord.”)

If you ever survive some catastrophe while others die, please think twice before you say something that may comfort you while you are unknowingly insulting those who died.

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The right not to be ridiculed?

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.)

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