We read:
"Non-believers are ready to cut through the cheer this holiday season with an in-your-face ad campaign aimed at stemming discrimination against those who don’t place credence in a higher power.
The American Humanist Association’s new campaign, which was announced today, features messages that highlight the fact that some atheists and non-believers feel mistreated by the masses.
Billboards and newspaper ads proudly proclaim, “Bias Against Atheists is Naughty, Not Nice.”
While atheists and the religious go back and forth in their debate over what God’s role in society should be, many non-believers contend that they, being such a small minority, are treated poorly as a result of their lack of faith.
While Speckhardt claims that atheists are unfairly encountering “hatred” for their urge to advocate for separation of church and state, many religious adherents believe that non-believers take their opposition to religion too far.
Additionally, some contend that atheist groups misread the First Amendment to mean that they must purge public forums of all references to faith.
The newspaper ads being placed by the group capture stories about atheists who have been called names and belittled as a result of their opposition to prayer and religion in the public square.
Source
If you don't want to be hated, don't behave hatefully, would seem the obvious lesson for atheists to draw.
What harm does it do them if other people pray? Let them practice the tolerance they preach. I am an atheist and I do.
18 comments:
Jon sez: "I am an atheist and I do."
AINO (atheist in name only)
Why is it that people can't just live and let live. Is their faith in atheism so shaky that it is threatened by even seeing a Christmas tree or hearing a Christmas song?
I see things that go against my beliefs and morals all the time but I don't let them bother me. I watch a different program or go to a different store. That's the great thing about having the freedom of choice.
AINO (atheist in name only)
So you're only an atheist if you want to subjugate or destroy those who don't believe as you do? I can think of several groups, both now and in the past, who had that attitude towards other groups; including at least one group you claim to oppose. Never once has that attitude produced anything other than suffering and death, sometimes on a massive scale. Are you really sure you want to go there?
As the Christmas festival has become a virtual secular/commercial festival, I think it's not very wise of atheist groups to "use" it to promote serious anti-theism, as even most atheists or non-christians enjoy the jolly-season.
I believe that athiests who are mad at celebrations of religious holidays should go into their supervisors office and demand that they be allowed to work at regular pay on Christmas and Easter every year. If you hate the holidays that much you should demand to stay at work while others go home to spend time with family, decorating trees, and watching football. If your company gives away a bonus for the Christmas Holiday you should refuse to take it because accepting additional money during the holiday season should offend you as much as a tree and light displays. You should also demand that you not have to attend a company party or recieve any gifts, prizes, or food that go along with such parties.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a survey to compare the amount of anti-Christian activity to the amount of anti-atheist activity. I dare say it would be very one sided.
So, let's see. They want to force people to not observe and respect Christian beliefs, while at the same time, force people to observe and respect their non-beliefs? It seems like a desperate cry for attention from a group that is far smaller, and far-less important, than they would like people to think.
Atheists should simply point out the pagan origins of the winter-soltice festival and how christianity overlayed it with its own myths, and then more folk traditions were added over the centuries, and finally a 20th century commerical blitz turned it into the Yuletide "Humbug" we all know and love/hate!
And theyll insist on this HAPPY HOILDAYS stuff as well as BCE(BEFORE COMMON ER) and CE(COMMON ERA)poppycock as well
And will insist on eliminating "Bless you" after sneezing. That is clearly hate speech.
Okay, I tend to be fairly moderate in my comments, but these militant atheists are creating atheism as the ONE TRUE STATE RELIGION. They're religion is the only form of religion they believe should be allowed in the public square.
Eh, no big deal - no-one should be discriminated against because of their private profession of faith (or none).
No big deal - I kinda support the campaign (although anecdotally IMHO I believe that atheists are less discriminated against than many people of faith)
atheism is opposed to religion so how can it be a religion - duh!
How and why could anyone who believes in freedom of speech object to someone voicing their views and urging others to think likewise?
You may well not share the views, but to object even to their expression is contrary to our fundamental value of freedom of speech.
Attention believers in invisible friends- Good news! I (and most other atheists I know) are very willing to let you have ALL the freedom you could possibly want. All you have to do is get off the government tit!
That's right! For the small cost of giving up your 501(c)3 status (and paying taxes like every other group trying to wrangle concessions out of politicians) you too can get to spout your nonsense to your hearts content and not have to listen to me bitch about you wanting to pull up to the game without having any chips in the pot.
But till then, shut the hell up and get your friends rules the hell outta my government. Thanks loads.
Anon 3:16
Which laws would you do away? Don't murder? Don't bear false witness? Don't steal? Like it or not the moral/ethical principles that form the basis of most governments are common to believers and non-believers alike.
Would you get rid of all non-profits, or just those concerning religion? Perhaps all those charities should pay taxes too. After all, their motives are based on principles contained in most religions.
Give a little thought to what you want, and effects of what you demand.
Hi Dean,
I'm 3:16. And I have given aot of thought to what I want. The Laws that I refer to are the ones where by following them you and your invisible friend fuck other people out of their basic human rights. For starters the whole gay marriage thing, but that's not even remotely the only one. The whole "murder/rape/steal" thing is NOT a religious thing. That should be part of basic human rights, something that religions have a long history of ignoring when they wanted to do unkind things to non-members.
And in many cases yes, a lot of the other 501s could go away too and nothing of value would be lost to anyone but their professional fund raisers. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=topten.detail&listid=28
This is a quick example, but it's hardly the only list of charities that don't actually do anything but separate people and their money. Religious exemptions just happen to be the ones I think should be eliminated completely. Because while you may think Ducks Unlimited is a stupid charity, at least someone can prove ducks exist.
(note-I am not anti-duck at this time. I don't even know if they are 501 or not. I just picked them because, well...they're ducks. I picked the ASPCA first but decided the dog/god joke about dyslexic atheists was too easy to throw out.)
Atheists are such a bunch of sourpusses what a band of kill joys
Bird of P - if you want to talk of kill-joys, ever heard of the Christian puritans or Muslim taliban - neither are in any way known for being atheist and both killed more than "joy"!
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