Thank you for bringing this to the attention of so many people. I'm talking about the "Worst Person" on Tuesday, April 8. It's Illinois Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago), berating a man (to put it mildly) for his lack of religious beliefs.
There is audio and a transcription of the exchange over at Friendly Atheist, so go on over and check it out. We, as a group, are the most hated people in society. This is a result of prejudice, ignorance, lack of understanding, and lies that people have been told for generations. Many people equate a person who lacks belief in a God to a terrorist, murderer, or child molester. There needs to be a lot of discussion in public forums so that the public can be made aware of the truth.
I am a peaceful, forgiving, rational, tolerant person who respects the rights of others to seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think it is fine to believe in something if you have given it plenty of thought, and know WHY you believe it. Think freely, and be open to the possibility that you DON"T have all the answers, or that someone else is on a different path, and it's OK. You think that atheists hate Christians? What we hate is Christians trying to turn convert us, or else eliminate us. I used to be a Christian myself. I now choose something else... something that years of deep thinking has brought me to, and as an American, that is my right. My philosophy can change, and it will if it needs to. Again... this is America.
Tags: Keith Olbermann - atheist - atheism - bigotry
7 comments:
Here in the midwest we have a family going around to all the funerals of those coming back from Iraq..where they have to stomp on the flag and say the war has to do with gays..not sure what her religious beliefs are, but its kept our motorcycle groups busy protecting the familes at these funerals.
ellie, sounds like those wackos from the Westboro Baptist Church, but it could be copycat rogues.
That's a shame.
I heard this audio yesterday-disgusting to be sure,and Keith nails it, as usual.
Have you heard the one about the dyslexic agnostic?He used to lay awake at night wondering if there really was a dog.(insert trap snare sound and groans).
Dog is my co-pilot.
Good luck having a sane dialog on this. A while back one of our local community colleges was having a "forum" on religion. Mind you, this is a state supported institution. They had a Catholic priest, a rabbi, a muslim and I believe a Buddhist on the panel. I wrote to the organizer asking why there was not an atheist on the panel, at least for balance. I would have been happy to represent. I never even received a reply. Atheists simply cannot get a fair shake in the public discourse. Doesn't mean we should stop trying but it's a tough road.
Yes, it is tough. The panel might have been open to adding a Unitarian Universalist (UU). Atheism (humanism) is an accepted path/philosophy to pursue with them. So are the other things mentioned: buddhism, islam, christianity, judaism, also paganism and many -isms not listed. They simply don't believe in telling you what to believe. You are supposed to figure that out for yourself and tolerate others (and refrain from telling THEM what to believe). That's one reason I like it.
Sometimes I think you and I are the same person. Great post. My thoughts exactly.
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