Modern American tolerance: An atheist billboard opposing religion was ripped to shreds on Sunday in New Jersey.
-
Now available for only $5.99 from Mountain Lake Press, the new ebook edition of Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, including a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman. Also available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and all other fine ebook sellers.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs." --San Antonio Express-News
““I was remarkably surprised to find out how closed-minded this town was,” he said.”
The same could be said of atheists.
““They wanted religious displays if it was their religion that was being displayed.””
Or maybe they were upset at being targeted during their holiday. Who knew that atheism is now a religion?
As offensive as atheists are, I don’t agree with vandalizing their signs.
I am curious about this…what is offensive about being an atheist? Let’s face it, there are offensive people in all sub-sets of the population, and atheists are no different. But that has nothing to do with being an atheist.
And I would say this, spirituality is a process. Atheism might just be part of that process for a particular individual. We’re all on a path.
It is a two way street. Here in California many of the atheists I know are very intolerant towards those with faith. To the point of often being obnoxious in their words and behavior towards those who don’t share their lack of belief in a deity. They seem to believe their own lack of religious belief somehow makes them morally superior to those with religious beliefs. If asked, I identify myself as someone “without faith” rather than an atheist so as to not identify myself with the boorish atheists that seem so prevalent in this area.
In my own experience, intolerance towards the beliefs of others is a flaw of character rather than being associated with faith, or lack of faith, in God. Some of the most tolerant people I know are very religious, while some of the least tolerant are not religious at all.
My experience is just the opposite. In fact, I never hear from atheists. I never see them advertising anything, they never talk to me about their lack of belief, and in fact, I only know they are atheists when the topic of religion is brought up and everyone is joining in on the conversation. To me, they seem to be shadow people…until Bill O’Reilly has one on the air. I’m not saying they are inactive…they probably are becoming more active. But so what? That is American democracy…they too have a voice.
I agree that intolerance is in all groups, but I would disagree with you on who has shown more intolerance throughout history…atheists or the religious. But it is a two way street, and atheists have taken some incredibly shallow positions in the past- see the recent thread here on the 6 year old girl being told she could not recite the poem she wrote because it mentioned God.
Good, glad the sign was torn down.
So, it appears then that you don’t believe in freedom of speech and the right of all Americans to express their opinions. Only religious people are allowed the right to practice their beliefs in your America.
Not me. I might be conservative. I might be agnostic. I might be skeptical. But above all, I stand for freedom and tolerance. I will defend the right of anyone to express their beliefs openly and peaceably, to the death, even if I passionately disagree with them.
You can’t have freedom if the only people free to speak are those you agree with.
This probably won’t go anywhere because this thread is old, but here is a related story and to me an offensive one. A politician introducing a bill that would allow schools to “require reciting the Lord’s Prayer.”
Its when I see this kind of thing that allows me to understand how offended atheists can get at some of this stuff. And that is because I can see how the religious too can get offended. And in this case it would be the religious who do not subscribe to the Lord’s Prayer who would be offended…they are just religious in other religions. Atheists just don’t subscribe to any prayer, so there would be no difference in how one could be offended.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20130103/NEWS05/130103032/Sen-Kruse-s-bill-would-allow-schools-require-saying-Lord-s-Prayer?gcheck=1