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yes.. I am..but what specific law..or is there more than one in which you were referring too that bothered you..or you found to be "illegal" in a sense?
Take your pick.... abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, blue laws, anti-sodomy laws, god on our currency, in our pledge, in our schools.
The mainstream christian stance on all these issues runs in direct opposition to many aspects of both the consitution, and what i would consider basic fuman rights.
In Texas, where I live, you must 'affirm belief in god' in order to hold public office.
Take your pick.... abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, blue laws, anti-sodomy laws, god on our currency, in our pledge, in our schools.
The mainstream christian stance on all these issues runs in direct opposition to many aspects of both the consitution, and what i would consider basic human rights.
In Texas, where I live, you must 'affirm belief in god' in order to hold public office.
but the first few you named..apart from God in things..arent just backed by religious people. just out of curiosity..lets say all these laws you named were removed..what kind of country would we be living in? in your opinion?
Take your pick.... abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, blue laws, anti-sodomy laws, god on our currency, in our pledge, in our schools.
The mainstream christian stance on all these issues runs in direct opposition to many aspects of both the consitution, and what i would consider basic fuman rights.
In Texas, where I live, you must 'affirm belief in god' in order to hold public office.
How are any of those a violation of your (Constitutional) rights?
Every city has a major atheist hospital, right? Don't they? Or a food bank run by atheists? Homeless shelter? Charity of some sort?
Atheism doesn't define a group. Atheism is a lack of belonging to a group (the group that believes in God). Expecting to see a hospital named after the group that it doesn't belong to would be silly. Our Catholic hospital is called St. Mary's, not the non-Jewish hospital.
As others have mentioned, atheists do contribute to charitable causes. We just don't attach the word "atheist" to our endeavors. Believers see a connection between their faith and charity, which is why they identify their work as such. An atheist does not think this way, so why would he do the same?
but the first few you named..apart from God in things..arent just backed by religious people. just out of curiosity..lets say all these laws you named were removed..what kind of country would we be living in? in your opinion?
I know you weren't asking me, but I'd answer - a FREE one, and in some cases a better one. I don't see anything wrong with the issues mentioned, and a few would actually benefit our society (like stem cell research, for example). But let's not get started on analyzing them all individually, or we'll REALLY be off-topic!
How are any of those a violation of your (Constitutional) rights?
Ask a gay person that... or somebody dying from a disease that could be cured with stem-cell research... or an Atheist who doesn't want their child praying in school... or a woman who's pregnant as a result of rape... and so on.
Does anybody really believe that a religious publication is going to take a poll and spread the good word that atheists are just as likely to do good as anybody else? I hardly think so. It's not much different than the spin that political pollsters are always using.
Does anybody really believe that a religious publication is going to take a poll and spread the good word that atheists are just as likely to do good as anybody else? I hardly think so. It's not much different than the spin that political pollsters are always using.
Well that's exactly why I'm not a big fan of polls in the first place. What irritates me is that I don't have access to the questionaire, so I'm assuming that it was done on a scale of 1 to 10. For example, 1 being no emphasis at all and 10 being very strongly emphasized. Well, I probably would be more apt to put 9's on certain things on that list than 10's because 10 emphasizes to me that society absolutely cannot maintain itself without these things. But, the survery doesn't say that, so it leaves a lot up to speculation. It appears to me that the author of the study just picked up the 10's and compared them to one another. But, like I said, there is no data to support what questions were given, the format they were given in, where they found the people, etc... It wouldn't even surprise me if they waited outside bars, nightclubs, and topless joints to find the atheist in a crowd (probably a crowd of believers by the way) and ask him a question, while they waited until the Sunday service at the local Baptist church had just gotten out to ask the Christians. It doesn't mention any of this so it's all up to speculation.
LOL. Yes, a self identified atheist hospital, food bank, homeless shelter would be extremely popular. There are plenty of secular charities, nonreligous- but they don't specifically state they are atheist. Do you have any idea that numerous atheists attend church, go through the motions, and volunteer time on behalf of religious organizations, but do not believe in god? Even Mother Teresa, of all people, committed her life to charity, yet it is fairly apparent she was an atheist. Think of the number of atheist doctors working at "St." So and So hospital. The fact that most hospitals have "Saint" in their name is more of a historical anamoly than anything else- and the name does not make them a religious organization. Atheists are villified and arguably the most hated group in America, and you are suprised that they do not spend time professing their lack of belief when they engage in charity?
Ok for the record I'm the one who thinks people are kind, generous and charitable just because they are...with or with out a belief in a higher power.
BUT where on earth did you get Mother Teresa (blessed be her soul) was an atheist? That is nonsense, she was a nun.
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