Respecting the beliefs of others

"The lady looked at me,” said Vindiola. “I thought she was going to put money in the kettle. She came up to me and said, 'Do you believe in God?' And she says, ‘You're supposed to say Merry Christmas,' and that's when she hit me."

Such a nice, good Christian!

Salvation Army bell-ringer assaulted for saying 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'

Lettuce Pray!

This is a Christmas present for the devout Atheist on this thread. I wanted to re-assure them their efforts to impose their belief's are in vain! Peace!

http://www.westernjournalism.com/atheist-dies-meets-jesus-returns-life/

Happy Solstice! Support Science NOT Superstition!

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-near-death-experience-isnt-proof-heaven

http://godisimaginary.com/i8.htm

Why are intelligent people less likely to be religious?
http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/08/new-meta-analysis-checks-the-correlation-between-intelligence-and-faith/

This is a Christmas present for the devout Atheist on this thread. I wanted to re-assure them their efforts to impose their belief's are in vain! Peace!

I view this more as an attempt to "air" my beliefs rather than "impose" them. My statements carry no "force of law". On the other hand let's take a look at what the "believers" among us try to do. Who is trying to "impose" their beliefs?

Notice that these constitutions are in line with the "believers" belief that the US Constitution assures you Freedom of Religion but NOT Freedom From Religion. You can believe anything as long as you believe in GOD. I guess Xenu or Zeus fills the requirement.

The constitutions of these seven US states currently ban atheists from holding public office:

An eighth state constitution discriminates against atheists by affording special protection to theists only.
Pennsylvania: "No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth."

I asked my husband a couple of weeks ago what he thought would happen if we suddenly could raise the IQ of every human by 25 points. What would happen to the world? One of the first things I think would happen would be the concepts of a lot of religions would end. So much of them seem to be just about keeping people in line, and have very little to do with actual spirituality.

"Remember, lying to forward your agenda is a-ok. Whatever progresses the cause."

S.F. school bears brunt of 'merry Christmas' hoax"

They call it a hoax, I call it lying.

Another good Christian:

Pastor accused of slapping woman on tractor

Indoctrination at it's best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsrtuvxDfrs

Heh I like this comment: "No one should have faith in scientists. Science isn't about faith - it's about skepticism."

When I read the title of this thread

RESPECTING THE BELIEFS OF OTHERS

I wasn't expecting to see posts attacking personal beliefs.....completely contrary to the title.

When I read the title of this thread

RESPECTING THE BELIEFS OF OTHERS

I wasn't expecting to see posts attacking personal beliefs.....completely contrary to the title.

Please read the very first post in the thread.

This is a Christmas present for the devout Atheist on this thread. I wanted to re-assure them their efforts to impose their belief's are in vain! Peace!

I maintain that I am in no way trying to "impose" my beliefs on anyone. Just the opposite. It is the religious among us who try to "impose" their beliefs on the rest of us. They feel that they have a mandate from their GOD to "impose" his will on everyone. I listed a few examples above from various state constitutions. Let me give you a few others.

Why is our national motto "In God We Trust"? It was originally "E Pluribus Unum", however in 1956 the religious among us used the threat of godless communism and the intimidation of McCarthyism to change it to the present motto. Does the current motto reflect the actual opinion of our citizens? Not at all! The latest Pew Surveys show that 20% of Americans have no need for religion. Who is "imposing" their beliefs on whom?

Then there is our pledge. Also changed by McCarthyism. The "under god" part was added in 1954. Again to fight godless communism. I will no longer say our pledge! Rather than change the pledge to something acceptable to everyone, the Supreme Court has ruled that no one can be forced to say the pledge. This of course sets the non-religious apart from the religious.

The religious among us justify this by saying that "the US is a Christian Nation". They listen to David Barton too much. The US is a secular nation in which the majority is Christian. Big difference.

The first treaty that the US ever signed with a foreign country was the Treaty of Tripoli. Signed in 1796 by President John Adams and ratified unanimously by the US Senate in 1797. Article 11 reads:

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen ,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

Could it be more clear that we are not a "Christian Nation"?

The truth is that our country was hijacked by the religious during the 1950's McCarthy period and we have not yet returned it to its original form.

“The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” - Thomas Jefferson

The truth is that our founding fathers were not devout Christians. Some were Christians. Many were products of the Age of Enlightenment and were Deists.

Today, no one who is not a Christian could ever be elected President. Religion is always discussed at length during campaigns even though our constitution says that there will no religious test to hold public office. Article 6. "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States". Our country has been hijacked by those who want to "impose" their beliefs on the rest of us.

This has led to the dumbing down of America. The smartest people in our country could never be elected to public office unless they were willing to lie about their religious beliefs. Take for instance the 2500 members of the National Academy of Science. The most elite scientists in our country. 93% are atheist or agnostic. Why is that? Because they have examined the arguments in favor of religion and rejected them.

Look at who runs our country. Check out this US Senator from Arkansas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjR7AWSmI6o
Do you think that he can tie his own shoes?

Who is "imposing" their beliefs on whom?

Rotorhead, I thought you would want to add this to your list. Stevie declares it to be "The Atheist's Hymnal". Merry Christmas!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=sJSdGMxS_Uk&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsJSdGMxS_Uk%26sns%3Dfb

Rotorhead, I thought you would want to add this to your list. Stevie declares it to be "The Atheist's Hymnal". Merry Christmas!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=sJSdGMxS_Uk&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsJSdGMxS_Uk%26sns%3Dfb

Atheists have many songs! Open up your mind and listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUGSYDKUxU

Or one of my favorites.

"They say there's a heaven for those who will wait.
Some say it's better, but I say it ain't.
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,
the sinners are much more fun."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmPgrGkVm6o

A little humor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlcpNg0CPnI#t=100
http://www.prayerhour.com/

More Atheist Music by Tim Minchin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET1-_PeExMs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s330oeMElQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYchB7Kxuvs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHRDfut2Vx0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0xQcEH7Dqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMnEpOsGH4o

Christian Group Obstructs Atheist Sign with 'A is for Angels' Banner

According to ChicagoNow.com, an unidentified female Christian activist stated, “You shouldn’t be protesting the ‘A.’ Protesting the ‘A’ means you are surrendering our freedom of speech. Everybody should have their opportunity to speak here."

“I think you need to go back, go back and read the Constitution," she added. "This is the United States and you cannot abridge freedom of speech.”

Ah the power of hypocrisy.

William Kelly, chairman of the Remember America Foundation, called the atheist display "hate speech" and said it might upset to families with children who expected a Christmas tree or Nativity scene, reports RawStory.com.

Kelly then went on to lecture atheists, whom he is censoring, on tolerance.

Are Catholics pedophiles by proxy? It seems so. They are the ones funding the abuse.

How do you justify being a part of this organization? They claim that only a small number of priests were involved, but instead of turning them in for prosecution they moved them to new locations and let them continue. They protect their own reputation instead of their children. Do they deserve your respect? They are opposed to homosexuality unless it is between priests and boys.
Merry Christmas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sex_abuse_cases_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sex_abuse_cases

http://www.snapnetwork.org/

http://bishopaccountability.org/

Back to the original purpose of this thread. It is just too easy to take pot shots at religion because it is so unbelievable.

What about evidence. Many believers base their faith on the miracles described in the various "Holy Books". Can any of these miracles be proven? I stopped believing at about the age of 12. I was raised Baptist. So for 6 more years, until the time that I turned 18, I lived in a home with fundamentalist Baptists. I was very inquisitive and had a full set of encyclopedias at my disposal. I was very seldom satisfied with the biblical answers. I would ask questions and get unsatisfactory answers, I was told that science is just wrong, the bible is the only correct answer because it came from god. So what about these questions.

How old is the Earth? And how was it created. The bible says that the Earth is about 6000 years old. Can this be true? The US Geological Survey dates the earth to older than 4 billion years. This is a huge difference. Is USGS an atheist organization or are they simply misguided?

I asked my father about dinosaurs. He said that they were created at the same time that man was created. On the other hand USGS says that dinosaurs died off about 65 million years ago. Another HUGE difference.

I was taught about the Great Flood and the story of Noah. Great story, two of every animal on earth loaded into a boat about 450 feet long and kept there for 40 days. Is this possible? Two of every animal on earth? How many species of animal are there on Earth? We have documented about 5000 species of mammals and about 8000 species of reptiles, not to mention all of the insects and birds. Does science support a global flood? NO. Most interpretations of the bible have now down graded the flood to a local flood in the middle east and therefore only animals in the local area would be affected. How could god not be able to distinguish between a local flood and a global flood? Didn't god inspire the bible? Did the authors get it wrong? Science says that there is not enough water on the planet to cover the entire earth. How does the bible explain this?

Science and Religion are at odds on many questions. Is science wrong or is the bible wrong? Has the bible ever proved science wrong? If the bible is the word of god why is there no knowledge in the bible that was not known to ancient man? If the bible had revealed new knowledge then there might be doubt. For instance, why does the bible not mention that lightning is just static electricity caused by atmospheric friction? Why does the bible not mention that the Earth is round and orbits the Sun? By the time the bible was written the ancient Egyptians already knew that the Earth was roundish.

The bottom line is that none of the miracles in the bible can be proven to have occurred. Where is Noah's Ark? Where are the 10 commandments and the Ark of the Covenant? Weren't they important enough to keep track of?

Why don't we have miracles any more? Now that we have smart phones and digital cameras why have no miracles been recorded?

The only way to believe in any of the ancient holy books is to turn off all critical thinking. Forget everything that science has discovered for the past 2000 years.

God is Imaginary.

"We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology." - Carl Sagan

Pastor John Hagee to atheists: Gladly accept my Christmas tidings or ‘leave the country’

Richard Dawkins on the absurdity of religion:
If you live in America, the chances are good that your next door neighbors believe the following: the Inventor of the laws of physics and Programmer of the DNA code decided to enter the uterus of a Jewish virgin, got himself born, then deliberately had himself tortured and executed because he couldn’t think of a better way to forgive the theft of an apple, committed at the instigation of a talking snake. As Creator of the majestically expanding universe, he not only understands relativistic gravity and quantum mechanics but actually designed them. Yet what he really cares about is “sin,” abortion, how often you go to church, and whether gay people should marry. Statistically, the chances are that your neighbors believe all that - and they can vote.

In other parts of the world, there is a good chance that your neighbors believe you should be beheaded if you draw a cartoon of a desert warlord who copulated with a child and flew into the sky on a winged horse. In other places, there’s a good chance that your neighbors think their wishes will be granted if they pray to a human figure with an elephant’s trunk.

Even if your neighbors don’t hold any of those mutually contradictory beliefs, they probably take it for granted that we should unquestioningly respect those who do. And the huge majority of American and British newspapers and periodicals go along with this abject kow-towing to what their educated editorial staff must know, in their heart of hearts, is nonsense.

Many in the US reject science in favor of mythology!
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/12/30/one-third-americans-dont-believe-in-evolution/

“This is a faith-based nation and a faith-based state,” Rep. Earl Sears (R-Bartlesville) said. “I think it is very offensive they would contemplate or even have this kind of conversation.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/06/satanic-temple-unveils-7-foot-goat-headed-baphomet-statue-for-oklahoma-capitol/