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Atheists aren't viewing pledge ruling as godsend
The Orange County Register ^ | 30 June 2002 | Stephen Lynch

Posted on 06/30/2002 10:12:30 AM PDT by thinktwice

Edited on 04/14/2004 10:05:13 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

Negative furor over 'under God' decision reminds them of their outcast status.

Last week's Pledge of Allegiance debate reaffirmed at least one political lesson: While elected officials usually try not to offend anyone, there's one group no one worries about alienating - atheists who believe in the nation, though not in a deity.


(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: atheists; catholiclist; georgewbush; pledge
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The article was published on the Front Page of the 30 June 2002 Orange County Register; and the source link will probably only be available for that day's edition.

President George H. W. Bush's -- insensitive and prejudiced -- 1987 opinion about atheists is found in the next-to-last paragraph.

Those agreeing with the former president are requested to open their eyes and review a related thread where Richard Cheek (mentioned in this article's third paragraph) authored an 11 June 2002 "Letter to the Editor" that resulted in Freeper dialogue amounting to almost 1,500 comments.

1 posted on 06/30/2002 10:12:31 AM PDT by thinktwice
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To: thinktwice
While elected officials usually try not to offend anyone, there's one group no one worries about alienating - atheists

What a crock! Replace the word "atheists" with the word "Christians" and you'd get it right. If no one was worried about offending atheists, there would still be prayer in schools, nativity scenes wouldn't be ordered down along with the Ten Commandments. High schoolers would be free to read religious speeches at their graduations, and this lawsuit would have never seen the light of day, let alone receive a favorable ruling from the court. Have your opinions, but don't think for a minute that atheists aren't one of the favored special interest groups that people are afraid of offending, along with homosexuals, feminists, and minorities.

2 posted on 06/30/2002 10:34:08 AM PDT by goodieD
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To: Violette; *Catholic_list
FYI ...
3 posted on 06/30/2002 10:35:52 AM PDT by thinktwice
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To: thinktwice
I don't have a problem with atheists but I think they have a problem with me. I do not see them griping about Santa Claus being displayed at Christmas -- in schools or anywhere else. If someone says "Imaginary Friend bless America" they should be happy that the message is about blessing America and they should have the charity to be happy that it makes others feel good. I don't see them complain if a government official uses God's name as a curse. They want religion GONE! That's their goal. That offends me.
4 posted on 06/30/2002 10:36:26 AM PDT by RAT Patrol
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To: thinktwice
Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Castro- all atheists.

Those monsters and the societies they create are what a nation gets when it rejects God. Out of those four, Castro and Mao's paradises are still kicking- why don't atheists live in one of the two for awhile and give it a shot before they try to force that kind of lifestyle on the rest of us.

5 posted on 06/30/2002 10:42:31 AM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
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To: thinktwice
Bump for reading later!!
6 posted on 06/30/2002 10:42:43 AM PDT by MoJo2001
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To: thinktwice

CLICK HERE AND MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL DOWN TO LISTEN TO RED SKELETON.


7 posted on 06/30/2002 11:07:21 AM PDT by TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!
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To: GiovannaNicoletta
There are many atheists that are "monsters", just as there are many non-atheists who are (Osama bin Laden comes immediately to mind). There is good and bad in the world, but to try to throw them all into one bucket by stereotyping won't work. I have not known too many atheists who tried to "force that kind of lifestyle on the rest of us", but many non-atheists who have. Would you have considered Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin "monsters"?
8 posted on 06/30/2002 11:09:18 AM PDT by JSloth
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To: thinktwice
I presonally doubt that the vast majority of atheists support the few who try to get all references to God removed from any state supported functions. What you have is a few atheistic activists pushing an agenda with the help of the left-wing lawyers of the ACLU.
9 posted on 06/30/2002 11:10:01 AM PDT by Hugin
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To: GiovannaNicoletta
Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Castro- all atheists.

Just as Hitler and Mussolini were Catholics ...

Try reading that letter to the editor mentioned in the original post.

10 posted on 06/30/2002 11:10:10 AM PDT by thinktwice
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To: thinktwice
I don't think an atheist will ever be elected to public office

An atheist who clearly identifies himself as such, maybe. But what about those who go through the motions of religion without believing in their hearts?

For example, can Bill Clinton truly believe there is a God? Really?

11 posted on 06/30/2002 11:19:05 AM PDT by RJCogburn
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To: Hugin
What you have is a few atheistic activists pushing an agenda

I agree! Activists -- extremists -- are found in all religions, even amongst atheists.

I have one nephew that drove his entire family away -- a total nut case -- memorized the Bible -- ate biblical foods -- lost his wife and kids over patriarchial rules found in Bible.

12 posted on 06/30/2002 11:32:37 AM PDT by thinktwice
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To: GiovannaNicoletta
Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Castro- all atheists.

Hitler, Reagan, Clinton, Bush- all religious..

Judge a man by his words and deeds, not by his personal beliefs.

13 posted on 06/30/2002 11:33:19 AM PDT by Ubonic
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: JSloth
In my reply I specified four atheists who, in the midst of their cruel and violent takeover of the societies they lived in, instituted godless, atheistic rule in which people who worshiped God were at best imprisoned and at worst murdered. When man sets himself up as the end all and be all we see what happens; as we now know, life under these atheistic rulers was harsh and barren and hopeless; mass murder and starvation of the people was par for the course.

I did not lump in every single atheist. I think these particular atheists were the extreme; however, I do believe that when God is kicked out of a culture and the "wisdom" of man is instituted to fill the vacumn, then the "wisdom" of each person to do right in his or her own eyes becomes the new more and rule. Since there is nobody moral or good enough to make laws for the next person, then each person gets to do what they think is right without fear of condemnation or punishment from any authority figure. Already we have as a cultural norm the line of thought that states, "Who are you to judge me? Don't force your morality down my throat!"

Think of the Dahmers, the Bundys and the Mansons. Under a godless system, who has the moral authority to punish these criminals? Who is to say that what they did is bad? Who are we to say? What makes the rest of us morally superior to them? In a godless society, human life has no value. Under what and whose authority could we imprison these monsters?

For what it's worth, I think that Osama bin Laden is not a religous man; I think that he is the worst kind of cretin-a totalitarian who hides behind the Islamic religon. Can you tell me when Abraham Lincoln and Ben Franklin attempted to have all vestiges of public inclusion of God eliminated from American life? I'd be interested to hear about it.

BTW, in this country, every person has the right to reject God. In a godless country nobody has the right to worship Him. Atheists have the right to leave God out of the pledge of allegiance, but they do not have the right to force their choices on me. And God help us if the atheists ever get their way and we become like the old Soviet Union.

15 posted on 06/30/2002 11:35:04 AM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
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To: RJCogburn
can Bill Clinton truly believe there is a God? Really?

With Bill Clinton, phallic symbols are probably religious symbols.

16 posted on 06/30/2002 11:35:57 AM PDT by thinktwice
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To: thinktwice
religious leaders often act as if they are under siege

That's because they are.

And I would need to see better documentation for that Bush quote. Not buying it.

17 posted on 06/30/2002 11:36:38 AM PDT by M. Thatcher
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To: RJCogburn
For example, can Bill Clinton truly believe there is a God? Really?

Sure. Someone can believe there is a God. They just don't give a dam about God and live there lives as they are a god. Believing there is a God is just about meaningless.

18 posted on 06/30/2002 11:37:21 AM PDT by jwh_Denver
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To: thinktwice
Morality Requires God...Or Does It?
19 posted on 06/30/2002 11:42:59 AM PDT by sourcery
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To: Ubonic
LOL- I thought I did. Each of the four I cited lived out his beliefs or in the case of Castro, still living them out. Only in Castro's case, an entire nation is being forced to live his beliefs along with him.

Can you give me the evidence of Hitler's and Clinton's religous beliefs? Keeping in mind, of course, that a person can label himself anything he wants- especially when it might score him some political points.

20 posted on 06/30/2002 11:43:24 AM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
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