Posted on 11/23/2007 6:59:38 AM PST by NYer
On Sunday mornings, most parents who don't believe in the Christian God, or any god at all, are probably making brunch or cheering at their kids' soccer game, or running errands or, with luck, sleeping in. Without religion, there's no need for church, right?
Maybe. But some nonbelievers are beginning to think they might need something for their children. "When you have kids," says Julie Willey, a design engineer, "you start to notice that your co-workers or friends have church groups to help teach their kids values and to be able to lean on." So every week, Willey, who was raised Buddhist and says she has never believed in God, and her husband pack their four kids into their blue minivan and head to the Humanist Community Center in Palo Alto, Calif., for atheist Sunday school.
An estimated 14% of Americans profess to have no religion, and among 18-to-25-year-olds, the proportion rises to 20%, according to the Institute for Humanist Studies. The lives of these young people would be much easier, adult nonbelievers say, if they learned at an early age how to respond to the God-fearing majority in the U.S. "It's important for kids not to look weird," says Peter Bishop, who leads the preteen class at the Humanist center in Palo Alto. Others say the weekly instruction supports their position that it's O.K. to not believe in God and gives them a place to reinforce the morals and values they want their children to have.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Every bad thing in our history is all religions fault you know...it has absolutely nothing to do with humans. /s
Actually Atheism IS their religion, admit it or not.
“Okay, kids. Today’s lesson is on the meaning of life. Anyone know what the meaning of life is?”
“...”
“Exactly! Life is a meaningless, existential void! Very good, children. Now, since life is meaningless, what’s the point of living? Anyone?”
“...”
“Very good! There is no point to living! We’re all just cosmic accidents, and our existence matters no more in the big scheme of things than a termite’s life does! Now, who can draw me a picture of a termite?”
PS - Teacher’s hot.
Its hard for me to comprehend the wrath of the “Christian God” at these parents for teaching their kids this sort of thing. And I wonder why they do these classes on Sunday morning? Some sort of repressed guilt?
“...And finally, that God would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves, with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.” (General George Washington, in a letter to the governors of each of the thirteen states upon his disbanding of the army after the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War.)
Dare I say, not as hot as she's gonna be...
No schedule conflicts?
The public schools have a "good character" curriculum, devoid of religious underpinnings. Maybe this "humanist" center is doing something similar.
Poor kids. Duped by their ignorant parents. How sad.
Yup. Except or course for those who fail to toe the party line: "Hie thee to a gas chamber."
...
Exactly! Life is a meaningless, existential void! Very good, children. Now, since life is meaningless, whats the point of living? Anyone?
...
Very good! There is no point to living! Were all just cosmic accidents, and our existence matters no more in the big scheme of things than a termites life does! Now, who can draw me a picture of a termite?
Actually, the rest of us should be so lucky. They're not teaching these kids that the world is meaningless (though that's the logical conclusion of their philosophical foundation) but to become crusading fanatics for social justice and a worldwide totalitarian state to save the "earth mother."
Modern atheists don't think G-d has too many rules. They think He doesn't have enough.
"OK, is there any reason not to exterminate termites?"
"..."
"VERY good! No reason at all. We exterminate termites whenever we feel like it. Now, Is there any reason to go on living?"
"I want to"
"And so? I suppose the termites want to, also. Is there any reason I shouldn't exterminate you?"
(Children--- the littler ones now intuiting what the big word "exterminate" means --- start slowly scootching their butts backward across the carpet towards the door.)
Atheists never seem to realize that such thinking makes slaves of men; If your life is just an accident, and morality is relative, then I can say My morality commands me to enslave you.
They’ve already read them Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy, so what’s next?
All hail the earthy external control power. What shall we call it? The UN? The New world socialist order? Big Brother? The New Mafia?
You said it, bro. And these would-be tyrants think of themselves as liberators for the single reason that they want to replace G-d's rules with their own!
The continued existence of the human race... Without that there would be nothing, at least as far as we're concerned.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.