Posted on 05/22/2005 6:53:03 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - To the uninformed, this weekend gathering here may have seemed like a church revival, full of zeal and fervor. But worshipping God was most decidedly not part of the agenda.
The attendees of the "All Atheists Weekend" gathered to discuss what they call the rise of fundamentalism in the U.S. and the blurring of lines between church and state.
Attendees also took time to view documentaries that question the historical accuracy of the Bible - and to hear lectures about the dangers of religious icons on public property and problems with President Bush's so-called "faith-based initiative," which seeks to give religious groups equal footing in seeking federal grants to provide social services.
Organizers said they expected more than 250 people to take part in the event, which featured a lecture by Ellen Johnson, the president of American Atheists. The gathering began Friday and continued through Sunday at various spots throughout the city.
The religious right's increasing involvement in U.S. politics has triggered an angry backlash among the godless, say Bay area atheist groups, five of which organized the weekend event.
"It's time for us to push back," said psychologist Jaime Arcila, 52, of San Francisco, who was accompanied by his two children, Javier, 15, and Amanda, 12, in a tiny theater Saturday night just south of downtown.
Arcila, who is not an official member of any atheist group, said he was prompted to attend Saturday's showing of "The God Who Wasn't There," along with about 100 other people, because of what he sees as a growing intolerance in the U.S. for people with alternative views and lifestyles.
Arcila, who was raised by Catholic parents, said the nation needs more dialogue about "peace, tolerance, justice, and love," not exclusion based on a difference of ideas.
Ali, a 36-year-old native Iranian, agreed. He declined to give his last name because he said he wants to return to his Muslim-dominated homeland someday and fears that he could be persecuted should he be identified as an atheist.
Ali said he knows all too well the effects of religious fundamentalism on a society from his own experiences in his native country.
Nations that accept only one set of values or beliefs are "restrictive and stifling," Ali said.
"I was a Muslim but stopped believing after a lot of pain and after a lot of thought," he said. "Being here at this event is encouraging me not to be afraid. It strengthens me and helps me stand up for what I believe."
But just how tolerant of Christianity and other religions are the atheists?
"We don't hate Christians," said David Fitzgerald, 40, an insurance broker and member of San Francisco Atheists. "People in this country are free to believe in whatever they want."
Nonetheless, during the Saturday night movie, the crowd booed and hissed when a photo of Pat Robertson was displayed on the screen.
Robertson, the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and a former U.S. presidential candidate, is a leader in the efforts by some religious groups to return America and its government to Christian values.
Fitzgerald offered no apologies.
"Robertson and other Theocrats scare the hell out of us," Fitzgerald said. "They want to turn a democracy into a theocracy. Even Christians are afraid of that."
And I was speaking to you not anybody else..
For a fully orbed definition you'll need several takes on it.
My definition is this..
If you need a definition you wouldn't understand..
Christianity is not a religion its a family.. i.e. define your wife or husband..
Whatever you say comes up short.. unless the relationship is WEAK..
OK, so the "fundie" is in the eye of the beholder.
Hate filled people kill the most.
see #68
How do we separate metaphor from fact? When it fits our current convictions?
Was Lazarus a metaphor?
Was changing water into wine a fact?
The claim : " I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except by me " is that boastful vanity, a metaphor, the voice of insanity, or the truth?
Sorry to be a pest.
It is interesting that, in the culture wars, the atheists often align themselves with the terrorists against their common enemies: America and Christianity. (Of course, all in the name of "tolerance.")
The ironic thing is that atheism would not be tolerated in Islamic countries, and Islam is the epitome of religious fundamentalism that the atheists claim to oppose.
As is so evidently clear in this article the atheists are fundamentalist about...fundamentalism. It's kind of like the left that just hates those they deem hate. Whaaat?
Libs, Hypocrisy Is Thy Name.
Atheists can go to hell...
Epitath:
"Here Lies An Atheist
All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go"
Ah! the beholder..
Amen
Good night (snack before bed)
A muslim who has been spiritually neutered. What a concept.
Hopefully it's just temporary, and he'll come to realize, while he's in the U.S., who the Real God is.
Fair enough. Then I will amend and say, a good representation of all athiests I personally know (a small number to be sure) and it seems, present company excluded.
[How do we separate metaphor from fact? When it fits our current convictions?]
I don't have a better answer than that.
I just make my best "educated guess" and try not to worry too much. :^)
Well said.
BTW, I would guess that there are very few actual atheists in America (I only know a few, myself). Surveys show a steady 85% to 90% rate of Americans who profess a belief in God, and a further 5% or so who profess to believe in "some higher power". The percentage of Americans who claim atheism or agnosticism has always been less than 5% in every poll I've seen.
And I don't think the numbers are going to change much in any direction in the near future.
ping to me for later pingout.
You're welcome.
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