Religion

Oregonian

(209 posts)

68. The reasons the Establishment Clause are being ignored

Mon Oct 1, 2012, 02:18 PM

Oct 2012

Have absolutely nothing to do with atheists, and everything to do with evangelical Christians. There have been several fundamentalist movements in this country since the beginning of the 20th century, including in response to the red scare in the 50s, and during the Reagan/Jerry Fallwell "Moral Majority" revolution of the 1980s. During that time, the # of atheists polled in the country around 1-4%, at best.

Only recently have atheists begun go organize, and talk back. The idea that atheism itself is preventing the enforcement of freedom from religion rights is obscene and 100% lacking in factual basis. It's an emotional argument.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

114 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

I wish you wouldn't force your beliefs on me! [View all] cleanhippie Sep 2012 OP

superduperstitiion oldhippydude Sep 2012 #1

This message was self-deleted by its author AnotherMcIntosh Sep 2012 #27

Think about it tama Sep 2012 #2

The irony is that belief cannot be forced on anyone. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #3

Hmm tama Sep 2012 #5

Good point. But it is the system which has been imposed on people, not the belief. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #7

Yes tama Sep 2012 #9

You can't make someone "believe" skepticscott Sep 2012 #6

Every child acquires the beliefs of its parents to some degree. rug Sep 2012 #13

So parents should lie to their kids about everything? Oregonian Oct 2012 #96

Read it again. rug Oct 2012 #103

No, get it straight Oregonian Oct 2012 #106

Since you compare parents sharing their religion with their children to rug Oct 2012 #108

Post removed Post removed Oct 2012 #109

Children gobble it up the same way they gobble up "look both ways" Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #110

I don't see any "faux-skeptics" here. rug Oct 2012 #112

What are "bogus lies? Is there another kind of lie? Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #111

very true PatrynXX Sep 2012 #10

You can't force them to believe, JoeyT Sep 2012 #12

I agree. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #14

Belief cannot be forced. Beliefs most definitely can. Plantaganet Sep 2012 #17

Religion, like all isms, spawns intolerance and bigotry. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #18

Come on, ST, won't you please think of the children... onager Sep 2012 #19

I do think of the children, something we all were at one time. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #21

With all due respect, if you grew up in jolly-old England Oregonian Oct 2012 #58

I hear them loud enough around here. Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #62

The reasons the Establishment Clause are being ignored Oregonian Oct 2012 #68

No argument with you there brother. Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #71

Not at all Oregonian Oct 2012 #72

What am I "dead wrong" about? Agreeing with you? Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #73

"Atheism is preventing nothing." Oregonian Oct 2012 #74

I was responding to your post and agreeing with you. Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #84

Not my experience so far Oregonian Oct 2012 #86

Stick around. You'll get the picture. Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #90

I don't conflate these worthy liberal causes with religious thought Oregonian Oct 2012 #99

I see. You were deluded til age 20. Starboard Tack Oct 2012 #104

Do you consider those atheists, like myself, who embrace tolerant, liberal progressives of all faith cleanhippie Oct 2012 #102

When he says "some atheists", he is talking about you. He probably doesn't realize it yet... cleanhippie Oct 2012 #101

Stop LYING! You got blocked for making a homophobic slur. cleanhippie Oct 2012 #100

Post removed Post removed Oct 2012 #105

They're the worst. Plantaganet Sep 2012 #20

That's a pretty broad brush LARED Sep 2012 #23

Yep! When the wind is right. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #30

Put that way I have to agree. nt LARED Sep 2012 #40

Excellent point nt LARED Sep 2012 #24

K&R for the toon. Waltons_Mtn Sep 2012 #4

Science, the world, and reality itself have been forcing their beliefs on people for, like, ever mindwalker_i Sep 2012 #8

Science and reality are not beliefs. cleanhippie Sep 2012 #16

Actually they are. humblebum Sep 2012 #22

Science is not a belief... rexcat Sep 2012 #34

It appears that the term "belief" is broader than you would like to admit. If humblebum Sep 2012 #35

What you said was... rexcat Sep 2012 #36

I am twisting nothing. Does the phrase "justified true belief" apply only to humblebum Sep 2012 #37

Bull... rexcat Sep 2012 #38

BULL - Now that's a scholarly retort if I ever did see one. humblebum Sep 2012 #43

Considering... rexcat Oct 2012 #51

You have been proven wrong. nt humblebum Oct 2012 #54

Uh oh, rexcat, humblebum got you. When he says "you have been proven wrong", it's over! cleanhippie Oct 2012 #55

I don't think he really read anything I wrote... rexcat Oct 2012 #56

I, too, was summarily "proven wrong" Oregonian Oct 2012 #59

I have no wounds... rexcat Oct 2012 #64

Thanks! (n/t) Oregonian Oct 2012 #67

Yes, of course we know that "religious belief" is the only kind of belief. Makes humblebum Oct 2012 #63

No, there can also be "belief in Santa, Unicorns, the Tooth Fairy and Lipstick Lesbians" Oregonian Oct 2012 #69

or tax me to pay for your beliefs whether religious or other. nt jody Sep 2012 #11

Good 'toon. The 1st Amendment applies to all. pinto Sep 2012 #15

That cartoon is, shall we say, slanted Fortinbras Armstrong Sep 2012 #25

This message was self-deleted by its author AnotherMcIntosh Sep 2012 #26

Certainly I do. But the cartoon has nothing to do with that. Fortinbras Armstrong Oct 2012 #78

This message was self-deleted by its author AnotherMcIntosh Oct 2012 #81

And of course you are not biased! rexcat Sep 2012 #31

Never said I wasn't. Fortinbras Armstrong Oct 2012 #79

Gee... rexcat Oct 2012 #88

And the point being made is "Christians do not believe in separation of Church and State" Fortinbras Armstrong Oct 2012 #92

You have the bigotry thing wrong... rexcat Oct 2012 #114

The cartoon is not representative of reality as LARED Sep 2012 #28

The irony of this is just staggering skepticscott Sep 2012 #29

You might as well... rexcat Sep 2012 #32

Your BS is the only thing staggering LARED Sep 2012 #39

Your hateful intolerance of atheists is showing. trotsky Sep 2012 #41

Or hateful, intolerant atheists. The violins are getting louder all the time. nt humblebum Sep 2012 #44

Speaking of intolerant... rexcat Oct 2012 #57

Yes we all agree calling strident atheists ideologues is hateful intolerance. Well maybe not all. LARED Sep 2012 #45

www.au.org trotsky Sep 2012 #46

Are they strident or reasonable? LARED Sep 2012 #48

Quite strident, by your standards. trotsky Sep 2012 #49

Still no admission of error? trotsky Oct 2012 #91

Nice try...well, actually not so much skepticscott Sep 2012 #42

Do you even read what you post? LARED Sep 2012 #47

"Actually the framers thought the federal government establishing a religion was a very bad idea" Oregonian Oct 2012 #61

"Not only were several of the original framers deists" - I don't consider humblebum Oct 2012 #66

Not only several, but probably MOST Oregonian Oct 2012 #70

If you are speaking of the framers of the Constitution, or more precisely humblebum Oct 2012 #75

LMAO!!! Oregonian Oct 2012 #76

Where did I say that Jefferson was not a Founding Father? Answer: I never did. humblebum Oct 2012 #82

Then one of your weaknesses is being a liar Oregonian Oct 2012 #83

Well one might be tempted to think you're speaking about the Constitution when you are humblebum Oct 2012 #85

And the "framing" of the Constitution Oregonian Oct 2012 #87

Oh yes. Adams was definitely a deist - humblebum Oct 2012 #89

"Then one of your weaknesses is being a liar" and "Your position is absurd." - Nailed it! cleanhippie Oct 2012 #94

"The absurdity in your posts is bordering on pathological." cleanhippie Oct 2012 #93

To be fair Oregonian Oct 2012 #95

Yes, certainly does. cleanhippie Oct 2012 #97

LMAO @ the Stephen Colbert study Oregonian Oct 2012 #98

Pat Tillman, among other war heroes Oregonian Oct 2012 #60

He believes that separation of church and state only goes one way... Humanist_Activist Oct 2012 #50

I would say that's a spot on description. trotsky Oct 2012 #53

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! cleanhippie Sep 2012 #33

You really don't have a clue, do you? mr blur Oct 2012 #52

You are correct. And there is most definitely an agenda. nt humblebum Oct 2012 #65

Certainly an agenda Oregonian Oct 2012 #80

Ah, the logic of the American Taliban! polichick Oct 2012 #77

This message was self-deleted by its author darkangel218 Oct 2012 #107

It all depends on what the beliefs are, doesn't it? QuantumOfPeace Oct 2012 #113