Monday, December 08, 2008



Atheist hate-speech in the Washington State capitol

Apparently the capitol traditionally included a Christmas tree and a nativity scene. There has been all sorts of grumbing about that from the Left in recent years, however, so this year an atheist group was allowed to put up a sign as well. Fair enough.

What is chiefly in contention is the hate-filled content of the atheist group's sign. They sure will not create much respect for the atheist viewpoint. The sign reads: "Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

Why insult the vast majority of the population so egregiously? Most people have some religious beliefs even if they don't go to church. And they are going to be very unimpressed to be told that they have hard hearts and enslaved minds. The atheist group could have put up many other more thoughtful and less insulting messages -- such as (say) "If God exists how come nobody can say where he is?" or "If there is a God why does he permit so much suffering?"

Committed Christians do of course have answers to challenges like that but even they do get troubled by such questions at times. And for less religious people, such questions might be decisive.

Clearly, the atheists concerned are just Leftist haters and spewing their hate against Christians is the only thing that really matters to them. They clearly have no interest in "winning friends and influencing people". But not all atheists are Leftist haters. We read:
"On Friday, some nonbelievers said they had very mixed feelings about the sign. Michael Amini, a University of Washington student and president of the Secular Student Union, says he's glad to see nonbelievers represented among the Capitol displays. But he doesn't like the sign's wording, saying it's inflammatory and divisive.

"Right now, the atheists are the least trusted minority in the United States," said Amini, who believes the foundation should spend its time and money trying to show people that atheists are "decent people, rational and sane, with legitimate world views. This sign does not send that message."

Source

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

re: "hate speech"

From the same article:

"We thought our sign was pretty mild. But some people thought it was pretty hard-hitting," he said. "It's a criticism of religion. I think people like O'Reilly confuse criticism with hate speech."

Anonymous said...

So when some Christians have signs saying non-believers are going to Hell, that's not very aggressive or unpleasant, even if they believe it to be true (just as the atheists believe their statement to be a true one)?

Anonymous said...

Let them say what they will. Sticks & stones, sticks & stones.

Anonymous said...

"I think people like O'Reilly confuse criticism with hate speech."

Isn't that exactly what Leftists do, label anything they don't like as hate speach? How typical of them to blame others for doing what they themselves do. The people who put that sign up may be atheists, but you can bet they're radical Leftists first and foremost! It is true atheists who should be denouncing them.

Anonymous said...

"Isn't that exactly what Leftists do, label anything they don't like as hate speach?"

It seems that everybody does it. Why single out holier than thou leftists when right wing wackaloons do the same thing. The term "hate-speech" is now a convenient term to get away mean spirited speech and attacks verses constructive criticism.

Anonymous said...

I hope that the sign is equivalent in size and position as the nativity scene (can't include the tree as it has no religious aspect).
Let they say what they will, subject only to decency.

Anonymous said...

The Orthodox religions make not only the Aethiest put down, but also people who have other beliefs, pretty much any that diviate from their own Churches. How about the fact that Christmas is actually a holiday stolen from the older "Pagan" celebrations? But then again, the "Church" as beneovolent and non violent as they are, slaughtered many Celts in the process of their conversions, and in the process of these conversions relabeled many of the existing celebrations to conform with THEIR beliefs. So why would it be offensive to call a "Christmas tree" a "Holiday tree" when the celebration is actually the Winter Solstice? But we are almost forced to call it a Religious Holiday. I am not supporting the sign in this article, but just understand, it started on the otherside many years ago. Many of the readers here will be calling for my end Iam sure, but just remeber, it is called freedom; Speech, religion whatever, I do not take sides, just point out the obvious flaws.

Anonymous said...

In my personal experience, atheists tend to view themselves much as Christians do - as holders and purveyors of the "truth." But Christians tend to focus on sin, as opposed to atheists who tend to focus on intellect (or lack thereof in believers).

The question is, what do Atheists have to offer (aside from the mass murders of Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot - totaling hundreds of millions MORE than any Christian sect could possibly aspire too?)

If all they have are signs saying "we're right, you're wrong, get over it," then they are no better than any of the most extreme adherents of any religion.

They sound kind of bitter to me....

Anonymous said...

oh come on - that old chestnut - Stalin believed in the Communist system - with him as the "Dear Leader" - and as such was more like a religion in that respect. He also trained as an orthodox christian priest, so he knew the whole psychology of religion. If he was an atheist that was incidental to his agenda of personal power.
Ditto for Mao and Hitler, and other such dictators re their attitudes to any "god".

Anonymous said...

It's so good to know that atheists can only come up with a "Your belief is not as good as mine, nya, nya!" sign for a display. I thought these people were educated intellectuals.

Anonymous said...

"oh come on - that old chestnut - Stalin believed in the Communist system - with him as the "Dear Leader" - and as such was more like a religion in that respect. He also trained as an orthodox "
read your history - communism was set up as socialist and atheist - preists were being executed and churches demolished under lenin and christians will still persecuted after stalin died - ditto the murders of priests and nuns by the spanish republican side (the so-called "good guys") in the spanish civil war .Communism is militant athiesm given power , guns and gulags

Anonymous said...

There's no such thing as an atheist. You have to acknowledge that there's a God in order to deny him.

Anonymous said...

Stalin or Lenin did not act in the name of "Atheism" but "Communism" or "Marxism" which had a specific dogma as does Christianity. The latter is of course theist and the former are apparently a-theist which of itself does not have a dogma but is simply the repudiation of theism!

Anonymous said...

"There's no such thing as an atheist. You have to acknowledge that there's a God in order to deny him."

That's just silly. Athiests don't deny God, they don't believe in him. By your logic, all statements are true, just denied by some.

Anonymous said...

"The term "hate-speech" is now a convenient term to get away mean spirited speech and attacks verses constructive criticism."

Remember, it was leftist pukes who invented the term hate speech.

Anonymous said...

So, from what I can gather from people defending the atheist sign is that there is a sign next to this one that says "All non believers go to hell?". And here I thought it was just next to a nativity. Silly me.

This sign would be appropraite to put next to a sign that says that, but it is not appropriate to put this sign next to the nativity. The nativity is a celebration of the birth of the savoir, not a condemnation of non believers.

Anonymous said...

What is a "savoir" - a french dish? But anyone saying anyone should go to Hell should deserve any kind of sign describing them!