Never thought I’d miss the Soviet Union.
Why? You are actually scared of what a Third World religious dictatorship can do, as opposed to a superpower with thousands of nuclear weapons? Even if they dedicated their entire society to nothing more than a suicidal hatred of America, they still wouldn’t begin to be as dangerous as the USSR.
In general terms, you’re right. Personally, I live in central Tel Aviv, three blocks away from the Israeli equivalent to the Pentagon. If the Iranians launch just one nuke, it’ll land on my house.
You are so baffling to me. You’re the guy who is constantly - constantly - harping on how insane religion is, how dangerous religion is, and how religious believers are unstable and potentially violent people. But now you’re actually saying that a religious dictatorship motivated by religious fundamentalism is actually LESS scary than a completely secular and atheist state like the USSR?
I’ll say it again - even the most ardent communists didn’t think that they would go to heaven if they sacrificed themselves to kill nonbelievers.
Or is it just that you only bash Christians and when Islam enters the picture all of a sudden “it’s not so bad”?
Really. I am struggling to understand what motivates you, Der Trihs, because you are an enigmatic and polarizing character here. I don’t get it.
First, as I have said many times before I regard communism as a religion or the next best thing to it; having a god is not a requirement for something to be a religion, it’s just a common feature. Second, they might well have launched because of an error, or in retaliation for us launching (in my judgment we were more likely to kick off a nuclear holocaust then them due to our fondness for apocalyptic Christianity). And most important of all, they could destroy us. Iran can’t; not even a nuclear armed Iran could.
And I’m not interested in the Right’s attempt to fake up a new Cold War by turning Islam into the Communist Menace 2.0
No; it’s that the Christians are here, and almost all of the Muslims are over there. I’m in far greater danger from Christians than Muslims.
Are you actually afraid of Christians and worried that you’re in danger of getting murdered or thrown in a concentration camp for your religious beliefs or lack of them?
I’m a Muslim of Iranian descent and not nearly as terrified of Christians as you are nor do I know any Muslim Americans who are as afraid of Christians as you are?
Why are you so much kore afraid than we are?
Are we naive or are you privy to some knowledge that we’re not?
I think he just read The Handmaid’s Tale too many times.
Getting harassed, fired or targeted for vandalism are all dangers, which is far more than I face from Muslims who aren’t here. And I spent a significant portion of my life afraid that we were going to nuke the plant for Jesus. And unlike Muslims, Christians are in political power here and able to do all sorts of things that inconvenience, irritate or endanger me. Things like the Christianity- motivated ban on stem cell research, the Christian disdain for the environment and attempts to suppress education in biology are more likely to kill me than all the Muslims on Earth.
Would you elaborate on that?
And not being able to buy beer within fifty miles of a Church, good points. 
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
Getting harassed, fired or targeted for vandalism are all dangers, which is far more than I face from Muslims who aren’t here.
[/QUOTE]
Sort of like worrying that you’ll be eaten by rabid space tigers, unless you live in some fundamentalist commune somewhere. Don’t you live in California? The space tigers probably have better odds of eating you than getting harassed, fired or targeted for vandalism if you let slip that you are an atheist.
I know people who have spent their lives in fear of dying from nuclear radiated ebola. A lot of folks waste a lot of worry on nothing. You will probably die of a heart attack brought on from stressing out about Christians out to get you and nuke the planet for Jesus long before the space tigers come for you.
True enough…it’s all in what you are used too. Personally, HUMANS generally irritate, inconvenience and endanger me, whether they be theist, atheist or something in between.
And that double cheese burger with extra fries and a diet coke is probably even more likely to kill you than both combined…or simply your morning commute to work. It’s all about risk analysis in the end. 
-XT
May I ask why you’re worried about getting fired, beaten up, or having your possessions vandalized?
I could certainly understand if you were gay or, to a lesser extent, a minority(though) even I think you’d be a bit paranoid, but it just seems really weird that a middle cass white guy would be that scared.
It reminds be of the Tea Party types comparing Obama to Stalin.
Could you tell me of some thing that have happened to you that would lead you to fear being attacked and beaten up because I am open to the possibility I might be wrong.
Would you elaborate on that?
[/quote]
Back during the Cold War, the Christian apocalypse fans like Jerry Falwell were rooting for nuclear war with the conviction that the 100,000 or so True Believers would be sucked into Heaven just before the bombs hit and the rest of us sinners would suffer as we deserved. Falwell tried real hard to convince Reagan to launch a first strike, and had Reagan talking about how the USSR and China were Gog and Magog out of the Bible.
That’s nonsense, people get harassed all the time for not being religious or the “wrong” religion.
Because that sort of thing happens in this country.
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
That’s nonsense, people get harassed all the time for not being religious or the “wrong” religion.
[/QUOTE]
Do they? I’ve never been harassed for being an agnostic, nor is it a big secret I’ve kept in order to keep my various jobs throughout my lifetime. I’ve lived in the South West, in the North East, in California and in the deep South and I’ve never, ever had an issue with not being religious, with being of the ‘wrong’ religion, or anything else having to do with religion. I have friends who are atheists and none of them have ever mentioned this diabolical (heh!) harassment either.
So, I don’t think it’s nonsense at all. I think that it’s the norm, and that if you have had this experience (:dubious:) then either it was due to some special circumstances (i.e. you just happened to work for some bible thumping moron who wasn’t aware that if they fired or harassed you based on religion you could, you know, sue the snot out of them) or something you brought on yourself (i.e. you went in with a huge chip on your shoulder that all theists are idiots and morons, and that only atheists are rational, blah blah blah…basically, just like you are on this message board but in RL instead).
-XT
Ok, then you shouldn’t have any problems linking to instances of white middle class atheists being beaten up, murdered or having their possessions vandalized for being atheists.
Please do so.