Ok atheists, settle the fuck down.

[Brown_Eyed_Girl]

@LonesomePolecat

Because it indicates malicious small-mindedness that looks for petty excuses to take offense.

Except I didn’t say offensive, I said distasteful. Yes, there is a difference. Do you like *presumptuous *better? How about self-serving? May I interest you in some obstinacy?

[Sarahfeena]

@Squink

It’s all sparkly and green and stuff, in the dead of winter. Regardless of religious convictions, we’re all apes. We like sparkly wondrous things, especially when it’s all dull and grey out.

Exactly…just an excuse to liven up the solstice, right?

[Starving_Artist]

@Jack_Batty

Lies. Good one. Am I a commie too?

Huh?

@Jack_Batty

Why would I want to bang my head againt the wall arguing against your well-documented bullshit about how lovely everything was before we evil liberals ruined everything?

My post had nothing to do with how great things were in the fifties. And I’ve never equated McCarthyism with things being good during that era. It’s your ilk that likes to promote that specious equation.

And just for the record I’ve never referred to liberals as evil, either.

So that makes you 0 - 4 so far in the truth department. But I guess from your point of view it’s better to try diversion through dishonesty than it is to deal with substantive issues you have no other rebuttal for.

[MEBuckner]

@Musicat

Maybe it’s a regional thing, but all the government meetings at the top of each local level in my area say the Pledge at the start of EVERY meeting. All participants and audience members stand up and recite it together while staring blankly at the nearest flag. In fact, one town recently added it to the agenda just so they wouldn’t stand out. There was no opposition.

By “top of each local level” I mean to exclude committee meetings. Our Town, Village, City, County and School Boards, which govern their respective venues, all use the Pledge at every meeting.

I refuse to say it, but I stand up and look appropriately reverent. So far, no one has asked me why. Living with the philosophy of “choose your battles carefully,” I am not about to rock the boat on this one as I’m sure I am in the extreme minority.

Like I said, “grandstanding politicians”.

@mswas

There is atheist culture and there is a gay agenda.

The fact of the matter is the culture of America has changed a great deal since the 1960s. There is a lowering of standards, crude jokes on television, child pornography on billboards. It’s not imaginary. Arguing about whether it’s a concern one should care about is one thing, but I’m not interested in an argument that states that it’s imaginary, because it’s not.

@mswas

I consider movies like Religulous, books like, The God Delusion and web sites dedicated to atheism to be the products of culture. Just like not every atheist agrees with everything portrayed in these media, not every Christian agrees with every book, movie, or web site that talks about Christianity.

And exactly what the fuck do the things in your second post have to do with the things in your first post? Have we atheists taken over the Sinister Cabal That Secretly Controls the World gig from the Jews?

Books and movies about atheism are atheistic. Mainstream American culture–television shows, movies, and billboards (except for a handful of billboards put up by atheists)–is not atheistic. As you delight in pointing out, most Americans are not atheists. If you don’t like mainstream American culture, take it up with Americans in general, most of whom are at least nominally Christians.

[mswas]

@Captain_Carrot

Oh, you mean the legally questionable amendment to overturn the California Supreme Court’s decision that the constitution of California mandated that same-sex couples be treated equally? And again, what does Proposition 8 have to do with people trying to oppress Christians? That is, after all, what Starving Artist was discussing there.

It’s called a counter-example.

[mswas]

@MEBuckner

And exactly what the fuck do the things in your second post have to do with the things in your first post? Have we atheists taken over the Sinister Cabal That Secretly Controls the World gig from the Jews?

Claiming expression of philosophy in literature and media is an aspect of culture is the same thing as a paranoid conspiracy?

Books and movies about atheism are atheistic. Mainstream American culture–television shows, movies, and billboards (except for a handful of billboards put up by atheists)–is not atheistic. As you delight in pointing out, most Americans are not atheists. If you don’t like mainstream American culture, take it up with Americans in general, most of whom are at least nominally Christians.

Umm, we are talking about ‘subcultures’ here, of which atheists and Christians are opposing subcultures of American culture. Other than that I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.

[mswas]

@Brown_Eyed_Girl

What exactly does this have to do with atheism?

Cultural assault on Christian values, the abandonment of them specifically.

[Rubystreak]

@Starving_Artist

And just for the record I’ve never referred to liberals as evil, either.

Yes, you have. You should apologize to Jack Batty now, but I’m sure you’ll weasel out of it somehow.

[mswas]

@Grumman

Is wishing that people would not spread falsehoods and wishing that people would not believe falsehoods somehow contradictory?

I didn’t say it’s contradictory, it’s just that atheists proselytize, that’s my point. You think you are right, and the Christian missionaries think they are right. Many on both sides see a moral obligation to change the beliefs of the other.

[Bosstone]

@Rubystreak

Yes, you have. You should apologize to Jack Batty now, but I’m sure you’ll weasel out of it somehow.

Well, yeah. Not that I’m defending the smug prick in any way, but that entire post is all about how he could call liberals evil, but he’s not going to, because he’s just so much better than them.

He’s more full of shit than Rush Limbaugh’s toilet, but that’s a pretty easy claim to weasel out of based on that one post.

[Captain_Carrot]

@mswas

I didn’t say it’s contradictory, it’s just that atheists proselytize, that’s my point. You think you are right, and the Christian missionaries think they are right. Many on both sides see a moral obligation to change the beliefs of the other.

Atheists proselytize? Since when?

[Jack_Batty]

@Starving_Artist

The left in this country over the last fifty or sixty years has, through liberal judicial activism, perverted the founding fathers’ original intent [… blah blah blah … bullshit … bullshit … bullshit].

Yeah. You never refer to how things have been ruined by liberals since the fifties.

[mswas]

@Captain_Carrot

Atheists proselytize? Since when?

I’d like to introduce you to Der Trihs.

[Rubystreak]

@Bosstone

Well, yeah. Not that I’m defending the smug prick in any way, but that entire post is all about how he could call liberals evil, but he’s not going to, because he’s just so much better than them.

He’s more full of shit than Rush Limbaugh’s toilet, but that’s a pretty easy claim to weasel out of based on that one post.

Except that he does call liberals evil in that post, because he can’t help himself.

@SA

So yeah, I think if anybody in this country could be called evil it would be you guys, because millions upon millions of people in this country have suffered and died over the last 40 years because of you!

So sorry, but that’s a big fail on the not calling liberals evil. You can play semantic games all you want, and he will (poorly), but that’s what he’s doing, and that’s his schtick in general. Accusing people of ruining the world and causing millions of deaths is a de facto accusation of evil anyway, even if you skirt around the word. Nice try though. Next time, let him do his own weaseling, will ya?

[mswas]

Rush Limbaugh doesn’t shit in a toilet, he has ears for that.

[Jack_Batty]

For the record, I was not actually accusing of Starving Artist of calling liberals “evil”, not literally. I wasn’t searching for quotes. It’s just a bit of rhetoric.

And even if he started 14 threads every day for the past month entitled, “Attention: All Liberals Are Evil” I wouldn’t be clamoring for an apology. I’m not wired that tight.

[Bosstone]

@Rubystreak

Next time, let him do his own weaseling, will ya?

Hey, works for me. It’s not like I like the guy, I just saw that as a weak argument and didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

[Billy_Baroo]

@Hi_Neighbor

This case reminds me a little of PETA. I’m against cruelty to animals, as any reasonable person should be, but I’m still going to enjoy a steak.

I haven’t read the whole thread yet, but just a knee-jerk here…

This is a hypocritical, logic-defying statement. The beef industry is relentlessly cruel on a monumental scale.

PETA is radical because the situation has gone beyond politeness.

[Rubystreak]

@Jack_Batty

For the record, I was not actually accusing of Starving Artist of calling liberals “evil”, not literally. I wasn’t searching for quotes. It’s just a bit of rhetoric.

But of course, he takes you literally and argues about semantics, trying to say he’s not doing exactly what he IS doing in every single thread about politics that he posts to. He deserved to be called on it.

And even if he started 14 threads every day for the past month entitled, “Attention: All Liberals Are Evil” I wouldn’t be clamoring for an apology. I’m not wired that tight.

Well, you’re probably not going to get one anyway, so it’s a good thing your wiring doesn’t require it. Also, polite, civil folks should offer an apology when they’re wrong, even if the other person doesn’t need one. It’s just common courtesy. Though I’m sure the decline of the apology as a social practice is somehow the fault of liberals in the past 50 years.

[Captain_Carrot]

@mswas

I’d like to introduce you to Der Trihs.

Insulting everyone doesn’t count as proselytizing.