It’s one thing to bring up an old issue in GD and add something to it, but I see NOTHING was added to this thread by the poster who brought it back…
Yer pal,
Satan - Commissioner, The Teeming Minions
*I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
Five months, four days, 18 hours, 22 minutes and 21 seconds.
6310 cigarettes not smoked, saving $788.83.
Extra life with Drain Bead: 3 weeks, 21 hours, 50 minutes.
*“I’m a big Genesis fan.”-David B. (Amen, brother!) **
'Twas a mistake, and I humbly apologize… I was doing a search, looking for a particular thread and accidentally clicked this’un here…
Again, I’m sorry.
Hey, no biggie.
I was just confused, that’s all…
Oddly enough, I still stand by what I said in the OP for the most part, even though I am much nicer about it now! 
Yer pal,
Satan - Commissioner, The Teeming Minions
*I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
Five months, four days, 20 hours, 7 minutes and 28 seconds.
6313 cigarettes not smoked, saving $789.19.
Extra life with Drain Bead: 3 weeks, 22 hours, 5 minutes.
*“I’m a big Genesis fan.”-David B. (Amen, brother!) **
I recently started a thread* about Bush’s Guru, Olasky who was trying to differentiate between “Freedom For Religion” and "Freedom From Religion. While reading through my thread I was confronted by this gem. I have included my reply because it sums up what I feel about things in this thread too.
Originally posted by foolsguinea:
Howzabout a compromise? Let the kids pray to Jesus, Allah, Mithra, Satan, whomever–FREEDOM OF RELIGION ON CAMPUS–but don’t force them to do so.
Saying no one has the right to practice, or even mention, his religion on your presence is stifling to religions. It’s a “freedom of religion” agreeable to the atheist, who wants all religions to die out as the superstitions he believes they are, or to the Jew, who couldn’t care less abut proselytization, and wants shule to stay in the ghetto with mama and bubeh. But to a serious Christian or Muslim, it is an insult, and a prohibition of one of the most important aspects of religion as he understands it–to bring the world in line with the will of God.
Your policy of “freedom from religion” is itself totally prejudiced toward certain belief systems, boyo. Think about it.
Originally posted by foolsguinea
<snick>… But to a serious Christian or Muslim, it is an insult, and a prohibition of one of the most important aspects of religion as he understands it–to bring the world in line with the will of God.
Your policy of “freedom from religion” is itself totally prejudiced toward certain belief systems, boyo. Think about it.
My response to this was:
Do you comprehend even one single iota of the monumental hubris involved in your above statements? “To bring the world in line with the will of God”. Who upon the face of this green earth are you to know precisely what the will of God is and how to bring the world in line with it? How can you have the gall to foist your beliefs on others? As an agnostic I will chose my own faith or even to have none at all! You cannot hit people over the head with religion!
As to “Freedom For Religion”, the only way a person finds religion is if they have absolute freedom to choose what faith they will pursue. Any form of state sanctioned religion inhibits my opportunity to choose freely from among all available faiths.
As an Agnostic, I have yet to be presented with any incontrovertible proof of God’s existence. Neither has anyone been able to disprove His existence. It is therefore that I also feel it is a right to have “Freedom From Religion.” For the state to support any involuntary exposure to religion by allowing it in schools is an offensive and incorrect use of my tax dollars. Regardless of any unanimous disposition of those attending the schools, there may be no exceptions to the law. You have absolute freedom to exchange religious ideas individually and among others, just not in a publicly supported school’s curriculum.
Just because Christianity is a popular faith does not give it any priority. Try to imagine if your faith was not largely popular. Would you want your faith to be repressed? I would think not. The more important issue concerns those who have no wish to hear of any religion at all! How can you possibly suggest that someone should have to listen to you witnessing against their will?
To tell me that, “Your policy of “freedom from religion” is itself totally prejudiced toward certain belief systems, boyo. Think about it.” (italics mine), is a conceit so enormous as to be beyond imagination. I would defend your right to practice whatever religion you wish. Yet somehow you are uncomfortable with someone not practicing at all. Your arrogance betrays the infantile degree of your faith like a bad coat of paint on a shoddily built house!
*The Bush thread is located at:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38281