Atheists Raise Funds For Vandalized Bend Churches

[rug]

BEND, Ore. -- To most people, there is nothing humorous about crime, or religious beliefs.

But a group with a name many would find amusing is very serious about helping two churches vandalized in its name.

Word of Sunday night's tagging spread to Pastafarian members with the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster and atheists across the country.

One of them decided to do something about it - from halfway across the country.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/28251185/detail.html

Video at link.

[Orrex]

1. Not bad, for a group of godless brutes.

k/r!

[brewens]

2. I might be somewhat of a brute but I prefer "godless heathen".

Sorry for insisting on political correctness.

[struggle4progress]

3. Vandalism at churches is quite common; here's some news from the last week:

Juvenile linked to three arson cases in Adamsville
By Melynda Sides
... The first incident occurred at Shady Grove Free Will Baptist Church in Adamsville on June 1. Members of the church reported that someone had broken into the church, vandalized the kitchen and started a fire ... On June 8, deputies investigated another possible arson at Chapel Hill Baptist Church on Woodruff Mill Road in Adamsville. Inside the church ... http://www.myfoxal.com/story/14876949/juvenile-linked-to-in-jefferson-county

Juveniles arrested for vandalism, gang activity
By staff reports
Updated: 06/09/2011 10:55:18 PM PDT
... Clearlake Police Sgt. R. Joseph said .. dispatch received a report around 9 p.m. of two subjects spray painting The Church of Latter Day Saints on Lakeview Way in the Clearlake Village area. Joseph said the church has been the victim of several recent vandalisms ... http://www.record-bee.com/ci_18245047

Dublin church suffers major vandalism
Friday, June 10, 2011
DUBLIN, Calif. (KGO) -- A major clean-up is underway at St. Philip Lutheran Church in Dublin after it was vandalized early Thursday morning. Neighbors called police around 2 a.m. when they saw someone smashing out the windows of the church with bricks ... http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=8182188

Courtland man sent to prison for church burglary
Published 9:31am Friday, June 10, 2011
.. Atkins burglarized and vandalized the predominantly black church ... http://www.tidewaternews.com/2011/06/10/courtland-man-sent-to-prison-for-church-burglary/

Local soup kitchen vandalized
By Stephanie Carroll
Special to The Sentinel
Posted: Friday, June 10, 2011 11:07 am
The Episcopal Church of the Savior Soup Kitchen was vandalized this week when nine windows were smashed over a two-day period ... "It was clear this wasn't just kids throwing rocks," Rodriguez said. "It looks to us like it was done with a bat. One window was acrylic. You hit an acrylic window with a bat, and it won't break. You have to keep going at it ... http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/article_b101e8d0-938c-11e0-97fb-001cc4c002e0.html

Seven Cases of Vandalism, Criminal Damage Reported in La Grange
By Ken Manson
June 13, 2011
... Someone broke the doorbell at La Grange Bible Church, 850 S. Seventh Ave., and wrote on the building in pencil, police learned at 10:43 a.m. June 10. Church officials looked at video of the incident, said they recognize the offender and will handle the matter themselves. http://lagrange.patch.com/articles/seven-cases-of-vandalism-criminal-damage-reported-in-la-grange

Historic Society Hill graveyard hit by vandals
Monday, June 13, 2011
By VERNON ODOM
SOCIETY HILL - June 13, 2011 (WPVI) -- An act of vandalism turned the historic graveyard at a Philadelphia church into a crime scene after several tombstones dating back to the 1700's were destroyed over the weekend ... http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/crime&id=8188104

Apollo Church Vandalized During Weekend
http://www.kittanningpaper.com/2011/06/14/apollo-church-vandalized-during-weekend/17804

[dmallind]

4. Vandalism everywhere is quite common.

I suppose it's nice of the atheist group to chip in, and good PR for them, but it's hardly unique or dramatic. If it happened the other way round it might be newsworthy.

[rug]

5. I'll chip in. Tell me where to send the money.

[struggle4progress]

6. The abundance of jackasses has always enabled the world's bigots to feel justified:

What an atheist asshole! Fuck atheists!
What a Buddhist asshole! Fuck Buddhists!
What a Christian asshole! Fuck Christians!
What a Hindu asshole! Fuck Hindus!
What a Jewish asshole! Fuck Jews!
What a Muslim asshole! Fuck Muslims!

What an American asshole! Fuck Americans!
What a British asshole! Fuck Brits!
What a French asshole! Fuck the French!
What a German asshole! Fuck Germans!
What an Italian asshole! Fuck Italians!
What a Japanese asshole! Fuck Japanese!

What a black asshole! Fuck blacks!
What a fat asshole! Fuck fat people!
What a gay asshole! Fuck gays!
What a rich asshole! Fuck rich people!
What a teetotaling asshole! Fuck teetotalers!

[dmallind]

7. I don't think there are either bigots or justification or even assholes involved here

Other than the vandals I guess. The atheists are doing a genuinely good deed, for a group to whom they do not belong and with whom they may otherwise disagree. But so is every non-Japanese person who donated to tsunami relief, or every white non-franncophone who volunteered in Haiti, or every non-believer who puts money in Salvation Army kettles, or every Protestant who cooks meals at a Catholic soup-kitchen.

Kudos to all of them - sincerely. I'm no Schweitzer but what charity and volunteering I do is not limited to obese middle class white atheist men either. Only true bigots don't help "the other" in whatever scale they help at all. The less trusted/respected the minority the less "outside" help they normally get for less than global scale catastrophic events. That's the only reason non-atheists helping atheists would be newsworthy. Generally this kind of thing is just normal.

[dimbear]

8. " I'm no Schweitzer "

Don't lose any sleep over that. While undoubtedly a talented chap, he was scornfully derisive in his writings of those who disagreed with him, i.e. nonbelievers.

[dmallind]

9. Did not know that. Thanks! nt.