Sorry, I didn't realize my standing on it was bothering you.

[trotsky]

[HereSince1628]

1. Clearly a person who supports government mandates! n/t

[Cooley Hurd]

2. That's a new level of stupid...

[dmallind]

9. That's an exceptionally common and normal level of stupid

About half the nation - which is then over half the Christians - in surveys state that they view atheists as unamerican and not sharing society like themselves.

[Possumpoint]

3. Another Loon From Alaska

Three months of darknes must have an adverse effect on the thinking of some people.

[Ilsa]

4. Alice is a pathetic human being.

Blame everything on the atheists. Cite currency printed since the 1950s as a source for discrimination.
If Alice doesn't understand the Constitution, maybe she should leave the US by virtue of her ignorance.

[rug]

5. I love Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/atheists.asp

[trotsky]

6. I do too!

"Given the plenitude of e-mails we've received over the years expressing the very same sentiments as this letter, it (regardless of the intentions of its creator and/or sender) apparently does reflect the genuine opinions of a not insubstantial readership base."

[rug]

7. Posting five year old hoaxes leads to such fruitful discussions.

"Numerous attempts to contact Ms. Shannon proved the letter was a hoax, and we stopped printing any letters referring to hers."

[jeff47]

10. Ok, you're almost at the part where Snopes says there's a kernel of truth

Just a few more paragraphs. You can do it!

[rug]

22. Any truth, kernel or otherwise, lies entirely outside the OP.

[eqfan592]

49. Only in the most narrow minded sense.

In the general sense (that there are people this ignorant out there), it is completely relevant.

[dmallind]

12. So let's consider the "hoax"

a) It's a real letter printed in a real newspaper who were not "in" on this. Clearly then an opinion considered worthy of their dissemination

b) on causing both positive and negative reaction, the writer either revealed it as a strange joke (which only works anyway if both a aqnd c apply) or backtracked her opinion as a "hoax"

c) very real academic surveys as well as any casual perusal of opinion sharing websites show this to be a common and prevalent attitude

[rug]

21. You've been Poed.

[dmallind]

26. Which again shows how common the attitude is - Poe reflects entirely on the religious.

[Goblinmonger]

33. pssst

I don't think he fully knows what a Poe is but thought it would be a witty comment to once again get him out of having to address the issues.

[ananda]

8. I would like this person to list...

... the exact, specific crimes "atheists" have committed...

as opposed to the real crimes the xtians have committed
in the name of "God" and "Family values."

[TrogL]

13. They believe all criminals are athiests

If they believed in God they wouldn't be criminals.

Also, by extension, all atheists are criminals.

Yes, I'm well aware of the tortuous logic. My aching head.

[obxhead]

11. That is one informed individual.

Thank goodness she is looking out for our country!

ETA:

after some reflection, I think this printed opinion says more about the paper that published it than the actual writer.

[skydive forever]

14. WWJH

Who Would Jesus Hate? As my bumber sticker said, "Please God, protect me from your followers".

[madashelltoo]

15. Now, that's some scary shit!!!!

I know it takes all kinds, but do they all have to say something stupid in order to get a club card or something?

[teewrex]

16. Absolutely speechless

Must be that 1 day and 1 night each year up there in Alaska is affecting her mental capabilities

[longship]

17. George H W Bush thinks atheists should not be citizens

He said as much.

[sinkingfeeling]

18. Ah, the brilliant logic of the religiously insane.

[Moostache]

19. The veracity of authorship is irrelevant...

The sentiments expressed is EXACTLY what the uninformed and uneducated BELIEVE it means to be an atheist.

They quite literally believe that atheism = satanic and evil.
The mental image they have of an "atheist" would be similar if not exact, to that of a stereotypical child molester or flasher in a trench-coat looking for a victim.

They do not understand or draw a distinction between "non-belief" and "anti-belief".
They cannot understand that a statement - "I do not see sufficient evidence to accept your beliefs" - does NOT mean any kind of counter claim is being made, it means ONLY what it says, that no compelling evidence is available to support the truth claims of ANY religion when viewed objectively. Yet it is spun by their "leaders" (money grubbing thieves all) as a fundamental attack on their core existence!

What always baffles me is that nearly every religious adherent who takes offense to the existence of atheists is convinced that their version of the sky daddy is THE truth; and that all other believers are simply deluded...yet atheists, who do not even accept the "so-called false" religions, are viewed in a totally separate category of scorn. It is amazing, but totally explainable...the acceptance of those who simply challenge the entire concept of believing in something, despite the evidence otherwise, cannot be allowed.

As for the article...Poe's strike again

[rug]

23. Ah, it's a metaphor.

[dmallind]

27. I think the word here is exemplar.

[humblebum]

20. It's not too hard to find similar sentiments expressed by atheists

Last edited Thu Apr 5, 2012, 12:24 PM - Edit history (1)

toward religion, and the religious.

BTW, I do not share the sentiments expressed in the article.

[dmallind]

28. Really - where?

Who wants to deport all theists?

[jeff47]

31. If it's not too hard, I'm sure you'll be able to provide lots of examples. (nt)

[humblebum]

32. Whoever said that calls have been made for religious people. I merely referred to "similar"

articles and statements made by atheists expressing "ridicule, hatred, and contempt" for religion.

[Goblinmonger]

34. That's the only phrase you have

and it's getting a little worn out and the pages are sticking together.

[humblebum]

36. Well I could quote Dawkins' "ridicule and contempt." But repeating

that sentiment over and again gets no older than the anti-religious rhetoric here. And it is a very valid example.

[jeff47]

35. So...you don't have any actual examples then?

'Cause I'm just waiting to drop a nice long list of Republicans in Congress who think I should be at best a second-class citizen. That way we can compare the relative threat of "Congressman" vs. "some random atheist rambling on the Internet".

[humblebum]

37. I just gave you a Hitchens' quote, but I really don't think you care to play the flame game

that you are threatening to ignite.

[jeff47]

38. So to you a dead Brit is as effective as a whole lot of Republicans in Congress?

Yeah, I can clearly see how that argument makes sense. Clearly you religious folks are severely oppressed.

[humblebum]

39. That "dead Brit" as you put it, had a following as large as any US congressman.nt

[jeff47]

40. Yet he couldn't pass any laws.

On the other hand, Republicans all over the country are passing laws to jam foreign objects into women on behalf of their religion.

[humblebum]

41. What foreign objects are they jamming into women? You seem

to be rambling out of control.

[jeff47]

42. Mandatory ultrasounds before abortion.

Only way to properly perform an ultrasound that early is with an internal transducer.

[LeftishBrit]

45. Nonsense

He never held any office; some people read his work with interest, and considered him clever; but he did not have a big impact on people's views. The people who supported him were already atheists; I don't know of a single person who was converted to atheism by him. The left, who might have appreciated his secularism, tended to be turned off by his support for the war in Iraq; and vice versa in the case of the right.

His Christian Right brother Peter Hitchens, as a columnist in a widely-read tabloid, has far more influence - and even he is not as influential as a government member.

The Republicans in Congress have FAR more power.

I am not a fan of either Hitchens brother, but let us not get paranoid. And if one is going to be preoccupied with negative messages from journalists, what about the vehement anti-secularism of Melanie Phillips, Cristina Odone or George Pitcher? The first of these, in particular, is very widely read.

[humblebum]

51. Yes, of course. that 's why they referred to him as one

of the four horsemen of new atheism. And that's why he was constantly sought out for speaking engagements and seen regularly on political discussion programs. All because few listened to him.

[LeftishBrit]

52. I didn't say few people listened to him

I said he had little real influence or power. Two different things.

Being 'sought out for speaking engagements' does not equate with political power.

And I wouldn't say that he was seen 'regularly' on political discussion programmes. I watch and listen to political discussion programmess, and I've only seen him occasionally.

The Republicans, and the political Right more broadly, have had an almost INFINITELY evil influence on your country, mine to quite a degree, and on the world. Hitchens has never had that sort of influence.

[dmallind]

43. For religioN. Not for stamping out and deporting the religioUS.

[Blue Owl]

24. God or Atheism: in which name have more people been slaughtered?

The answer may surprise you, Alice Shannon.

[humblebum]

30. And then again it might not surprise her.

My guess is that you would be surprised.

[darkstar3]

46. Educate yourself. It's not hard, and it will deal with that little problem of Stalin Tourette's.

[humblebum]

47. Always hung up on Stalin, aren't you? nt

[jeepnstein]

25. So much fail, so little time.

[Thats my opinion]

29. That is also unconstititional--as well a sstupid. nt

[skepticscott]

48. You wouldn't be mocking and ridiculing

someone just for their beliefs, would you? There are people on this board who strongly disapprove of that...

[Flying Squirrel]

44. I belkieve in God...

...please don`t throw me in the slammer! (Or burn me at the stake?)

[Iggo]

50. My fellow Americans.