Atheists raising hell in my town

[ytsejam]

http://www.chicagotr...0,5555526.story

Atheist activists don't think Jesus will save whoever stole from a Streator park a banner proclaiming that he's a myth.



The banner, mounted during Holy Week by the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, was intended to offset an Easter display of crosses in the same park.



But its proclamation — "Nobody died for our 'sins.' Jesus Christ is a myth" — apparently didn't fly with some. By Easter morning, the sign had disappeared, leaving behind two bent poles.



Now, the atheists are offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. In addition to theft and vandalism, Patrick Elliott, staff attorney for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, believes the culprit also should be charged with a hate crime.



"The Illinois law on hate crimes is quite broad, if the motivating factor of the crime is the religion of the (victim)," he said.



"If somebody tore down the crosses, people would understand that would certainly qualify," he said. "If an atheist is attacked because the person is an atheist that would be covered."



Elliott clarified that he doesn't think the banner belongs in the park any more than the crosses do. But, he said, atheists are tired of one view being propagated at the exclusion of others.



"There's just a frustration with that. This is our form of protest."



The Rev. John Schmidtke, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Streator, said he supports freedom of expression, adding that believers and nonbelievers should stand up for themselves. But he doesn't see what all the fuss is about.



"I don't understand why atheists are so aggressive about something they don't believe," he said. "How could you be offended by something that doesn't exist? Intellectually, it's hard to get your arms around it. They're free to be silly. I guess they aren't going to believe in heaven and hell until they get there."



City Manager Paul Nicholson said the same rules apply to religious and secular displays. But city lawyers will review the ordinance during the next few weeks to see if revisions are necessary.



Meanwhile, the foundation has replaced its stolen banner with a similar banner, touting an additional message: "P.S. your god says, 'thou shalt not steal.'"

 

[the canadian dream]

i propose a global holiday where no religious ideals or discussions take place. Just one day out of the year. It shall be called "Im bored of this shit day".



But that's never going to happen. So here is the bottom line once again. There is and never has been an agreed upon definition of "religion". It's an abstract. Many have tried to put a hard definition on the word but it's impossible. So it's always confused me as to how any rights are ever given to an abstract word.

 

[roshinaya]

If you really think about it, Jesus allegedly dying for our sins isn't that powerful when you know he could resurrect, not that big of a sacrifice is it. Did he have second thoughts when he resurrected instead of staying dead?

 

[roshinaya]

i propose a global holiday where no religious ideals or discussions take place. Just one day out of the year. It shall be called "Im bored of this shit day".



But that's never going to happen. So here is the bottom line once again. There is and never has been an agreed upon definition of "religion". It's an abstract. Many have tried to put a hard definition on the word but it's impossible. So it's always confused me as to how any rights are ever given to an abstract word.

Right, therefor religion should be criticized like any other ideology and religious institutions should be like any other organization with taxes and all. No special rights or privileges.

 

[MassHavoc]

This reads like an onion article come to life, I love it!

 

[mikita's helmet]

Atheists don't believe in Hell, so how can they raise it?

 

[ytsejam]

Atheists don't believe in Hell, so how can they raise it?

I suppose you would have to ask the believers in the area.



I basically thought it was a funny figure of speech to use in the thread title.

 

[Bringmepie]

If you really think about it, Jesus allegedly dying for our sins isn't that powerful when you know he could resurrect, not that big of a sacrifice is it. Did he have second thoughts when he resurrected instead of staying dead?

There was a slight difference between the ass-whooping and crucifixion that Jesus got and the say, Edward G. Robinson's assisted suicide scene from Soylent Green. By some accounts he didn't stick around very long afterward if that helps any.



"Hey, look everyone it's Moses!"

 

[BigPete]

Well Rev. John Schmidtke, when was the last time you told someone they were going to hell for not believing in JC? Yesterday, this morning, ten minutes ago?

 

[Bringmepie]

Well Rev. John Schmidtke, when was the last time you told someone they were going to hell for not believing in JC? Yesterday, this morning, ten minutes ago?

He'd made his point and would have been better off shutting his yap before that self righteous last sentence.

 

[Ymono37]

He'd made his point and would have been better off shutting his yap before that self righteous last sentence.

HA! I was actually trying to figure out what was more annoying the Precher's smugness or the Atheist's.

 

[BigPete]

HA! I was actually trying to figure out what was more annoying the Precher's smugness or the Atheist's.

Atheists are not smug right now. We are fed up with nothing the but the Judeo/Christian/Muslim narative...mostly the Christian one because there are so 'goddamn' many of them in the US.



Christians, for centuries, have been the smug ones claiming to have the answers and trying to force everyone else to think like them or work/live within their acceptable moral code so as not to offend them. That's BS, the rest of us are tired of it and we aren't going to take it any more. I want to find that dipshit that makes the Jeebus commercials on TV (they were only on NBC for a long time) and tell him to keep it to himself and his congregation. The rest of us don't want to hear it anymore.



I finally figured out why Christians choose to believe. Everything about their 'answers' speaks to fulfilling their psychological needs. The need for safety (from a true death, one with absolute nothingness), pride (a sense of never being forgotten and a need to be something important), absolution (the need to feel okay about themselves no matter how much bad shit they do to others), and belonging (the need to feel like part of a community and a reason for being). It also helps when you can always blame "god's plan" for things going right, wrong, or you becoming a bad person. Most of all, it's easy to be a believer when someone else has done all the homework for you and written and distributed the rules so well. It's also hard not to be a believer when you have a charismatic person, pop culture, and your parents telling you over and over how good it is to be one.