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What do Atheists do with their money?

As a matter of principle, in terms of living in harmony with my values and beliefs, I would never carry around, promote, endorse or personally approve of anything that I simply do not believe in
REGARDLESS of whatever monetary benefit I may gain from it. That's what INTEGRITY is all about.
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Nonsense
You do not believe in polluting the air, and yet you breathe it.
Breathing polluted air is an affirmation that polluting is ok?

The money says 'In God We Trust'
I'm sure that's true of the printers of the money. So when does carrying it become a reflection on my integrity?

Integrity is not a virtue that stands alone. Torturers, murders, and violent extremists throughout history would be virtuous because they acted according to their beliefs.

And would it be fair for the United States government to simply delete this controversial word from its currency in favor of more acceptable and secular terminology?
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It is not controversial to them.
It is acceptable to them
They are showing integrity by resisting secular terminology.

E Pluribus Unum is good start (out of many, one)

And there is really no such thing as the 'atheist' who has absolutely no doubt. Contrast this with the seemingly endless line of believers who would gladly die, and take many others with them, rather than doubt God. Do any of them really act with integrity? If people really believed in life after death, death would be more welcome.
 
apoger said:
Of course it would be "fair". The phrase wasn't there until the 1950's and McCarthyism.
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According to the U.S. Treasury, the motto has appeared on American currency for a great deal longer than that.
 
Lisa Simpson said:
I like to cross out "In God We Trust" and write blasphemous sayings on it instead.
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Naah, you can't really get more blasphemous than having the God printed on evil money.
 
ceo_esq said:
According to the U.S. Treasury, the motto has appeared on American currency for a great deal longer than that.
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It was on a few coins since the civil war era, but it didn't get printed on the bills until 1957.

When the country was founded there was no need to concecrate the money to god. When we were threatened with civil war we appealed to god by printing our faith on a few coins. When we were threatened by communism we spammed the phrase onto all our money.
 
apoger said:
It was on a few coins since the civil war era, but it didn't get printed on the bills until 1957.

When the country was founded there was no need to concecrate the money to god. When we were threatened with civil war we appealed to god by printing our faith on a few coins. When we were threatened by communism we spammed the phrase onto all our money.
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Unless I misread the Treasury FAQ, "In God We Trust" was "spammed" onto virtually all U.S. coins before the Russian Revolution even took place. Even today, of course, coins account for by far the largest number of instances of the motto, so I suppose one could say not that much has changed.
 
Re: Re: What do Atheists do with their money?

EHocking said:
I suppose as an Australian that supports the idea of us becoming a republic that I should stop using GBP 'cos they have an image of the Queen on them?

Integrity should be saved for things other than strawmen...
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Speaking of integrity, she is legally your queen, isn't she? Legally, you are not a citizen, but a subject, correct?

Yes, we know it's all in name only, but it still counts, right? Right...subject?
 
Yahweh said:
Defacing money is a crime, that's why I recommend you print your own money with blasphemous sayings, then everybody wins.
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I suppose this would be defacing: Deliberately writing stuff on there for the purpose of obscuring or altering it (as opposed to someone's phone number.)


So yes, I would agree that crossing out "God" and writing in "Lucifer" would count as defacing it.

One wonders if someone pushed that issue in court what would happen. Seems like only one of two possible outcomes:

1. Crossing out "God" is not defacing it because that is legally just a meaningless cultural thing

2. If it is defacing, that implies "In God we trust" is an official statement by the government, which cannot be, therefore #1 must apply


I suppose they could consider it like ruining artwork. I wouldn't put that beyond a judge.
 
Re: Re: Re: What do Atheists do with their money?

Beerina said:
Speaking of integrity, she is legally your queen, isn't she?
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Oh, queen, eh - very nice. And how'd you get that, then? By exploiting the workers! By hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society. If there's ever going to be any progress...
Legally, you are not a citizen, but a subject, correct?
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Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you! I mean, if I went 'round saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!
Yes, we know it's all in name only, but it still counts, right? Right...subject? [/B]
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Well, I didn't vote for her.

In fact, in the first 12months in Britain, I exercised my democratic muscles by;
a. voting against the Australian Liberal Premier in a State election.
b. voting against the Australian Liberal Prime Minister in a General Election.
c. voting against the UK *Labour* Prime Minister in a General Election
d. voting against both the Queen *and* the Governor General in a referendum for a change in the Australian Constitution



... failed completely in all of them ....



Oh, what a give-away. Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about. Did you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn't you?
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: What do Atheists do with their money?

EHocking said:
Oh, what a give-away. Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about. Did you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn't you?
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Bloody peasant!
 
what do i do with my money? i use it to buy music, audiophile grade headphone equipment (no woo-woo stuff, just to be clear, though that is a bit of a losing battle in some circles) and ammunition.
 
EdipisReks said:
what do i do with my money? i use it to buy music, audiophile grade headphone equipment (no woo-woo stuff, just to be clear, though that is a bit of a losing battle in some circles) and ammunition.
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Just curious.

Have you ever been heard to utter the words,
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"?
 
tommyz said:
As a matter of principle, in terms of living in harmony with my values and beliefs, I would never carry around, promote, endorse or personally approve of anything that I simply do not believe in
REGARDLESS of whatever monetary benefit I may gain from it. That's what INTEGRITY is all about.

For example, and based on this theory, a vegetarian would never promote or endorse a steak house or a meat manufacturer. Not by doing a commericial, appearing in an ad, or wearing any merchandise with said manufacturer's name.

Here in the United States, ALL denominations of our currency (whether in coin or in paper) have the enscribed phrase "In God We Trust"

Thankfully, I myself am more of an agnostic, so I can peacefully accept and tolerate that. But for those of you DIE HARD atheists out there, how do you live with yourselves, carrying coins and paper currency that has this unacceptable phrase promoting a concept that you outright reject? And would it be fair for the United States government to simply delete this controversial word from its currency in favor of more acceptable and secular terminology?

Your thoughts and opinion please...
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I do not live in the United States, dimwit! Why do some stupid Americans always assume that the US is the centre of the world...stupid…

And the currency in my home country or anywhere in Europe (I think) has nothing about any fairytale deity on their notes.

Anyways, even if the cash currency said anything about any god, I wouldn’t care, because, I simply do not care about religion, or any other superstition. I would use the notes even if they said, "Hail to the Devil".
 
Robin said:
I am a vegetarian and I would have no objection to endorsing a meat manufacturer (that would be a cow or a sheep right?), or a steak house if the need arose. For example if a friend started a new hamburger joint I would happily wear the tee-shirt to get the message round since friendship is more important than diet. I don't necessarily think that everybody should share my personal choices.
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Excellent rebuttal, Robin! It's really refreshing to see someone as open minded and socially flexible like you on this board. And you're right...for the record, I'm a vegetarian myself and would have to completely AGREE with you under those circumstances.

Now try telling that to members of PETA! Good Luck! ;)
 
Re: Re: What do Atheists do with their money?

Anders said:
I do not live in the United States, dimwit! Why do some stupid Americans always assume that the US is the centre of the world...stupid…
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First off, I ask that you kindly refrain from using ad hominem insults in your posts. I do my very best to treat everyone on this board with the utmost dignity and respect, and ask for nothing more than the same in return.

Secondly, where and when did I specifically mention YOUR name (Anders) in my original post? Where and when did I specifically assume that YOU live in the United States? Or for that matter, that EVERYONE lives in the United States?

If there is an interpretation of a specific word, sentence or phrase that DOES imply that in my original post, I'd be very interested to know what it is. Until then, and ONLY THEN AT THAT POINT, will your insult be warranted and I will gladly stand myself corrected.

So please. Go ahead...prove me wrong.
 
"In God We Trust" is a perfect example of fuddie dogma.

If we close our eyes and chant loud enough, the nasty red commie athiests will go away.

I imagine it will eventually be considered an embarrassment and be taken off.

Which brings me to a rant. I keep seeing commercials for the Alliance Defense Fund. Their commercials come off like the godless athiests are trying to take their rights away from them (queue kid hiding a Bible in a magazine at a school library :rolleyes: ). BUT, go to their website, and the group is all about TAKING AWAY THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS! Oh, the irony.

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org
 
As a matter of principle, in terms of living in harmony with my values and beliefs, I would never carry around, promote, endorse or personally approve of anything that I simply do not believe in
REGARDLESS of whatever monetary benefit I may gain from it. That's what INTEGRITY is all about.
Click to expand...

The horrible Ides of April being on my mind, I have to wonder how you justify paying taxes? Does it just have to be a “monetary benefit”?

Certainly there are things your payments promote that you, personally, “would never carry around, promote, endorse or personally approve”. Foreign policy? Stem cell research? Gays in or out of the military? Grant support to the Country Music Hall of Fame? Something, right?
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What do Atheists do with their money?

wahrheit said:
Bloody peasant!
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Peasant! I should have used that word instead of "subject."

"She's your Queen. Right...peasant?"

Is that better or worse than being called "common"?
 
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