Ruby said:
This bugs the snot out of me. Something needs to be done. It's major discrimination to persecute, slander , or fire someone from a job just because they are atheist.
Well, you don't have to persecute or fire someone "just because they're an atheist". There are so many excuses to do all of the above.
"Not a team player."
"Unsatisfactory {fill in the blank}."
"We just needed to let someone go. It was you."
Prove it wasn't.
This topic merely harkens back to the "Smart people think they have a right to be mean" thread... but I'm easy.
Basically, it's very simple. I'll try a few simple examples to illustrate my point.
We don't have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand.
-- James Watt (Former Secretary of the Interior, under Reagan)
Ah, the doomsday mentality. Screw the whole planet, Jesus is comming any day now, so it doesn't matter.
No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God.
-- George Bush, to a reporter in 1988, while serving as vice-president and running for President
Apparently, it's un-American to be an atheist. Naturally, if we substitute 'blacks' or 'jews' into the quote, it would be a career ending quote, rather than a career enhancing one.
I strongly believe in the separation of church and state. But freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion, there is a better way.
-- Al Gore, speech at a Salvation Army drug rehabilitation center in Atlanta, Georgia, May, 1999, quoted from AANEWS #808 by American Atheists, August 28, 2000
Another lovely vice-presidential quote. I wonder how many religions are not "good enough" for Algore?
We know that the Constitution wisely separates church from state, but remember: the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.
-- Joseph Lieberman, campaign speech at Fellowship Chapel, Detroit, August 27, 2000, quoted from AANEWS #808 by American Atheists, August 28, 2000
What is it with vice presidents? It seems like a requirement or something that they make a remark like this.
I put all the blame legally and morally on the actions of the terrorist, [but America's] secular and anti-Christian environment left us open to our Lord's [decision] not to protect. When a nation deserts God and expels God from the culture ... the result is not good.
-- Rev. Jerry Falwell, backpedaling amidst criticism of his statement blaming civil libertarians, feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights supporters for the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, quoted from John F. Harris, "God Gave U.S. 'What We Deserve,' Falwell Says," The Washington Post (September 14, 2001)
I see. It wasn't *really* religious people that hijacked airplanes and crashed them into buildings, it was ultimately the fault of people not believing in his gods.
Then there's the whole "School Prayer" thing that comes up every so often.
http://www.schoolprayer.com/courts/rulings.html
Most recently the high school football prayer case was essentially all about Baptists in a primarily Baptist community speaking their minds about how Mormons are cultists, and getting cheers at school events, on school property, and amplified by school equipment.
http://www.baptiststandard.com/2000/6_12/pages/pressure.html
Naturally, to some it's all 'atheists' fault, and they mistreat other Christians by calling them 'atheists' (alas) because nobody ever bothers to read up on the background to this stuff.
Really, to have people believe you're pure "evil" for not believing in their gods is a little petty. Interesting that they seem to respect believing in the WRONG gods far more than believing in none.
). Your beliefs will change over time; the extent to which you control the direction this change takes? That is up to you.
