From the L.A. Times; "Atheists: No God, no reason, just whining"

[skeptic]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-allen17-2009may17,0,491082.story

 

Okay, for some reason, the link will not post completely, so cut and paste to include the last part.

 

 

Some quotes from an L.A. Times Opinion Piece today by Charlotte Allen.

 

"What primarily seems to motivate atheists isn't rationalism but anger -- anger that the world isn't perfect, that someone forced them to go to church as children, that the Bible contains apparent contradictions, that human beings can be hypocrites and commit crimes in the name of faith. The vitriol is extraordinary."

 

"My problem with atheists is their tiresome -- and way old -- insistence that they are being oppressed and their fixation with the fine points of Christianity. What -- did their Sunday school teachers flog their behinds with a Bible when they were kids?"

 

"Maybe atheists wouldn't be so unpopular if they stopped beating the drum until the hide splits on their second-favorite topic: How stupid people are who believe in God."

 

"Maybe Darwin-o-mania stems from the fact that this year marks the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth in 1809, but haven't atheists heard that many religious people (including the late Pope John Paul II) don't have a problem with evolution but, rather, regard it as God's way of letting his living creation unfold? Furthermore, even if human nature as we know it is a matter of lucky adaptations, how exactly does that disprove the existence of God?"

 

"If there is no God -- and you'd be way beyond stupid to think differently -- why does it matter whether he's good or evil?"

 

"What atheists don't seem to realize is that even for believers, faith is never easy in this world of injustice, pain and delusion. Even for believers, God exists just beyond the scrim of the senses. So, atheists, how about losing the tired sarcasm and boring self-pity and engaging believers seriously?"(This message has been edited by skeptic)(This message has been edited by skeptic)(This message has been edited by skeptic)

[le Voyageur]

 

imho....Religious people should be careful not to saw off that tolerant, secular humanist branch they're sitting on.(This message has been edited by Le Voyageur)

[Beavah]

Religious people should be careful not to saw off the tolerant, secular humanist branch they're sitting on.

 

LOL.

 

Nor should secular humanists cut themselves off from da religious soil and roots from which they sprung and which continue to support and nourish 'em.

 

 

[le Voyageur]

Nor should secular humanists cut themselves off from da religious soil and roots from which they sprung and which continue to support and nourish 'em

 

The only reason Christians are not still burning each other is because the secular state stopped them.

 

None the less, we are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some just goes one god more....

 

(This message has been edited by Le Voyageur)

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Charlotte Allen's bizarro rant is already the laughingstock of atheist blogs:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/05/charlotte_allen_really_is_angr.php

http://richarddawkins.net/article,3856,n,n

 

I like this response to the opening sentence of "I can't stand atheists -- but it's not because they don't believe in God. It's because they're crashing bores":

"I cant stand theists--and it's not because they believe in god. It's because they're crashing planes. "

 

What does this have to do with scouting, skeptic? If you belonged to a no-Jews private club, would you repost antisemitic rants to justify your continued membership?

[skeptic]

What does most of what you gripe and moan about have to do with scouting? You are NOT a Scouter. And this is the political thread in which you go on and on and on ................ about how persecuted Atheists are. So, answer your own question.

 

Frankly, I just found it amusing to have a major paper actually publish something that points out how insecure and thin skinned the strident few of you are.

 

And, I really could care less what you think or say, as you long ago proved yourself to be everything you keep calling the BSA and people of religious bent.

 

So, have fun ranting.

[DanKroh]

I think judging all atheists by the vitriol of a strident few is a lot like judging all Christians by the standard of Fred Phelps. I've known a lot of atheists in my time, and most of them are happy, friendly people who don't give a lick if you believe in a sky god.

 

But if you try to proselytize and tell them they are bad people because *they* don't believe in a sky god, yeah, then they tend to get their back up. And yet, Christians seems surprised when that happens. Because then the atheists are just griping.

 

All righty then.

 

And frankly, I put a lot more credence in the idea that atheists actually do have rights infringed upon than the persecution cry of the vast Christian majority.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Skeptic, I'm an ex-scouter (not that I'd want to join the BSA as it is today), and I advocate for atheists' rights. Yes, people like yourself can try and rationalize your discrimination against atheists by trying to vilify them, just like antisemitic groups vilify Jews.

[Beavah]

The only reason Christians are not still burning each other is because the secular state stopped them.

 

LOL.

 

Yah, da atheist states like Stalinist Russia and Maoist China were sterling examples too, eh? Give me da Holy Roman Empire over those any day!

 

Fact is that da risk of burning people has everything to do with having a state with singular power and almost nothin' to do with the beliefs of those who hold that power. Atheist, Christian, doesn't matter. Da problem is with havin' too much power in the state.

 

------

 

Now, Merlyn, an article callin' angry atheists bores and whiners is somehow da same as National Socialist propaganda vilifying Jews? You must be jokin'! That sounds a whole lot like da "boo-hoo" victimhood the article talks about.

 

Beavah

 

 

 

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Well Beavah, rewrite her screed changing atheists to Jews and see how it reads.

[CalicoPenn]

I discounted this the moment it became clear that this was an opinion piece about a group of people written by someone who was not a member of the group of people in question. The fact of it being an opinion piece automatically means it has a bias. It also means that no factual matters need be addressed.

 

It's much the same as claiming that Democrats are socialists, Republicans are fascists, and right-wing radio talk show hosts are feeble-minded clowns (though the latter may very well be true).

 

The best part of opinion pieces like this is that people like me can stand up and say "It is my opinion that Charlotte Allen is a feeble-minded clown" without needing any facts to back it up.

[Trevorum]

Merlyn, I didn't know you were an ex-Scouter (or is that a typo?). I remember you said you used to be a cub scout.

[Mr. Boyce]

I don't know about you folks, but as a Christian, I spend most of my "religious time" focussing on trying to be like Christ. I don't bother much with worrying about atheists.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

If 'scouter' does not apply to cub scouts (or didn't back circa 1967), then I used the wrong terminology, Trevorum.

[Hal_Crawford]

Merlyn:

Scouter refers to adult leaders/members in scouting. Scouts are are youth members. I assume that you were a Cub Scout. If you were in fact an adult member then you would have been a scouter.