On 12/7/12 6:51 PM, JustWait wrote:
On 12/7/2012 4:42 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:42:33 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity?

===

I don't think this was directed at me but allow me to chip in my 2
cents worth. I'm not anti religious at all, not yours, nor anyone
else, but I am a *really* strong proponent of the separation of church
and state. The founders of this great country were all too familiar
with state sponsored religion and wanted no part of it here, and for
really good reasons. The first amendment did not happen by accident.

You think a Christmas tree is "State Sponsored Religion"?

If the state pays for the tree and/or sets it up on state property, it
certainly is state sponsored religion. It is promoting Christmas, a
religious holiday. On private property, on church property, it is just a
Christmas tree.

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:51:04 -0500, JustWait
wrote:

You think a Christmas tree is "State Sponsored Religion"?

===

Christmas trees are symbols, interesting symbols at that, and yes, we
have one.

Christmas trees of course have nothing to do with Christianity, at
least not originally. Christmas trees were originally part of a
northern european tradition of celebrating the winter solstice
(shortest day of the year). Those celebrations were widely associated
with various pagan religions, so in a way, the trees were religious
symbols of sorts even then. As Christianity spread northward from
Rome, missionaries of the faith recognized that people would not
readily give up all of their old traditions, so the celebration of
Christmas was melded in with trees, yule logs and other winter
solstice celebrations. At present Christmas trees are very much
associated with the celebration of Christmas however, and Christmas
(surprise, surprise) is very much a religious holiday, a religion that
not everyone participates in. Their argument (the non Christians),
is that the government should not be participating in religious
symbolism, and perhaps they have a good case. Are non Christians bad
people who should be ignored? Not necessarily. There are plenty of
people who are good citizens, and of high moral standards, who
believe in some other religion or no religion at all. Religion is a
very personal thing that depends in no small part on how you were
brought up. Government should not be involved in that kind of
personal choice.

In article ,
says...

On 12/7/12 6:51 PM, JustWait wrote:
On 12/7/2012 4:42 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:42:33 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity?

===

I don't think this was directed at me but allow me to chip in my 2
cents worth. I'm not anti religious at all, not yours, nor anyone
else, but I am a *really* strong proponent of the separation of church
and state. The founders of this great country were all too familiar
with state sponsored religion and wanted no part of it here, and for
really good reasons. The first amendment did not happen by accident.

You think a Christmas tree is "State Sponsored Religion"?

If the state pays for the tree and/or sets it up on state property, it
certainly is state sponsored religion. It is promoting Christmas, a
religious holiday. On private property, on church property, it is just a
Christmas tree.

Stop whining, none of your money was used to buy the tree, pay to have
it moved, pay to have it decorated or pay the electricity bill for the
lights. You didn't pay your taxes, shut you mouth.

In article ,
says...

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:42:33 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity? I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "So
many Christians, So few lions." I suppose it takes no balls to attack Christians. I wonder why I've
never seen a bumper sticker saying, "So many Muslims, So few virgins."

In fact, I've seen very little of atheists taking action against Muslim activities. Are atheists
mostly just afraid of Muslims? Or, is the Muslim God OK with atheists?

Muslims, Christians, Jews. What is the difference?

The Jes don't seek converts. The Christians talk you into converting.
The Muslims hold a knife to your neck and make you convert.

ESAD wrote:
On 12/7/12 4:28 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:56:45 -0500, ESAD wrote:

On 12/7/12 2:42 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity? I recently saw
a bumper sticker that said, "So
many Christians, So few lions." I suppose it takes no balls to
attack Christians. I wonder why I've
never seen a bumper sticker saying, "So many Muslims, So few virgins."

In fact, I've seen very little of atheists taking action against
Muslim activities. Are atheists
mostly just afraid of Muslims? Or, is the Muslim God OK with atheists?


Too cold for you to troll for stripers in the Bay, eh?

What most atheists are against is not religion, per se, but religion
that tries to force itself down the throat of non-believers, either
directly or indirectly, or religion that uses government or government
facilities to further...religion.

Oh...the "Muslim" god is the same being as the Christian god and the
Jewish god. Muslims are monotheistic. Muslims consider Abraham, Moses
and Jesus as prophets of the same god your church venerates. Oh, and
didn't you go to college? Apparently you are not aware that Muhammad is
not the god of Muslims, but simply their main man prophet.


Read the question, Krause. Are you implying that Muslims do not try
to force their beliefs upon
others? Apparently most atheists don't realize that both Christians
and Muslims believe in the same
God.

Have you paid your taxes yet? Is being a deadbeat good for your
serenity?



I assumed the bumper sticker that offended you was one you saw locally.

I haven't read of any significant cases in this country in which
Muslims have tried to force their religious beliefs on others, but
there are plenty of instances and cases in this country in which
Christians have forced their religious beliefs onto those who don't
share those beliefs. In the United States, it is christians who work
at forcing their beliefs onto the population.

I have seen more than a few devout Muslim women at Tysons' Corner
Shopping Center wearing the traditional head and face covering. I
didn't notice any of their spouses or brothers confronting non-Muslim
women and forcing them to cover up. I've talked to Muslims while in
DC, while on the Metro or in museums. None of them asked me if I'd
"been saved." When I was consulting at ULLICO, I used to talk almost
every day to the well-dressed Black Muslims hawking their newspapers
and pies on the corner across the street, and even got the building
management to allow them into the lobby and the restroom there.

On the other hand, I have frequently been "confronted" by christians
seeking converts, and annoyed by christians trying to pass laws to
restrict practices they claim are anathema to their religion. For
those christians, there are not enough lions.

You're a racist turd, herring. And you're easy.



You skipped the question about your taxes. You're a deadbeat.

Meyer wrote:
On 12/7/2012 4:40 PM, ESAD wrote:
On 12/7/12 4:28 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:56:45 -0500, ESAD wrote:

On 12/7/12 2:42 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity? I recently saw a
bumper sticker that said, "So
many Christians, So few lions." I suppose it takes no balls to
attack Christians. I wonder why I've
never seen a bumper sticker saying, "So many Muslims, So few
virgins."

In fact, I've seen very little of atheists taking action against
Muslim activities. Are atheists
mostly just afraid of Muslims? Or, is the Muslim God OK with
atheists?


Too cold for you to troll for stripers in the Bay, eh?

What most atheists are against is not religion, per se, but religion
that tries to force itself down the throat of non-believers, either
directly or indirectly, or religion that uses government or government
facilities to further...religion.

Oh...the "Muslim" god is the same being as the Christian god and the
Jewish god. Muslims are monotheistic. Muslims consider Abraham, Moses
and Jesus as prophets of the same god your church venerates. Oh, and
didn't you go to college? Apparently you are not aware that
Muhammad is
not the god of Muslims, but simply their main man prophet.


Read the question, Krause. Are you implying that Muslims do not try to
force their beliefs upon
others? Apparently most atheists don't realize that both Christians
and Muslims believe in the same
God.

Have you paid your taxes yet? Is being a deadbeat good for your
serenity?



I assumed the bumper sticker that offended you was one you saw locally.

I haven't read of any significant cases in this country in which Muslims
have tried to force their religious beliefs on others, but there are
plenty of instances and cases in this country in which Christians have
forced their religious beliefs onto those who don't share those beliefs.
In the United States, it is christians who work at forcing their beliefs
onto the population.

I have seen more than a few devout Muslim women at Tysons' Corner
Shopping Center wearing the traditional head and face covering. I didn't
notice any of their spouses or brothers confronting non-Muslim women and
forcing them to cover up. I've talked to Muslims while in DC, while on
the Metro or in museums. None of them asked me if I'd "been saved." When
I was consulting at ULLICO, I used to talk almost every day to the
well-dressed Black Muslims hawking their newspapers and pies on the
corner across the street, and even got the building management to allow
them into the lobby and the restroom there.

On the other hand, I have frequently been "confronted" by christians
seeking converts, and annoyed by christians trying to pass laws to
restrict practices they claim are anathema to their religion. For those
christians, there are not enough lions.

You're a racist turd, herring. And you're easy.

John asked about Your tax delinquency and your propensity for being a
deadbeat. Have you nothing to say in your defense?

Of course not.

ESAD wrote:
On 12/7/12 6:51 PM, JustWait wrote:
On 12/7/2012 4:42 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:42:33 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity?

===

I don't think this was directed at me but allow me to chip in my 2
cents worth. I'm not anti religious at all, not yours, nor anyone
else, but I am a *really* strong proponent of the separation of church
and state. The founders of this great country were all too familiar
with state sponsored religion and wanted no part of it here, and for
really good reasons. The first amendment did not happen by accident.

You think a Christmas tree is "State Sponsored Religion"?

If the state pays for the tree and/or sets it up on state property, it
certainly is state sponsored religion. It is promoting Christmas, a
religious holiday. On private property, on church property, it is just
a Christmas tree.

If someone doesn't pay their taxes, they are a ****ing deadbeat and
their Apple computers, phones, generators and imaginary boats are all
ill-gotten gains.

On 12/7/2012 4:29 PM, Wayne.B wrote:

Christmas trees are symbols, interesting symbols at that, and yes, we
have one.

Christmas trees of course have nothing to do with Christianity, at
least not originally. Christmas trees were originally part of a
northern european tradition of celebrating the winter solstice
(shortest day of the year). Those celebrations were widely associated
with various pagan religions, so in a way, the trees were religious
symbols of sorts even then. As Christianity spread northward from
Rome, missionaries of the faith recognized that people would not
readily give up all of their old traditions, so the celebration of
Christmas was melded in with trees, yule logs and other winter
solstice celebrations. At present Christmas trees are very much
associated with the celebration of Christmas however, and Christmas
(surprise, surprise) is very much a religious holiday, a religion that
not everyone participates in. Their argument (the non Christians),
is that the government should not be participating in religious
symbolism, and perhaps they have a good case. Are non Christians bad
people who should be ignored? Not necessarily. There are plenty of
people who are good citizens, and of high moral standards, who
believe in some other religion or no religion at all. Religion is a
very personal thing that depends in no small part on how you were
brought up. Government should not be involved in that kind of
personal choice.

My wacky fundamentalist christian pastor brother-in-law has never
allowed a Christmas tree in his house because of it's pagan origins. I
think they're nice but we don't bother now that the kids are gone.

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:36:51 -0800, jps wrote:

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:42:33 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity? I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "So
many Christians, So few lions." I suppose it takes no balls to attack Christians. I wonder why I've
never seen a bumper sticker saying, "So many Muslims, So few virgins."

In fact, I've seen very little of atheists taking action against Muslim activities. Are atheists
mostly just afraid of Muslims? Or, is the Muslim God OK with atheists?

Understanding that you lack any common sense and require remedial
education, Christianity is the dominant religion in the US. Anything
that's dominant will attracted detractors, even if in small
percentages. Loud mouth extremists always get the attention.

Ted Nugent, Kid Rock and Victoria Jackson, for instance.

The war on christmas is a ginned up bunch of bull****, btw.

Gotcha. Atheists attack only *dominant* religions. (Not to mention those that won't blow up their
car when the wrong bumper sticker is attached!)

You folks are a joke.

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:42:52 -0500, Wayne.B wrote:

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:42:33 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

Are y'all anti-all religions, or only Christianity?

===

I don't think this was directed at me but allow me to chip in my 2
cents worth. I'm not anti religious at all, not yours, nor anyone
else, but I am a *really* strong proponent of the separation of church
and state. The founders of this great country were all too familiar
with state sponsored religion and wanted no part of it here, and for
really good reasons. The first amendment did not happen by accident.

There is no place for Sharia law in this country, not the Papal
version, not the Islamic version, or any other version. It is my
personal opinion that any church which tries to influence legislation
or any other governmental process should have their tax exemption
revoked. The subversion of the Republican Party by religious zealots
will ultimately lead to its downfall, and what a pity that will be.
Where else will we find fiscal responsibility?

From Wikipedia and Thomas Jefferson regarding separation of church and
state:

===
In the United States, the term is an offshoot of the phrase, "wall of
separation between church and state", as written in Thomas Jefferson's
letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The original text
reads: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely
between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his
faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach
actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence
that act of the whole American people which declared that their
legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a
wall of separation between Church and State." Jefferson reflected his
frequent speaking theme that the government is not to interfere with
religion.[7] The phrase was quoted by the United States Supreme Court
first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947.[8] The
phrase "separation of church and state" itself does not appear in the
United States Constitution. The First Amendment states that "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
===

Thanks for the free lesson on separation of church and state. That wasn't the issue addressed in the
OP however.

The question had to do with a bumper sticker and why atheists attack Christians but not Muslims,
especially as they worship the same God.