Comments on: Is There a Refuge From Superstition?

By: Hrafnkell

Hrafnkell — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:04:20 +0000

The way I’m looking at it is this: Here we have a bunch of Christians who continue to look at the world through a Christian lens (thus the “year of the lord”) but that at the very least they are standing up for the Jeffersonian principle that people have a right to worship whoever and however they wish – or not at all. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.

By: Pom

Pom — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:05:03 +0000

The Proclamation is great – however, why is it signed “in the year of our lord”??? Doesn’t it sort of taint the entire meaning of the thing? Or does it just irritate me for the reasons we’ve been discussing?

By: Hrafnkell

Hrafnkell — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:24:16 +0000

Makarios, I agree. I’ve said that myself before, that these are the forces of Reaction at work. They feel themselves increasingly marginalized, their status threatened by immigration, and their religion itself is no longer as dominant as it once was, with so many other religionists their neighbors. And the less they matter the louder they get.

Thank you for linking Frederick Clarkson’s comments!

Sydryd, some communities are worse than others too. For example, Colorado Springs. A fellow from there moved here and said he’d never been any place else so similar to Colorado Springs, where everyone is so in your religious business – do you go to church, which church do you go to? etc.

By: Sydryd

Sydryd — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 09:29:36 +0000

@Makarios
Yep, you’re speaking my mind. I no longer live in the United States either. The world does laugh and I hear it everyday. When I do visit the U.S., “religion” is like a slap in the face. It sadly reminds me of being in school again… if it wasn’t so concerning, the behavior would be simply adolescent.

By: Makarios

Makarios — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:47:53 +0000

In a related matter, you might be interested in Frederick Clarkson’s comments on President Obama’s proclamation of January 16 as Religious Freedom Day, over at Talk to Action:

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/1/15/232152/844

By: Makarios

Makarios — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:43:36 +0000

Although I no longer live in the U.S., I grew up there, and I don’t remember this sort of God-talk poisoning public discourse the way that it does now. I get the impression that it started out as a reaction to the countercultural movements of the ’60′s (hippies, Beatles, sexual liberation), the feminist movement, and the civil rights movement; and that it just keeps going and going and going.

It certainly make the U.S. look ludicrous in the eyes of the world. I can’t think of any other industrialized country in which the holy rollers are trying to get the public schools to teach creationism, where candidates for office have to have impeccable Christian credentials, or where the head of state would consult the likes of James Dobson on his choices for Supreme Court appointments.

Pat Robertson may be past his sell-by date, but back in the day he could buy and sell the White House; and, as the controlling mind behind hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of assets, he is still not without influence, looney though he may appear to be.

By: Hrafnkell

Hrafnkell — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:10:09 +0000

My son’s nurse was on the phone the other day talking about a new movie based on some children’s books, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” She knows full well I’m a polytheist but right there in front of me told her friend her kids should see it or at least read the books so they can get a grounding in Greek “mythology.” This would be like me telling somebody to see the “Ten Commandments” so they can get a grounding in Jewish or Christian mythology. Obviously, they’d be less than amused by such usage, but they think nothing of talking that way about our beliefs.

I’ve heard the nonsense about Catholicism being Pagan – the Puritans said the same of Anglican Christianity and for the same or similar reasons.

By: Pom

Pom — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:06:20 +0000

LOL@confirmation classes! I was confirmed – twice! It just didn’t “take”.

Right now I’m trying really hard not to blow a gasket over a friend of mine calling Catholicism a “Pagan” religion – and she meant it as an insult to Catholicism knowing full well that I’m a Pagan. This is what being non-Christian means to too many right now when they don’t find a path. They become just as rabid as their counter parts.

I digress… apologies.

By: Hrafnkell

Hrafnkell — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:53:52 +0000

Yeah, it really has gotten bad. You can’t escape it. Honestly, nobody is looking forward to the rapture as much as non-Christians are. Bring it on!

They want company because they doubt. If they were certain they’d not be fanatical about it. And more believers means it’s less likely they’ve deceived themselves, thus the weekly indoctrination sessions, the brainwashing of confirmation classes, the hounding of those who haven’t been in church recently, making sure you’re in a church (come to mine! it’s best!) etc etc.

By: Pom

Pom — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:18:24 +0000

It seems like it’s gotten worse. I cannot explain the reasoning though I have some suspicions. Every channel – even NBC which I’ve always considered to be more liberal than the others – is now talking about or at least mentioning the monotheist understanding of god countless times just during the ‘Today’ show. It’s gotten to the point that I watch movies or read most of the time because it’s everywhere all of the time. And now my daughter, who has been free to choose for herself for several years now, has been invited (or even dragged along) to church consistently by friends’ parents after years of being left alone in this regard. She’s too informed for it to have any affect on her, but it seems that the desperation of those insisting is becoming more evident and demanding.

Is it 2012 coming or the rapture that has everyone riled? I can’t say but it’s become trying just getting through the days surrounded by ignorance and misunderstandings not to mention the promotion of their superstitions.

Thank you for the notification thing too! lol