Florida Christians protest atheist billboard

Post Reply New Topic

What you say seems acceptable and of course my own prejudice is a factor but the habits of looking for perceptible causes and effects must have a very discernible effect on fundamental concepts. There is no way to prove that an absolute power is non-existent but when that assumed power withdraws more and more from perceptible effect as scientific understanding becomes more extensive it is more and more likely that the inquisitive mind would dismiss it altogether as having any consequence.

Within my own experiences, I have found that it is acceptable to have beliefs other than Christianity as long as a fundamental belief in God exists. I grew up with a mother who was a "practicing" Catholic and a father who was raised Jewish but became agnostic. We didn't get much grief about the Jew part, but the agnostic part was simply incomprehensible to most people. My dad was constantly shamed and dismissed and on his deathbed he was bombarded with believers trying to force his acceptance of God. According to those who were there in the final moments, he prayed for God's acceptance. I knew him better than most and strongly feel that it was either his desire to please his loved ones, or it was the morphine talking. How sad. If only he was a believer, then maybe those last moments could have been about expressing love and peace.

I think to dismiss one's beliefs is disturbing. I believe there is way more discrimination against non-believers beacuse believers are offended by non-believers. For one to say there is no God, it rocks the core of a believer because they often say that God is the core of who they are. Most non-believers are not offended by someone simply believing in God.

I also think you are better off defining your own beliefs from within yourself. Anyone trying to ram anything down your throat simply should not be trusted.

Through experience I have discovered that belief in God is based on deep emotional foundations and has nothing whatsoever to do with logic. All this discussion on the impossibility of events described in the Bible is totally ineffective because there is no logic involved. To accept logic against religious faith is equivalent to applying an oxy-acetylene torch to jello and this is simply not permitted by people of faith.

I think I understand. It's kind of like how my son believes, with all of his heart and emotional foundation, that Transformers are real. I've tried to reason with him by using logic but to no avail. He doesn't even allow me to try anymore. So this is his belief, and I respect it.

I live in Florida and the goddamn fundies make me sick. It's perfectly ok for them to erect billboards spreading their message, but the second an atheist, agnostic, or non-biblical puts something on a billboard all hell breaks loose. The pilgrim puritans to this day still own this country.

*hugs Orwell again* (Hopefully I'm not scarin' ya too much. This is the second time today I've read something that you said that seemed to express something that I'd tried, and failed, to correctly articulate.)

Florida is a very odd state. I was born there and have lived there for longer than I've lived elsewhere. There are several distinct regions. The very south of the state has a large Cuban, Dominican, and Haitian population. The northern part of the state (called the Panhandle) has more in common, culturally, with coastal Alabama. And then there's peninsular Florida which has a large population of people from all over the country.

People from lower socioeconomic classes are more likely to adhere to a fundamentalist religion than people from higher socioeconomic classes, so it's not surprising that this protest is happening in that area.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XJseql2u5l0/R ... slayer.jpg

Sorry, I haven't figured out how to post a picture yet. It's pretty funny - worth a click.

A college campus is not representative of a population at large. Realize there are MANY people who don't and won't ever attend an institute of higher learning.



Ring-wing Christians face the most opposition because most people generally appreciate freedom and don't want to be slaves on such a micro-managerial level as most right-wing sects do.



You could stipulate the same for +98% of "free thinkers"; atheist or not. That's not especially something unique to atheism and is more something associated with humans at large.

Though they do hold a little better claim considering that for the most part, it is a minority within society and requires more to go toward it rather than just staying within the status quo. But that's not to say you're wrong about it...I'm sure most of them are just following someone in the pack and not much more...but for the USA, it is definitely more of a minority.

And as far as being discriminated against: polls show that most people won't vote for an atheist so therefore we don't get fair representation in government (and therefore, also, our taxes become misappropriated from that lack of representation). If you're "outted" as an atheist within most social circles in the country, you're treated and viewed and trusted differently.

There's definitely discrimination...but you'd be hard pressed to find it because you're in the majority and I'm not about to ask you to start walking around saying you're an atheist. Not to mention normally there aren't many times that an atheist comes across a point in conversation to assert their atheism so the status quo normally is assumed for most of these people (ie, they're assumed christian until proven otherwise).

What's the difference between "the very south of the state" and "peninsular Florida?"

I think "peninsular Florida" is the part in-between the panhandle and "the very south of the state"... the very south of the state being the part with the lowest latitude. (like Miami-ish, I guess?) Where as "peninsular" is more like Orlando, and the places where all the old people go to retire.

I certainly don't hate all Christians (many in my family are Christian), but I have absolutely zero patience for these kinds of people. They certainly have the right to their beliefs and speech, but atheists and agnostics sure have their rights, too.

Solution: don't look at their bill-boards and don't have anything to do with the fundies. They have a clear right to be wrong. What they do not have a right to do is impose their foolishness upon you by force.

ruveyn

Correct. Caesar has always demanded more than the temple. Because legions of soliders, building roads, and other programs of the empire cost more than a Rabbi or two.



Northern Florida is quite like southern Georgia/Alabama. As one moves onto the peninsula, it becomes more cosmopolitan. Miami has a distinct international feel to it. Key West is similar to Cloud 9.

Southern Florida (Miami area) is composed largely of Cuban expats and New York Jews. It's much more cosmopolitan than the panhandle or Central Florida and really is not at all part of the American South.

The very utmost south of Florida is the key to the State.

ruveyn