I actually regret some of that wording since "negative" is subject to perspective as well. Co-existence is the key. And thank you, I swear I learned better morals from my parents, local farmers and stoners than anything I was taught about good behavior in school, tv, internet or any other form of media including every major news outfit.
It's funny you bring that up. We've got a thread going in this same section https://www.rollitup.org/spirituality-sexuality-philosophy/521636-death-part-1-a.html that I think applies to this (part 2 specifically). There's a section titled "no atheists in foxholes". Basically that statement is a candid admission by theists themselves that the only reason they submit to belief is through fear. This applies to those kinds of force conversions mainly (though I suspect a majority of theists tend to fear hell/death/non existence as well for the same reasons). Belief is a position of thought originating from the fear of what would happen if you didn't.
[video]http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/413074/april-23-2012/don-mcleroy?xrs=share_copy[/video]
I dunno from my experience humans hate to be wrong, and when you ridicule them, it only pushes them hard to try and force their idea out there and on people so they can get that gratification that they aren't wrong and the ridiculers were just mean dicks. I have never ridiculed someone who was blatantly and embarrassingly wrong and had them turn around and go "You know, you're right, I was a complete Jackass, I'm sorry and your way is absolutely the best".
Seems like more PC bullshit that just won't go away. Just like when someone is forced to remove a manger scene from their lawn or gets screamed at for not saying happy holidays. My philosophy is if you don't like something and it's not hurting you or directly affecting you don't look at it, don't read it, don't watch it, ignore it. If you can't ignore a piece of metal that happens to resemble a cross because of the potential religious symbolism I think you need to re-evaluate what's important.
When I want entertainment I watch Fox News. When I want actual reporting I check multiple sources online both independent and major and then doubt some aspects anyway.
I dig it, I usually watch Faux news (one extreme) and then read Al Jezeera (the other extreme) and then what I do is sift through the Al Jezeera for facts not mentioned in the Faux news stories, then strip said facts of adjectives and opinion. What I am left with is news.
Yes, you hit upon another pet peeve of mine. I don't know how atheism itself could cause anyone to be bothered by images of Santa at Christmas anymore than images of Dracula at Halloween. I can understand wanting to keep these things out of government. My tax money shouldn't go to buy religious decorations (or Halloween for that matter), but being bothered by seeing it in someones yard or a private business to the point of censoring it comes from some place other than a persons rejection of a deity. I have no problem with a person simply celebrating anything, as long as it does not obligate me.
For the most part, I agree with you. I wouldn't go so far as to ask someone to censor something like a cross or holiday scene. It does irk me though, that people are that ignorant. To me, that's all I see, that's all it really is, a celebration of peoples ignorance. That does bother me. Just like book burnings or scientology or flat earthers... I think a lot of us atheists still give special credence to peoples religion, even though it's no less ignorant than any of those other things I just listed, just because it's their religion. If we had a nationwide day of book burning where people went out on their lawns and had book bon fires because the information was too tough to learn or went against traditional beliefs, I think a lot of us would be offended by that. If it was in the name of their religion or as a sacrifice to some higher power, society says it's reasonable or justified..
This bothers me as well....i'm an Atheist and I really don't have a problem with Christmas or any other Religious holiday. Hell, I don't even view Christmas as a Religious holiday. It's more or less just an excuse to receive/gift presents to family and friends. I only have a problem when Religion plays a role in politics, which it should not.
You know that cute little girl is gonna burn in hell for that, right?
Right and if I switch back and forth with CNN and Fox I get both sides of puke.
Seriously, now that Al-J is straight reporting, imo, it is so easy to see the contrast with the News-Lobby-Entertainment complex at work. The difference is who is paying and who is watching, who is writing to their Congress, who wants which flavor of chit-chat for the next party.
hahahaha I swear i've seen that somewhere else before.....adult swim...?
That was before Elmo came along and ruined it all. Before Elmo, The Count didn't worry about OCD, Big bird didn't question his sexuality, and Bert & Ernie were just roommates.