Why Do Atheists Care About Religion

[Yuliya Dukhkin']

My sister recently showed me this really awesome video:


www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fQA9mt-Mg


This pretty much says it all, but I have to add one more thing.

I, as an atheist, care about religion because it is because of the Bible that the United States does not allow gays and lesbians (who are harming no one) to have the same rights as everyone else.

[roren]

Mmk, I'll take this up and discuss it with you. As someone that truly supports religious action, and is a practicing Roman Catholic, I'd like to first state that I agree that any discrimination based on any sort of belief, Atheism included, does not fly with me. However, I believe still that the fundamental thoughts and ideas of my religion are sound, and should be adhered to in everyday life.

To address a few points discussed in the video...

1. The Boy Scouts of America, while they receive public funding, tend to go hand in hand with some sort of religious group, as far as I know. I know for a fact that when I was a member, we met in an area provided to us by the church, and I know that we worked with them on other such projects. The public funding contradiction IS rather interesting, however, I'd rather see the Scouts drop the funding than drop the reason for which they were first established. It is not that I believe Atheists cannot do good work for them, it is that traditions are often looked at as something to be upheld, and other organizations other than the Boy Scouts exist. Now, not all Scouting groups are necessarily affiliated with the church, and I am nowhere near an expert. But when they work closely WITH said church, then often members are expected to be of like religion, which I believe to be fair.

2. Holding public office in such states is unfair, and I agree with that point wholeheartedly. Separation of Church and State has been established, and therefore, should not affect one's ability to hold office.

3. Idiotic quote from a president that I oppose, along with his son. End'o story.

4. Now, these laws are quite ridiculous. As I said before, separation of Church and State is established. However, it must also be said that complaining of not being able to buy a car on a particular day is a tad like grasping at straws. I feel that though these laws are restrictive, they are something that can easily be dealt with, and should not be discussed a ridiculous amount. After all, I'm a practicing Catholic, and I have no problems with buying these things on Sundays. Yet, even I would be restricted by these laws. Therefore, ATHEISTS are not the ONLY ones having themselves limited. I can wait an extra day, he can as well.

5. I do not have the knowledge of the situation to comment upon the changing of the pledge. However, I can say that as a member of the Knights of Columbus, First Degree, I do not d*** my organization simply because of that action. They do good work for the public, community service, donate to charity, etc. An organization that helps others is good, no matter the religious affiliation. And I would also like to point out that Atheism was not so prevalent back in the 50's, and that adding 'Under God' to the pledge was PROBABLY meant to instill a form of unity between Americans. If you're religious, you believe in SOME kind of God. Not necessarily my God, but A god. Therefore, at the time, it was probably a logical change, albeit one that does not apply to all.

6. In regards to our currency, once more, I feel as though in the past our nation was far more religious, and as such, that was not so big of a change. Keep in mind that there are a variety of reasons to find this ridiculous. I have heard it said that Theodore Roosevelt believed it sacrilegious to place God's name on currency, and personally, I agree with him. I am not stating that it's a GOOD idea, I am rationalizing its use, and also pointing out that Atheists are not the only ones that can disagree.

7. Being founded on a Christian basis. While not necessarily established with religion in mind, many men at the time WERE WASP's (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants), and shared similar beliefs. Therefore, unofficially, one could say that our nation was founded upon said religion.

8. Though the next point seems to dispute my above claims, I'd like to state that throwing out a few names does not refute the fact that MANY Americans of the time were, in fact, Christian, along with many leaders. Also, for the most part, men at the time were religious in some form or another, whether Christian or not. Therefore, while the country was not founded on Christian beliefs, it was founded on a sort of unspoken understanding of faith. While I do not support SAYING that America was founded to be a Christian Nation, I do believe that, once again, the nation started from a similar origin nonetheless.

9. While Creationism is not necessarily a science, I'd like to point out that in the past, EVOLUTIONISTS were damned for the same reason this man is complaining about Christians; trying to get Evolution taught in schools. The Scopes Monkey Trial was most certainly the pinnacle of this argument, and while William Jennings Bryan was made into a sort of a fool through it, the fact is, pushing to get your ideals taught is not a crime. It is up to the government to decide what is taught and what isn't.

10. That is one of the most ignorant points I have ever seen made. Not because I agree with illogical thought, but because some sort of ethical ideals MUST be considered before carrying out legislation, or progressing as a nation. For instance, for the most part, I believe abortion to be something distasteful, and I am against it except in the obvious cases of rape and the like. However, this is only because it's a security blanket for women that go out, take chances, get pregnant, and then d*** the child because of their actions. We, as human beings, hold with us the amazing capacity to consider our actions ethically as well as logically. This should be considered in all issues.

11. There will always be radicals in any sect. Let's look at the Anarchists, who commit acts of terrorism against governments around the world. Atheists have also participated in terror. We have the capacity, as well, to be vile human beings. I believe that a man who is TRULY religious, and faithful, will see how disgusting such acts are, but it varies through culture. One thing I CAN say, however, is that religion is not the basis for terrorism.

12. The trusting of Atheists would depend on the area. For instance, I'd say that the Urban Northeast would think QUITE differently of a lack of faith than any Conservative, Rural area, wouldn't you? I trust all, so long as they earn my trust.


As I've said, I agree on many of these points, and I believe that no discrimination should be found within our nation. However, there will always be those who ruin things for the rest of us...and as much as I hate it, there is nothing I can do about it. The main thing is, we must be good people first and foremost. If we achieve that, religion or no, we are truly blessed.