As an atheist child growing up in the Bible Belt, I cannot possibly express how very oppressive the local culture of Christian bigotry was withOUT having the state post the Ten Commandments on the wall of every classroom. That’s just salt in the wound of a tidal wave of blind hatred the “Christian” children were all too eager to dole out. It wasn’t enough to assert that I was going to hell; some saw it as their religious duty to speed me on my way.
Someone once defined prejudice as "being down on what you are not up on." Pew Research, which gathers a lot of information about US attitudes regarding religion and social groups, found that in 2023 Atheists (and I am one) were still low on the list of acceptability but were moving up as the numbers of people who say they "know" an atheist increases. Muslims and Mormons also hang out at the bottom in the Pew poll.
The data on US prison population regarding Atheists versus Christians, while difficult to pin down due to issues of defining those words, shows that Atheists are very much underrepresented in US prisons when compared with Christians on a per capita basis. A quick look at The Googles and some AI stuff provides some interesting tidbits about this phenomenon.
It is interesting to me that the present political regime in power wants to install Christianity as the state religion in one way or another. This would turn Atheists into an even more despised group than at present, among many other negative effects. Maybe they want to do that because it will mean more money to be made in the private prison business.
It's out and out obvious that you can have the Ten Commandments or the Constitution of the United States, but not both. And that the Ten Commandments should not be used as a basis for law in a free, democratic country. I'm here referring to the commandments that appear in Exodus Chapter 20, the ones most people are aware of, not the later set laid out in Exodus 34. Those are different.
The first commandment says you shall worship one god and one god only. The constitution says no religious test shall ever be required for holding office or positions of public trust. Also that congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. It's one or the other, take your pick.
Strict observance of the Sabbath is not required by the U.S. consitution or U.S. law.
Make no graven images to your own glory? A lot of politicians, conquerors and legitimate kings and queens would be in trouble over that one. It certainly isn't forbidden by the U.S. constitution or laws.
Because "Christians" (whomever you include in your definition) accept both the so-called "Old Testament" and the "New Testament." There's also the argument that some of those commandments are found in the teachings of most other religions. Jesus of Nazareth referred to the commandments as his words and teachings are presented in the New Testament but boiled them down to "Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself." Most religious groups, even the ones that claim to be steadfast in their literal acceptance of The Bible, are pick-and-choose literalists, seizing on the parts that most fit their own beliefs and ignoring the ones that do not. The commandments are a part of the Bible that are easy to accept and highlight even though Christian groups argue vigorously about how to interpret them.
"Oh, what do I care. I'm sending my kids to Catholic school. THey already have the ten commandments on the wall." Anyway, one is never too young to learn about systematic hypocrisy.
Look. When I was a kid, I was forced to pretend to be a totally Bible-believing Lutheran protestant. The issue was that the indoctrination never took. The moment I realized that Santa wasn't real, that rule applied for all other imaginary friends as well.
Now, as for couch fucker, for people like him, deeply held religious beliefs follow the original intent of the Roberts court in that they're just cynical and transactional. Maybe a little deeper than Trump's two Corinthians but not by much.
Side point, but the ten commandments are from the Torah. They are the original guiding rules of the Jews; Christians adopted them when they co-opted the first five, OG books.
It's strange to be out here arguing that fine point as though I'm anything but a biochemist who's studied theology and history; a borderline atheist/agnostic/ bit of a bleeding heart pagan/pantheist, raised loosely Ecipscopalian and married to the son of a Jewish Ukrainian and a Norwegian Lutheran, who nevertheless believes rabidly and unmovingly in the separation of church and state.
Neither the 15, oy, ten commandments, nor any other Abrahamic or other religious doctrinal precepts should exist in public schools in the United States of America, forever and ever, amen.
But at least, at the very least, JD et al in your absurd Bible studies groups, give credit where due. Like agenic AI, Christians nicked the framework that pre-dated them, wrapped it up in new dressing, stepped in for Elijah and now they want to take credit. GTFO.
Meet the Reverend Minister Pastor Vance of the Church of the Burning Cross Church of the Flaming Prosperity So Hot and Lead Choreographer of the Church of the Burning Cross Church of the Flaming Prosperity So Hot Dancers.
I mean, this is J Divans we're talking about here. He surely means that before exposing any of the things to the kids, the things would be ensconced in plastic slipcovers.
Absolutely correct. One of the reasons Christianity caught on with the Roman Empire is that it offered a new method to persecute and control. They realized that being cool about other people’s religions was leaving money on the table, so to speak.
Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, salsa...
`
Wait.
I stand corrected. I guess, as I stated originally, that Tom Lehner popularized it.
As an atheist child growing up in the Bible Belt, I cannot possibly express how very oppressive the local culture of Christian bigotry was withOUT having the state post the Ten Commandments on the wall of every classroom. That’s just salt in the wound of a tidal wave of blind hatred the “Christian” children were all too eager to dole out. It wasn’t enough to assert that I was going to hell; some saw it as their religious duty to speed me on my way.
Someone once defined prejudice as "being down on what you are not up on." Pew Research, which gathers a lot of information about US attitudes regarding religion and social groups, found that in 2023 Atheists (and I am one) were still low on the list of acceptability but were moving up as the numbers of people who say they "know" an atheist increases. Muslims and Mormons also hang out at the bottom in the Pew poll.
https://ffrf.org/news/releases/pew-study-shows-acceptance-of-atheists-is-low-but-gradually-increasing/
The data on US prison population regarding Atheists versus Christians, while difficult to pin down due to issues of defining those words, shows that Atheists are very much underrepresented in US prisons when compared with Christians on a per capita basis. A quick look at The Googles and some AI stuff provides some interesting tidbits about this phenomenon.
It is interesting to me that the present political regime in power wants to install Christianity as the state religion in one way or another. This would turn Atheists into an even more despised group than at present, among many other negative effects. Maybe they want to do that because it will mean more money to be made in the private prison business.
It's out and out obvious that you can have the Ten Commandments or the Constitution of the United States, but not both. And that the Ten Commandments should not be used as a basis for law in a free, democratic country. I'm here referring to the commandments that appear in Exodus Chapter 20, the ones most people are aware of, not the later set laid out in Exodus 34. Those are different.
The first commandment says you shall worship one god and one god only. The constitution says no religious test shall ever be required for holding office or positions of public trust. Also that congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. It's one or the other, take your pick.
Strict observance of the Sabbath is not required by the U.S. consitution or U.S. law.
Make no graven images to your own glory? A lot of politicians, conquerors and legitimate kings and queens would be in trouble over that one. It certainly isn't forbidden by the U.S. constitution or laws.
And so on.
Why are the ten commandments always referred to as "christian" when they were written in the old testament, also known as the hebrew bible?
Because "Christians" (whomever you include in your definition) accept both the so-called "Old Testament" and the "New Testament." There's also the argument that some of those commandments are found in the teachings of most other religions. Jesus of Nazareth referred to the commandments as his words and teachings are presented in the New Testament but boiled them down to "Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself." Most religious groups, even the ones that claim to be steadfast in their literal acceptance of The Bible, are pick-and-choose literalists, seizing on the parts that most fit their own beliefs and ignoring the ones that do not. The commandments are a part of the Bible that are easy to accept and highlight even though Christian groups argue vigorously about how to interpret them.
What they really need are The Ten Duel Commandments.
https://youtu.be/TW3-3Xy0kCo?is=auilM1YlyeU7paE7
Mr. Vance, there's a Mr. Torquemada on line 2...
And he's looking for employees. Are you interested in a part-time job, Mr. Vance?
"Oh, what do I care. I'm sending my kids to Catholic school. THey already have the ten commandments on the wall." Anyway, one is never too young to learn about systematic hypocrisy.
Look. When I was a kid, I was forced to pretend to be a totally Bible-believing Lutheran protestant. The issue was that the indoctrination never took. The moment I realized that Santa wasn't real, that rule applied for all other imaginary friends as well.
Now, as for couch fucker, for people like him, deeply held religious beliefs follow the original intent of the Roberts court in that they're just cynical and transactional. Maybe a little deeper than Trump's two Corinthians but not by much.
Side point, but the ten commandments are from the Torah. They are the original guiding rules of the Jews; Christians adopted them when they co-opted the first five, OG books.
It's strange to be out here arguing that fine point as though I'm anything but a biochemist who's studied theology and history; a borderline atheist/agnostic/ bit of a bleeding heart pagan/pantheist, raised loosely Ecipscopalian and married to the son of a Jewish Ukrainian and a Norwegian Lutheran, who nevertheless believes rabidly and unmovingly in the separation of church and state.
Neither the 15, oy, ten commandments, nor any other Abrahamic or other religious doctrinal precepts should exist in public schools in the United States of America, forever and ever, amen.
But at least, at the very least, JD et al in your absurd Bible studies groups, give credit where due. Like agenic AI, Christians nicked the framework that pre-dated them, wrapped it up in new dressing, stepped in for Elijah and now they want to take credit. GTFO.
After Politics?
Meet the Reverend Minister Pastor Vance of the Church of the Burning Cross Church of the Flaming Prosperity So Hot and Lead Choreographer of the Church of the Burning Cross Church of the Flaming Prosperity So Hot Dancers.
It's the same argument they use on the gays et al. At least we're not throwing you off a building!
It remains a very stupid argument
just a dick doesn't really stand for anything, it would seem.
Does anybody else find this skeevy AF?
"And I'm comfortable with kids being exposed to a lot of different things."
No? Just me then.
I mean, this is J Divans we're talking about here. He surely means that before exposing any of the things to the kids, the things would be ensconced in plastic slipcovers.
gross 🤮
"J Divans", snort!
Pre-Christian Rome: For the most part didn't give a shit what specific gods you worshipped
Christian Europe: Crusades, Inquisition, Witchcraze, various other purges
Freedom of faith is very much NOT a Christian concept
Absolutely correct. One of the reasons Christianity caught on with the Roman Empire is that it offered a new method to persecute and control. They realized that being cool about other people’s religions was leaving money on the table, so to speak.
Nothing kills more people than religion, greed and fear other than maybe the mosquito.