The Anti-Christian Movement

For example, I notice outrage lacking when California schools teach units on Islam, requiring students to take Muslim names and recite Muslim prayers. Yet, they take offense with the name of Christ. I notice further that Michael Newdow hasn't filed an injunction against the use of Roman and Norse gods in the names of five of the seven days of the week. These gods apparently are nonoffensive enough to fly below his radar.

I think they're just lazy. It's easy to spot God in the pledge of allegiance or the dollar bill, but to know the origins of the names of the days of the week requires knowledge, as does knowing how many other symbols glorify God on the dollar bill and the Great Seal of the United States, which is why they don't have a problem with other blatant promotions of religion by the government.

As for them not complaining about other religions being taught in public schools, I think a conversation from the most recent Simpsons episode sums it up:

Lisa: Just what we need. Another lame suburban kid who loves rap.
Bart: So? You like the blues.
Lisa: Yes, but the blues are unpopular.

proof, Gid, proof

you offer none, yet expect us to take the existance of this Jesus for granted

and don't think because somebody is anti-Christian that they might necessarily be anti-Christ himself. Christians aren't Christ, much as some of them think they are.

You get an insightful from me today Gideon.

proof, Gid, proof you offer none, yet expect us to take the existance of this Jesus for granted

We do offer proof. It might not be the proof for which you are searching, but we do offer it.

and don't think because somebody is anti-Christian that they might necessarily be anti-Christ himself. Christians aren't Christ, much as some of them think they are.

Well, the names that anti-Christians choose, such as jesusstayscrunchy, sounds pretty anti-Christ to me.

And yes, some Christians think they are Christ, but so many people in the world place themselves on a pedestal. Atheists aren't any less judgmental, arrogant, self-righteous, etc. than Christians are.

myrrander,

I leave your response intact, but my response to you is a nonresponse. You don't need to accept Christ; that's your choice, but I DO wish you'd show a little respect for the faith of others.

jesusstayscrunchy

I don't have a problem with the nonexistant Christ. Just a lot of christ pushers. And no proof was offered. Even Thomas got to run his hands over Jesus, eh?

and don't think because somebody is anti-Christian that they might necessarily be anti-Christ himself. Christians aren't Christ, much as some of them think they are.

Actually, btw, I could rip apart your argument from scripture, but since you don't hold it as a standard, what would be the point? You, incidentally, cannot prove Jesus did not exist...tremendous irony for someone who holds "proof" as the be all, end all of knowledge.

I'm very tempted to lock this thread. Thank you, myrrander, for being "exhibit A".

I found your blog to be very ironic given my early article of the day.  Needless to say, I am in full agreement with you on this.  It is no longer a seperation of Church and State, but the total abolition of anything Christian by those who are afraid of diversity and the right for people to have their own opinions and faith.

I have an answer!

The reason a lot of people fine it offensive is that they were betrayed by that particular concept of God and it triggers those memories which probably aren't pleasant. Many people have had associated the name of Jesus with unpleasant memories or controling factors other people wield. It depends on who you ask.

Muslim prayer and concepts are less offensive because there are no negative human associations with it in the immediate community like California. There is a big disconnect between America and the muslim concept system. This is a cultural disconnect. America does not understand muslim faiths, so they disconnect it like many things.

The muslim religion is not a source of control for people in our country, however Christianity is a source of power and control from parents or grandparents that have believed in it all their lives.

fox,

That is actually a very insightful answer. I appreciate it.

Not all athethist take this stance that you do. I take equal offense at you trying to ram god down my throat no matter what name you call him. Yes, I find that living in the US, christianity is what is spoon-fed to you the most, but it is not the only thing. It is by far the oppiate of choice in the US, so it takes the most heat from "non-believers."

Our forefather's did not put the word GOD on our money, in the pledge of alliegance, or in most of the places you find it now for a good reason. They did not want to insult those of a different faith/or lack thereof. It was the stupidity of the 50's and the fight of "godless communism" that put it there. If our money said in Allah we trust, I would be just as offended by it, as I am with God there, and that is actually, the most generic term you can have there.

I do understand you point, that you feel christianity takes the brunt of it, here, but that is because the majority of Americans are christian. But I don't have people knocking on my door trying to sell me copies of the Torrah, or of the Koran. (Quaran?) I don't come knocking on your door trying to sell you The Origins of Man do I? If you don't want to take the brunt of it, then don't be the brunt of the problem by trying to force your views on people like me.

I can honestly say, myrrander, this is the first time I have blacklisted someone and HATED doing it.

Please contact me when you don't feel so impressed with your agenda to attack my faith, ok?

Not all athethist take this stance that you do. I take equal offense at you trying to ram god down my throat no matter what name you call him. Yes, I find that living in the US, christianity is what is spoon-fed to you the most, but it is not the only thing. It is by far the oppiate of choice in the US, so it takes the most heat from "non-believers."

Then you will have noted his choice of words, and perhaps not be offended.  He said the 'Anti-Theists', not atheists in general.  Anti-theists are the target of this article, not those who would allow all to live with their own set of beliefs.  I think your diatribe is mis-directed.

But I don't have people knocking on my door trying to sell me copies of the Torrah, or of the Koran. (Quaran?) I don't come knocking on your door trying to sell you The Origins of Man do I? If you don't want to take the brunt of it, then don't be the brunt of the problem by trying to force your views on people like me.

Uhhh, I don't  remember going door to door trying to sell anyone a Bible. In fact, MOST denominations of the Christian faith DON'T...in the same manner as MOST atheists don't deserve to be branded "antitheists" because they don't ATTACK the faith of those who disagree.

Tell you what: You try not stererotyping Christians based on a minority, and I'll continue to encourage people to stop stereotyping atheists based on a minority (I already do this by distinguishing atheists from ANTItheists).

I called them Secularist Bigots on mine.

It used to make me really angry when Jesusstayscrunchy crawled out of his hole to poke at people just to make himself feel superior. Now, I just laugh it off and delete his posts. Anyone that would find his attitude admirable is probably worse, anyway.

Sadly, he writes decent stuff otherwise. You can tell some people have "issues" when they are reasonable and tolerant one minute, and the next they turn into a ranting turd. No different than racists and anti-Semites I have known. They are fine till you key their neurosis...

Belligerent secularists are the same as rabid anti-Anythings. They can't open their mouths without showing how hateful and irrational they are. If they dealt with people in a tolerant way they might be dangerous, their arguments might seem more reasonable.

As it is, they just broadcast how intolerant and hateful they are. People just yawn and change the channel.

I would suggest to try not to play Myrrander's game. Your article was to discuss the anti-christian aspect of many, his first response was to as for proof. Maybe he is too ignorant to respond to the topic at hand but then who knows... Most of what he writes I view as a point whore trying to get hits.

Just my 2 cents.

Not all athethist take this stance that you do. I take equal offense at you trying to ram god down my throat no matter what name you call him. Yes, I find that living in the US, christianity is what is spoon-fed to you the most, but it is not the only thing. It is by far the oppiate of choice in the US, so it takes the most heat from "non-believers."

Who's ramming God down your throat? Who's insisting that Christianity isn't the only thing in which people believe? What makes your beliefs less of an opiate than ours?

Our forefather's did not put the word GOD on our money, in the pledge of alliegance, or in most of the places you find it now for a good reason. They did not want to insult those of a different faith/or lack thereof. It was the stupidity of the 50's and the fight of "godless communism" that put it there. If our money said in Allah we trust, I would be just as offended by it, as I am with God there, and that is actually, the most generic term you can have there.

Actually, they did place God on the dollar bill with the phrase "Annuit coeptis," or "He (God) has favored our undertakings," and the inclusion of the all-seeing eye, which is a symbol of the Renaissance times that symbolizes God.

I do understand you point, that you feel christianity takes the brunt of it, here, but that is because the majority of Americans are christian. But I don't have people knocking on my door trying to sell me copies of the Torrah, or of the Koran. (Quaran?) I don't come knocking on your door trying to sell you The Origins of Man do I? If you don't want to take the brunt of it, then don't be the brunt of the problem by trying to force your views on people like me.

I have girl scouts coming to my door trying to sell me cookies, as well as a variety of other salespersons, but that doesn't mean that I should start bagging on all girl scouts as oppressive girls who are violating my privacy. Besides, so what if Christians are the majority? That doesn't justify an anti-Christian attitude anymore than me being around mostly atheists on the Internet justifies an anti-atheist attitude.

Even Thomas got to run his hands over Jesus, eh?

Ah.... Myrrander one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God... yep- even yours! The problem is your proof will not come until you are prostrate befor Him. We can either do it today by free choice or in that day according to His Word. The later will not be the best option.

Nice post Gideon. This is what a Christian thread on a Religious Blog site should look like.

Insightful
preacherman

We can either do it today by free choice or in that day according to His Word.

So God gave us free will only to take it away?

IG

So God gave us free will only to take it away?

No, that is the white man.  Hence the term Indian Giver.

I am not a Christian. In any shape way or form. I'm not anti-christian either. In the past I have had the distinctive pleasure in partaking in Friendly debates about religion. They can be constructive but what I've found most people dislike about Christianity is not the faith itself but the presence of the Church in that faith. The fact that the Church controls the faith, rather than the scripture itself. One such example was a woman who almost denounced her christian faith when the Church decided after a good 2 thousand years - St Christopher was actually not to be considered a saint. This shook her. One of the questions she asked in one debate we were having is how could the Church pick and choose who was and wasnt a saint - Why put so much emphasis on saints when their sanctity can be taken away in a flash during an anual regime.
I obviously didnt know what to say, neither did anyone else - except for the few that went in to a conversation about how the Church works and what rules they apply to their faith. I must admit i didnt buy it and it was far from comforting to this woman. But yes i generally feel it isnt the faith that many people dislike, its the authority behind it that keeps on reshaping it.
To myrandr I say :
It really is hard to prove or disprove anything that occured 2 thousand years ago. The only things left are religious scripts. Instead of asking other Christians to prove anything for you - Go out on your own and read every material related to the faith in question. Read with logic first, and by all means question what you read. If you think it falls in to a logical pattern that you can believe in - your heart will kick in. The result will be faith. which you can build on with knowledge. Dont take anyone elses word for it - they are already believers.

And to quote Preacherman : "Ah.... Myrrander one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God... yep- even yours! The problem is your proof will not come until you are prostrate befor Him. We can either do it today by free choice or in that day according to His Word. The later will not be the best option."

That kind of repent ye lest you face the brimstones of hell attitude is exactly what drives away many people from your faith - try moderation and guidance, if they dont work, let the christ whom you believe in do his work. Food for thought.

Thanks for reading.

"Ah.... Myrrander one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God... yep- even yours! The problem is your proof will not come until you are prostrate befor Him. We can either do it today by free choice or in that day according to His Word. The later will not be the best option."


Gee, that sounds like a threat! A little bit of "nice place you got here, too bad if something were to happen to it" talk is sure to sway the unbeliever to your side.

Can't you guys see that?

I don't have a problem with the nonexistant Christ. Just a lot of christ pushers. And no proof was offered. Even Thomas got to run his hands over Jesus, eh?

Actually he never did. Yes, he had the opportunity, but never took the action.

IG

"I don't have a problem with the nonexistant Christ. Just a lot of christ pushers. "

I don't have a problem with bitter Atheists. Just a lot of bitter Atheism pushers.