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A quick update, and my response to a comment on Jessica’s victory
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Hello everyone!
I apologize for the lack of updates lately; lots going on. I’m in Philadelphia right now for a funeral, but I will be posting much more soon. So many things to write about – forthcoming are more articles in the Facebook series about the atheist-turned-Christian video, an article about Jessica Alhquist’s recent victory, an article about the current crop of Republican candidates, an article about the Jewish funeral I attended today (this could go a couple of different directions… death rituals and meaning within Judaism, the ethics and economics of modern funerals, atheists & grief…), some articles about several other interesting Facebook threads that I’ve participated in lately (religious delusions as a justification for faith, what’s comfortable to believe versus what’s true…), responding to some comments on some of my previous articles, and more.
I have to get going, but I’m going to leave this open to an informal poll among our members & our other readers: What would you like to hear about? Please leave me a comment here or on our Facebook group’s Wall about what idea from the list above sounds interesting to you, or suggest a topic of your own. Looking forward to hearing from you!
In the meantime, here is a quick thought about the Cranston ruling:
Kevin Harris wrote:
It’s a sad day when a judge confuses the establishment clause with the [free] exercise clause. The public schools belong to the people. If the people in the community express a religious heritage in public, so be it. What you would rather do is force YOUR secular philosophy into the public schools by removing any religious or Christian expressions. There IS NO NEUTRALITY! The removal sends a message that secular philosophy is the choice of the academy and to be preferred in the public square.
My response:
I think people confuse secular with anti-theist. (Also, I think people confuse atheist with anti-theist).
“Secular” means “not overtly or specifically religious; of or relating to the state as distinguished from the church, civil; of or relating to the laity as distinguished from the clergy; not formally related to or controlled by a religious body” (source).
We have a secular government in the United States. That doesn’t mean that we have an atheist or anti-theist government; all it means is that we are not a theocracy, [nor] a monarchy (divine right of kings), etc. It means that we govern ourselves in a way that’s distinguished and separate from the church, that is, not under the control of a religious body. Our public schools, Cranston among them, are included in this.
I think that a lot of this could be resolved simply by helping people understand that their idea of what these words mean is incorrect and skewed by religious motivations.
You can bet your ass that the people who support the banner, all Christian no doubt, would NOT be so supportive of the idea if instead of opening with, “Our Heavenly Father,” it said, “Our Overlord from Hell,” even though they are equivalent statements in principle.
Let us know what you’ll like to read about next!
Take care,
Dave
mail@davemuscato.com
(573) 424-0420 cell/text
Dave Muscato is Vice President of MU SASHA. He is a vegetarian, LGBTQ ally, and human- & animal-welfare activist. A junior at Mizzou majoring in economics & anthropology and minoring in philosophy & Latin, Dave posts updates to the SASHA blog every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. His website is http://www.DaveMuscato.com.
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Helpful resources:
Godisimaginary.com
Iron Chariots Wiki
Skeptics’ Annotated Bible / Skeptics’ Annotated Qur’an
AtheismResource.com
TalkOrigins.org
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Blogs: Greta Christina, PZ Myers, The Friendly Atheist, WWJTD?, Debunking Christianity, SkepChick
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Dave guest-posts on The Friendly Atheist: Rick Perry & “The Response”
Welcome to the official MU SASHA blog!
Click here to Like our Page on Facebook (or use the sidebar if you’re logged in).
Hello all!
I’m thrilled to announce that while Hemant Mehta is on vacation, I’ve been asked to post an update to his wonderful blog, The Friendly Atheist. I wrote about Governor Rick Perry’s “The Response” in Texas over the weekend. Here is a link to my post there:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/08/07/a-better-response-to-the-response/
More coming soon!
- Dave
Dave Muscato is Vice President of MU SASHA. He is a vegetarian, LGBTQ ally, and human- & animal-welfare activist. A junior at Mizzou majoring in economics & anthropology and minoring in philosophy & Latin, he posts updates to the SASHA blog every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. His website is http://www.DaveMuscato.com.
Are Christians our enemies?
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Hello all; Dave here.
I was reading The Friendly Atheist’s blog, specifically this post about exposing an anti-gay pastor for the bigot that he is:
http://friendlyatheist.com/2011/07/04/exposing-an-anti-gay-pastors-ministry/
Watch this video for context:
In it, someone on the stage repeatedly refers to “the lie of the enemy,” that is, those of us who say that homosexuality is O.K. Well, I have to say that I never really thought of myself as an enemy to Christians – more like a former Christian who realized I was being brainwashed and, fortunately, got myself out – but I’m starting to wonder if we should think twice about this label.
What is an enemy?
I love etymology, and the word “enemy” comes to us from Latin prefix in + amicus, -i (friend) – in other words, not a friend. It doesn’t sound quite so bad in this context, but consider Merriam-Webster’s Third New International Unabridged definition of the word as it stands in modern English:
one that seeks the injury, overthrow, or failure of a person or thing to which he is opposed : ADVERSARY, OPPONENT
“enemy.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (4 Jul. 2011).
That certainly seems to describe the relationship between Christians and LGBTQ allies like me, at least from their perspective.
The woman on stage then goes on to scream “The truth of God! The truth of God! The truth of God! The truth of God! The truth of God! The truth of God!” literally six times, as though screaming it loudly and repeatedly is some sort of rational argument in its favor.
I have news for you, Christians: Being gay is neither a choice nor a sin. If you have a rational, reasoned, evidence-based argument to the contrary, I’m all ears. But if “it’s true because I’m really loud!” is the best you’ve got, well… Frankly, I suppose we just may be enemies. I seek your failure in poisoning the minds of innocent people, young and old. I seek the overthrow of your bigotry. I positively do not seek your injury, but I do remember Matthew Shepard, and I’m sorry to say that, unfortunately, the same is not true the other way around.
Christians who are not bigots, where are you? Stand up against this. You should be ashamed of what your fellow Christians are saying and you should be out here telling them to stop making you look so evil. I don’t care what the Bible says about being gay; the Bible is an outdated, barbarian, immoral load of crap. The Bible also mandates the death penalty for working on Saturdays, cursing your parents, and premarital sex. It mandates the death of everyone in an entire town if one person there worships a different imaginary god.
I am fed up with this. My personality tends toward accomodationism, but I’m starting to realize more and more that in the face of this level of dogmatic bigotry, that may not actually be an option. “True” Christians already consider us their enemies; we have it on tape. Can more progress be made by calling a spade a spade and recognizing Christians for what they are?
Your thoughts and feedback are appreciated.
Regards,
Dave
Dave Muscato is Vice President of MU SASHA. He is a junior at Mizzou majoring in economics & anthropology and minoring in philosophy & Latin, and posts updates to the SASHA blog every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. His website is http://www.DaveMuscato.com.
