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Oh come all ye Atheists
Vastmind
Memphis, TN Veteran
The 2015 American Atheists National Convention is being held April 2-5, 2015 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
more info....
http://atheists.org/convention2015
Right in my backyard....yah! Let me know if anyone here will be attending....and we can meet up!
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Comments
Will it be over-subscribed?
I ask because this scared the bejeezus out of me!!
I'm pretty sure there will be more people from out of town than in town....hahaha.
This is COGIC land.....But to be fair....I think everyone will take the opportunity to tell us what they think/feel about us.....
I'm also pretty sure the churches around here are planning their protests/marches and even the guy on the local news this morning who was telling the story, shook his head and rolled his eyes.........but I'm also sure having it here in the bible belt is a good way to address the problem. People fear what they don't know....and exposure and experience is about all we can do. I'm definitely careful....for many reasons, and will be when attending. It's unfortunate.....but necessary. I won't be staying at the hotel , frankly bec I can't afford the Peabody (It's the fancy digs in town)...and I have to work everyday....so I'll be showing my face here and there....
I'll be careful....but I won't hide. I can't catch any more heat than I already catch at work.
As with all group gatherings....If anything looks like it's about to pop off....I'm outta there!!
What is COGIC? ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_in_Christ
Interesting! I'd like to nominate Colorado to be on the top ten list. Or maybe it's just Colorado Springs that makes it feel that way. We are home to several of the mega-churches. Although it has, apparently, calmed down in recent years after several sex scandals (including gay sex scandals) hit some of those ministries.
It drives me nuts when I go to our annual HOA meeting and the HOA president leads us in a long Christian prayer, oblivious to the possibility that there may be Jews and Buddhists and Atheists, and who knows what else in the group. A failure to even realize the possibility. And then there are friends of mine who go on and on on Facebook with things like keeping "under God" in the "Pledge Of Allegiance", etc.
Sigh.
The article you linked @Federica reminded me instantly of a crazy episode that happened here around a famous billboard in Lewis county, western Washington state. Anybody who's driven interstate 5 south from Olympia and just past Chehalis (a couple hours north of Portland) has encountered the big Uncle Sam billboard. It always has some pithy right wing political message, as it is owned and illustrated by a long term pithy and right-wing local fellow.
Two weeks ago, the billboard was hijacked and defaced by a group of LGBTQ individuals (scarce as hen's teeth in Lewis county) who used the billboard space next to Uncle Sam's giant face to bring awareness to the lack healthcare availability for transgendered folks and their surgical, medical and psychological needs.
I mean, what gets us locals is that that kind of awareness message ought to have made Uncle Sam's billboard melt or self-immolate, in the very least! That billboard regularly features the best of neoconservative POV. But it didn't. It was in the local news for several days, and the comment sections of every news article were quite . . . active.
I would worry more than I do but my kids' generation is now in their prime and they embrace social liberalism and atheism to an extent impossible even for my generation. It's getting safer in these here parts, and hopefully all parts, to NOT be a camo wearing rifle totin' Jesus freak. Thank goodness for them.
Fascinating!! You should move to Australia @Vastmind. It's the Christians here that keep their heads down and mouths shut......
And that's not 'right' either, although for some of us (like me and my Christianity PTSD :buck: ) it's got to be a relief. Still, there ought to be enough mutual respect that no one need keep their heartfelt beliefs on the low down
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I wasn't aware until very recently that atheists were poking their heads out. To me, atheism meant a non-hallucinogenic Leary-ism, sort of just dropping out of the mainstream, unplugging from the herd of sheeple. I guess not. The atheists that stick out their heads are braver than I am. The sheer entitlement of theists is formidable.
I find it so . . . illuminating that the theists who are threatened by the atheist presence have no shame using the threat of physical violence. Sooooo Christian (or whatever) of them.
It's the Springs. Believe me.
Personally, I think Boulder would be a much better place for someone of your mindset. You'd thrive there - so much more diversity, tolerance.
I only know of the one - Haggard's church ..... or what used to be his church. That was bad enough
Why don't you say something? Talk to the president.
And you believe the opposite. They're just beliefs. And beliefs change. You and I have both seen enough to know that for a truth. Unfriend them if you must. Better to just relax, and let things take their course.
Or move to Boulder
. You could do worse
Personally, I think Boulder would be a much better place for someone of your mindset. You'd thrive there - so much more diversity, tolerance.
I only know of the one - Haggard's church ..... or what used to be his church. That was bad enough
Why don't you say something? Talk to the president.
And you believe the opposite. They're just beliefs. And beliefs change. You and I have both seen enough to know that for a truth. Unfriend them if you must. Better to just relax, and let things take their course.
Or move to Boulder . You could do worse
I can believe it's mostly the Springs, although I have to admit, no door knockers in my neighborhood since the first week I moved in almost 4.5 years ago. Denver seems pretty middle of the road, and as you say, Boulder rocks (pun intended). But if I survive another 9 months, I'm probably heading for Arizona (I know...another rather conservative place).
We don't have an HOA president...we have an anointed Queen. I actually ran against her a year ago and lost by 1 vote...after she assigned all 40 proxies to her vote count. :-(
I don't really care either way about "under God" in the Pledge. Other than teachers, I don't ever remember hearing an adult say the Pledge, and in schools students no longer are required to say it or even stand. So I don't see why it has to be a big deal. There are bigger fish to fry.
As to our one church here -- Focus On The Family -- I'm not sure if its still there, but for at least a couple of years right next to the sign for FOTF on I-25, was another sign saying that the local gay group was cleaning up that section of highway. Not sure why, but that just tickled me.
It's sad that such things happen, but sometimes ......
Back in the 50's a fraternal organization presented my hometown with a granite monument depicting the 10 Commandments. This was placed on the grounds of City Hall and stayed there for another 40 years. It became a landmark, a part of the city - not for what it said but for what it was - a present. Then a group of Atheists from out of town got the ACLU to sue the city and got it removed.
They were well within their rights and technically correct under the law, but the people of my hometown couldn't care less. They take that out on Atheists in town. It's not like lynch mobs (my city had one those, too), and while the city isn't terribly religious, but a bunch of atheists had to mess with something that the locals for the most part were okay with.
Sad, but true and sadder still, that it comes as no surprise.
That sounds .... ominous.
You might consider Mesa.
To some it's a matter of tradition and like it or not it's really important to them. Besides we do the national antem for every sporting event. Nothing wrong with with a pledge in school, but leaving God out of it would suit me.
. :coffee: ..
I'm an atheist till the day I die....Then I'm open to offers.. .
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I agree. I would leave it out for one other simple reason -- that problematic phrase was added later.
But think of poor me (lol) -- the principal who was required by state law to say it over the loud speaker every day!
People tend to have the idea that the Roman Catholic Church is very conservative and self-righteous, but I can't fail to notice that Anglo-Saxon Protestant Churches are far more, especially in the States.
About 4 times a year I attend either a local Catholic church or a local Methodist church. I actually find the latter to be fairly liberal and to ONLY include teachings from the New Testament...never the Old Testament.
My personal experience has been that the people who are more into Bible quoting and God's name dropping are protestant, not Catholic.
Yes, I think that's true, but more true of the newer mega-church types than the old standard line churches.
The uproar has started. Everyone is talking about it...
Here's a local perspective/news write up....
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/26610717/memphis-to-host-2015-national-atheist-convention
Fun fact of the day....
"Did you know that Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas all ban Atheists from holding public office? According to the Tennessee State Constitution, "No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state."
Amazing.
Isn't that a direct breach of the constitutional separation between church and state?
Yeah....and they're proud of it.
I work in a federal building and am subjected to prayers all the time. Even in work meetings. You know the saying..." All politics are local"
There is so separation here....and they're fighting to keep it that way.
It's not technically in the Federal constitution....which is what fuels the fire...
http://atheism.about.com/od/churchstatemyths/a/phrase.htm
It would drive me up the wall! Ironically England seems like it's much more secular than the US, despite having the Church of England, bishops in the House or Lords and no proper constitution. Where I live people are much more likely to be at the supermarket than at church on a Sunday morning, worshipping at the shrine of consumer consumption!
Here...it's both. Church is part fashion show. You better not come looking a hot mess...and don't let it be Easter or another holiday....they spend weeks looking for the perfect dress, hat, white gloves and patent leather shoes....hahaha
It (work) used to drive me more nuts than it does now. Alot of metta and understanding helped. ..
.. We (the other 3 non-believers and I) still keep on our soap boxes and don't mind being labeled the troublemakers.
Same here where I live. Religion never comes up. It's more of a personal affair I guess. My only exposure to religion of any kind is here.
One thing I've seen here in Colorado Springs is that the more traditional churches (e.g., Methodist, Baptist) are more lightly attended, while the mega-churches seem to have growing congregations. Which is kinda scary.
As upsetting as the lack of separation between church and state can be here in the U.S., it's always nice to be able to put it in perspective:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/what-life-inside-isis-capital-city-raqqa-syria-n211206
There will always be some place worse.....and some place better.
I don't think talking about ways to make it better means I've lost perspective.
At one time....even in this country people could be seen hanging from trees.
Just sayin' ....
Anyway...there are alot worse places to live right now....I understand that. I can't do anything about there....but I can work on here....where I'm at right now.
I agree...but perspective is still nice.
The only thing missing is the bloke in white sheet costume beside the burning crucifix unfolding the paper where these words are written...
Of course, South Carolina did NOT make the list in Fede's second post on the ten scariest US states in which to be a known atheist. We're like the Chinese; we eat rice and worship our ancestors.
God Bless America!
That's it. I'm outta here.
. :coffee: ..
I've heard that Buddhists are almost on par with the non spiritual atheists when it comes to the hate scale in some US states...
I was once on a forum where an American Buddhist (who lived in one of the southern states), was afraid to tell his neighbours that he was a practicing Buddhist...And after seeing the Dharma Brothers documentary a few years back, I can understand why...
I think for many of us in the West (ie, Europe the UK and other English speaking countries), we are somewhat gobsmacked by some of the goings on in the "Land of the free "[for all-so it would seem]
I guess if one does not know any different, then it's just part & parcel of the norm...
"Godless bless America" .
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I've never experienced the least bit of negativity. One of my handicapped students back when I was principal had trouble believing it. She finally asked me why I was interested in an Asian religion. I knew she and her family were Born Again Christians. So I asked her why she was interested in a Middle Eastern religion. It was funny...you could almost see a light bulb go on in her head.
. :om: .. You could have asked her why she wasn't practicing Paganism... . :om: ..
I wish I could go.
I think what the Arab world was like before fundamentalism, a veritable fountain of cultures, science and ideas, (the names of so many stars, Arabic numerals, zero, astronomy, algebra, algorithms, and probably without the translation of Greek texts the works of the ancient Greeks would not be known to us) and now look what these people (the fundamentalists beginning in the 1200's) and their demagoguery have produced; the dark ages. The same would said for Europe during it's dark ages. Do people want that here?
It's so sad how people will willfully limit and hobble themselves.
Hurrah! Praise the absence of Lord!
You may enjoy reading, Science and Civilization in Islam by Sayyed Hossein Nasr. Its a wonderful introduction to a fascinating subject. I would have liked to visit Aleppo as well as Damascus.
If people's asinine simplicity wasn't in fact so sad, you could almost double LOL that one.
And the video certainly isn't a dig at the stupidity of any persons from a particular country. You could walk the streets of any city in any country and find uneducated people who blindly follow certain doctrines with no thought or analysis.
.. stuff about organized religion in CO
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I know what you mean about the mega-churches of Colorado; there's one on this little mountain I live on, even, that is petitioning to be bigger! But yikes, I can't imagine those folk flying their freak flags at HOA meetings. The notion, as my southern granny would say.
http://www.buddhamaitreya.org/
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You know how Louisiana is rated worst of all by the blogger. Check this out about a Buddhist child being openly insulted by his own teacher in a Louisiana school.
Those entitled little evangelicals have no defense (this is a public school after all). Limits have needed setting for a long time now. I feel badly for the family of C.C. (the Buddhist boy who was called 'stupid' by his evangelical science teacher), it sounds like they never intended to become pariahs but will nonetheless.
@Hamsaka That is exactly why many of us fight for separation of church and state. If there wasn't a religious bias in the classroom, not a single one of the children would've been singled out. That they even allow a science teacher to say such things is beyond me!
Well don't you know, the evangelicals are just plain RIGHT, and when you are RIGHT, what you do is justified. Complaints are simply relegated to being "unGodly" and not given another thought. The conviction would be complete if only their lack of conviction weren't driving their convicted behavior in the first place.
I shouldn't be as surprised as I am that this kind of medieval mindset still has power and sway in a public institution.
Later articles state that the Buddhist family did win the case against the school board. I live in Louisiana, about an hour away from where this happened, and when I went to register my son for school this year, I went into the high school on accident and upon walking out, I saw that they had a picture of Jesus above their exit doors.
I felt disgusted, honestly. Not disgusted about Jesus himself, but that I have to live in a region so wrapped up in their own beliefs, that they have zero consideration for those that believe differently.
When I was teaching in Fairfax County, Virginia -- a rather liberal area -- at a subschool faculty meeting in November one of the teachers stood up and demanded that there be a school nativity play for Christmas. Virtually everyone else in the room was stunned and argued with her. Her response was, "We Christians are in the majority, so we can do what we want." (Which of course is similar to the complaint the Muslims in southern Thailand have about the majority of Buddhists in the country).
Why should they :buck: have any consideration at all? They are RIGHT, and disagreement is plain ridiculous. It's the same dangerous rightness that set up ISIL, the Third Reich, and plenty of other pogroms and atrocities. If they weren't held back by what government policy they do respect, I doubt they'd stop at hangin' a picture of Jeezus in the school hall. It's probably progress in the great scheme of things.
Anyway, I didn't know the family had won their case. I wonder what that means? I wonder what it amounts to? What consequences for the school were there? Could you link to what you read (at your leisure)? I'd be interested.
So just to be provocative (it's a fun hobby sometimes), what if they had a painting of Abe Lincoln above the exit doors?