Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

Spookiesmom

When we first moved here, schools were used as voting places. Traffic was horrible. People complained. Then with the shooting and perverts, it stopped. Can’t use government buildings. Not much left to handle crowds and parking. Besides, I think they get paid. Anything for $$$

Miriandra

How the turns table. xD

Wren44

moth

yes! Cakes, breads, candy! I'm here for all those holy confections

Spookiesmom

Wrenn 👍

Miriandra

I heartily endorse baked goods and candy oriented holidays.

illimae

Wren, good one, I’m rememing it for sure.

Springdaisy

churches are all a bunch of BS. All they care about is money. I will be pro choice forever. It’s nobody else’s business what a woman wants to be with her body. And I can honestly say I have never killed a baby. All religion care about is power power power and greed greed greed. Bunch of bullshit

Trishyla

My thoughts as well, springdaisy.

Miriandra

I have a few friends who do the NaNoWriMo challenge. I once proposed a writing prompt for them.

First, imagine an anti-abortion, anti-birth control, anti-social welfare, tough-on-crime, pro-death penalty society. With no reproductive services, birth rates will rise especially among low-income populations. Once the baby is born, if no social welfare programs are in place, a lower-income mother or family is on their own for very limited resources. Driven by financial desperation, many families in this situation will turn to crime to cover their most basic needs, and self-destructive lifestyles to dull the pain. They get caught, sent to jail, and possibly executed.

Now assume the classic judeo-christian idea of Heaven and Hell vying for souls like currency. Which side is more likely to benefit from a system that brings lots of excess souls into the world; thrusts these new souls into an environment where they have few protections from sins of vice, and will be highly vulnerable to sins of temptation; then, when the soul is deeply steeped in sin, separates the soul from society and culls it before it can repent and find redemption? Which side, Heaven or Hell, is more likely to back politicians and other leaders who support these policies?

Now look at our current socio-political structure. Having fun yet?

mutt1963

AliceBastable

It means you are very special to have that and live in Missouri. Right now we are kind of feeling as though the patriarchy, racist are using the same pressure cooker. Glad you are doing well.

I'm good for the holidays that have lights, a little booze, no religion, and a seat near the restroom.

magiclight

Other examples of Catholics acting like the country is their church and my taxes have to support their beliefs.

The ACLU and our affiliate argued in support of Philadelphia, which is being sued by Catholic Social Services (CSS) – a taxpayer-funded foster care agency that will not accept same-sex couples. A ruling for CSS could impact the more than 400,000 children in our nation's foster care system and allow other taxpayer-funded agencies to discriminate as well.

This one is just for Catholics and all the people they come in contact with .. Bishop Brennan said the use of embryonic stem cells at any stage of a vaccine's development means Catholics cannot avail themselves of its scientific results.

What??? Maybe my catholic family will lie and say they got the vaccine!!

magiclight

It seems to me that religious congregations would rather worship at an altar than actually care about each other or anyone outside the churches as is evident by their request to hold services during a pandemic.

This was reported today "In the main, unsigned opinion, the majority ruled in favor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Agudath Israel of America that argued that the restrictions violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment because the regulations treated the houses of worship more harshly than comparable secular facilities."

Justice Sotomayor took a different stand: Sotomayor pointed out the false comparisons at the heart of the religious institutions' arguments which compared brief shopping trips to attending indoor religious services, a mistake she said was repeated by Justice Neil Gorsuch's concurrence to the court's per curium order.

magiclight

Is the Catholic Church racist? Yes! Why? The catholic church named the first American cardinal in 1875 and it took 145 years to name a non-white cardinal. Is there any more explanation necessary?

Miriandra

Christians: You're repressing my religion by not letting me gather with hundreds of people to pray!!

The Bible: Matthew 6:5-6 - (5) "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (6) But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

magiclight

Miriandra...perfect response.

Miriandra

Even sweeter - that's from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. The big-guy, the Gospels. Not the Epistles or Acts or any of J's followers. Those were HIS words.

glennie19

Yes, that quote from Matthew needs to be quoted to all those idiots that demand to pray in crowds.

magiclight

And now this in Michigan...

Judge Christopher Murray ruled Monday that discrimination against people on the basis of their gender identity was unlawful, BUT he concurrently ruled that a refusal, on religious freedom grounds, to serve customers based on their sexual orientation was permissible.

In my town a restaurant ran a couples night discount, DID NOT apply to same sex couples. Just another example of (you fill in the blanks)

Wren44

It wouldn't even be a question here. I think my secular ethics forbid me from patronizing people who discriminate. Why I don't shop at Hobby Lobby.

Spookiesmom

I don’t shop Hobby Lobby either. Because of their stance on birth control. DH said they had the right to enforce their beliefs. I said I had the right not to go there.

Trishyla

Same goes for Salvation Army. Their anti gay views and discrimination against non Christian workers and volunteers caused me to withdrawn support. I refuse to have anything to do with organizations that see my loved ones as less than.

Miriandra

I agree, Wren, Spookie, and Trish. I'm an avid artist, but I will never drop a dime at HL. I'm also steering away from Joann's right now, because they're doing a promotional with Komen Foundation. Fortunately, Michael's is the closest to my house anyway.

I also steer clear of Chick-fil-A and Salvation Army.

magiclight

Yes, to the above positions. I vote with my dollar and stay clear of the businesses that have both a past and current white patriarchal business model. Is this always possible, no, but try, in my very rural community, to support more egalitarian businesses. I had lost sight of the Komen foundation / planned parenthood controversy. When looking them up today I found that their position has changed as per Susan G. Komen® Greater Central and East Texas Awards Grant to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas to Help Fight Breast Cancer | Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Inc. this news release in the summer. Change is good.

Miriandra

Good to hear, MagicLight! I hope they learned from their history.

Wounded Warriors is another charity that turned around radically after public outrage over misuse of funds. They replaced their board and have steered monies back toward helping veterans rather than throwing lavish parties.

magiclight

Did not know that Mirianda.

MinusTwo

Thanks for the info about Wounded Warriors.

Miriandra

illimae

Lol, definitely TRex, stealing this btw.

Betrayal

Second the above message. Needed the laugh today.