It’s funny that the hurricane “threatening” the GOP convention in Tampa has the Biblical name Isaac.
(Source: seriouslyamerica)
30 Examples of Christian Privilege (in the USA)
- You can expect to have time off work to celebrate religious holidays.
- Music and television programs pertaining to your religion’s holidays are readily accessible.
- It is easy to find stores that carry items that enable you to practice your faith and celebrate religious holidays.
- You aren’t pressured to celebrate holidays from another faith that may conflict with your religious values.
- Holidays celebrating your faith are so widely supported you can often forget they are limited to your faith (e.g. wish someone a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Easter” without considering their faith).
- You can worship freely, without fear of violence or threats.
- A bumper sticker supporting your religion won’t likely lead to your car being vandalized.
- You can practice your religious customs without being questioned, mocked, or inhibited.
- If you are being tried in court, you can assume that the jury of “your peers” will share your faith and not hold that against you in weighing decisions.
- When swearing an oath, you will place your hand on a religious scripture pertaining to your faith.
- Positive references to your faith are seen dozens a time a day by everyone, regardless of their faith.
- Politicians responsible for your governance are probably members of your faith.
- Politicians can make decisions citing your faith without being labeled as heretics or extremists.
- It is easy for you to find your faith accurately depicted in television, movies, books, and other media.
- You can reasonably assume that anyone you encounter will have a decent understanding of your beliefs.
- You will not be penalized (socially or otherwise) for not knowing other people’s religious customs.
- Your faith is accepted/supported at your workplace.
- You can go into any career you want without it being associated with or explained by your faith.
- You can travel to any part of the country and know your religion will be accepted, safe, and you will have access to religious spaces to practice your faith.
- Your faith can be an aspect of your identity without being a defining aspect (e.g., people won’t think of you as their “Christian” friend)
- You can be polite, gentle, or peaceful, and not be considered an “exception” to those practicing your faith.
- Fundraising to support congregations of your faith will not be investigated as potentially threatening or terrorist behavior.
- Construction of spaces of worship will not likely be halted due to your faith.
- You are never asked to speak on behalf of all the members of your faith.
- It is unlikely you will be judged by the actions of other members of your faith.
- You can go anywhere and assume you will be surrounded by members of your faith.
- Without special effort, your children will have a multitude of teachers who share your faith.
- Without special effort, your children will have a multitude of friends who share your faith.
- It is easily accessible for you or your children to be educated from kindergarten through post-grad at institutions of your faith.
- Disclosing your faith to an adoption agency will not likely prevent you from being able to adopt children.
- In the event of a divorce, the judge won’t immediately grant custody of your children to your ex because of your faith.
- Your faith is taught or offered as a course at most public institutions.
- You can complain about your religion being under attack without it being perceived as an attack on another religion.
- You can dismiss the idea that identifying with your faith bears certain privileges.
I was discussing this issue with a homophobic Christian the other day, and they told me that for guidance on the issue, I should look to the apostle Paul. Their logic essentially boiled down to: “Ignore Jesus because he never said anything that supports my irrational hatred of gay people.”
(Source: giantisopodofdeath)
Chuck Norris (Creationist: Hates Public Educators) VS Bruce Lee (Atheist: Well-Read Public School Student With An Extensive Library)
via @AtheismViews
It is time to stop with the old Chuck Norris jokes, and start new ones pointing out how foolish he actually is. ~ Steve
(Source: sarahxmay)
Hitch did this speech numerous times, but I had never heard this version until tonight. Very funny.
Hitchens on what theists MUST believe
by zakiechan
One of Hitchens’ best arguments
One of my most favorite arguments. We miss you Hitch.
I call this argument the “Hitchens Gap”. And It’s certainly one of my favorites.
(Source: christiantheatheist)
Don’t believe Atheists are the most distrusted group? This link makes me sad to even post.
This link is NOT referencing the study that is referred to in the last video post I made. This study is even more recent than that and even more unfortunate.
“Religious believers distrust atheists more than members of other religious groups, gays and feminists, according to a new study by University of B.C. researchers.
The only group the study’s participants distrusted as much as atheists was rapists, said doctoral student Will Gervais, lead author of the study published online in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.”
Go ahead and read that line a few times if you need to. Atheists fall in line with rapists on the level of trust. Rapists, a sub-class of scum I find so reprehensible and disgusting it honestly makes me ashamed to even post this link. Yes, polls can not always be trusted but people distrusting Atheists is not an isolated finding. I assure you, I wish this was a gross exaggeration.
I am not posting these things in the hopes of having a pity party for the poor treatment of Atheist but simply to share the information. The fact that some people seem so distrusting of these results shows even more that there is so much left to do in raising awareness of the discrimination against Atheists. I am doing it show that Atheists are struggling to be accepted. I am not posting this to marginalize any other persecuted groups. I am not looking to turn this in to a competition but perhaps the outrage a few people are expressing in comments at these result is even more reason to find these results disturbing.
[trigger warning: child sexual abuse]
I’ve seen Christians try to argue that it is somehow so utterly psychologically devastating for a child to know about sexuality from a young age. Let me tell you what’s devastating – what’s devastating is being terrified everyday of your life. What’s devastating is curling up on the floor sobbing because your mother is about to leave you with your brothers and you can’t tell her why you’re so afraid. What’s devastating is listening day in and day out to your sermons on purity, to the way you decide that thinking on only good and happy thoughts is the measure of a quality Christian.
What’s far more devastating than any child who is aware of their own body and aware of what bodies can do is being unaware and at the hands of those who know how to take advantage of that. And I put this on the shoulders of my father, my brother, but also my mother, and also my church, and also all of conservative Christianity. All of you have contributed to this.”Trigger warning for childhood sexual abuse on this post. And ugh, it was hard to write, and my emotions got in the way of articulating this well.
(via toranseisstrong)
The Men Behind The War On Women
The Conference of Catholic Bishops is not technically a lobbying organization — churches are tax-exempt, and they don’t have to disclose publicly how much money they put toward lobbying. According to the IRS, a 501(c)(3) organization like the Conference can speak out on moral issues as much as it wants, but “may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities.” […]
[However,] the bishops were not only influential in swaying votes during health care reform debate; [Richard] Doerflinger said they actually helped Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) write the controversial anti-abortion amendment, which the House approved by a vote of 290 to 194.
“Those bishops were literally sitting in Bart Stupak’s office and, from what we could tell, instructing him all about the laws he should be supporting, and the text of the laws, and the strategy of getting them through,” said Terry O’Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women. “It was absolutely appalling.”
The National Organization for Women has called for the bishops conference to lose its tax-exempt status over its lobbying activities[…]“The bishops are entirely out of sync with the people they purport to represent,” said Donna Crane, NARAL’s policy director. “All the polling and public opinion research is very clear: Catholics are majority pro-choice. They hold that belief, they use the services and they just aren’t in agreement with the hierarchy on these issues.” […]
O’Neill finds it troubling that a group of men that has historically denied women the opportunity to participate in leadership positions is exercising so much power over such a broad range of women’s reproductive health legislation.
“Clearly there’s a problem when men take such an interest in the sexual function of women,” she said. “There’s something deeply off about it.”
As always, it is important to recognize that women are not the only ones who can get pregnant, and that in many ways, those who do not identify as women, yet can get pregnant, are in even more danger from the Conference and their political allies.
