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| In recent days I have been commenting on various forums about how I have grown tired of being referred to as an atheist. Atheism is not a good way to describe someone. It indicates something that I don’t stand for rather than something that I do. I prefer the term secular humanist.I’ve changed my mind though. Heath Ledger died a few days ago. His death, though sad, has little direct effect on my life. I was never a great fan of his films so his passing would have been a mere footnote to me but for this: |
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| Thanks to Friendly Atheist for the image.
I don’t know where the hatred comes from. I do know that Christianity needs to stand against it if it wants to shed the negative image that it has gained. I’m sorry to say that I haven’t seen that. That is why I am proud to call myself an atheist. |
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I am embarrassed and very sorry that someone could even say that much less write it, much less actually do those things! I am angry…
That is not being a Christ follower in any sense, it is a group of people holding out a Christian flag, all the while confused about their own faith. I do not wish to be put in the same category with them.
I searched for this site, and unfortuately I found it! I left them a comment in their contact field. That is one of the scariest sites I have ever seen..full of lies, and not at all what I believe, and the name Christian, is a bad word..and it shouldn’t be…wonder if that is why HE (God) has name no one knows until the end of time? Just wondered, because of how slanderous it all is.
Unbelievers, that is not my God, and it is not my Jesus that spreads hate..I would not and will not be part of that!
What needs to happen is for Christians nationwide to get together and SPEAK OUT VERY LOUDLY against this trash.
I’m surprised you had never heard of them, Darla. Their picketing of soldiers’ funerals in particular has made the news several times. There is a motorcycle gang that comes and pickets Westboro Baptist Church’s picking all the time, but that is not enough.
People here get on the Muslims all the time for not speaking out against terrorism if they’re supposedly so mainstream (except that they do, it just rarely makes the media; mainstream Muslims aren’t as interesting as extremists apparently), but Christians here do (and go through) the same thing. Unfortunately, while WBC’s message makes the media, messages like Darla’s do not.
Change that.
I didn’t make that connection til you mentioned it, I am so fed up with groups like this..it seems that our American Media thrives on trash most of the time, and rarely is true picture painted for us in anything.
i have just set up a meeting with someone who is influential in my “Christ follower” communtiy..I truly want to take back the ground that they just took from me.
Darla, I am very pleased that you don’t agree with Fred Phelps and his views but Sara is absolutely right. If someone is distorting the image that you want your faith to have then you need to distance yourself from them in the strongest way possible.
I visit a fair number of Christian web sites as well as atheist ones and I have not seen a single Christian speak out about this. Not even in a “look at what this idiot has done” kind of way. I may have just missed the outrage but it doesn’t seem that way. It seems like silence is an endorsement to his bigotry.
Well done for setting up a meeting and starting to take action. Outrage and anger are great motivators. Maybe you could use your bow and arrows on them
This is so disheartening for so many reasons. To compound the agony of losing their son and brother at such a young age, Ledger’s family is going to be exposed to this gaggle of lunatics. It’s disgusting.
I know that atheists hate it when believers say this, but this is not Christianity. Homsexual behavior is not some sort of super-sin and God does not hate gays or anybody else for that matter. Jesus stated that “love your neighbor” is one of the greatest commandments. He told us that how we treat others would play into our judgment, and he gave no exception for how we treat homosexuals.
Westboro is really concocting their own bizarre little religion. To listen to them, one would think that the entire content of scripture was devoted to the condemnation of homosexuality. Any objective reading of the Bible, whether you believe the content or not, reveals something entirely different.
Hoverfrog, it is evident that you went to great lengths in this post to not tar all believers with the same brush, and I appreciate that. Believers can join in denouncing Westboro’s behavior and message; some may even go to the funeral to show support to Ledger’s family. We need to do more than this of course, i’m just not sure what our next steps should be. But we have to oppose this kind of false teaching as aggresively as Jesus would have.
Today I would want a larger scale bow and arrow for Phelps…I have all intentions to speak out against him tonight on my blog after I come from work. My blood is boiling, and I feel politcal correctness is not in my favor today! I know exactly how others feel when their belief systems are blown apart by media and whack jobs.:)>-
Not to mention his young daughter is now fatherless.
Darla, good for you! I wish you and your colleagues much success!
Great post, hov. This stuff pisses me off to never before reached levels. I almost wrote about this yesterday. I’m glad I didn’t - it would have the same effect it does coming from you.
Wow, I feel so angry right now. This is the first time I have seen anything about this group. I am a Christian… and I agree with above, I don’t wish to be associated in any way with that stance! That is absolutely opposed to everything that Jesus represented.
I believe that whether you are Christian, atheist ..( or secular humanist), gay or straight, we all have great worth because we are alive!
Hover- Thanks for posting this and I hope that you can believe that not all Christians believe like that!
clarification…when i said I agree with the above… I agree with Darla!
I’m truly baffled. I read this at work, and couldn’t even begin to express the anger I felt over this. There should be 100 comments on here right now by believers taking a stand against this kind of crap, and I hope that our atheist friends know that this is NOT what we believe….this does address the point that several of us have tried to make in earlier posts tho, about people who call themselves Christians, yet do not represent what a Christ follower truly is. I’m with Darla, I have never heard of this guy, but I intend to write about him on my post…..I hope he gets the message. How can anyone be so screwed up in their interpretation of what God is trying to convey in His teachings????? Grrrrrrr :-w
Hov, thank you for this….I hope you know, this is NOT how I believe, nor from what I can tell and other Christ followers…and I HOPE that more will come here to verify.
Sara:
Exactly! Can you imagine that poor kiddo in a few years coming accross this and reading this crap about her Dad??????
I posted on my blog about this, and linked both FC and WB Baptist church, Christ followers need to get there head out of the sand, and their butt up off the couch!
Sadly there are far to many hate groups. I am not sure that the public recognizes the potential some of them have for committing acts of violence. One that has not received any public notice that I am aware is perhaps the scarcest to me, Dr. Michael Brown’s Fire School of Ministry.
If the leaders of the Christian community want can more respect from non-believers then need to speak out more about these groups.
http://www.fire-school.org/artManifesto.aspx
From reading the sermons on his Fire School of Ministry site he advocate his followers die if necessary to implement the “revolution” he is calling for.
A link to a sermon(?), The Jesus Manifesto: A Call to Revolution, by Michael Brown on his FIRE School of Ministry. http://www.fire-school.org/artManifesto.aspx .
The last part:
“Fellow-soldiers, holy servants of the risen Lord, blood-bought disciples of the Master, heed the call. It’s now or never, time to put up or shut up. Either we take a stand once and for all or forever we hang our heads in shame. History is eagerly anticipating our next move. This is the hour we have been waiting for. So, on with it - by life or by death. The revolution won’t wait.”
Their mission statement:
Mission Statement
FIRE School of Ministry is called to equip and empower radically committed disciples who will impact America and the nations through the gospel of Jesus.
I am encouraged by sites like this that provide a place for people who view the world differently, Atheist and Christians, to exchange views. It is far to easy to hate someone if all you know about them is what you have been told. Once people get a chance to talk with each other we learn of much we have in common. We can live and work together.
One of the best examples is from a pod cast called “This American Life”. Just people talking about their experience. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad.
One segment was about a soldier returning from Iraq. All he know about Muslims were they were trying to kill him. When he was walking down the street he could not understand how a Muslim could be allowed to walking around freely. He wanted to kill them.
He was in therapy but decide on his own to face his fear. He joined the Muslim League at a local college. The first day he sat on one side of the room, everyone else sat on the other side. The leader of the organization decide to approach the ex-solder. They discovered they both enjoyed magic tricks.
They became friends and the ex-solder later became the most active member of the League.
Hate exist in the shadows. Exposed to the light of day it won’t last very long.
If you want to listen to the segment I refered to go to the This American Life site archive. It’s the 9/7/2007 show, #340:
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Archive.aspx?year=2007
Jesus is weeping…all of his creation is precious and the only people who Jesus scorned are the very people who carry this pharisee-like attitude. I am furious, hurt and confused how anyone can know the love of Christ and yet spew hatred. I pray for you that you not follow ignorance but instead follow the love of Christ.