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Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family sent me a voter registration form*. The mailing told me all about which Pro-Life, Pro-Jesus candidates I need to vote for and how I can help even further by signing up my like-minded friends!

As a Pro-Choice, Anti-Jesus lefty, my first thought was, “These people aren’t just barking up the wrong tree, these batshit insane religious dolts are dry-humping the earholes of the raccoon family living several forests away. “

But then it occurred to me. I probably got on their mailing list because I have three young children.

This is the problem with atheism.

We are not seen as family friendly. The religious right have equated atheists with evil and the moderate religious believers follow right along. What is worse, is that we as a group have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to fight this misperception, this utter demonization of non-belief (aka sanity or aka book reader).

American Atheist are our most visible organization and their output is snarky, immature billboards and screwing around with 9/11 victims and families.

Just because you have a valid point doesn’t mean you won’t end up coming off like a tremendous jack-hole anyway.

9/11 was a direct result of religion. It is sadly ironic to have a crucifix memorial on the site, it’s kind of like “Let’s put up a symbol of admiration to the very mind disease that caused this tragedy”.

However, there is a more effective way to make that point than Am Atheist are doing. They are once again feeding into the religious right’s portrayal of atheists as some kind of evil zealous nitwits. Thank you American Atheist for making us all look awful!

* this Focus on the Family "voter form" seemed borderline illegal. It seemed to infer I was not registered to vote! I wonder how many fall for it.

Tags: 9/11, Focus, american, atheist, family, on, the

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Permalink Reply by Tammy S on August 16, 2012 at 3:18pm

/Nod - you've outlined the reason that I don't belong to any national organizations and have removed myself from several of the more popular blog sites. We're never going to affect change if we keep aiming to divide ourselves thorugh ill will and all they're doing with this lawsuit and billboard campaign, is giving the fundies another enemy to aim their vitriol at... good job!

Shouldn't we be taking care of one another and our own communities while thumbing our noses at bad behavior and ill wishing. Shouldn't we be showing ourselves as a force in the world worth investing in rather than engaging in sophomoric taunting via billboards and internet forums? Are we not just playing right into the media's desire for a 'big bad wolf' to strike 'fear' into viewers hearts and 'pump up' ratings when we engage in stunts like the musem and billboard debacle? Why are we not pushing to raise money for education, especially science and mathematics right alongside the likes of Neil DeGrasse Tyson rather than playing heckle the heckler as if we're all at some midsummer renfaire? We're supposedly the more intellectual crowd, or so I'm told... we've let the media turn this into an 'us against them' debate, when it's an equality issue, it's the oldest trick in the book and our supposed 'spokespersons' (who appointed these folks to speak for us?) have seemingly fallen over themselves to land in it face first.

As for the Focus on the Family mailer, I think I'd be hard pressed to resist the urge to mail it back to them with some Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro brochures, with a big "THANK YOU for REMOVING me from your mailing list!" 3X5 card.....

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Permalink Reply by Dan Harkins on August 16, 2012 at 3:51pm

That Planned Parenthood idea is perfect! I am so doing that right this moment. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Tammy S on August 16, 2012 at 4:52pm

LOL it tickles me that someone else is doing this to them, not that I ever expect them to get the message, but it's fun to poke the bag with a stick and see if anything falls out anyway!