How do you respond to: "Are you against religion?", "Are you against Christmas?"

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on January 26, 2013 at 3:20pm

Well Dustin, Atheist violence against religion in Australia.WHERE?????   I've been an atheist in Australia for 40 years and haven't witnessed, heard of nor even been asked to participate in any form of violence against any religious groups.

There have been a few attacks on Islamic groups though these were vendettas sparked by local conflicts.  Such as those riots that were just retalliatory attacks by local groups against Islamics that attacked a group of beach going kids and made abusive remarks to their girls.  A lot of Islamic boys consider themselves gung-ho and were hanging around popular areas where there are lots of young girls, some make abusive comments about the girls mode of dress (considered as deliberately provocative by Islam) and even attempted to rape a couple of girls because they consider the provocative dress as the girls asking to be raped.  I've personally witnessed these groups of young Islamics throwing insults at women and sexually harrassing young women.  These were the reasons for them being attacked, not just their religion though their religion has honed their ridiculous attitudes.

We have many Islamics and in fact representatives from all religions on planet Earth here and so far there has not been any conflicts between them based simply on religious differences. I work with Islamics, Hindus, Buddhists and even have devout Xtian clients, though most of my social friends are atheists apart from one Islamic and a Buddhist, my daughter is dating an Islamic who all of my atheist family see as a fantastic bloke, we are oblivious to his religion, except when others make a point of it, to which we jump to his defence and defend his right to believe.

You haven't any idea of what conflicts are going on here and appear to read too much into false propaganda from media who revel in scandal and sensationalization.

You really have to live here to know the truth, don't believe all you read, papers are produced by great liars.

Aye M8!  :-D

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Permalink Reply by Russell Pangborn on January 26, 2013 at 3:55pm

Well said G'Day. 

I like a lot of points made in this post, but do not like it so much when all religious people are lumped together for our scorn. My wife is a devout Anglican and I do not see her in that jaundiced light.  She tolerates my atheism as well.

I hope atheists do not fall into the same rut that religious bigots have made.  We have come to hate religion and what people have done in its name, but we shouldn't hate someone just because they are religious. 

People should be judged on their merits. If your daughter's boyfriend respects your daughter's rights and is a good person then he will make a good addition to your family.

Relationships should trump ideologies.

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on January 26, 2013 at 8:29pm

Thanks, yes, he respects her atheism and she respects his being a moderate Islamic.  He treats her very well, like a beautiful princess, which of course she is, even though his family are opposed to him marrying anyone other than a Turkish Islamic girl.  His parents aren't aware he is dating our daughter, even though she has met his father and he thinks she's a beautiful and nice girl, but not somebody his son should marry.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on January 27, 2013 at 12:16am

Thanks for the responses G'Day! Appreciate it.

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Permalink Reply by Dustin Roy on January 27, 2013 at 12:23am

I was just pointing out some developed countries, not ones where such violence occurs.

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on January 26, 2013 at 3:14pm

I remember the thrill I felt when my doctor told me there was an expected baby that a mother wanted to put up for adoption at birth. That news, after seven years of wanting a baby and five miscarriages, I had a possibility of adopting a baby.  

I also remember the thrill when my doctor told me I was pregnant again. I asked him if there were medical contraindication for going ahead with the adoption and he replied there were no medical reasons, so we started planning for adoption and a biological birth five months later. 

I also remember the thrill when my doctor told me I was pregnant with twins! New change of plans: prepare for the adoptions and twins five months lather. 

Cary was born; five months and thirteen days later Craig and Laura were born! The adventure of a lifetime  began. 

The thrills I felt I attributed to god; I believed in supernatural things then. When unsolvable problems occurred that would not end, I know I had to find another way to see myself in relation to reality; I had to  find different ways of solving my challenges.  I discovered emptiness in my belief in god and my faith. I called out and no one was there with workable solutions. Oh, yes! I got the "Passive Gospel". A lot of good that did us. I had to go deeper. I had to run away. I ended the beatings and put-downs and discounts and trivializations and demonizations and domination. God didn't do that for me, nor did prayer, nor did the council of my religious community. They stood in the way of my full participation in life and living.

As time went on I realized I needed to express my gratefulness, give voice to my sense of wonder, to see myself and my life in terms of being part of this vast, huge universe. There was not a master planner out there with a plan for my life, there was no rescuer, there was no purpose assigned to my existence, there was no heaven or hell. All I had was me!

And I am enough. I am the one responsible to define myself and create a plan for my life and I already had all the information I needed to know what was right from wrong, good from bad, healthy from unhealthy. There is no heaven or hell and I have the power to think and act, to be complete and to have communities of people I love and who love me.

I stand with full gratitude for being and doing and belonging and thinking and participating in this magnificent universe. I celebrate the important things in life, not the fables and fairy tales or delusions of others. I don't have to deny myself; I have the right and responsibility to give voice to my needs, wants and desires and my profound gratitude for being alive and conscience of what is true.

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Permalink Reply by Humble Pie on January 27, 2013 at 12:16pm

Joan, your words are always so uplifting!  I am so glad that, as a young person just starting to make my own way in the world, I am able to draw on your strength and experience.  :)

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Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on January 28, 2013 at 2:35pm

What a great read - thanks for the positive comment, Joan.

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on January 28, 2013 at 4:43pm

Humble Pie and Matthew T. Thank you for your kind words and support. I must be sure to add that the process of going from dependent to counter-dependent to independent leads ultimately to inter-dependent and then to dependent. 

I am at a stage of life at 77 years old that I will soon return to dependent. I do not brag or complain, it is the way of life and each developmental stage has taught me very important lessons. 

The message I want to send, is that each one matters. Don't let others put you down, or discount you, or trivialize you, or exploit you, or demonize you, or dominate you. You are alive and have every right to be. And you are not alone; we are Homo sapiens and need others, not only to survive but to thrive. 

Further, I want to express my profound love of life and the Earth upon which I reside. 

Thanks for being here to read and respond to my words. 

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on January 26, 2013 at 3:43pm

Mostly, I support and even defend people's right to believe in anything that they want to believe in.  WITH LIMITATIONS!!!

If their beliefs have no basis in reality are possibly harmful to humanity and they push these beliefs onto others. I will attack their beliefs without reservation nor care for their personal feelings.

Yes, if they cross that fine line between personal belief in garbage and preaching garbage, they suddenly have an enemy that will hound and attack them relentlessly.

This is why I continually attack those Xtians on the Australian ABC religious forum, which I originally joined to defend science against attacks from a handful of creationists, I've destroyed many of the creationists arguments and hardly any exist on this forum now though there are still Xtians pushing absolutely ridiculous views and anti-atheist propaganda http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/TopicList.aspx?b=87&dm=1

So I continue to attack them as 'goiday_myd' the MyD stands for "Doctor Of Mythology" without any real regard for their personal self-image nor feelings.

I believe in calling a spade a spade and a naive, proselytizing idiot a raving lunatic.

Aye M8z!   :-D  

 

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on January 27, 2013 at 12:16am

Good job G'Day - keep up the good work!

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on January 27, 2013 at 1:10am

G'Day, I'm with you about calling a spade a spade and "proselytizing idiot a raving lunatic."

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