Religion
Related: About this forumWestboro church pastor's son to face off against dad's picketers at atheist rally
20 hours ago
By Kari Huus, msnbc.com
It may come as no surprise that members of Westboro Baptist Church, an extreme Calvinist sect notorious for its fire-and-brimstone picketing, are planning to protest at the upcoming Reason Rally a national gathering of atheists. But at this event, they will also be picketing one of their own, rally organizers said.
In the speaking lineup at the March 24 rally in Washington is Nate Phelps, one of 13 children of Westboro Pastor Fred Phelps. The younger Phelps, who split from the family when he was 18, is a self-described atheist who advocates for gay rights and on behalf of abused children. He charges that his father abused his children in the name of God and uses his church as a vehicle for his rage.
Nate Phelps, 54, lives in Calgary, Canada where he works for the Center for Inquiry, and only in 2010 began to speak out about his family and his beliefs, according to a biography on his web site. He is writing a book on his upbringing and is a board member for the nonprofit organization "Recovering from Religion," which supports people who leave religion despite the pressures of family and culture.
At the rally, Phelps will join a lineup of celebrities in the secular orbit author Richard Dawkins, Discovery Channel "Mythbusters" host Adam Savage, comedian Eddie Izzard, the band Bad Religion and others.
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/15/10706741-westboro-church-pastors-son-to-face-off-against-dads-picketers-at-atheist-rally
2ndAmForComputers
(3,527 posts)cbayer
(146,218 posts)Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)The new atheists are just as bad as WBC. Kind of like the article you like so much about unreasonable atheists.
2ndAmForComputers
(3,527 posts)I suspect cbayer understood it as easily as you did.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)the new atheists are anything like WBC, but perhaps I just missed it.
2ndAmForComputers
(3,527 posts)"Militant atheism is every bit as extremist as far right religion"
"Atheist fundies are as bad as religious fundies"
Well, it's nice to know that, if I type those sentences in the search box, with quotes, I'll get no results, because nobody here ever said that. Nope, no sir.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)FWIW, I am not just supportive, but enthusiastic about the Rally for Reason.
It looks like a great time - good speakers, good music. There is likely, I hope, to be a lot of community building, consensus building and coalitions formed to fight for things that also are important to non-atheists. When a movement is trying to get some momentum, there is nothing so empowering as building a community of like-minded people.