Why did the atheist cross the road? To give out 'Get out of religion' coupons to students

[rug]

School administration monitored students leaving the property as Veronic Abbass attempted to hand out flyers informing students they don't have to take religion class

Peterborough This Week
By Sarah Frank

PETERBOROUGH (Canada)— Her plan was to hand out “get out of religion” coupons to Catholic school students, but atheist Veronica Abbass spent most of her time dealing with school administration during a recent visit to St. Peter Catholic Secondary School.

Ms Abbass stood outside of school property when school let out on Monday (May 11). She was hoping to catch students who were walking home, to hand out a coupon that encouraged their right to get out of what the coupon describes as “forced Catholicism.” Ms Abbass argues no student is legally required to attend religion class and that schools who force the issue are breaking the law.

But Ms Abbass ended up spending most of her time chatting with the school’s administration and one concerned parent who wanted to make sure she wasn’t forcing student who didn’t want to talk about the issue to stop.

The fact that Ms Abbass’ husband had tagged along, standing across the road with a camera, also sparked some concern.

http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/5612449-why-did-the-atheist-cross-the-road-to-give-out-get-out-of-religion-coupons-to-peterborough-stude/

[randys1]

1. Confronting people who believe in invisible men in the sky with the truth, can be touchy.

No disrespect meant to reasonable, loving Christians, and there are a few of them here.

I wish we had that time machine chair from the movie "The Time Machine", we could go forward 400 years, and if climate change hadnt wiped us out, we would find a human race where belief in such things no longer exists at all or in such small numbers it is barely noticeable.

[rug]

2. Especially when they're leaving a school while being photographed.

[randys1]

3. When, where and how matters not at all to some

Being confronted period, causes some to get bad headaches, they become argumentative, etc.

There is no god, sorry to break it to you.

It is a made up story to get people to behave and to control them and their money.

In the future this will not even be a debate.

[cbayer]

5. "There is no god, sorry to break it to you."

That's hilarious. As a rational person who doesn't believe in fairy tales, I am certain you can provide some evidence to support your contention.

Right?

[okasha]

9. Photographing kids like that is creepy.

Imagine the outrage if it had been a priest with a camera.

I don't know about Canada, but in some jurisdictions it's illegal to photograph minors without consent. In the US, this situation would have required a release form from each person photographed.

[cbayer]

4. Ooohh! Invisible men in the sky?

That right there is absolute proof that you are smarter than and superior to most people on earth.

And then you have the nerve to say "no disrespect meant"? Seriously?

The only reason to say that is to show disrespect. There is no other possible reason to do it.

Religion isn't going anywhere, randys1, even if you put all your magical thinking powers to work and try to make it so.

As for Ms. Abass, she's done some good stuff. She got them to stop praying before city council meetings.

The Ontario law is really interesting and she seems to be right about the fact that kids do not have to go to religion classes. Unfortunately the link on her handout doesn't work, so it's hard to find out more about what she is doing.

:largehttp://media.zuza.com/b/d/bdde482f-839f-4cbc-af7b-8f5039ae857a/Coupon_JPEG[1]___Content.jpg

[NaturalHigh]

7. You beat me to it by four minutes.

[cbayer]

8. It gets really old.

Some people who are otherwise open-minded, tolerant and accepting think it's just fine to mock and denigrate others simply because they have a different perspective when it comes to religion.

And, to be honest, I truly believe it has everything to do with their own vast insecurity. When you feel small you can always feel a little bigger by finding those you think are even smaller than you.

[phil89]

11. Did he say something untrue?

Nt

[cbayer]

14. Did I accuse him of saying something untrue?

BTW, and I don't mean this as an insult but just a chance to provide you with some information.

The reason for using Nt is to tell the reader that there is no need to open the post because there is nothing in the message text. For that reason, it really only serves it's purpose if you put it in the reply title.

[phil89]

12. But you said

believing in fairies is as valid as believing in them. You don't seem to have clarity on these issues.

[cbayer]

13. I've got plenty of clarity.

I know it's DU sport to distort what people say, create fantasized memes about those things and continue to repeat them for years, while they become increasingly distorted.

That being the case, I don't think it will really make much difference if I explain to you what I actually said and provide the context in which I said it.

I'll give it a single shot, but little hope that you will actually consider it.

I was replying to a post in which the following quote was included:

Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe ...

... that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"

The analogy there is very clear. What the writer was referring to was a belief in god(s). He was making the point that one can be inspired by something without believing that there is a god behind it.

I responded to that quote by saying this:

It's about understanding the Dawkins not believing in the fairies at the bottom of the garden is as legitimate as believing in the fairies.

(One clear error I made was that I thought the quote was from Dawkins, but it's not and that's not really relevant.)

In context, what I was saying is that being inspired by the garden without the "fairies" is as legitimate as being inspired by the garden because you believe in the "fairies".

Honestly, I do not expect that you will take a moment to see that, but that's what it is and it is the last time I am going to explain it. It will become meme #147 in the playbook and be repeated and further distorted for years. And you, I expect, will help it along.

[Leontius]

16. Forget a not in there did we?

[NaturalHigh]

6. "No disrespect meant to reasonable, loving Christians"...

Yeah, whatever dude. I don't think I've ever seen you show respect to anyone of any religion.

[PotatoChip]

10. Proselytizers really get on my nerves.

They can be so damn annoying!

[Warren Stupidity]

15. Ontario Canada publicly funded catholic school.

Ms Abbass is not proselytizing. She is informing the students attending a public school run by the catholic church that they are not required to attend religious education classes.

Good for her.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter_Catholic_Secondary_School

[rug]

17. I'm pretty sure they know they attend a Catholic school.

Grade 12 student John Schady took one of the coupons, looked it over, and told Ms Abbass he wants to attend a Catholic school, which includes taking a religion class.

- snip -

A parent, who declined to give his name, says Ms Abbass is taking up her issue with the wrong people.

He says if she has a problem with publicly-funded Catholic schools, she needs to forward her complaints to the government, not hand out coupons at schools.

I'm pretty sure they're well aware of their legal rights as well.

Section 42 (11)(12) and(13) of the Ontario Education Act, providing the exemption from religion classes, has been on the books for decades.

But, she's free to save them from the error of their ways.

[Warren Stupidity]

18. The fact that the law is on the books says nothing at all about

if the law is well known or being followed. "they know they attend a catholic school" - yes they do, that is not at issue. What is at issue is if they know that they do not have to attend the religious education classes. At issue is if the school is complying with the law and is the school informing the students that attendance is voluntary. Your excerpt addresses neither issue.

[rug]

21. That law was the subject of two well-pubilcized decisions from the Ontario Superior Court last year.

The CBC has a much larger audience than someone handing out Watcht . . .. er, coupons, outside a school. Even if it was filmed.

[beam me up scottie]

19. Peterborough City Councillors to stop praying at municipal meetings until legal staff review Supreme

This woman is pretty fucking awesome.

City's legal staff to consider implications of Supreme Court decision.
Peterborough Ontario, Canada.


PETERBOROUGH -- Monday evening (April 20) marked the first time in years (and possibly decades) that Peterborough city councillors didn't open a municipal meeting with the Lord's Prayer.

The prayer was listed on the agenda for the Committee of the Whole, but councillors aren't reciting it until the City's legal staff can determine whether it's against the law, according to Councillor Andrew Beamer, who chairs the Committee of the Whole.

The Supreme Court ruled on a specific case out of Saguenay, Quebec on April 15 -- a decision that's likely to set a precedent for all Canadian municipalities. Coun. Beamer can't say yet whether the City will stop using the prayer altogether.

Veronica Abbass has taken issue with the City over the practice for years, and even filed a lawsuit against the City in 2012. That legal battle was put on hold to wait for the Supreme Court ruling.


http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/5567686-peterborough-city-councillors-to-stop-praying-at-municipal-meetings-until-legal-staff-review-supreme/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1218198369

No wonder the theists can't stand her.

[rug]

20. Yeah, that link was on the page I posted.

But the objection was not that "the theists can't stand her." It was that students leaving school were photographed as she approached them.

[Yorktown]

22. After centuries of forced conversions by religions, an atheist is giving out leaflets? The horror.

I mean, converting by way of the sword is the time honored fashion. Leaflets? How dare she?

[Major Nikon]

23. The next thing you know they will be on corners with bullhorns

[Yorktown]

24. The horror of it..