Blast from the past

[Heather MC]

I found this Debate with Madalyn Murray O'Hair, and The Burbon St Preacher on the Donohue Show.

She gets in some good Zingers. It is sad how her life ended, and sometimes she came off as very unlikeable. but I like her snark.

[defacto7]

1. Yes, she was a pioneer of sorts.

It is too bad how her life ended. Her later years gave atheism a bit of a black eye which of course was taken great advantage of by the theists. She was human... just like all of us... and I know more unlikable believers than I do non-theists.

To me, unlikable honesty is infinitely more valuable than likable dishonesty.

[Heather MC]

4. Theist like to paint all of us with the same brush

They don't seem to grasp that we are not a hive collective like they are. We are all individuals we may share a common dis-belief in the existence of God, but after that we can can branch off into any directions we choose.

Whereas a theist has a collective borg mindset, that says assimulate or else.

[onager]

2. The ID Channel just ran the show about her death

On the "Disappeared" series. The episode title is (guess what!) "The Most Hated Woman In America."

ID Channel re-runs these shows all the time, or you might find it on-line.

Interesting that when some of the Texas cops knew who was missing, their first response was pretty much, "Madalyn Murray O'Hair? Who cares??

A female FBI agent who worked the case seemed outraged by that. She noted that a whole family was wiped out - O'Hair, her son and grand-daughter.

Another expert - I forget who - said he strongly disliked O'Hair as a person. But he had incredible respect for her defending separation of church and state. Which he called a cornerstone of American democracy, IIRC.

[Heather MC]

6. I don't think Christians will ever appreciate the good she did by fighting to take prayer out of

School. My Christian friends keep whining about wanting to bring it back in schools.

And they get angry when I say you can't just bring back one Pray, you would have to bring ALLL Prayers back
Christian, Jews, Muslim, Hindu, Buddist Chants
then all the sub Christian groups prayers
I was raised Jehovah's Witness, so I would not have been allowed to hear a prayer from any other religion.
Imagine the persecution I would have had to endure, because I couldn't be in the room for a Christian Prayer in Sounthern VA.

Even when I was a Christian I was and will always be for Separation of Church and State. I believe that Children should be all prayed up before they step foot in the school building, and I don't trust just anyone to say a Prayer for my Boys. That is/was my Job. And no I don't pray, but I can still give them encouraging words as they head out the door. And I do.

[Warpy]

3. Yuck, Rev. Hayseed is just Gish Galloping along

and O'Hair is uncharacteristically mellow. She looked old as Methuselah to me when I first saw the show. I missed the fact that she was rather pretty for her age.

It's really hard to watch because the Rev. just never shuts the fuck up and lets her speak.

[Heather MC]

5. I was annoyed that he

kept trying to get her to recieve salvation, and never once anwsered her Question
and he insisted on NOT discussing the bible and only talking about Personal experiences.