Veritable slugfest in GD over Newdow! Calling TXlib!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1280831

Holy crap! (pun intended)

[TXlib]

1. TXlib reporting for duty!

Man, that's one ugly thread.

I'm afraid I don't know who Newdow is. Could somebody fill me in?

I think the bigotry against atheism comes from the majority's impression that everybody who calls themselves an atheist is of the anti-theist variety.

Many of my religious acquaintances prefer to label me as agnostic, since I don't claim to KNOW there is no god, but that I merely do not believe in any god, for lack of evidence.

Whatever. If that label makes them happy, I won't fight it. It doesn't change who I am.

I will say, the argument that atheism is a choice always irks me. I didn't choose to be an atheist. My skepticism is part of who I am.

[Mass_Liberal]

2. It sure as hell isn't a choice; you're right

I am an athiest because I don't believe in God. I didn't decide to take a glorious athiest stand against God. I didn't decide to turn my back on Him or anything. Ugh.

[SOteric]

3. *L* Odd thing that.

Your atheism is assumed to be a choice. My religioius belief is assumed to be an unexamined default. And yet neither assumption is objectively the case.

That thread looks ugly, but I'm not certain there is anything of value I can contribute other than to help the injured off the playing field. :shrug:

[KamaAina]

4. Newdow is the dad in the Pledge of Allegiance case

presently before SCOTUS. He believes that forcing his child to say "under God" in a public school is an unconstitutional establishment of religion.

Hardly anyone seems to realize that "under God" was not part of the original Pledge, but was tacked on by the McCarthyites when the Two Minutes Hate was always about the "godless Commies", back in the '50s.

Edit: more explanation

[bif]

7. And it was written by a socialist

That was posted here yesterday.

[pagerbear]

5. Newdow is....

...the fellow who sued to have schools stop using the Pledge of Allegiance. He is an atheist and averred that by hearing the phrase "under God" repeatedly caused his daughter to feel oppressed. Oddly enough, the girl's mother states--through Kenneth Starr--that the girl didn't much mind one way or another.

There's an interesting article on the pledge in this week's The Nation.

[lazarus]

8. actually

he just wanted the pledge restored. To be honest, I think the idea of a pledge is rather silly in the first place, but he just wanted the "under god" part removed.

[youngred]

6. too late

ah well

[DrWeird]

9. How'd I do?

Too much? Not enough?

[ProudGerman]

10. I'm glad I missed that thread

Watching that unfold would have seriously hurt my idea of DU as a safe haven for me. My atheism is a guarded secret in public, simply because of crap like that. I'd instantly have to go on the defensive because some moron would invariably decide to say something bigoted.

[displacedtexan]

11. A group of us used have regular Sunday morning atheistic chats...

until the religious attacked repeatedly.

[Moderator]

12. Please don't..

Take the political battle into this thread. Thanks,

DU Moderator

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

13. My intention was not to debate here

but call people for debating there. Well, now that the thread was locked the point is moot.