No, don't worry, I didn't suddenly turn into a Christian.
This morning, I drove in my mom's car to her doctor's office to drop off a list of prescriptions that my mom needs. As I was pulling into an empty spot in the parking lot, I noticed a bumpersticker on the back of the car I was parking next to on my left.
The bumpersticker read "GET RIGHT WITH JESUS OR GET LEFT IN HELL". Needless to say, I did not take to kindly to such a message. I am ashamed to admit it, but I did have a momentarily strong desire to spit on the windshield of this car, but reason got the better part of me. After I had gone into the office to drop off the prescription list I decided that I would respond by writing a brief note.
I looked in the glove compartment of my mom's car and found a small note pad. I wrote something along the lines of "While I support a person's right to believe or not believe in religion, the bumpersticker on the back of your car is arrogant and offensive." I then stuck the note underneath one of the windshield wipers.
I do not expect that the owner of the car will be swayed in any way by my note, but I felt obliged to call this person out in some way on the bumpersticker.
Of course, as an atheist, I do not believe in the existence of some place in the afterlife called Hell. What bothered me about the message is that it contributes to a climate of intolerance and is divisive. If someone wants to have a bumperstcker that reads JESUS SAVES or KNOW JESUS KNOW PEACE, I fully support their right even if I disagree with the sentiment. But a bumpersticker that reads GET RIGHT WITH JESUS OR GET LEFT IN HELL sends a message that people who do not worship Jesus are of lesser value.
218 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 218 of 218You accuse people of creating multiple names. I then try to give you the benefit of the doubt and think that you are just ignorant to technology.
Just to explain, I did look at my sitemeter at my blog and there were several visitors from New York city, but none that link back to Tommy's blog. I did get a couple of visits from Jason in Boston, Massachusetts though (one today, in fact so he must be lurking), and they link back here to tommy's blog.
As for IT experience, I didn't claim to know everything about computers. At my last job my duties to included maintaining the image database Dell servers for an art department for more than thirty computers, to train more than 20 computer artists to use a new program that had just been designed specifically for this printing company. I did routine troubleshooting, solved problems when servers when down, found and retrieved lost files, and more. I really don't need to explain further about this since this is not a computer technology forum.
As for multiple postings, as one of the main moderators at GifS, I am the one who helped to find Sable Chicken's multiple postings when she was having her little fun over there...it really wasn't that difficult, we just had to think to look up her IP and then saw all the names. She thought it was quite funny. Some names she used were ssabmub, whiteandblack and edgy. It didn't stop there, she then went on my blog and started posting as anonymous. Therefore, call me paranoid, dumb, whatever...like I said before, I really don't care.
tommy, I apologize and will not take any more flamebait.
It's okay Star.
One of the things about blog arguments is that one always feels like they have to get the last word in, so the argument tends to take on a life of its own beyond the point where there is anything of value left to discuss.
In my December post The Fatima Candle Part 1, a couple of Catholic trolls appeared out of nowhere and after several exchanges with them, I have simply stopped reading the comments. They think I am going to burn in hell for blaspheming the Virgin Mary (I wrote that I worshipped her before she was a virgin) and I think they have their heads stuck in the 14th century.
Hey Bigtex,
I have provided a rather exhaustive response to your comment. Feel free do read and respond if you aren't doing anything for the next year or so=).
May the dialogue begin! or Continue!
Jason
I'm sure many of you atheists may have seen this before, but I just saw this and had to post it for Sable, Biju, Jason, and the others:
Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian
10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!
6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.
4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.
2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.
1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.
"Treat others as you would like to be treated."
Does this mean that Moses, Jesus, God, etc want to go to hell? :)
Hey, it's late and I needed something to keep the posts coming. :)
Yes, we have a new record for number of comments in a post! Thank you Bigtex!
I don't think i'll be back to this blog Tommy. I enjoy reading about different viewpoints, and this is a good blog.
For everyone else who spoilt an interesting debate with uncalled for personal Character assassinations, God loves you, and i really hope you live long enough to find that out :o)
cactus freak - #6. of the THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: UPDATED FOR A MODERN AGE
Thou shalt not tell atheists what they believe, nor that thy god loveth them. ;D
tommy - I saw a bumper sticker while my husband and I were out and about today that said:
"The hard work of one, does more than the prayers of millions."
I thought I'd take a time out from my spring break to drone in.
By "argument" I meant "debate". It was a good debate, but personally I just believed that Jason had the better points (concerning objective/subjective morals). I'm in no means saying this is the be all and end all, I just thought in that one particular debate, Jason had the better points, that's all.
Tommy this of course, doesn't mean anything. The world isn't going to read it and convert but I don't believe that this was the point or the point of this blog to convert anyone but to just think critically.
I was just saying on the debate/discussion etc. of morality made me think.
Usually when I hear evidence for or against God, I only hear one side exaggerating a weak point of the other side without the other side being able to defend or explain it. It's good to have a blog where both sides athiests and Chrstians ("Xian Trolls"...right Stardust?) can respectfully say and defend what they believe. I'm sad Jason left because He seemed to give defense on a site that usually is all for the other side. As a person searching for truth I'm excited to read on.
Jason didn't say he was leaving for good...so why do you assume he did...unless you know Jason personally somehow? How would you know what Jason intends? He might have thought that since he was writing so much here, and this is getting to be a ridulously long thread, that taking tommy's suggestion to start a new blog would be better than dragging things out here in a comment thread (and he has potential to gain more commenters and readers there.)
Jason has his own blog that he mentioned in a previous comment. I think you do know that, and since you are such a fan you should know that he is having a great time debating at his own site already here at JASON'S BLOG
I have been by to read, and he has quite a lot to say for someone who says he has nothing to say.
And james, you have stated that you feel that Jason is some kind of "winner" a couple of times now, when of course you will because of your shared god beliefs!
Sorry...Jason's blog link was messed up...here it is again
The Examined Life
Good point stardust.
Here are some other quotes of James to draw pointless conclusions. We must also consider these useless points of analysis:
"I'm sad Jason left"
James, why would you feel "sad" unless you knew Jason?
"I thought I'd take a time out from my spring break to drone in."
The fact that you are on spring break should have given you more time to post messages. Were you with Jason?
"By argument I meant debate"
What if Jason "intended" to debate and not to argue. How would you know his intent unless you were him?
"I'm in no means saying this is the be all and end all"
What if this was the be all and end all? How would you know intent unless you were Jason?
Seems like you are Jason based on mine and stardust's analysis.
Biju,
I am pretty sure you are being sarcastic, right? I can tell that Jason is a well-educated (at least on theology) and is very well spoken. No offense to James, but there is a big difference in the two writing styles.
Jason does invite stimulating thoughts, but since most is based on a belief in the Bible, it sometimes is a self-fulfilling paradox.
Tommy,
I do hope you find more time for your blog entries, because I also love your writings. I am addicted (if you couldn't tell.) :)
bigtex71-
I hope you know that I wasn't implying that james is Jason (unless Jason has multiple personality blogging disorder). I agree with you that the two writing styles are quite different. Jason's blog is off to a great start. He is a posting maniac. :-)
biju/whoever . . .I was making a point that Jason did not say that he was leaving and therefore james obviously is not reading the comments made here.
tommy- I think this thread just might beat Sean's 302! LOL!
This is too funny now. Who would have thought that a post about bumper stickers would go this far?
Thank you Bigtex.
Regretfully, I have not been able to find much time for preparing new posts, though I hope to have a couple up before week's end.
Yeah Star, you never can tell which posts are going to generate a lot of hits. I thought my Ben Franklin post would get a lot but hardly got any.
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