How DARE they?!?

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/oscar-nomination-rescinded-for-song--alone-yet-not-alone-002640315.html

So, the Oscars nominated an extremely unheard of song- that never had a chance of winning- for best original song. It happened to be from a Christian based movie. NO ONE had heard of this movie before this. There were no reviews of it. There were no critics watching it. There were no media write-ups about it. It was a nothing movie. Christians hadn't even heard of it.

The man who wrote the song used to be on the committee board for the Academy. He used an unfair advantage and sent a direct email to the people who were voting on the nominees. When other people heard about this they, rightly, complained. Today the Academy announced that they are rescinding the nomination.

Here are some of the reactions from Christians:

"I am a CHRISTIAN and PROUD OF IT!!!! In the Bible it talks about how in the last days that the world will be against anything that is CHRISTIAN I guess that all you people that are against CHRISTIAN are proving the Bible RIGHT!!! Jesus Christ is going to RETURN and every knee will Bow and EVERY tongue with confess that he is LORD. They remove this because it has everything to do with FAITH. Guess what OUR COUNTRY was founded on FAITH. You would not have a AMERICA if your Forefathers had not took a stand long ago."

"Gee. What a surprise. I saw this coming a mile away. It's a great song written for a CHRISTIAN fulm. Of course they would have to find a way to get rid of it. I guarantee if it had been a muslim film with a song about killing infidels and stoning rape victims it would have won the best original song Oscar!"

"The satanists couldn't allow Joni Erickson Tada to have World wide exposure. They were terrified that the presence of a quadriplegic believer would mention JESUS' message of salvation. They claim to allow freedom of thought, except when the thought runs contrary to theirs. The idea of having someone with morals and principles to be seen during their hedonistic exhibition was too much for their consciousness: they might actually have to admit that they are selling sin. Its ok for the studios to spend billions on promoting their product including sending free dvd's of their movies to voters but not ok for someone who is not a satanist to email the voters and ask them to listen to the song. This excuse is as phoney as the idea that President Obama represents all Americans."

   (Context- the woman who sings the song is a quadriplegic)

"Baffled why Americans aren't outraged by the slaughtering of Christians by the tens of thousands in Sudan, Noth Korea, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, by nearly 100,000 a year. Thanks Hollywood, way to contribute in a slight of hand move to ban a song from a Christian film in your pagan festival. Glad to see we still live in a society of free relegion free from persecution, guess that only applies to non-christians."

     (I think this person has their numbers a TAD exaggerated....)


Although one Christian commenter did show some reason: 

"As a Christian, this is not "a war against Christianity" this is just common sense. There are rules and guidelines put forth by the academy. It is pretty logical that you can't promote your nomination in order to gain votes. You break the rules you pay the consequences, who gives a damn about religious affiliation. Be grateful it was even nominated in the first place, for a film with hardly any budget, no critical reviews, and definitely no advertising, Lastly, they did not replace the nomination with another song, they left it as is. it should have been thrown in the five dollar bin at Wal-mart along with the other terrible Christian films. Christians and conservatives need to stop playing this "us vs. them" game. Besides it has no chance of winning,"Let it Go" and Frozen in general are going to take home many awards."
   
I couldn't agree more.

Were you acting like a Christian?

This week marks the 11 year anniversary of when I was raped. Every year for the past 7 or so I have tried to do something positive that keeps me from dwelling on the past. It usually works. But, for whatever reason, this year it's not working.

What's been going through my mind this year is all the shitty things that were said to me following the rape:

"Did he say he was sorry? I'd forgive him if he apologized."- Jack, my dear friend to whom my church tried to marry me off. Not after the rape though, mind you. Now I was tainted and was no longer a good match for Jack.

"If you'd just forgive him and let it go you wouldn't be so angry."- My sister. In her defense I think she was trying to make me feel better. She's a  hardcore Christian who believes that forgiveness leads to peace. Sure, I believe in forgiveness. But...fuck that guy.

"The pamphlet I read about this says you should be over this by now."- My mother. It had been two weeks. I love my mother. This was not a great thing to say to someone. She was trying to make sense of what all was happening. And, I can't be mad at my mother. We had a rough couple of months after the fact but she has been nothing but supportive of most everything in my life. So, she sent me to a Christian 'therapist' who also told me to get over it. Go figure.

"Were you acting like a Christian?"- A church member. This one hurt a lot. It hurt because, at the time, I was shaming myself for my actions. Many rape survivors do this. We somehow feel like it was our faults; like we were asking for it. This statement from someone who I trusted for most of my life shattered me. It truly was my fault. Especially in the eyes of God. I had done something wrong and I should now beg for forgiveness.

And I did pray for forgiveness. I prayed a lot. And every time I did I felt more and more ashamed.  I was supposed to be a good, southern, Christian girl and now I was marked.  What respectable person would want to be with me now? I still struggle with this feeling. I'm positive my current boyfriend loves me but, who wants to move further with someone with a messed up past?

I wonder if the people around me would have acted the same way if the guy who raped me had been black?If I didn't know who he was? If I hadn't invited him over to hang out in the first place? What did I expect would happen, right?

This guy was a tall, blond, blue-eyed white man. He was a charmer in the community. Girls who complained about him should have been excited that such a likable guy was 'flirting' with them. How lucky of me that he showed me any attention.  After all, he was only trying to show me what it was like to be with a real guy. (Up until that point I had only dated outside of my race. He wanted to show me what I was missing.)

I eventually got real help. I went to see a rape counselor. She worked with me for months. And when I pressed charges and went through the prosecution process she told me what it would be like; what the steps were going to be. I have been able to talk about my experiences with others openly. I don't hide my rape. I've helped friends through the process and have spoken in small conferences about it. I've come a long way.

But, I think that the best healing for me has been every accomplishment I've made in my life since. I went back to school and earned my bachelors degree. I moved to a different part of the country on my own and have made it work. I'm the head of a great organization. I've surrounded myself with amazing friends. I love who I am. But, like any stupid fucking emotional trauma, I still have my doubts about why this happened.

And for that I blame the fucked up religion in which I was brainwashed. No matter how much I try to rinse of the bubbles of superstition with the cool water of reason there is always some oily residue.

Fisher of Men

A few years ago I was working for a specialty retail store in the mall. I had a manager that was in his mid 40s and was a very good man. I liked him a lot. He was a helpful manager, he was very understanding of my nonsense as a teenager in college and became somewhat of a mentor for me. I feel like I learned a lot from him.

He always wore a small gold pin of a fishing hook on his collar. Being in Florida, I had always assumed that it was a pin showing his love of fishing. My own father is an avid fisherman and I had always loved going on the lake with him. I decided to ask my manager, let's call him Phil, about it- maybe I could talk with him about where he fished, what equipment he used and what he caught.

Phil then explained to me that his hook pin was because he wanted to be reminded that he is a 'fisher of men' for the Lord.

*Sigh*....dammit.

"Fisher of men" comes from Matthew 4:19. This is where Jesus found Peter and his brother Andrew who were fishermen. He told them to follow him and become 'fisher of men'. The brothers immediately threw down their nets and became apostles.  (I mean, wouldn't you just thrown down your career that feeds yourself and family to follow some hippie around for nothing? I know I would!)

The more I think about it the more I'm confused as to how this has become a Christian catchphrase...

What is fishing? You use good bait, pretty lures, and smelly spray to trick a fish to getting snagged on on a sharp-ass hook that will pull it out of it's home so that it may be thrown into a cold and dark place with other terrified fish (the cooler) to then be taken out and mocked by having someone hold it up by the mouth while they take pictures of it (IT WAS THIS BIG!!). Then it is descaled, beheaded, deboned... Then, if  it's caught by my father, it gets rolled around in Louisiana Fish Fry and land in the skillet to be served up with French fries and ketchup.

Sounds like a fun ride, Christians. 

Why do atheists celebrate Christmas?

Simple answer:  Not all of us do.

I have friends that only celebrate the solstice. These are the atheists that keep with the tradition of how the holiday celebration started- by pagans rejoicing in the movement of the sun.

I have friends that put up a Festivus pole. Some place a Flying Spaghetti Monster on top of their tree. These examples are of the commercialism that has dominated the holiday for decades.

I have known some atheists who have Jewish heritage that will still celebrate Jewish holidays. It is a part of their culture.

Many go through the religious motions of Christmas because of pressure from society or their family.

Personally, Christmas has always been about my family traditions. My family has dozens of small things we do to celebrate the season. None of it really has anything to do with a baby in a manager.

Even though my family is religious, I grew up with my mother telling me that Jesus was not born in the winter months. I'm sure this thinking was not taught to her in Sunday School. I'm not sure where she was able to learn this knowledge but, nonetheless, she always taught it to me. (And she wonders how I ended up a godless heathen)

So, for me, Christmas as always been about presents, PJs on Christmas Eve, Santa Clause, breakfast burritos, story telling, leaving carrots for Rudolph, opening 'sister presents' on Christmas Eve and my mother reading Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Why do atheists celebrate Christmas? Because it's not and never was about your particular messiah.

Gay Cakes and Birth Control

Since I live in Denver I am hearing a lot about the local business owner that refused to bake a cake for a gay couple to celebrate their union.

I'm honestly torn by this.

On one hand, I have a lot of small business owners in my circle of family and friends. I would not want someone to tell these business owners to go against their own values. I believe that small business owners should have the right to run their establishment as they see fit.

On the other hand, the guy is being a bigot. It sucks. It's also illegal. We had a civil rights fight for a reason.

I'm not even sure if I would want a bigoted baker to bake me a cake...

I can understand why someone who opens a small store would want to run their business as they see fit and have a moral dilemma with serving customers who blatantly go against their values. I would not want to make a cake for a Nazi skinhead... But are Nazi skinheads a protected minority? Would I care in the moment?

On a much larger scale we have large businesses, with thousands of employees, pushing their religious beliefs on their employees. Hobby Lobby is one of the larger corporations trying to not have birth control covered by their employee's insurance. This is disgusting.

Religious churches are pushing their religious opinions on their patients. There are stories of women being denied even the option of terminating a pregnancy due to health issues for the baby and/or mother. This is terrifying.

I'm not sure what else to write about this. My internal struggle pulls back and forth on small vs large corporations and their individual rights.

Baton Rouge Follies

For Thanksgiving this year I went to visit my father and sisters in Louisiana.

My family is pretty understanding about my atheism. I'm one of the lucky ones who has a very loving family. I don't hide my non-belief and they don't confront me about it. Even though I have some very religious family members- some are even preachers- we don't let that come in the way of our time together.

It's everyone else's family members that are the damn problem.

I took a few hours and headed out to Baton Rouge for a quick visit with a good friend from college. We went to a gig for a local band, went to a bar and enjoyed some karaoke. In the matter of 5 short hours I was confronted numerous times about the stereotypes of atheist people.

At the band gig a girl from the audience came over to speak with my friend, let's call her Rachel. During the conversation they kept just saying 'Witness' and, being unaware of the shorthand, I asked if that meant Jehovah's Witness. (Rachel was but no longer is a JW and defines herself as an agnostic.) The girl said, "Yes and Rachel can talk to you all about that!" I replied that Rachel knows very well that I'm an atheist and we've spoken about it at length. The girl lost her smile, stared at me like I'd grown a second head and, without another word, walked away never to return.

A few minutes later a man that had been sitting next to me asked me to tell him more about atheism. I was happy to do so! I love dispelling stereotypes or answering questions about atheists! I asked him what he wanted to know.

"When atheists get together do they wear big long robes like the KKK and burn things?"

Seriously, dude? But, OK, I can handle that. This is why I don't mind talking to people about atheism. Somewhere along the way misconceptions like this happen. I explained to him what groups like mine do; social events, lectures, community service, etc. He seemed vaguely interested until his friend, who was a firefighter BTW, almost caught himself on fire while playing with the bonfire... The conversation about atheism stopped there. The firefighter was singed, but otherwise fine...and more than a little drunk.

At the next stop on this little adventure I met with one of Rachel's old flames, Matt, at a karaoke bar. He told Rachel how he was going the school to be a minister. He looked like the type of guy who, when he told you he was a minister, you immediately did not want to leave him alone with children... 

Rachel's exact words, "Matt this is my friend Ruth. Ruth is the head of an atheist organization in Denver that has 1,400 members. GO!"I looked at Rachel like she had lost her damn mind.

Matt started right off the bat with, "I just think it takes a LOT more faith to be an atheist than to believe that there is a heaven."  I was SO NOT in the mood for this played out argument.

 "OK." I really did not want to engage with this guy.

"I just don't understand how someone can look around this world and not see the evidence of a creator."

By this point in the night I was tired, annoyed and just a little deaf by all the loud music so I let it go and just replied with, "OK."

"I just don't know how someone could be an atheist in this world."

LET IT GO, DUDE!!

Around this time someone started singing an Alicia Keys song or something (I actually hate karaoke and wasn't really paying attention) and the guy got distracted. Good thing for me.

When the guy at the band gig asked for information he really seemed curious about atheism- he was kidding about the robe thing, I'm sure. It was kinda funny- but he wasn't being mean spirited about it.

This Matt guy was just being a righteous asshole. You can't talk seriously to an asshole. It's a waste of time. All they have to offer to the conversation is shit.

Atheists hate children...

It's true. We hate them. And kittens. Bunnies, too.

http://wizbangblog.com/2013/11/22/atheists-force-school-to-cancel-christmas-toy-drive-because-religion/

'Atheists Force School to Cancel Christmas Toy Drive Because Religion'

I'm not sure if this became big news because the conservative media needs a good piece to prove the 'War on Christmas' or if every Xmas just needs a Grinch.

The American Humanist Association sent a letter to the schools, one in Colorado and another in South Carolina, stating that their choice in charitable organizations was unconstitutional. The AHA does not send letters to schools without an initial complaint from a parent or student of the school. They never even would have known about this going on without being told.

One school administrator stated that there was no mention of the religious nature of the charity: "School principal, Renee Mathews, is flabbergasted by the absurd letter saying that the only “religious” part of the toy drive is the word “Christmas” in its title. Otherwise there is not a single mention of religion in anything concerning the event. It’s just a toy drive for needy kids."

Just because you make no mention of the religious intent of the charity does not mean that it is not there. The charity in question is Operation Christmas Child which is under the umbrella organization of Samaritan's Purse- a VERY religious organization. One look at their website and anyone can easily guess that this is a religious charity:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/

If the school principal, or ANY administrator for that matter, had taken a glance at this website they would have immediately seen the religious nature of the charity and should have known that this was not a good charity for a public school to participate in.

I've heard it before: 'It's freedom OF religion not freedom FROM religion!' Yes, you have the freedom to practice any stupid religion you can come up with. I, and all our children in public schools, have the freedom to not be subjected to it. This is the difference.

If Islam was the main religion in America and they were sending prayer rugs to poor children via public school children you may have a bit of an issue with it.

Operation Christmas Child sends toys and goods to children all over the world. It's a great thing. The problem is that they also send evangelical literature and promises of a good life if the children pray and convert to Christianity. (The instructions of how to pack a 'shoebox' includes praying for the recipients of the box.) Public schools in the US cannot be a part of religious organizations. There are a plethora of other charities that these schools can work with, such as Toys for Tots.

Do we hate children? Of course not. I, and many other atheists I know, have been volunteering, donating and holding our own food drives for years. We love children and this country enough that we don't want to see it become a radically religious country where people are no longer free. We do this by challenging one constitutional violation at a time- no matter how much it makes us look like the bad guys.