The religious right dreams of a world where everyone needs their permission for pretty much everything. They're a group that will never have all the power they seem to think their religion entitles them to. They will, of course, always present themselves as the persecuted victims of the godless left.
NO KIDDING! The ACLU is clearly indulging in understatement here. A religious organization, dictating usage of PUBLIC PROPERTY to the citizens of Ocean Grove?!? If that doesn't come under the heading of Utterly Intolerable, I can't think of what might. What is needed here and now is a local complainant, whereupon the Freedom From Religion Foundation and perhaps American Atheists as well can hammer these mindless Methodists properly.
Because this is overreach like I've rarely seen it.
If it’s a public beach, it needs to be open to the public during the times it’s supposed to be open to the public. It doesn’t matter which organizations operate it, it needs to be available for all. Their pretend secular reasons are nonsense. The beach is beautiful and that’s why folks want to visit it and enjoy the water.
Hmm, does it count as a graven image if it's constructed with carpentry? Or is that doubly idolatrous since the whole "Jesus was a carpenter, even though he seemed to just wander around picking up dudes" thing?
That is, without a doubt, the blandest, most joyless boardwalk I have ever seen in my life. I see a bunch of people on the beach, in that second picture, but none at all on the pier. Not hard to see why- no shade, no concessions, no color... no 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. I mean, come on, people... there's at least room enough on that travesty of beachside architecture for a couple hot dog and funnel cake stands, an Icee machine or two... 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, anything at all! It doesn't even have fishing pole stands!
You over-churched dweebs got control of a 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 and you made it 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. You built the lamest, most skeletal boardwalk ever, and made that boring too. It's a fucking beach! How hard was this?! All you have to do is throw the gates open and collect parking fees!
Gee willikers, this kind of behavior is SO attractive! I'm sure that far more of the local residents are flocking to join the local Methodist church! What a great way to popularize Christianity in general.
"The original [pier] was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy over a decade ago, so they jumped at the opportunity to inject some Christian Nationalism into the pier’s replacement."
There's another kind of "climate change" that is continuously undermining the foundations of religion's hegemony. It's the slow fading of belief in supernaturalism in general. Much of religion's reactionary and unpopular efforts to shore up that erosion are just speeding up their collapse.
This attempt to bully the whole town will not end well for the OGCMA.
Why – if everyone is in church on Sunday morning – does the natural beauty of the beach need to be preserved? One would presume that no one was actually looking at it.
Can't make up their minds? They want to convert everyone but also want to exclude people. It is clear and getting clearer, to many folks, that these Christians are gearing up and doing whatever they can to make this country a Christian theocracy. They want us all to live our lives under their Christian dogma. I will not, for one, capitulate to their demands. The government is the only way to stop them, and they damn well should be working a 'freedom of religion' amendment that clarifies the separation of religious organizations and state; and clear on the 'no religion shall dominate' of our First Amendment. More and more Americans are leaving their religious organization and for good reasons.
Well, it seems clear from this that all us awful worldly atheists should follow the examples of True Christians and stop concentrating on the material so much.
If there's a more inspiring example of people of faith turning their backs on the trivialities of the sinful world to focus on the divine, I certainly can't think of it.
. . .
(Content notice: this post was manufactured in a facility housing large quantities of sarcasm, and may contain more than trace amounts. If allergic to sarcasm, do not handle.)
As this is Labor Day, there's no library for me to switch over to, so I think I'll take advantage and use the time to take care of some things I've been putting off. Hope to be back this afternoon around 3PM my time.
This would all be completely moot if the religiots just did what they so clearly WANT to do and bought the beach outright from the community, so they could run it any damn way they pleased, including excluding.
If I recall correctly, the prior controversy occurred - in part - because the group promised, in a public meeting, to provide nondiscriminatory access. That was a condition of allowing the meeting association a permit which could have been denied. They did not honor their commitment then and they are not honoring their commitment now.
Moreover, I am not impressed that they built an expensive pier. Presumably, the community did not require the pier. Someone needs to determine who owns what and if there are any required easements. In the Hamptons, for example, the beach is the property of New York State. In Miami Beach (including South Beach) the beaches are the property of the city.
FFRF should sue the self-righteous boobs. Personally, I would take a bolt cutter to the lock and allow everyone access. Let them call the police.
The religious right dreams of a world where everyone needs their permission for pretty much everything. They're a group that will never have all the power they seem to think their religion entitles them to. They will, of course, always present themselves as the persecuted victims of the godless left.
𝐴𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑛𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝐺𝐶𝑀𝐴, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝐶𝐿𝑈 𝑜𝑓 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐽𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑠 “𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑠.”
NO KIDDING! The ACLU is clearly indulging in understatement here. A religious organization, dictating usage of PUBLIC PROPERTY to the citizens of Ocean Grove?!? If that doesn't come under the heading of Utterly Intolerable, I can't think of what might. What is needed here and now is a local complainant, whereupon the Freedom From Religion Foundation and perhaps American Atheists as well can hammer these mindless Methodists properly.
Because this is overreach like I've rarely seen it.
If it’s a public beach, it needs to be open to the public during the times it’s supposed to be open to the public. It doesn’t matter which organizations operate it, it needs to be available for all. Their pretend secular reasons are nonsense. The beach is beautiful and that’s why folks want to visit it and enjoy the water.
Hmm, does it count as a graven image if it's constructed with carpentry? Or is that doubly idolatrous since the whole "Jesus was a carpenter, even though he seemed to just wander around picking up dudes" thing?
That is, without a doubt, the blandest, most joyless boardwalk I have ever seen in my life. I see a bunch of people on the beach, in that second picture, but none at all on the pier. Not hard to see why- no shade, no concessions, no color... no 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. I mean, come on, people... there's at least room enough on that travesty of beachside architecture for a couple hot dog and funnel cake stands, an Icee machine or two... 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, anything at all! It doesn't even have fishing pole stands!
You over-churched dweebs got control of a 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 and you made it 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. You built the lamest, most skeletal boardwalk ever, and made that boring too. It's a fucking beach! How hard was this?! All you have to do is throw the gates open and collect parking fees!
Gee willikers, this kind of behavior is SO attractive! I'm sure that far more of the local residents are flocking to join the local Methodist church! What a great way to popularize Christianity in general.
"The original [pier] was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy over a decade ago, so they jumped at the opportunity to inject some Christian Nationalism into the pier’s replacement."
There's another kind of "climate change" that is continuously undermining the foundations of religion's hegemony. It's the slow fading of belief in supernaturalism in general. Much of religion's reactionary and unpopular efforts to shore up that erosion are just speeding up their collapse.
This attempt to bully the whole town will not end well for the OGCMA.
Why – if everyone is in church on Sunday morning – does the natural beauty of the beach need to be preserved? One would presume that no one was actually looking at it.
Can't make up their minds? They want to convert everyone but also want to exclude people. It is clear and getting clearer, to many folks, that these Christians are gearing up and doing whatever they can to make this country a Christian theocracy. They want us all to live our lives under their Christian dogma. I will not, for one, capitulate to their demands. The government is the only way to stop them, and they damn well should be working a 'freedom of religion' amendment that clarifies the separation of religious organizations and state; and clear on the 'no religion shall dominate' of our First Amendment. More and more Americans are leaving their religious organization and for good reasons.
I can see it now. Pure Flix (recently rebranded as Pinnacle Peak Pictures) will release a movie on this called God's Not Dead: Surf's Up.
I say move the pier out about 20 yards and cut off all physical access from the beach. Anyone who wants to get there can walk to it.
Nothing enhances the "sublime natural beauty" of the beach more than a giant torture device.
Well, it seems clear from this that all us awful worldly atheists should follow the examples of True Christians and stop concentrating on the material so much.
If there's a more inspiring example of people of faith turning their backs on the trivialities of the sinful world to focus on the divine, I certainly can't think of it.
. . .
(Content notice: this post was manufactured in a facility housing large quantities of sarcasm, and may contain more than trace amounts. If allergic to sarcasm, do not handle.)
OT
As this is Labor Day, there's no library for me to switch over to, so I think I'll take advantage and use the time to take care of some things I've been putting off. Hope to be back this afternoon around 3PM my time.
This would all be completely moot if the religiots just did what they so clearly WANT to do and bought the beach outright from the community, so they could run it any damn way they pleased, including excluding.
If I recall correctly, the prior controversy occurred - in part - because the group promised, in a public meeting, to provide nondiscriminatory access. That was a condition of allowing the meeting association a permit which could have been denied. They did not honor their commitment then and they are not honoring their commitment now.
Moreover, I am not impressed that they built an expensive pier. Presumably, the community did not require the pier. Someone needs to determine who owns what and if there are any required easements. In the Hamptons, for example, the beach is the property of New York State. In Miami Beach (including South Beach) the beaches are the property of the city.
FFRF should sue the self-righteous boobs. Personally, I would take a bolt cutter to the lock and allow everyone access. Let them call the police.
OT : https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/09/archaeologists-uncover-3000-year-old-ancient-weavings-in-alaska/148437