Conservative Christians simply cannot get their heads around the fact rights are not matters of majority rule. It is never the job of the public schools, paid for with everyone's tax dollars, to backstop anyone's religion. The coach who sent these letters out, as well as the administration who approved them, need to be unemployed. I hope at least some of these wrestlers quit their teams.
Truthfully, Conservative Christians have trouble with anything that reminds them they are not in charge. So far as I can tell, they've convinced themselves they know what's best for everyone, and don't get why people question that.
If your church is incapable of offering charity with no strings attached, then it's not a very good church and you need to find a new one (or better yet, none at all).
If your public school's athletic program can't even manage to keep your student athletes fed and hydrated without a church stepping in to offer charity, then you need to 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴. Not that I'm naming names. 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘢.
It's amazing that the coaches got this far in life without hearing of a water faucet, and I'm sure the cafeteria has an ice machine. Hell, when I ran crass country in high school, nobody provided us with water and snacks, and this is in Floriduh. 🥵
What is it about separation of church state that is so hard to fathom? It’s a really clear concept, yet god-botherers keep trying to sneak and lie their way past it at everyone else’s expense. I really dislike sneaks and liars.
I think it comes down to faith not being enough to satisfy some believers, so they have to get EVERYONE to agree with them, in order to avoid cognitive dissonance.
The obvious problem is that everyone will never agree with them.
The problem is our people in U. S. Congress and State's Congresses are contributing to this problem. They started buy sharing public education funds with religious schools.
To all the regulars in the Friendly Atheist community, here's hoping you make it through the holidays without too much damage to your mental health. ;)
I am mostly avoiding the holidays. Tomorrow I go from Appleton WI to Lansing MI for a delivery Tuesday morning. Just another day on the road. The holiday that could have affected my mental health has already passed. My late wife's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. I spent it with a friend and my daughter continuing a tradition my wife and I started.
No damage is happening to my mental health. Jul/Yule is a very welcoming season and celebration. It is still dark at 15 pm, but every day will be a little bit brighter. None of those I spend time with are a danger.
Today I helped my mother with her breakfast. She is so far down the road of alzheimer that she has trouble eating without any help.
Religion IS part of the fabric of life for a vast majority of people on this Earth. But that fabric shouldn't be fashioned into a soft garrote to strangle every other aspect of daily life or of existence. If one believes that every second of every day should be spent contemplating whatever flavor of story of Sky Person and Their Directives, then join a cloister.
““Churches are an essential part of the fabric of our communities across Alabama,” Reed (R-Jasper) said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.”
True, to an extent. And the essential part is waning.
“”Even more importantly, they are the means by which the Gospel is preached and places where we worship God.“”
That’s only important if you choose to worship god or care about the gospel, which is the reason what the school is doing is wrong. The church is where preaching is supposed to happen not the public schools.
And just to clear things up, this is not charity. The churches are not participating in a charitable activity, this is more of a tit for tat situation. It’s clearly indoctrination, if we want to avoid the incorrect use of grooming. I’m sure the wrestlers could use those 15 minutes to practice, stop wasting children’s time by stepping on their constitutional rights.
OT- It will likely surprise nobody that Laura Ingraham, Fox News' #1 bleached-blonde bimbo, who once famously threw a Nazi salute on stage before passing it off with a smile and a wave... was raised by a Nazi-lover, according to her brother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlkNkCliLPY
The short version: Ingraham's father kept a copy of Mein Kampf in the living room and frequently read to his children from it- and daughter dear has grown up to be 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 the illustrious little Fuhrer's Girl.
Oh, and for bonus points, she's been a lifelong crusader against LGBTQ peoples' rights, even going so far as to run an outing sting against a campus Pride group waaaay back before she caught the attention of Murdoch's Madhouse... even though her own brother is gay (fortunately, 𝘩𝘦 seems to be a decent human being, in spite of the family legacy). She's also one of the leading anti-immigrant voices in right-wing media... even though she has three adopted children who are, you guessed it, immigrants. Because 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 she's as horrible to her family as she is to everyone else.
I dislike Ingraham a lot, but I think Ingraham was just innocently waving to people in the crowd, and an awkward screenshot of that makes it kind-of look like she was giving the Nazi salute.
If you look at the gif version, or the video clip, it's pretty clear that she full sends that shit. Plus, with how popular the "oh, I was just joking/it was an accident" dodge is in right wing circles, it's safe to assume she knew exactly what she was doing- much like whichever knuckle-dragger designed the CPAC stage in the shape of an Odal rune a few years later. Or Chump making that "poisoning the blood of our country" comment. It's not a mistake. None of it is a mistake.
Every single right-wing personality has 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 one of those "oopsies...?" moments. Taken in isolation, these things look like one-off slip-ups and joke misfires... but looking at the whole picture, the pattern is obvious. If they were truly accidental, they wouldn't all be targeted at the same segment of the Republican base, but they are. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘕𝘢𝘻𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵. Every time. Nazi salutes, Nazi symbols, Nazi quotes, and on and on and on. At some point, and I believe we passed that point several years ago now, we have to assume the worst of these people, because that's the only safe option.
*𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵- I just remembered what it reminded me of, when it happened. Remember President Skroob's salute from Spaceballs? The one where he very seriously makes a "get bent" gesture, then it finishes with a smile and wave? That's what Ingraham did, but with the Nazi salute instead. I'd bet my bottom dollar that was exactly what she was thinking of, too, when she did it. It's just too damned similar.
My children had enforced daily prayer in their elementary school in Tennessee. The principal was also a preacher and told me point blank, “My children are going to learn to fear the lord!” Yes, he said fear. Which doesn’t mesh well with the whole “God is love” message. Anyway, I complained, became his bitter enemy, and was accused of sexually mistreating my own children (that investigation went on for years contrary to law). The practice continued until that principal retired.
Now I live in NYC. Originally assumed I would retire back to Tennessee but that’s now no longer an option with how it has become a “Christian” state. It’s actually illegal for an atheist to hold public office — which sure seems to violate the “religious test” restriction in the Constitution.
Etowah County is the same place where Roy Moore was a judge, illegally posting a copy of The Ten Commandments on the wall of his courtroom. Try to control your surprise and shock at that fact.
Sure, give 'em some snacks and water — just don't do it while they're standing in line to vote on a sweltering hot day. THAT would be wicked! It would make Baby Jesus cry!
It was beautiful, everyone is saying it is. Except Nancy. Pelosi. She's a nasty person. Nasty. And her husband's a loser, couldn't even defend himself, got knocked in the head, doesn't even recognize Nancy any more, neither does Congress. Who by the way never voted to impeach me because I didn't do anything wrong except be the greatest President since George Jefferson.
Nasty Nancy. That's what they're all calling her now, because I called her nasty, but I called her Crazy Nancy first. Thor took a dump on her desk at the Capitol on January 6. It was beautiful.
Honestly, at this point, I doubt any action short of a Christian-sponsored ritual of human sacrifice would surprise me. Indeed, I've expected for a while that, as they grow smaller and lose their influence, the actions they take become more radical and predictably unconstitutional.
Which doesn't change the fact that they need to be confronted about their behavior and disabused of it.
The Russian Orthodox Church traditionally celebrates the holiday on January 7th, and both of Ukraine's major Orthodox denominations also followed that tradition... but one of them has decided to flip tradition (and Putin) the bird this year and have it on December 25th instead.
Conservative Christians simply cannot get their heads around the fact rights are not matters of majority rule. It is never the job of the public schools, paid for with everyone's tax dollars, to backstop anyone's religion. The coach who sent these letters out, as well as the administration who approved them, need to be unemployed. I hope at least some of these wrestlers quit their teams.
Truthfully, Conservative Christians have trouble with anything that reminds them they are not in charge. So far as I can tell, they've convinced themselves they know what's best for everyone, and don't get why people question that.
Authoritarianism at its worst, really.
Few people irratate me more than those who convince themselves their religion entitles them to a say in other people's personal choices.
Their imaginary sky daddy tells them they know what's best for everyone.
“ Conservative Christians simply cannot get their heads around the fact rights are not matters of majority rule.”
This! I’ve seen one guy repeatedly assert that “the community” has rights.
Rights exist to protect the individual from the tyranny of the majority.
What we are seeing now is the tyranny of the minority.
While irritating, that is a situation inherently unsustainable in the long term.
The ̶R̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ Reich wants to "protect" us from "trannies".
(It's not like gender is contagious, bless their little hearts.)
I didn't know they have a heart.
Why should the kids have to quit because some adults are idiots? Wrestling may be the only thing that keeps some of these kids coming to school.
If your church is incapable of offering charity with no strings attached, then it's not a very good church and you need to find a new one (or better yet, none at all).
If your public school's athletic program can't even manage to keep your student athletes fed and hydrated without a church stepping in to offer charity, then you need to 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴. Not that I'm naming names. 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘢.
I’m perplexed. When my kids played soccer, parents took turns with the snacks and beverages, no church involvement necessary. Nor wanted.
But your drinks and snacks weren't infused with Jesus. These are. Mmmmm, God.
It's amazing that the coaches got this far in life without hearing of a water faucet, and I'm sure the cafeteria has an ice machine. Hell, when I ran crass country in high school, nobody provided us with water and snacks, and this is in Floriduh. 🥵
I concur that Florida is, indeed, crass country. :P
Some typos work. 😁
What is it about separation of church state that is so hard to fathom? It’s a really clear concept, yet god-botherers keep trying to sneak and lie their way past it at everyone else’s expense. I really dislike sneaks and liars.
Their need to indoctrinate children speaks directly to the weakness of their message.
I think it comes down to faith not being enough to satisfy some believers, so they have to get EVERYONE to agree with them, in order to avoid cognitive dissonance.
The obvious problem is that everyone will never agree with them.
That and virtue signaling.
Separation.
The problem is our people in U. S. Congress and State's Congresses are contributing to this problem. They started buy sharing public education funds with religious schools.
To all the regulars in the Friendly Atheist community, here's hoping you make it through the holidays without too much damage to your mental health. ;)
I am mostly avoiding the holidays. Tomorrow I go from Appleton WI to Lansing MI for a delivery Tuesday morning. Just another day on the road. The holiday that could have affected my mental health has already passed. My late wife's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. I spent it with a friend and my daughter continuing a tradition my wife and I started.
All the best my friend.
43 years too late for that :)
I know.
Or my liver
I'll drink to that.
No damage is happening to my mental health. Jul/Yule is a very welcoming season and celebration. It is still dark at 15 pm, but every day will be a little bit brighter. None of those I spend time with are a danger.
Today I helped my mother with her breakfast. She is so far down the road of alzheimer that she has trouble eating without any help.
Religion IS part of the fabric of life for a vast majority of people on this Earth. But that fabric shouldn't be fashioned into a soft garrote to strangle every other aspect of daily life or of existence. If one believes that every second of every day should be spent contemplating whatever flavor of story of Sky Person and Their Directives, then join a cloister.
““Churches are an essential part of the fabric of our communities across Alabama,” Reed (R-Jasper) said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.”
True, to an extent. And the essential part is waning.
“”Even more importantly, they are the means by which the Gospel is preached and places where we worship God.“”
That’s only important if you choose to worship god or care about the gospel, which is the reason what the school is doing is wrong. The church is where preaching is supposed to happen not the public schools.
And just to clear things up, this is not charity. The churches are not participating in a charitable activity, this is more of a tit for tat situation. It’s clearly indoctrination, if we want to avoid the incorrect use of grooming. I’m sure the wrestlers could use those 15 minutes to practice, stop wasting children’s time by stepping on their constitutional rights.
I think even in Alabama you can find secular charities.
24.4 voted for Biden.
"...𝑖𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡-𝑜𝑓-𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛.”
No one is trying to do that. FFRF is just trying to make sure that the children who do not already
have faith in their lives aren't having it forced on them.
Or people of another faith or no faith have their rights infringed upon.
Tax all churches including taxes they have avoided for the last 250 years. Should help overcome our budget “crisis” in Washington, yea?
Wow! Great idea!
If you do that, you do away completely with the Separation of Church and State.
"Even more importantly, they are the means by which the Gospel is preached and places where we worship God."
The nogood senator recognise it himself. Churches, NOT schools, are the place to indoctrinate and brainwash.
"This week we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
And Attis, Horus, Khrishna...
OT- It will likely surprise nobody that Laura Ingraham, Fox News' #1 bleached-blonde bimbo, who once famously threw a Nazi salute on stage before passing it off with a smile and a wave... was raised by a Nazi-lover, according to her brother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlkNkCliLPY
The short version: Ingraham's father kept a copy of Mein Kampf in the living room and frequently read to his children from it- and daughter dear has grown up to be 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 the illustrious little Fuhrer's Girl.
Oh, and for bonus points, she's been a lifelong crusader against LGBTQ peoples' rights, even going so far as to run an outing sting against a campus Pride group waaaay back before she caught the attention of Murdoch's Madhouse... even though her own brother is gay (fortunately, 𝘩𝘦 seems to be a decent human being, in spite of the family legacy). She's also one of the leading anti-immigrant voices in right-wing media... even though she has three adopted children who are, you guessed it, immigrants. Because 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 she's as horrible to her family as she is to everyone else.
I dislike Ingraham a lot, but I think Ingraham was just innocently waving to people in the crowd, and an awkward screenshot of that makes it kind-of look like she was giving the Nazi salute.
If you look at the gif version, or the video clip, it's pretty clear that she full sends that shit. Plus, with how popular the "oh, I was just joking/it was an accident" dodge is in right wing circles, it's safe to assume she knew exactly what she was doing- much like whichever knuckle-dragger designed the CPAC stage in the shape of an Odal rune a few years later. Or Chump making that "poisoning the blood of our country" comment. It's not a mistake. None of it is a mistake.
Every single right-wing personality has 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 one of those "oopsies...?" moments. Taken in isolation, these things look like one-off slip-ups and joke misfires... but looking at the whole picture, the pattern is obvious. If they were truly accidental, they wouldn't all be targeted at the same segment of the Republican base, but they are. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘕𝘢𝘻𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵. Every time. Nazi salutes, Nazi symbols, Nazi quotes, and on and on and on. At some point, and I believe we passed that point several years ago now, we have to assume the worst of these people, because that's the only safe option.
*𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵- I just remembered what it reminded me of, when it happened. Remember President Skroob's salute from Spaceballs? The one where he very seriously makes a "get bent" gesture, then it finishes with a smile and wave? That's what Ingraham did, but with the Nazi salute instead. I'd bet my bottom dollar that was exactly what she was thinking of, too, when she did it. It's just too damned similar.
And if it's not that, it's "Oh it's only a joke – don't you have a sense of humour?"
No, the video was clearly a salute she switched to wave. The screenshot was not mischaracterizing her.
https://metro.co.uk/video/laura-ingraham-styles-nazi-salute-1312085/
If it steps like a goose... ;)
I used to feed geese at the lake near where my grandmother (RIP) used to live many years ago. I don't remember seeing Laura there. *smiles*
🙄 Did you ever cast a Dispel Magic or a Dispel Evil spell?
She was disquised as Ann Coulter. :D
Right out of the Seinfeld episode with Elaine and Mr. Pitt.
My children had enforced daily prayer in their elementary school in Tennessee. The principal was also a preacher and told me point blank, “My children are going to learn to fear the lord!” Yes, he said fear. Which doesn’t mesh well with the whole “God is love” message. Anyway, I complained, became his bitter enemy, and was accused of sexually mistreating my own children (that investigation went on for years contrary to law). The practice continued until that principal retired.
Now I live in NYC. Originally assumed I would retire back to Tennessee but that’s now no longer an option with how it has become a “Christian” state. It’s actually illegal for an atheist to hold public office — which sure seems to violate the “religious test” restriction in the Constitution.
️🎵 Educated in a small town
Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town ️🎵
https://youtu.be/0CVLVaBECuc
Etowah County is the same place where Roy Moore was a judge, illegally posting a copy of The Ten Commandments on the wall of his courtroom. Try to control your surprise and shock at that fact.
Sure, give 'em some snacks and water — just don't do it while they're standing in line to vote on a sweltering hot day. THAT would be wicked! It would make Baby Jesus cry!
evil hatemongering geezus deserves to cry oceans of tears.
No quid pro quo! It was a perfect letter!
It was beautiful, everyone is saying it is. Except Nancy. Pelosi. She's a nasty person. Nasty. And her husband's a loser, couldn't even defend himself, got knocked in the head, doesn't even recognize Nancy any more, neither does Congress. Who by the way never voted to impeach me because I didn't do anything wrong except be the greatest President since George Jefferson.
He never came up with Nasty Pelosi as a nickname for her?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nicknames_used_by_Donald_Trump
Crazy Nancy. Nervous Nancy.
Nasty Nancy. That's what they're all calling her now, because I called her nasty, but I called her Crazy Nancy first. Thor took a dump on her desk at the Capitol on January 6. It was beautiful.
When he called Hillary "Crooked Hilary" Crooked Donald was projecting bigly.
Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!
🤣
I'm shocked!
No, not in the slightest, but I sure wish I was.
Honestly, at this point, I doubt any action short of a Christian-sponsored ritual of human sacrifice would surprise me. Indeed, I've expected for a while that, as they grow smaller and lose their influence, the actions they take become more radical and predictably unconstitutional.
Which doesn't change the fact that they need to be confronted about their behavior and disabused of it.
OT- Putin's invasion is such a bloody failure that the Ukrainians are even taking Christmas back: https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-christmas-russia-december-25-orthodox-church-156090c4c2c832dd0d7a58613e8d2877
The Russian Orthodox Church traditionally celebrates the holiday on January 7th, and both of Ukraine's major Orthodox denominations also followed that tradition... but one of them has decided to flip tradition (and Putin) the bird this year and have it on December 25th instead.
Good thing Trump made it safe to say merry christmas again.
And Sieg Heil too.
It's a Festivus Miracle!