How is this any different than a street gang spraying graffiti tags on buildings to claim them as their turf? It's just Republicans peeing on things to claim them as their own again.
Congratulations, Tennessee. You just dismissed and/or rendered second-class citizenship to any and all Tennesseans who are ambivalent about religion, are apatheists, agnostics, or are flat-out ATHEISTS. I should mention, too, whether you care to recognize them or not, there are likely more than a few in the Volunteer State. The numbers of the nones countrywide in the US is bordering on 30%, and THOSE numbers are INCREASING, while the count of believers are DROPPING.
And even if that weren't the case, any expression of god, supported by taxpayer dollars, should be deemed improper, since the United States is a SECULAR country, where no one religion is favored over another and ALL believers (and those who do not subscribe to any belief system) should be treated EQUALLY. This attempt to incorporate a religious phrase into your state seal tells me that you never got that memo. No worries, though. I'm sure a Tennessee citizen will remind you of it, and very likely have the Freedom From Religion Foundation backstopping that reminder.
I suppose these kinds of politician in these kinds of state must do something other than spend every waking moment trying to inject god into people’s lives, but it’s often difficult to see where that might be. I’d just say to them grow up and do what you were actually elected to do, and which doesn’t involve putting superstitious words into every space they can find.
Tennessee: a utopian society where state republicans have eliminated poverty, illiteracy, teen pregnancy, disease, environmental degradation and all other problems and can now focus on the important things like putting slogans about their imaginary friend on a sky cloth to worship.
Yet another solution in search of a problem. Things like this are ever so much easier than actual governance. Conservative Christians can never stop trying to mark their territory in what is supposed to be secular government.
Lunatic Republicans could show their patriotism better by showing some care for their fellow citizens, not with some flashy motto that is meaningless. Why don't they trust in the Buddha? Or Satan? Or...yada, yada, yada. Religion is the great polarizer in politics, exploited and exacerbated by faithless politicians with an agenda.
When church attendance plummeted and fewer kids got dragged there, religion's place in society began its long death-rattle. A Catholic once said, "give me a child of 6yrs and they will be a Catholic for life." Indoctrination starts early.
I was 8 when I chose to be baptized. I began to drift away at 16 after a teacher asked the class a rhetorical question. "What do you believe and why?" I realized I didn't have a good answer for the second part of that question.
Same for me, a coupleof weeks before my first birthday. I wasn't supposed to be baptized at all. My father insisted after visiting his mother, she probably harassed him until he caves.
I was christened as well – I can't even remember a road to Damascus moment when I stopped believing. Possibly sometime after I joined the NZ skeptics. To be honest my parents were only nominally religious, never went to church, and my belief just faded away. There was a brief time where I almost became Fundy at a Billy Graham thing. I was about to stand up but the friends on either side of me held my arms so I couldn't. Always grateful to them for that. 😁
Thanks for the links! There are some encouraging stats there. Taking religion out of secular schools only makes sense, and not attending church is essential.
In the US, fundamentalists may never have thought that support for the gun lobby erodes their outreach to youth. Youth attend schools where random slaughter can and does happen.
Sometimes the 2nd amendment seems like a millstone.
So Tennessee, a landlocked state, has a picture of an ocean-going schooner on its official state seal? One with a mast at an inoperative angle? And apparently a cargo of Monopoly-board widgets? And their idea of agriculture includes doghouses and slime molds? Man, no WONDER they think of sippin' whiskey as the official state beverage! Must've gone thru a lot of it during the design meetings. Makes you wonder how bad the LESSER seal of the state is.
"Recognition of God does not constitute the establishment of a state church, as the authors of our constitution intended to prohibit."
Saying out loud what I assert: they think that the establishment clause only prohibit make one denomination the official Church of the United States. When will they learn that official recognition of God without a declaration of an official Church is still an establishment of religion?
How is this any different than a street gang spraying graffiti tags on buildings to claim them as their turf? It's just Republicans peeing on things to claim them as their own again.
How is it different? Street gangs have more integrity.
This is going to cost a lot more to clean up.
It's called: "Marking their [presumed] territory."
Street gangs, generally speaking, aren't sanctioned by the State.
Not since Trump left office, anyway.
Yes. But once DeSantis befouls the Oval Office, one will not only be state sanctioned, it'll be state funded.
They pee on a lot of things. They think they're in a pissing contest.
Yeah, the state's fortunes are tied to its spiritual faith... the more faith it has, the worse its fortunes will be.
"the state's fortunes are tied to its spiritual faith"
Jack Daniels?
Booze. The only real spirits that exist.
Tied to its spiritual faith, and a large lump of concrete in other words. 😇
And the chains they forged in life. They are ponderous chains.
(With props to Charles Dickens)
Congratulations, Tennessee. You just dismissed and/or rendered second-class citizenship to any and all Tennesseans who are ambivalent about religion, are apatheists, agnostics, or are flat-out ATHEISTS. I should mention, too, whether you care to recognize them or not, there are likely more than a few in the Volunteer State. The numbers of the nones countrywide in the US is bordering on 30%, and THOSE numbers are INCREASING, while the count of believers are DROPPING.
And even if that weren't the case, any expression of god, supported by taxpayer dollars, should be deemed improper, since the United States is a SECULAR country, where no one religion is favored over another and ALL believers (and those who do not subscribe to any belief system) should be treated EQUALLY. This attempt to incorporate a religious phrase into your state seal tells me that you never got that memo. No worries, though. I'm sure a Tennessee citizen will remind you of it, and very likely have the Freedom From Religion Foundation backstopping that reminder.
You would do well to listen.
"Ceremonial Deism" decided by a SCOTUS that wasn't full of lapdogs for theocrats like the current one.
Papist whores...
I was sitting in a temple
I was minding my own business
I was listening to a lovely Hebrew mass
Then these Papist persons plunge in
And they throw me in a dungeon
And they shoved a red hot poker up my ass!
Is that considerate?
Is that polite?
And not a tube of Preparation H in sight
That's the whole point. They are trying to institutionalize Christian privilege.
As their numbers drop we see increasingly desperate acts by increasingly desperate skygodders.
Pre-CISE-ly!
It is shit like this that is driving people away from kkkristianity.
I suppose these kinds of politician in these kinds of state must do something other than spend every waking moment trying to inject god into people’s lives, but it’s often difficult to see where that might be. I’d just say to them grow up and do what you were actually elected to do, and which doesn’t involve putting superstitious words into every space they can find.
The other thing they do is everything they can to hurt all those they don't like.
The list is quite long.
"The Cruelty Is the Point" by Adam Serwer.
Tennessee: a utopian society where state republicans have eliminated poverty, illiteracy, teen pregnancy, disease, environmental degradation and all other problems and can now focus on the important things like putting slogans about their imaginary friend on a sky cloth to worship.
I sense a touch of sarcasm.
I can't imagine why you might think that. :)
:D
You're mean, Boreal was gentler than usual in their* comment.
*Sorry Boreal I don't remember your gender if you have one and it's not something I care about to be honest.
No apologies necessary. It's he/him/his.
Yet another solution in search of a problem. Things like this are ever so much easier than actual governance. Conservative Christians can never stop trying to mark their territory in what is supposed to be secular government.
Slap "God" on it and "own the libs".... we're heading further into theocracy.
https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/337371133_2296919237181318_1383411679463863941_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=CZdxtxWaDskAX980F7J&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.xx&oh=00_AfC1XihxuWg_OsMtKonNRxjQYdps83cbNxi9ePLrlt_EqA&oe=642184F7
"In God we trust" (All others pay cash)
Lunatic Republicans could show their patriotism better by showing some care for their fellow citizens, not with some flashy motto that is meaningless. Why don't they trust in the Buddha? Or Satan? Or...yada, yada, yada. Religion is the great polarizer in politics, exploited and exacerbated by faithless politicians with an agenda.
To be fair as many people have said, they're losing traction especially among young people, and they are pretty much in extremis.
"The Gatling's jammed and the colonel dead,"
Just flailing around trying to tread water when all round them turns to custard.
When church attendance plummeted and fewer kids got dragged there, religion's place in society began its long death-rattle. A Catholic once said, "give me a child of 6yrs and they will be a Catholic for life." Indoctrination starts early.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/930cd09e67c2c9c9b9830733867542f76e7e5fa424b7653952b5d1b558afe810.jpg
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟒-𝟏𝟒 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐔𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.
https://onlysky.media/ccassidy/what-the-4-14-window-tells-us-about-christianitys-future/
I was 8 when I chose to be baptized. I began to drift away at 16 after a teacher asked the class a rhetorical question. "What do you believe and why?" I realized I didn't have a good answer for the second part of that question.
I had water splashed on my head as a baby. The choice wasn't mine.
I drifted away at 8 when my priests were the ones who didn't have good answers to MY questions. :)
Same for me, a coupleof weeks before my first birthday. I wasn't supposed to be baptized at all. My father insisted after visiting his mother, she probably harassed him until he caves.
I was christened as well – I can't even remember a road to Damascus moment when I stopped believing. Possibly sometime after I joined the NZ skeptics. To be honest my parents were only nominally religious, never went to church, and my belief just faded away. There was a brief time where I almost became Fundy at a Billy Graham thing. I was about to stand up but the friends on either side of me held my arms so I couldn't. Always grateful to them for that. 😁
Me as well. Was “water boarded” in the Methodist Church around age 5. I cried. Not sure why.
I think the teacher did you a good favour.
I wonder if his goal was to get us to think, or if he actually wanted to get us out of religion.
Knowledge. Ever the greatest enemy of superstition.
Thanks for the links! There are some encouraging stats there. Taking religion out of secular schools only makes sense, and not attending church is essential.
In the US, fundamentalists may never have thought that support for the gun lobby erodes their outreach to youth. Youth attend schools where random slaughter can and does happen.
Sometimes the 2nd amendment seems like a millstone.
Wishful thinking. Starting with NOGODZ, Jomicur and by proxy DM.
"But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks,
'Play up! Play up and play the game!'"
But if you don't have the schoolboy.....Anyway, it's nice to see Henry Newbolt quoted today
My home state of Mississippi put "In God We Trust" on their seal a few years ago. It's why they are now #1 in everything!
I think you're still lagging behind Texas in the race for most hateful state in the union.
My God – have you forgotten Florida? They must be somewhere in the top five right? At least now.
Oh no, I haven't forgotten Mr. DeSantis. It's just that Abbott's hatred is more immediate as a resident of his benighted state.
A state's fortunes are tied to its spiritual faith?
Is that why Tennessee is ranked 40th in Health Care? Less faith and more actual healing seem to be needed in the Volunteer State.
Healing? You go to church for that. (It's really sad that St. Jude CRH is located in TN)
St. Jude's does good work, in spite of founder Danny Thomas' religious beliefs.
I believe he would have founded such a hospital even without his "bargain" with his god.
Exactly.
But don't you understand that adding IGWT to the state seal will lead to Jesus reversing that? I mean, it worked for Mississippi, didn't it?
Is it me or do we seem to keep moving backwards?
Probably both. 🤪
The christstain need to urinate all over public spaces continues.
They have moved on from urinating and switched to defecating.
You're not making christianity better, you're making state seals worse.
https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/337157339_226186849895986_7590897845538534520_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=uRXjozH2yH0AX8lJXEP&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.xx&oh=00_AfDiq2SfJCkZ4RVUBhZ7oWgHA-ao33BzZmwiVlWtjcNQcQ&oe=64206DA9
So Tennessee, a landlocked state, has a picture of an ocean-going schooner on its official state seal? One with a mast at an inoperative angle? And apparently a cargo of Monopoly-board widgets? And their idea of agriculture includes doghouses and slime molds? Man, no WONDER they think of sippin' whiskey as the official state beverage! Must've gone thru a lot of it during the design meetings. Makes you wonder how bad the LESSER seal of the state is.
I've just had a good look at it – where are they going to fit In God We Trust without getting rid of some of the other pseudo-mediaeval shit?
"Recognition of God does not constitute the establishment of a state church, as the authors of our constitution intended to prohibit."
Saying out loud what I assert: they think that the establishment clause only prohibit make one denomination the official Church of the United States. When will they learn that official recognition of God without a declaration of an official Church is still an establishment of religion?
OT: Yeshiva University, as part of its ongoing fight to prevent an LGBT student group from forming, is demanding access to the mental health records of LGBT students. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/03/15/yeshiva-requests-personal-info-plaintiffs-suing-university
In a just society, the judge would tell them to go to hell. Actually, that would happen in a reasonable society. In this one...
Despicable bigots.
"May they suffer and remember."
-- Yiddish curse