21st August 2010

“I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”

George H.W. Bush

28 Responses to “21st August 2010”

  1. Braathwaat Says:

    Funny, all this time I thought “Read my lips: no new taxes” was the dumbest thing he ever said.

  2. Wat Duino Says:

    Admin:
    Are you sure Bush said this? When and where? This is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard attributed to him… or his offspring.

  3. The Heretic Says:

    The man was a buffoon. Could be why he was a one term president.

  4. CaptainZero1969 Says:

    He did say this. And even still, he was a better president than his dim wit son.

  5. Jezebel Says:

    I actually thought it was the dim wit son who uttered this arrogant phrase. But they’re both tarred with the same brush anyway.

  6. solomon Says:

    How can the unbelievers say the Qoran is created by man. See this…

    http://www.archaeologydaily.com/news/201004273897/Turkish-and-Chinese-explorers-claim-to-have-found-Noahs-Ark.html

  7. Dan Says:

    solomon,
    I checked the article, and since when do evangelicals or muslims believe in carbon dating? Anyway, they didn’t find evidence that this structure, whatever it was, could ever have fit millions of plants and animals, much less that they were ever present inside it, or that they could have survived in such an inadequate structure for a whole year. So no, it doesn’t sound like Noah’s Ark to me.

    By the way, I just got back from the grocery store and God spoke to me. He asked, “Paper or plastic?”

  8. tech Says:

    One nation under God, very nice taught. One world under God would be better.

  9. heepsprow Says:

    @Wat Duino – He did say this at a press conference in Chicago in 1987. I used to think he was reasonably intelligent man until this garbage spewed from his mouth.

  10. Wat Duino Says:

    This was our pledge of allegiance in 1942: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. In 1951 the Knights of Columbus (world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization) began including “under God” in their pledge. President Eisenhower, a recently baptized Presbyterian, made the change official for the rest of us and signed it into law on June 14, 1954.
    There should be no question supporting “liberty and justice for all”. But “under God”? Whose God? Are there not many Gods? Who gets to pick the one we’re under? Are there not enough of us that can see the lunacy in this to effect a change back to” Liberty and Justice for All”?

  11. Wat Duino Says:

    heepsprow, Thanks… I found the site.

    http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/ghwbush.htm

  12. Sinjin Smythe Says:

    For me it is the other way around. I don’t know that religious people should be considered as citizens or patriots. This is not now, nor has it ever been a theocracy.

    Religionists believe in a set of supposed God’s laws which supersede all laws of man. As such they invalidate themselves as Americans.

    You see it is embodied in two things: 1) Lincoln said the Declaration was the moral guide to interpreting the Constitution and 2) Reagan said the Constitution was a covenant with mankind.

    The words of two of our best presidents surely outweigh one of our worst. You have to believe that this misguided nonsense about god is exactly why Bush was a lousy president.

  13. The Heretic Says:

    Sinjin – love the name. Very 007 of you.

    Most of our founders were deists. They were probably deists to the extent that being atheists would have been bad politically (and other!). Most of them were ahead of their times, and I think, still are.

    The Bush’s are a product of the bible belt in America. They are not alone in their views, and comparitively, not extreme in them either. I am not advocating their positions by any means. Changing the collective religious mindset (we have been soooo successful with Sol and tech) is darned near impossible. Their social fabric is woven around it, in many cases. I do not condemn the religious for their delusions, unless they are hateful. I don’t think either Bush fell into the ‘hateful’ category, delusional maybe, hateful no.

  14. solomon Says:

    “Sinjin – love the name. Very 007 of you. ”

    Sounds like Sidjin to me.
    Actually Sidjin is one of the names of Hell.
    That name fits the host I guess.

  15. YourSkepticalGuy Says:

    @Sinjin – I like your statement re: believers and citizenship. However I dispute the notion that Reagan was a good president, much less one the US’s best.

    What is your criteria for determining these things?

    The quote itself is interesting – a politician’s construct if ever I heard one. Starts out” I don’t know X…” then there is the 2nd part – a definite statement about Y. Supporters believe you positively said X and Y yet the speaker can always having positively said X and Y.

    In other respects, initial adventurers settled in this country to avoid religious persecution. It was more like – Freedom From Religion than Freedom Of Religion. It is quite disappointing in the context of the mosque in NYC to hear the repeated freedom of religion phrase hurled around.
    The original US Constitution: [N]o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States…
    The first amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” – Clearly belief is not a condition for determination of citizenship – based on constitutional notions. As Sinjin says, a belief that some imaginary spaghetti monster’s “laws” supersede mere man-made laws, is a valid point for determinations of citizenship. The trick is to keep the SMs laws out of the hands of our lawmakers.

    As a further aside, the US Constitution does not prohibit the states from establishing religions… We do see that the various states have different treatments of religion.

    YSG

  16. EdgarWing Says:

    solomon,

    You put a nail in the coffin of your cause every time you write something. Probably best just to keep quiet.

  17. solomon Says:

    Dan,

    “since when do evangelicals or muslims believe in carbon dating?”

    Why did you say that? Now I’am asking back since when evangelicals or muslims oppose the facts of science? Science are just systems that operates in normal circumstances but there is a deeper form of knowledge that could defies science if God wills it.
    Millions of plants and animals could easily fit into the arc. If God say be it, then it must be.

    Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, “be”, and it is! Surah:Yaasin (82)

    Don’t you realize that God is all powerful. He can do whatever he wants. There is nothing to fuss about the size or the structure of the arc, whether it can fit or structurally support the quantity or loads of creatures. You just have to use some imaginations. How about an elephant shrink into the size of a pea. Problems solved.

  18. Greg Says:

    Solomon. Nice name. Sounds like Sodom. Or Salmon. Or Slalom. Or Salami. Or Twit.

  19. GreatEighthSin Says:

    I swear, many Christians follow this thought process: “America is a free country! Let’s oppress anyone that thinks differently!”

    I’m sorry, rules don’t apply just to you. “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander”, and if we’re going to succeed as a species, we need all minds focusing on all probabilities until the root causes are found.

    Granted, all of us atheists could leave America and move onto our own country. Not sure how America would survive since the mass majority of scientists are atheists, so they’ll have to rely on their precious wishful thinking to cure their cancers and improve their infrastructures.

  20. solomon Says:

    GreatEighthSin,

    What about migrating to the moon for a change. What made you think majority of Atheists are scientists. Islamic scholars have pioneered in paving the way to science or medicines since the 13th century.

  21. solomon Says:

    Dan,

    I’ve answered your Aug 21st 10:09 comments but it was not published by the Admin.

  22. Dan Says:

    sol,
    “Now I’am asking back since when evangelicals or muslims oppose the facts of science?”

    You’ve never heard of creationism, have you? (and that’s just for starters)

    “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
    Then he is not omnipotent.
    Is he able, but not willing?
    Then he is malevolent.
    Is he both able and willing?
    Then whence cometh evil?
    Is he neither able nor willing?
    Then why call him God?”

  23. solomon Says:

    Evangelicals or muslims does not oppose both science & creationism.

    “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?”
    Omnipotent does not require God to be your slave after giving you brains, hands & power to prevent evil.

    “Is he able, but not willing?”
    He is all able & willing if not for the contract he made with Satan giving him time to recruit his followers. Then the malevolent blame should not be cast upon God. Therefore evil is clearly cometh from Satan.

    After all the explanations above, the question of “Is he neither able nor willing?” will be automatically out of the picture.
    See as simple as A…B…C…

  24. Dan Says:

    Sol,
    “Evangelicals or muslims does not oppose both science & creationism.”

    It’s one or the other. LOL

    But about the rest, I conclude from what you say that if there’s a God, he’s the guy that grows my veggies for the grocery store, pays my checks, and now (1) doesn’t really care what I suffer no matter how I worship him, and (2) he’s more interested in gambling than my life.

    Sounds like a bloody tyrant. Why would I worship someone who hates people so much?

    Just look around you.

  25. solomon Says:

    God care about everyones sufferings, but what can he do, only a few seek help(pray) from him.

  26. Dan Says:

    Solomon,
    “God care about everyones sufferings, but what can he do, only a few seek help(pray) from him.”

    (1) Billions pray to him.
    (2) Prayer doesn’t work.

    Look around you.

  27. solomon Says:

    It don’t work coz’ they don’t pray much enough..

  28. Dan Says:

    Sol – Come on now, that’s just a lie.