Letter to the Editor
This was posted in my school newspaper today.
It's time to stomp out atheists in America.
The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don't believe in God, then get out of this country.
The United States is based on having the freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in any God you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe.
I do not [see] freedom of religion meaning no religion. Our currency says, "In God We Trust." So, to all the atheists in America: Get off of our country. Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation by taking prayer out of our schools and being able to practice what can only be called evil.
I don't care if they never committed a crime, atheist are the reason crime is rampant.
- James Rodriquez
James Rodriquez can be reached for comment at jarodrigue@smu.edu.
Heartwarming, isn't it?
Some thoughts:
(1) Do the majority of Americans want atheists kicked out of this country? I doubt it.
(2) I love how this ignoramus states that one can believe in any God he or she wants, but only lists denominations of Christianity and fails to mention the Gods of Islam and Judaism.
(3) I fail to see how atheists have ruined this nation, considering the low percentage of nonbelievers in this country.
(4) I'm thinking this was a hoax. If it wasn't...oh boy.
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Comments
And in relation to your point (2), I think most Christians generally consider the God of those various denominations the same God. So it is quite peculiar that this person would imply the opposite, namely, that they are different gods. The fact that they don't seem to understand the fundamental distinction between God and the various denominations tells me, again, that it is either a sarcastic hoax or this person is just stupid.
I suppose atheists could accommodate this persons wishes, not by leaving the country, but by adhering to the belief in some foreign God (or deistic God perhaps) who just happens to have no commands or properties of any kind (like omniscience) such that belief in this God is essentially equivalent to not believing in any god other than that one is allowed to say, "I believe in God."
John
Who does believe in a deity, but doesn't insist that others do so...
How does one get something into your paper? Apparently, the editors of this paper will take anything written by any idiot that walks in the door. Or perhaps they just like putting controversial writings in it. Anyway, I too find this sentence amusing: "The United States is based on having the freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in any God you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe." Um, hate to say this but if you are Baptist, Catholic, or Methodist you believe in the exact same God. :P
Also, freedom of religion was put into our constitution to avoid the persecution of people for what they believe; something that was commonplace in the minds of people at the time of the writing of the constitution. Why would someone advocate destroying the lives of a group of people for what they believe?
One last note, he says that Atheists are the reason crime is "rampant". I hate this whole mentality that some people have that our world and morals are going to crap. There has always been crime and there have always been bad people. I don't believe that crime is "rampant". Even if it was, Atheists would have nothing to do with it.
/endrant
"It's time to stomp out atheists in America.
"The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don't believe in God, then get out of this country."
Arbitrary statement making an assumption about how the majority of Americans feel. No evidence to support said statement.
"The United States is based on having the freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in any God you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe.
I do not [see] freedom of religion meaning no religion. Our currency says, "In God We Trust." So, to all the atheists in America: Get off of our country. Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation by taking prayer out of our schools and being able to practice what can only be called evil."
Applies subjective interpretation to the freedom of religion clause ignoring its original intent. Accuses atheists of causing the ruin of the nation, without specifying either how they caused said ruin or what characteristics of our nation he has used to determine its ruined status. Accuses atheists of practicing evil, but fails to specify what practices qualify as evil.
"I don't care if they never committed a crime, atheist are the reason crime is rampant."
No explanation as to why atheists are the source of 'rampant crime', a situation for which no evidence is given.
Hopefully a hoax. If not, an overwhelming amount of fail.
I guess my school newspaper will print just about anything. Ya know, freedom of speech (and stupidity).
I, too, hate it when a person blames a particular group of people for the majority of society's fuck ups. Honestly, we are all to blame for the shitty state of our society in one way or another.
this guy clearly does not know anything about Jefferson and Madison and their efforts to keep the US secular
also
there is no God, Christianity, or Jesus in the US Constitution
so, what has been the fall-out, if any?