An example of why I loathe religion
 

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wes...-4235072c.html

"In response to my attempt to quietly and peacefully opt out of mandatory prayer, my family received 180 harassing and threatening phone calls, 80 angry letters (half of them unsigned) and death threats. Employees of the school division circulated a petition against me. The headlights and grill on our car were smashed, and graffiti about communists was scrawled across the windshield. A black cross was painted on the highway in front of our farm, and scrap iron was placed in our hay fields to damage our machinery. These are the same people who tell us they were bringing morality to the schools."

that seems about right

religious nutcases are fucked up people
lets not pull punches...if you are religious you are dumber then everyone else

religion is for the weak.

Religion is a crutch for the weak minded, as well as the source of all the world's grief and conflict

Signed,

A Proud Atheist

wow, that's pretty fucked...

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Well, I don't totally agree. But oftentimes religion attracts the feeble-minded, and I've seen so many of them there. Most religions just don't seem to challenge people but take over their lives, in a bad way.

We need world peace. Not religion coz religion causes war

:thumbsup

Where reason fails people resort to force. The worst thing that can haunt you is to have accepted a moral code you can't justify reasonably.

"He who believes absurdities will commit atrocities."
-Voltaire

:2 cents:

Being an atheist is just as blind as being religious...

If you can't say there is a God and you can't say there isn't ...

Why don't you just stay open minded and live your life as you would. Be good to others, and hope that you will in turn be done good by.

Atheists fuck me off as much as Religious nuts. Because half the time it's the religious nuts yabbering on, and half the time it's actually the Atheists taking a pop. The Athiests usually come off sounding more closed minded!

Voltaire was so right... People should start believing in themselves and help each other out instead.

Good thing that guy wasn't in porn, then he'd be in even more trouble

I agree entirely. I have no problem with people practicing religion. It's when they force their beliefs on others, as in the example I posted, that I have a serious problem with.

those are certainly not religious people ...
Religions teach about peace and not about war ...
human ego is the world no.1 problem ...

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/story.asp?j=4583

Banned from bus due to their religion
By Niamh Hennessy

IT RESEMBLES a scene from years ago in the deep south of the US when black people were segregated from white people on buses.

But the difference is that this scene is set in modern-day Ireland and the people in question are two Catholic school children who have been refused seats on the school bus. Why?

Because of their religion.

The two children attend the local Protestant school in Limerick and were uncertain throughout the summer if they would have seats on the school bus when the new term began.

The news sparked outrage in Ireland and forced Government Ministers to call for an investigation into the matter. The situation has now been resolved and the students were eventually given seats on the bus. But they didn?t get them without a fight.

The saga began when Limerick business consultant Harry Gleeson and his wife Bernadette received a letter from their local Vocational Educational Committee (VEC) informing them their application for school bus passes for their two teenage children had been denied because they are not Protestant.

The couple?s children, Edmond aged 17 ? who is entering his Leaving Cert year this autumn ? and his 15-year-old sister Margaret ? who will be entering her Transition Year ? have been attending Villiers School on Limerick?s North Circular Road for several years.

And the school ? which is predominantly Protestant but has students of other faiths ? is offering students a new free bus service to and from the school this autumn that will pass close to the Gleeson home.

But when Mr Gleeson sent an application form for the free passes he received the rejection letter from the VEC?s Transport Liaison Officer, Deirdre Frawley informing him that they were ineligible for the bus passes on religious grounds.

The letter stated: ?Villiers School is a school under Protestant management and only children of Protestant denominations have an entitlement to transport on the Special Adare Villiers School Bus Service.?

Mr Gleeson said he rang the VEC out of disbelief after receiving the letter and was effectively told ?that?s just the way it is?.

Mr Gleeson, a Catholic, said he was amazed that a public body could send out such a letter.

He said he could not understand why his son and daughter cannot go on the bus because they are not Protestants.

The transport liaison officer, Deirdre Frawley, who is also chief executive officer of Limerick City VEC has refused to comment.

Mr Gleeson said: ?To me it?s stating quite clearly if you?re Catholic, you?re gone.

?This is a multi-cultural and multi-denominational school and our kids are very happy there. These kids grow up in a culture where there is no distinction between religion and races and we?re offended that someone on this committee is saying they are different. In this day and age this is crazy.?

Mr Gleeson said he is now considering lodging a case with the Equality Authority under the Equal Status Act which outlaws discrimination on the basis of religion.

Meanwhile, the City of Limerick VEC has distanced itself from the row. Solicitors for the VEC said the matter has never been within the remit of the educational body.

O?Donnell and Son ? acting for the board of the VEC ? said the letter from its CEO Ms Frawley, which sparked the controversy, was sent in error on VEC notepaper. She had been acting in her separate capacity as transport liaison officer and different notepaper should have been used.

How about when the Church wants to dictate your public opinion...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...h.html?ref=rss

A Brandon, Man., resident has been asked by her church to keep her criticism of city officials to herself, or worship somewhere else.

Deborah Boschman wrote a letter to the Brandon Sun newspaper recently, entitled "City Needs New Ideas."

In the letter, she was critical of Mayor Dave Burgess and city councillors for not doing more to draw new residents and visitors to the city. She suggested Brandon build a waterslide or family theme park to draw in visitors.

But on Aug. 15, nearly a week after her letter was published, Boschman received a letter from her Pentecostal church, the Bethel Christian Assembly.

In that letter, the pastor, Mike Davis, wrote that he read Boschman's letter with "embarrassment" and claimed she had "dishonoured the mayor and city councillors."

He added that her beliefs do not match those of his church, and suggested she go to another church.

The church's letter made Boschman bewildered and angry.

"There were women in the Bible who speak up," she told CBC News on Tuesday. "We have examples: Deborah was a judge, Esther, Ruth. Why can't I have a voice? Why do I have to clear it with my church before I voice my private public opinion?"

Boschman said she did apologize to Burgess for specifically criticizing him in her letter. She added just wanted to express her concerns about the city, in the hopes of making it better.

"I didn't feel I was doing anything wrong," she said. "I just think that this is a fairly scary precedent."

Curtis Brown, the Sun's editorial page editor, said Tuesday he had never heard of someone being asked to look for another church after writing a letter to the editor.

"We certainly encourage people to express themselves; we think it's their right to do so," he said.

And Burgess said he did not take offence to Boschman's comments.

"Certainly I don't mind criticism or critiquing, challenging, whatever," he said Tuesday. "That's all part of the game in politics."

Davis declined an interview with CBC News.

Meanwhile, Boschman said she may take the pastor up on his suggestion to find somewhere else to worship.

Wow thats screwed. Im not super religious or anything, I was an alter boy when I was younger & ideally I think I would like to be married in the church I served & got everything in (first communion/confirmation etc..) but I think mainly just because that the way everythng I did growing up revolved around church because I went to a catholic school. But I dont think you can take it as far off as those nuts. Those types are warped, but thats any religious crazy imo. I mean look at all those screwballs drinking poison drinks by the full moon on the 17th saturday from October 21st... some people just have to follow to belong. Its more sad than anything.

you realize that's logically similar to saying:

"An example of why I hate all human beings:"
and point to a thread about a murder or something...

well said and 100% true.

Organized religion has been the bane of human existence since the beginning of time.

There is a God, he/she loves us all and wants nothing but for us to find our joy, whatever and whever that may be.

Hey, I'm ordained now...I've gotta throw my own beliefs out there. :)

But come on folks, my beliefs, your beliefs, his and her beliefs...they're all ok. Many paths to the same destination.

To some religions there is only ONE way. That is my argument against organized religion. My born again friend says I have to accept Jesus or I am damned. I say what about a Monk or someone who belives differently? They work hard and a kind person that never screwed anyone over and helped everyone around him, is he doomed?

organized religion is just a tool created by man to control other men. there is a huge difference between spirituality and religion. people need to learn they don't need religion to be spiritual.

:thumbsup

Nicely put.

:mad: That kind of crap makes me mad! If you ask them why they did it they say for god! That was the excuse made by the crusaders, all they wanted was financial gain! Taken to it's exteme you get the 911 attacks! all done in the name of God!

So true.