The Problem With Christian Privilege In The U.S. Government

[shmogie]

The First isn't the only bit of the Constitution that dictates the secular nature of the US. The first prohibits the state from respecting the establishment of religion. Elsewhere, not an amendment, tests of faith to hold public office are prohibited.

True

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Told to leave the state ? Or ?

Yes, told to leave the state by insignificant nobodies and white collar professionals. Because they cant stand the sight of someone who is free of their dogma, and they lash out.

 

[Skwim]

She makes an excellent spin on the White Privilege meme. What she, or those whining about "White Privilege", don't get is that a democracy is the will of the majority.

And you know for a fact that the majority of Americans want a Christian ministry to have the right to participate in the federally funded foster-care program while retaining the right to bar all but Christian families from their services, even though such discrimination violates government regulations.

Interesting that you have such information at hand. Care to share?

.

 

[Unguru]

.

"In this video for The Thinking Atheist, Sarah Levin, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Secular Coalition for America, does an excellent job summarizing the problem of Christian privilege:

As she says, it wasn’t that long ago that Catholics were the ones being discriminated against. But now that the Religious Right is in power, they’re perfectly fine pushing their beliefs on everyone else in a way they would never accept if it occurred in the other direction.

… If you really care about this nation living up to its values, even if you’re in the majority, even if the status quo is reflecting your beliefs, you should care about this country enough and be enough of a patriot to be willing to put that aside for the benefits of protecting religious freedom for people of all faiths and none.
​

The irony is that Levin and other activists aren’t working to impose atheism upon the country. They want a government that’s neutral when it comes to religion. And yet they’re the ones who are always unfairly deemed “militant” or “aggressive.” The Religious Right always seems to avoid those labels for no good reason.

Be sure to check out the two other videos she made here and here. [BOTH ARE WELL WORTH WATCHING]
source

.​

"The thinking atheist"

"Christian privilege"

 

[Unguru]

"Pushing their beliefs on everyone else¨ I would like this statement qualified with examples and legal citations. In both cases, you must prove the intent of shoving the beliefs, not concurrent belief with an act or legislation with social value,e.g. abortion, continually asserted as a religious belief of those who want it controlled, when many believe killing innocents as wrong and many have no particular religious beliefs,

I'm no Christian but this kind of stuff does concern me. In every case it is one ideology and set of beliefs imposing on anothers, this is never not the case. Atheists and secularists are like the sacred cows in this regard, I find it pathetically hypocritical.
Whoever has the gun is usually the one that gets the final say in these kinds of matters.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes, told to leave the state by insignificant nobodies and white collar professionals. Because they cant stand the sight of someone who is free of their dogma, and they lash out.

I might've told (advisedly) you to leave too.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I'm no Christian but this kind of stuff does concern me. In every case it is one ideology and set of beliefs imposing on anothers, this is never not the case. Atheists and secularists are like the sacred cows in this regard, I find it pathetically hypocritical.
Whoever has the gun is usually the one that gets the final say in these kinds of matters.

Christians, especially conservatives and evangellicals, are known for wanting legal permission to discriminate against LGBT, over reasons of "sincerely held religious beliefs." As a libertarian might say, such a right is to swing on their neighbor. Atheists dont have such concerns that everyone must live in accordance to thier religious doctrine. They dont even have a religious doctrine.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I might've told (advisedly) you to leave too.

You may have been one of the few who did say it in a positive way, but for most part when it happened I wanted to turn pretty faces ugly and shove that flag and Bible of theirs down their throat and rip it out through their ***. I SO glad not everyone in the world takes it upon themself to dictate the lives of others.

 

[Unguru]

This is exactly my point.

Christians, especially conservatives and evangellicals, are known for wanting legal permission to discriminate against LGBT, over reasons of "sincerely held religious beliefs."

You call it discrimination, they don't see it that way. I don't agree with them but I don't disallow them their positions and beliefs, that would be hypocritical.

As a libertarian might say, such a right is to swing on their neighbor. Atheists dont have such concerns that everyone must live in accordance to thier religious doctrine. They dont even have a religious doctrine.

But they have beliefs, ideologies and positions which they hold, like Christians or any other religion. Libertarian vs Fundamentalist Christian, Fascist vs Communist, Environmentalist vs Capitalist, Anarchist vs Totalitarian. As I said, whoever has the gun gets the final say in these matters and the opponent is always chastised or antagonized.
It's an example of how we can never have true secularism too, because the atheist crowd will always end up getting special treatment even though they abuse the victim card more often than the religious.

 

[Revoltingest]

the atheist crowd will always end up getting special treatment even though they abuse the victim card more often than the religious.

I don't think so.
The country's motto is "In God We Trust".
Can you imagine "No Gods We Trust" on money?
Or an oath in court...."I swear to tell the truth, & btw there's no God."
They'd never go for that.
Want to be exempted from the draft as a conscious objector?
It must be based upon religion....not philosophy, morality, or good judgment.

Yeah, religious folk have it easier, all their whining about being oppressed notwithstanding.

 

[Road Warrior]

And you know for a fact that the majority of Americans want a Christian ministry to have the right to participate in the federally funded foster-care program while retaining the right to bar all but Christian families from their services, even though such discrimination violates government regulations.

Interesting that you have such information at hand. Care to share?

.

The fact you left out the salient part of my post that answered your question is telling.

She makes an excellent spin on the White Privilege meme. What she, or those whining about "White Privilege", don't get is that a democracy is the will of the majority.

Remember those dummies who want to get rid of the Electoral College and go for a pure democracy? They won't like the results since a pure democracy would most certainly go to the majority. What kind of idiot can't read demographics?

I"m game for letting the majority of Americans decide. What percentage of your beliefs are represented by the majority?

There's a reason why the Founders feared both tyranny by a King and also by a pure democracy. A Republic is the best way to go IMO.

 

[Unguru]

I don't think so.
The country's motto is "In God We Trust".
Can you imagine "No Gods We Trust" on money?
Or an oath in court...."I swear to tell the truth, & btw there's no God."

While this is off-topic, I've always considered this a sarcastic insult to Christianity because I am very well aware of all of the verses that are against money in the New Testament, it's no secret if you've read through it.

Want to be exempted from the draft as a conscious objector?
It must be based upon religion....not philosophy, morality, or good judgment.

See guns again, if you're not fighting for yourself, then someone else is using you to fight for them. This is typical.

Yeah, religious folk have it easier, all their whining about being oppressed notwithstanding.

Yet where is there whining? there's only whining from people who are opposed to religion (ideologically) and want it wiped off the face of the earth and those that blame religion on their personal issues (it is rarely anything else).

 

[Revoltingest]

Yet where is there whining? .

We regularly hear news wherein some Ameristanian
Christian group claims to be oppressed in our country.
But I don't hear atheists claiming "oppression". We
just object to their religion being integrated with
government.

When I was in public elementary school, we had teacher
led Christian prayer, & Bible stories in class. Christians
threw a fit when this ended, blaming increased crime,
homosexuality, promiscuity, & other ills on taking God out
of the classroom. I still hear them lament this.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

You call it discrimination, they don't see it that way.

Im aware of that. It doesn't change the fact they want the legal right to discriminate.

But they have beliefs, ideologies and positions which they hold, like Christians or any other religion.

They tend to have thousands of years of thought and philosophy to guide them, and generally adhere to humanism. Christians have what passed for morality and ethics during the bronze age. And its so morally inferior that frw Christians today fully support everything the Bible permits.

It's an example of how we can never have true secularism too, because the atheist crowd will always end up getting special treatment even though they abuse the victim card more often than the religious.

Atheists get no special treatment, and even though people wont vote for them and dont want their kids to marry one, atheists really arent the ones pulling the victim card. Its Christians who cry foul when they are reminded they have to share this society with other people and that they dont get to run the show.

Yet where is there whining?

They do so much whining and crying they think "xmas" is an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas even though the X still means Christ, and they insist there is a war on Christmas even though we still very much say merry Christmas and even Thanksgiving has been taken over by Christmas.

 

[Shad]

Did you know 7 states have laws that restrict atheists from holding public office? Christian privilege DOES exist. Now, if you would please tell me, do you support or oppose laws that ban atheists from holding public offices?

Cite the laws. This does not pass the smell test.

 

[Revoltingest]

Cite the laws. This does not pass the smell test.

Discrimination against atheists - Wikipedia
In the United States, seven state constitutions include religious tests that would effectively prevent atheists from holding public office, and in some cases being a juror/witness, though these have not generally been enforced since the early twentieth century.[60][61][62] The U.S. Constitution permits an affirmation in place of an oath to allow atheists to give testimony in court or to hold public office.[60][63] However, a United States Supreme Court case reaffirmed that the United States Constitution prohibits States and the Federal Government from requiring any kind of religious test for public office, in the specific case, as a notary public.[60][64][65] This decision is generally understood to also apply to witness oaths.[66]

 

[Shad]

Like Joe Mc Carthy and his ginned up hysteria about communists, and persecution of those suspected of nefarious motives, there are those who continually gin up hysteria about Christians, with even less evidence than ol΅ Joe had,

Look up the Venona papers

 

[Shad]

Discrimination against atheists - Wikipedia
In the United States, seven state constitutions include religious tests that would effectively prevent atheists from holding public office, and in some cases being a juror/witness, though these have not generally been enforced since the early twentieth century.[60][61][62] The U.S. Constitution permits an affirmation in place of an oath to allow atheists to give testimony in court or to hold public office.[60][63] However, a United States Supreme Court case reaffirmed that the United States Constitution prohibits States and the Federal Government from requiring any kind of religious test for public office, in the specific case, as a notary public.[60][64][65] This decision is generally understood to also apply to witness oaths.[66]

Torcaso v. Watkins - Wikipedia

So at best unconstitutional laws that are not enforced nor challenged in removal

 

[Unguru]

Im aware of that. It doesn't change the fact they want the legal right to discriminate.

If you're aware of that then you will have to acknowledge that it is your ideological position instigating the view that it is "discrimination" and not theirs. Your position doesn't agree with theirs, neither does their position agree with yours. Your conclusion here is just affirmation of your own position, nothing more. It is hypocrisy.

They tend to have thousands of years of thought and philosophy to guide them, and generally adhere to humanism. Christians have what passed for morality and ethics during the bronze age.

But you know that your statement here is completely intellectually dishonest, to the point of intentional ignorance. Christianity didn't end at the Bible, nor did Judaism, Christianity has 2,000 years of intellectuals, philosophers, scientists etc. If anything it's the other way around and Humanism is a cherry-picking anti-religious ideology that takes the bits it likes from Christianity.
A case could be made, if you want to poke into that hole, that your modern morality is ancient archaic barbarism reinvented for the 20th/21st century. Two can play at that game.

Its Christians who cry foul when they are reminded they have to share this society with other people and that they dont get to run the show.

I simply do not see this happening myself, only Atheists crying wolf again and again because they oppose religion(s).

They do so much whining and crying they think "xmas" is an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas even though the X still means Christ, and they insist there is a war on Christmas even though we still very much say merry Christmas and even Thanksgiving has been taken over by Christmas.

I have nothing to say on Christmas, Santa Claus is not in the Bible far as I'm aware.

 

[Revoltingest]

.....Humanism is a cherry-picking anti-religious ideology that takes the bits it likes from Christianity.

As I see Humanism, it's not anti-religious at all.
But it is opposed to some aspects various religions, eg,
making illegal homosexuality or blasphemy.

...Atheists crying wolf again and again because they oppose religion(s).

If you surveyed us, you'd prolly find that a majority
of us don't oppose the existence of religion.
But we don't want it in our government...something
about which many religious folk agree.