I've mentioned before that I'm not religious. I don't know that I'm exactly an atheist, either. I just don't know if there is a God (note capitals, meaning a non-generic god). I just don't know. Neither do priests or the born again, but they believe that God exists. It's an act of faith, and they're proud of their faith.
I don't operate on faith. It's simply not in my make-up. Believer friends of mine have suggested that I probably should believe in God, just in case. To avoid going to hell and all that.
Well, if there is a God as they describe, He gave me a brain, and that brain is what prevents me from accepting anything on faith.
OK? Are we clear? Because I'm not arguing about this. I'm not trying to convert anyone away from their religion. I'm only explaining my position.
So having said that, what I don't understand is religious intolerance, even when it comes from self-proclaimed atheists, or especially so. Many people may be familiar with the story about the cross in Death Valley. It was made of steel or iron pipes and mounted on a rock in the desert by a group of WWI veterans. As I heard the story, the cross didn't represent any particular religion -- although crosses are certainly symbolic of the Christian crucifix. But these vets would gather at this place in the desert periodically to pray and meditate.
(Historically, Americans march into battle with dreams of glory, and even when we win, our soldiers generally come home shocked by the horror.)
Anyway, some butthead from Oregon or someplace filed a suit about that cross in Death Valley, claiming it violated the church-state separation. So I think someone bought the few square feet the cross stood on so it wouldn't be on public land. That wasn't good enough. The cross was entombed in a wooden box for a year or so, to cover it up while the whole mess went to the Supreme Court or something. And finally, a ruling from somewhere said the cross was OK.
So someone stole it.
Now in Utah is a story about how the State Troopers went around and put up crosses marking the spots where their fellow troopers have died in the line of duty. And some atheist group from Texas is complaining about that.
First of all, Utah is pretty well known as being founded and still pretty much run by Mormons -- the Latter-Day Saints. I'm not entirely convinced that the Saints consider themselves Christians in the same way Lutherans or Catholics do. They don't view other groups as Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. The Mormons tend to lump all non-Mormons into what they call "gentiles." Or they used to.
So when I heard that the state trooper crosses were in Utah, that struck me as a little odd. A nice gesture, a little memorial, but not especially promoting what would be the state religion in Utah.
And why tear them down? They don't obstruct the highways. Motorists don't have to pay a toll or any kind of tax to support them. And it seems that the families of the fallen troopers appreciate the memorials, even if not all of those families are traditional Christians. So, why tear them down?
Similarly, I really hate all the flap that comes up every year around Christmas. America is mostly Christian. The feds might as well make Christmas an official holiday, because nobody's going to show up for work anyway, including many business owners, boards of directors, C-level execs and so forth. I mean, let's face it.
Personally, I don't care what anyone believes in as long as they don't require me to: 1) pay for it; 2) agree with them. Whatever anyone believes in is just about the most personal decision there is. It determines how you live your life, the mate you pick, often the food you eat (or don't), who your friends are, etc. etc.
Your personal faith or philosophy is the source of your individuality -- which is exactly what America is founded on, and also why the 1st Amendement claims "special protections" and is privileged above other rights. I don't care one way or the other if Christians put up a creche in front of the courthouse, or if Jews decorate the lampposts with menorahs. Go ahead. Celebrate. It's pretty and even joyous.
And while I firmly believe in religious freedom -- which is why I'm so opposed to the Comrade and his buddies appropriatng my income and spending it on what they believe in -- I still think building a mosque at Ground Zero in New York is a calculated insult to the USA. It doesn't appear to be religious so much as it is political. Islam doesn't really separate the two.
I liked Greg Gutfeld's suggestion to build a gay bar right next door to the mosque (possibly named Ji-Hot, You-Mecca-Me-Hot, Suspicious Packages, or Heaven and Hillel, and serving 72 "virgin" or non-alcoholic drinks.) The people promoting the mosque said that a gay bar right next door would offend their sensibilities. Do they mean like building a mosque to mark the spot where their cohorts killed 3,000 innocent people? How could that mosque be anything but offensive in that location?
Seems like muslim sensitivities only go in one direction. Just like the sensitivities of some of these loony atheists.
The Supreme Court took up a 1st Amendment case many years ago. A person complained that someone in a courthouse -- public property -- was wearing a jacket with "FUCK YOU!" written across the back. The person who brought suit was offended and wanted that kind of display and language banned from publicly-owned property. The Supreme Court decided that the complainant had every right to divert his eyes.
So can we get a little tolerance and respect here? From everyone?
Save the republic.
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