(July 23, 2012 at 10:24 am)Godschild Wrote: @Brian37, you are with thought a doubt the most insensitive person. What makes you an expert on the way people deal with tragic situations, who says that an atheist can not express the way they feel about such tragedy. I expressed the way I felt and it seems no one has a problem with what I said, you should try expressing yourself with a bit of sensitivity and you might find people accepting your concern. It's actually unbelievable to me that you would take issue with Christians expressing the way they feel about this tragedy or any other such situation. It might be appropriate that you grow into a mature person before spouting off about things like this with no compassion for the way others feel, the only thing you have expressed here is you are what you claim Christians are.Seems to me you are acting like the expert. If people, AND THEY DO, deal with trauma differently, then the insensitivity is on the part of people like you in public events that only believers have any right to say anything.
Get this through your head. I am not talking about god existing or prayer, in CONTEXT of a public memorial in person at such an event. I am talking about your back of the bus attitude of expecting us not to say anything even if it is merely expressing empathy.
If Christians are not being political at such an event when they state their belief, why do you think an atheist couldn't state their atheism without being political at such an event?
Why couldn't an atheist say, "On behalf of atheists, we'd like to extend our thoughts for the victims and survivors"?
Please tell me how THAT sentence alone BY ITSELF, is political? Are you trying to say that we are incapable of empathy? Or is it you think we.
shouldn't state what we are in these situations?
If I simply went to that memorial with a hat that said "atheist" and said nothing, how is that different than a Christian wearing a cross at the same event? If you are capable of expressing empathy, while stating what you believe, and know it is not political at such an event, why should atheist be treated any differently?
What gives you special rights at such an event where only you get to mourn and express belief, but expect atheists to keep their mouth shut?
But no one here should suggest the actual live in person memorial should turn into a debate or a hate fest on either side. Debate should be left here which is what we are doing right now.
But at the actual event, a Mormon, A Hindu, a Muslim and an Atheist should have equal rights to state how they mourn and if their belief comes up in that mourning statement, you have no right to a monopoly to such events.
SINCE you are also not an expert on how people should mourn, then you should value my right to say I am an atheist or wear an atheist shirt or hat at such a memorial, just like you wear a cross. Anything less is a double standard.
SINCE you are not an expert, and since we are all the same species, you have no right to expect anyone outside your label be a Jew or Muslim or Atheist or Siekh to expect them not to display their beliefs in a UNIVERSAL expression of empathy. Christians are not the only people who know what is like to lose loved ones, or have a community go through such horrors. You have no right to a monopoly on such events.