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Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 10:04 am
Not too far from my home is a public monument alongside a highway. The intent of this monument is to acknowledge the service of people who served in our armed forces. I'm a veteran myself, so I can appreciate the effort of the people who erected this thing.
HOWEVER....
The verbage on the monument reads, "DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SERVED BOTH GOD AND COUNTRY".
Since I do not serve any god, this monument is apparently meant to exclude me. It's kind of like they're saying, "You served your country? Okay, that's nice. But did you serve GOD as well? If not, take a hike!"
So, my question is... does anyone find this monument to be an insult to atheists? Because I do. Why is it necessary to even mention a deity on a monument intended to honor veterans anyway?
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.
God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 10:16 am
(This post was last modified: May 6, 2010 at 10:17 am by Atheist_named_Christian.)
(May 6, 2010 at 10:04 am)Thor Wrote: Not too far from my home is a public monument alongside a highway. The intent of this monument is to acknowledge the service of people who served in our armed forces. I'm a veteran myself, so I can appreciate the effort of the people who erected this thing.
HOWEVER....
The verbage on the monument reads, "DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SERVED BOTH GOD AND COUNTRY".
Since I do not serve any god, this monument is apparently meant to exclude me. It's kind of like they're saying, "You served your country? Okay, that's nice. But did you serve GOD as well? If not, take a hike!"
So, my question is... does anyone find this monument to be an insult to atheists? Because I do. Why is it necessary to even mention a deity on a monument intended to honor veterans anyway?
I think it is discriminating (not really insulting, though) and the reason is intolerance against unbelievers - which is a very common thing these days.
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 10:38 am
They're assuming that the number of believers far exceeds that of nonbelievers, it's a majority rule thing. As far as insulting goes, honestly, I think we've gone far enough with this insult/hurtsies my feelings thing. People get so caught up over words, and how they make us feel. I think we as a country are far too sensitive.
"In our youth, we lacked the maturity, the decency to create gods better than ourselves so that we might have something to aspire to. Instead we are left with a host of deities who were violent, narcissistic, vengeful bullies who reflected our own values. Our gods could have been anything we could imagine, and all we were capable of manifesting were gods who shared the worst of our natures."-Me
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 10:42 am
I can see what you mean. And I think I agree with you. It also perpetuates the fallacy that somehow God is on one side and not the other and you were all doing his bidding. So, yes. It is pretty insulting.
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 10:51 am
Thor Wrote:Is this insulting?
I'm insulted you have to ask 
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 10:55 am
It's not surprising that the F reedom From Religion Foundation had to put up their own "Atheists-in-Foxholes" monument. It affects non-believers and believers in something else than Christianity that God gets plastered over remembrance monuments everywhere as if they never made a worthwhile contribution to their country.
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 11:11 am
(May 6, 2010 at 10:55 am)leo-rcc Wrote: It's not surprising that the Freedom From Religion Foundation had to put up their own "Atheists-in-Foxholes" monument. It affects non-believers and believers in something else than Christianity that God gets plastered over remembrance monuments everywhere as if they never made a worthwhile contribution to their country.
This also makes me think of the numerous law enforcement agencies I've seen wearing flag patches accompanied by the phrase, "FOR GOD AND COUNTRY". Why do we want to make our police officers look like "God warriors"? And what does "God" have to do with law enforcement in a secular society anyway?
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.
God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 11:15 am
Thor Wrote:And what does "God" have to do with law enforcement in a secular society anyway? 'They'* don't know we are a secular society.
*The 'they' in "that's what they say".
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 11:23 am
(May 6, 2010 at 11:15 am)Saerules Wrote: Thor Wrote:And what does "God" have to do with law enforcement in a secular society anyway? 'They'* don't know we are a secular society.
*The 'they' in "that's what they say".
I have to agree. "They" want to put their religious propaganda in public places and then look down their noses at atheists while claiming that "freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom FROM religion".
Uh... yes, it does. I shouldn't have to be subjected to your religious crap when I'm in a courthouse, police station or other government building.
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.
God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
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RE: Is this insulting?
May 6, 2010 at 12:27 pm
My question is who funded it? Is it funded privately or through public friends? If it is through Government means, it shouldn't say that. But honestly I doubt you'd get much traction because in the grand scheme of violations of separation of church and state, it's pretty minor and public opinion would demonize you, which is a shame. I hope that we can, through efforts of fighting church state separation issues, and showing atheism to be a positive thing, we will eventually wear down the extreme Christian lean of the country so we can be the secular country we're intended to be and insertions of God will be stripped away from money, the pledge, and things of this nature.
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