Posts: 57
Threads: 12
Joined: July 4, 2015
Reputation:
1
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 2:25 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 2:09 pm)Brian37 Wrote: (November 23, 2015 at 2:03 pm)robvalue Wrote: I believe atheist/irreligious is becoming a "protected" class, just as much as any religion. Is that right? Has it happened already? (In the US, I mean.)
In word yes, in practice no. The First Amendment and oath of office should be enough by themselves to protect atheists. But even then, if you have no recording or documentation of discrimination, say about housing or a job, especially in "right to work states" they can fire you for anything and it would be hard to prove.
Say for example, you come out as gay, or come out as atheist, your landlord can lie and say it was about breach of contract, or if they are a real estate agent, they can simply say "this house is not for you". Or if you are on the job, and you come in with your uniform slightly out of place, but fixable on the spot, they could use that to fire you and you would never be able to prove the real reason was your label.
We are protected in the context that we are legal be it born or naturalized and especially with no criminal record. But humans lie about everything and their are very easy ways to avoid getting caught when you are a bigot. But that isn't just about atheists, that is about any minority label.
Yes you are absolutely right. It is impossible to prove discrimination, in the work place and especially in situations like when buying a house.
And it does not even have to be a minority label.
My friends and I were once waiting for a realtor to show us a house to rent. Now, we knew the realtor is not registered, which should have raised concerns, but it did not. We waited at the entrance of the house for a few minutes, only to find a car as described by the realtor drive near there and take off almost immediately. My suspicion is that he saw my friends and I (the 4 of us who are obviously not white and look "weird and dangerous") decided to take off without talking to us.
He was never heard from again. He did not pick up any of our calls, and would hang up when we called him from a different line and inquired about the incident. The joke is really on him. We were grad school buddies, with obviously no past history of any wrong doing (if anything we all did the right things and worked hard to get into grad school).
But in a court of law, it would be impossible to prove that his racist views "denied" us that house. I am saying that because we were the only prospective tenants who inquired him about the house in the last month (i checked). He could just say that an emergency came up and pull out an easy alibi right out of his arse.
Posts: 30129
Threads: 304
Joined: April 18, 2014
Reputation:
92
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 2:27 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 2:15 pm)Divinity Wrote: Theists classify Atheism as a religion to group everyone together. It's kind of fucking funny cause when you do it to them they go "NOT ALL CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THAT!", but when someone tries to explain that not all atheists believe in the same thing they can go "ATHEISTS BELIEVE THIS!"
And then we have LDS and I'll be damned if anyone can explain just what the fuck they believe. And Mormons themselves are the WORST ones to ask.
Between their moving targets of dogma, wholesale rewrites of ALL their revelations, wacky and befuddled apologetics and bizarre pronouncements made by various church poobahs over the decades that no one dare specifically rebut, it just adds up to a great big steaming pile.
Sorry, I digress . . .
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
Posts: 2421
Threads: 30
Joined: July 16, 2015
Reputation:
50
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 2:27 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 2:09 pm)Minimalist Wrote: There are idiot theists who simply cannot fathom that a person cannot exist without "believing" in something. They try to remake atheists in their image the same way they have created god in their image.
Fuck 'em.
Aww Min are you softening on us? Glad to see you don't see ALL theists as idiots, but now delineate there are some idiot theists. 
Still love your brashness, at least you know who you are, which I can't say for some people.
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
Posts: 2421
Threads: 30
Joined: July 16, 2015
Reputation:
50
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 2:29 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 2:27 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: (November 23, 2015 at 2:15 pm)Divinity Wrote: Theists classify Atheism as a religion to group everyone together. It's kind of fucking funny cause when you do it to them they go "NOT ALL CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THAT!", but when someone tries to explain that not all atheists believe in the same thing they can go "ATHEISTS BELIEVE THIS!"
And then we have LDS and I'll be damned if anyone can explain just what the fuck they believe. And Mormons themselves are the WORST ones to ask.
Between their moving targets of dogma, wholesale rewrites of ALL their revelations, wacky and befuddled apologetics and bizarre pronouncements made by various church poobahs over the decades that no one dare specifically rebut, it just adds up to a great big steaming pile.
Sorry, I digress . . .
Well there has been quite a bit of revelation of believers there recently.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/14/us/mormon-...signation/
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
Posts: 69247
Threads: 3759
Joined: August 2, 2009
Reputation:
259
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 2:38 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 2:27 pm)Kingpin Wrote: (November 23, 2015 at 2:09 pm)Minimalist Wrote: There are idiot theists who simply cannot fathom that a person cannot exist without "believing" in something. They try to remake atheists in their image the same way they have created god in their image.
Fuck 'em.
Aww Min are you softening on us? Glad to see you don't see ALL theists as idiots, but now delineate there are some idiot theists.
Still love your brashness, at least you know who you are, which I can't say for some people.
But you are a member of a very small club, king.
Posts: 2421
Threads: 30
Joined: July 16, 2015
Reputation:
50
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 2:46 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 2:38 pm)Minimalist Wrote: (November 23, 2015 at 2:27 pm)Kingpin Wrote: Aww Min are you softening on us? Glad to see you don't see ALL theists as idiots, but now delineate there are some idiot theists.
Still love your brashness, at least you know who you are, which I can't say for some people.
But you are a member of a very small club, king.
of which I'm also the President and the #1 fan! 
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
Posts: 4
Threads: 1
Joined: November 23, 2015
Reputation:
0
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Maybe because most people feel lost if they don't believe in a higher power and they can't imagine someone else going through life without that belief. Therefore, everyone needs an organized belief, even if it doesn't include a god.
Give me personal responsibility any day. And save me from brain-washing organizations.
Posts: 2421
Threads: 30
Joined: July 16, 2015
Reputation:
50
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 3:32 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 3:26 pm)Tinamischke Wrote: Maybe because most people feel lost if they don't believe in a higher power and they can't imagine someone else going through life without that belief. Therefore, everyone needs an organized belief, even if it doesn't include a god.
Give me personal responsibility any day. And save me from brain-washing organizations.
You will fit in just fine here Tina
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
Posts: 23918
Threads: 300
Joined: June 25, 2011
Reputation:
151
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 3:41 pm
(November 23, 2015 at 1:28 pm)Kingpin Wrote: Is Atheism a belief? That can be argued.
No need. It is true in some cases but by my reckoning not true in the great majority of cases.
Posts: 15452
Threads: 147
Joined: June 15, 2015
Reputation:
88
RE: Why do religious people desperately want to class Atheism as a religion?
November 23, 2015 at 4:05 pm
It's definitely not a religion, but it does at least "feel" like an ideology to me sometimes, as an outsider looking in. An ideology in the sense that a lot of atheists have a set of common ideals and ideas that go beyond just the disbelief in God.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
|
