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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 12, 2025 at 5:10 pm
What would you do in this case?
Quote:'So help me God': S.C. atheist calls oath requirement unconstitutional
A South Carolina atheist, James Reel, is suing for the right to serve as a poll worker without having to swear an oath to God.
After completing three online courses in December 2023 and beginning in-person training, Reel learned he would be required to take an oath that ends with "so help me God." He asked instead to be allowed to use a secular affirmation, which is a solemn vow without reference to a religious deity, but election officials denied the request.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit based in Madison, Wis., stepped in last year to help.
Foundation staff attorney Madeline Ziegler said Reel does not want to profess a belief in a god, "which would make a mockery out of the oath and the solemn promise to support both the federal and state constitutions."
The distinction between an oath and affirmation is critical because the opportunity to substitute an affirmation is required under federal law, Ziegler said.
The lawsuit alleges violations of Article VI and the First Amendment's free speech, free exercise of religion and establishment of religion clauses. Reel is seeking a permanent injunction against requiring poll workers to swear "so help me God" and the provision of a secular affirmation.
The suit says the state of South Carolina routinely allows attorneys, jurors, witnesses and many others to make a secular affirmation as a matter of conscience.
The oath mandate bars a growing number of people from serving as poll workers, according to the suit, which cites a 2024 Pew Research Center report that says about 28% of the population is religiously unaffiliated. In South Carolina, approximately 16% are unaffiliated.
Foundation Co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor called the oath requirement a "discriminatory and blatantly unconstitutional practice."
"Jim Reel, a veteran who wants to continue serving his community as a poll worker, should be congratulated, not barred simply because he is an atheist," Gaylor said.
https://www.upi.com/amp/Top_News/US/2025...765310391/
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 13, 2025 at 4:31 am
Not sure about the rules in the US, but when I did jury service about 20 years ago in the UK there was an alternative to swearing on the bible.
The meek shall inherit the Earth, the rest of us will fly to the stars.
Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups
Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud ..... after a while you realise that the pig likes it!
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 13, 2025 at 6:54 am
(December 13, 2025 at 4:31 am)zebo-the-fat Wrote: Not sure about the rules in the US, but when I did jury service about 20 years ago in the UK there was an alternative to swearing on the bible.
Most US states allow a secular affirmation instead of a religious oath for those kinds of things.
In the case under discussion, volunteer poll worker probably doesn’t qualify as a public office, but is certainly a position of ‘public trust’, both of which are included under the ‘no religious requirements’ clause.
Boru
‘I can’t be having with this.’ - Esmeralda Weatherwax
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 24, 2025 at 7:37 pm
Freedom From Religion Foundation has awarded Mary Trump with the "Emperor Has No Clothes Award" for the year 2025.
So, she's like the atheist of the year.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 25, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Oh, I see that a member of this forum, Modern Atheism, recently had a conversation with Richard Carrier (the YouTube algorithm keeps recommending me his video)
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 30, 2025 at 12:32 pm
These Celebrities Don’t Believe in God, and Probably Never Will
Over the years, a handful of famous names have been blunt about where they stand. No God. No higher power. No interest in pretending otherwise.
That honesty sparks strong reactions. Admiration from some. Discomfort from others. Endless debate online.
Here are well-known celebrities who have openly said they don’t believe in God, and why they’re unlikely to change that stance.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt’s views on God changed over time.
Raised in a religious household, Pitt later described himself as moving away from faith altogether. In interviews, he has spoken about questioning religion, rejecting organized belief systems, and leaning toward atheism.
He has said he doesn’t believe in a higher power watching over human actions. Instead, he focuses on personal responsibility and human connection.
Angelina Jolie
She has described herself as an atheist and questioned the idea of divine intervention in human suffering. Her humanitarian work often ties back to this view, focusing on human action rather than spiritual explanations.
Jolie has said she believes people must save each other, not wait for salvation from above.
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais doesn’t tiptoe around this topic.
He’s one of the most outspoken atheists in entertainment, and he treats religion the same way he treats everything else: with sharp humor and zero restraint.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp avoids religious labels, but his position is clear.
He has spoken about not believing in God or organized religion, describing faith as something that never resonated with him. His comments often center on individuality and distrust of institutions that claim moral authority.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates approaches religion through logic and data.
He has said he doesn’t believe in God and sees science as the best tool for understanding the world. While he respects religious people, he doesn’t attribute meaning or morality to divine belief.
Gates has spoken about how innovation, medicine, and human effort solve problems once blamed on fate or God.
His focus on evidence-based thinking shapes everything he does.
Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane’s views show up clearly in his work.
Through shows like Family Guy and American Dad, he regularly questions religion and pokes at organized faith. Off screen, he has confirmed he’s an atheist and credits science with shaping his worldview.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cele...43909.html
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 30, 2025 at 6:15 pm
And yet in the US atheist ranked just moved up above Muslims
https://ffrf.org/news/releases/pew-study...ncreasing/
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 30, 2025 at 8:23 pm
Crazy that took 24 years.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Damned Atheists.
December 30, 2025 at 9:26 pm
For most people (who are religiously indoctrinated) not being religious has been outr é for millennia. I credit/blame the internet for the change. As with anything, it gives with one hand and takes with another.
One story that vastly amused me. I'm sure I've related it before. I am a member of some wood working forums. Some guy cut out a silhouette of a woman like one sees on trucker's mudflaps, right down to painting it nekkid lady pink (though, if one thinks about it, nekkid ladies come in a wide variety of shades). One of the other guys was all upset that his 14 year old son would see that, and quit the site. I guarantee you (generic) that that kid has seen more than a silhouette. I remember as a kid having a tree fort about 400 yards from our house, and somebody brought a pile of Nudism Today magazines for us to peruse. Never mind the naked pygmies in Nat Geo. 
If you get to thinking you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around.
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