Atheist wins right to have pasta strainer classified as "religious headgear"

lol im syncro and i know what is best

oh fuck off with that shit.

i'm simply trying to have open discussion and presenting my opinion. if you dont agree with it then tell me why, don't hide behind some veil of rhetoric.

how can you learn and possibly change opinions if you're not willing to have open communication where you're free to share your thoughts and ideas?

Whatever happened to just making fun of something b/c its an easy target and its human nature to laugh? Just b/c you laugh at something, doesnt mean you're maliciously condescending on their beliefs.

i totally get this and used to and still sometimes do think just like this, but people and events have changed my perceptions on how i use humor. even though someone doesn't intend to be malicious or hateful with their words, they can still be received that way.

Some people just find it ironic I guess that so many people are willing to go to extreme measures for something they simply believe in; yet wouldnt do it by themselves.

Here's where you may interpret some malice on my part: People can do things by the love of JC n Allah and with it and by it, but need something else other then themselves to believe in.

no i don't find malice with that as i'm sure there's some truth to it.

i'd guess their desire to ridicule religion is fueled by their own insecurity of being unable to believe in something they cannot prove.

So how does that explain religions putting down each other (or worse)?

i think for exactly the same reasons - that they are fearful of understanding something different to their own thinking in case it makes them question their own beliefs.

Ermmm - I hope you are being sarcastic as you seem to have completely missed the point.

Religious zealots abuse, heckle and harass non-religious types based on dogma that has been made up by someone at some point in history and because it has been around for long enough gets accepted as "faith". They receive all sorts of concessions and special treatment from the state (various states) again for something someone made up. I, and the Austrian in the story, get perturbed by this sort of thing. I applaud his pointing out the ludicrousness of all of this.

Believe what you want but don't expect special treatment because of your beliefs.

no it wasn't being sarcastic. if you read my following posts to the one you quoted you'd noticed i said that the zealots are just as bad. i also partially agree that some of the concessions/special treatments are a bit much but it really depends on the context yoou want to examine.

i don't see many people complaining about the tax-free status of many other non-profit groups and organizations like the NSMBA for example. if church groups are doing good community work then i think they should get some concessions.

So, you can mock people who like Justin Beiber, you can mock people who believe passionately in Communism, you can mock people who support the Queen, you can mock Toronto Maple Leafs fans … but don't mock religion because … because why?

id like to not mock anyone for their beliefs.

That is what the guy in Austria is about. You can wear a religious head dress for your driver's license picture, but you can't wear your Canucks cap. Why different rules for different people? If you are a religion, you don't have to pay taxes. If you are a "cult", you do. Again … what's the difference?

well i can't speak to cults or all religious groups, but the ones i'm familiar with enjoy tax-free status is some respects becuase of the work they do and that they are not run for a profit or like a business.

So if a school board mandates teaching an alternative to Evolution, that's fine. Why just ONE alternative? Why only one alternative, that proposed by Fundamentalist Christians? So when someone else proposes teaching yet another alternative, they are haters? That, to me, just about says it all about why these attitudes have to change.

hey i agree. we should be able to discuss ideas openly and freely. how do you think the idea of a mandatory theology course where most major religions/philosophies were discussed would go over with most people tho?

syncro's mind is so open that all his brains fell out

ahh classic, you're not able to offer any sort of thoughtful opinion so you just result to insults instead.

That could be easily arranged.

Which bible? Shall we go far all? Do we use gas, diesle, napalm, Naptha, or 4 propane tanks? What about ignition source?

Do we want this on Pay per View? Do we call Gooch to make some sort of porno with this?

Burn some pasta? Ok. Praise Cheeze-uz

in these debates you typilcally don't see the people supporting religious freedom saying those without religion are stupid or going to hell

It's implied as it is the core of just about every belief system out there. Their system is the right one, and everyone else is going to hell (or another word for hell, but the same idea).

I reserve the right to think less of religious zealots the same way we would both think less of an adult who believes in the tooth fairy. They're entirely welcome to hold that belief, and be free from any sort of discrimination but that doesn't mean I need to personally respect their belief. I tend to think less of anyone who appears to lack critical thinking skills. I don't think that makes me a bad person.

i'd guess their desire to ridicule religion is fueled by their own insecurity of being unable to believe in something they cannot prove.

it's typical human beahviour though, ridicule that which you fear or do not understand.

ahh classic, you're not able to offer any sort of thoughtful opinion so you just result to insults instead.

no one is ridiculing shit

you're bent out of shape for no reason

AIRBALL

that guy was making a political statement regarding religious rights and freedoms. i don't know what lines you're reading between, but you missed the boat big time

http://www.vimeo.com/26144177

Why shouldn't people be called out for believing in things with absolutely no proof whatsoever? I bet if i was arguing that the Earth was flat I'd be getting all kinds of shit for my beliefs being so stupid in the face of all the evidence we have now. But because people believe in a religion (re: cult with lots of members) I'm supposed to tiptoe around on eggshells because I might offend them? Sorry, but fuck off.

Edit: I'm also sure that flat-earthers have done/do exponentially less damage to human kind than theists. Frankly, I'd rather have flat-earthers and no religious people.

It's implied as it is the core of just about every belief system out there. Their system is the right one, and everyone else is going to hell (or another word for hell, but the same idea).

i know people from some different religions and they don't think that.

I reserve the right to think less of religious zealots the same way we would both think less of an adult who believes in the tooth fairy. They're entirely welcome to hold that belief, and be free from any sort of discrimination but that doesn't mean I need to personally respect their belief. I tend to think less of anyone who appears to lack critical thinking skills. I don't think that makes me a bad person.

i'll disagree with the first and last part of this. personally i don't want to think less of someone because i don't agree with their thinking or their lack of critical thinking skills. i'm not saying it doesn't happen to me tho, but it's something i want to move away from. on the other side, i do agree with you that don't need to respect or agree with someoneone's beliefs, but, i think you should respect their right to do so and not mock them because of it.

Why shouldn't people be called out for believing in things with absolutely no proof whatsoever? I bet if i was arguing that the Earth was flat I'd be getting all kinds of shit for my beliefs being so stupid in the face of all the evidence we have now. But because people believe in a religion (re: cult with lots of members) I'm supposed to tiptoe around on eggshells because I might offend them? Sorry, but fuck off.

Edit: I'm also sure that flat-earthers have done/do exponentially less damage to human kind than theists. Frankly, I'd rather have flat-earthers and no religious people.

hey, i'm not saying you can't disagree with them, just don't be an asshole about it. is that really so difficult? why the need to be hateful when disagreeing with somebody?

Why shouldn't people be called out for believing in things with absolutely no proof whatsoever?

Because it makes you look like an intolerant fundamentalist atheist. And an asshole.

I used to work with a Christian teacher, went to church every Sunday, never bothered anyone about it. At a school dinner one other teacher started trying to debate him about the merits of religion and all he accomplished was making the dinner uncomfortable and awkward for everyone. By the end we are all telling the fundamentalist atheist to STFU and go home.

Maybe it's all fun on internet forums but people who insult religious people in real life social situations just come across as huge assholes to the majority of whoever is around.