Posts tagged atheists
Atheists Holding Reason Rally in Washington, D.C. March 24
Mar 24th
God is reasonable
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 1:18-20
The bible says in the above-quoted verse from the prophet Isaiah that God is a reasonable God, and invites men to reason things out with Him. He is more than will to cleanse us from our sins and from all our unrighteousness. But He also, in the same section, pronounces what the end of the unrepentant atheist will be, and it’s not pretty.
From Yahoo News: An organized group of atheists and some of the biggest voices from their movement will hold Reason Rally on The National Mall this weekend to raise awareness for their cause and to encourage members of Congress to respect their views.
The reasonrally.org website bills the event as the 'largest gathering of the secular movement in world history'.
“We need to stress to the theists that we are here,” David Silverman, chairman of the rally committee and president of the American Atheists, told CNN’s Belief Blog. “Atheism is growing in all 50 states. What people don’t seem to understand is all we demand at American Atheists is equality.”
Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins, arguably the most famous living atheist in the world, will headline the Reason Rally. Dawkins says he hopes the event will pressure members of Congress to respect the views of nonbelievers in America.
“The nonbelieving constituency has not been vocal enough, and it therefore has been politic for them to be ignored by their congressmen, by their senators,” Dawkins said.
The event is advertised as the largest gathering of atheists in history, but reports of a gloomy weather forecast could significantly reduce the rally’s participants. The National Parks Service says it is prepared for up to 30,000 participants, but Silverman told CNN that rain could cut that number down to 5,000.
Todd Stiefel, Founder of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, is helping to cover about half of the event’s estimated $300,000 in expenses.
And while there are plenty of critics of atheism, CNN reports the only group to have officially registered for a competing spot of land to protest the rally is the Westboro Baptist Church, a group infamous for its picketing of funerals of American servicemen and servicewomen. source – Yahoo News
Air Force Removes ‘God’ From Logo To Please Atheists
Feb 8th
In ‘miracles’ we now trust?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16
A Virginia lawmaker is calling on the Air Force to reverse a decision to remove a Latin reference to “God” from a logo after an atheist group complained.
Rep. Randy Forbes, (R-VA), said the Air Force removed the logo several weeks ago from the Rapid Capabilities Office. The patch included a line written in Latin that read, “Doing God’s Work with Other People’s Money.” (see sidebar image)
But after the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers complained, Forbes said the line was rewritten in Latin to read, “Doing Miracles with Other People’s Money.”
Forbes, along with a bi-partisan group of 35 lawmakers, sent a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz expressing concern over the decision to remove a non-religious reference to God.
“It is most egregious,” Forbes told Fox News. “The Air Force is taking the tone that you can’t even use the word ‘God.’”
Forbes said his office contacted the Air Force and officials there confirmed that the logo had been changed after the atheist group complained.
A spokesman for the Air Force told Fox News they had received the letter and would investigate the claims.
Forbes said the removal of “God” is a “bridge too far in terms of the rights of men and women who serve in our services and their ability to express their faith.”
“But the significance of this is what the Air Force is saying with this move – that the word ‘God’ – whether it has any reference to faith or not, can’t be used in the Air Force,” Forbes said.
He said the incident is one of several in recent months that have caused him to wonder if the military is cleansing itself of religious references.
“It’s a very dangerous course to take,” he said.
“I am concerned that the RCO capitulated to pressure from an outside group that consistently seeks to remove references to God and faith in our military,” he said. ‘The RCO’s action to modify the logo sets a dangerous precedent that all references to God, regardless of context, must be removed from the military.” source – Fox News Radio
5,000 Outraged Texans Join Rally in Support of Christmas Scene After Atheists Called for its Removal
Dec 19th
Up to 5,000 people joined a rally on Saturday in support of a Nativity scene in Texas that a Wisconsin-based atheist group wanted to take down.
Peaceful protest: The pro-Nativity rally in Athens, Texas, that attracted a crowd of about 5,000 on Saturday
The atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) had sent a letter to authorities in Henderson County, Texas, saying that a local resident had complained and that the Nativity should be removed from the courthouse lawn in Athens.
Nathan Lorick, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Malakoff and one of the organizers of Saturday’s rally in Athens, said: ‘We are humbled at the turnout of the crowd.’
‘We believe that God led us to do this and so we knew he was up to something great,” he told Fox News & Commentary.
‘This message is resonating in the hearts of people all over the country. This was a real statement to the nation that Christians are tired of the persecution and suppression.’
The FFRF said that for non-Christians, the Nativity sent a message of intimidation and exclusion. But their outcry in turn lead to anger through Texas.
The Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sent out a ‘don’t mess with texas’ message and said he would defend the county if the atheists sued.
Saturday’s rally passed without incident and included speeches, patriotic music, Christmas carols and prayers.
The FFRF sent a banner to the court house that it wanted displayed, with a very different message than the birth of Christ.
Response: Atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation had a local volunteer hang the sign condemning the Nativity and the belief in Christ
The group’s banner read ‘At this season of the Winter Solstice, let reason prevail.’ ’There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but a myth & superstition that hardens hearts & enslaves minds,’ it finished. source – Daily Mail UK
