Right- wing slams White House for meeting with atheist 'hate groups'
Officials from the Justice and Health and Human Services departments met Friday with representatives of the Secular Coalition for America, an umbrella group that includes American Atheists and the Council for Secular Humanism. The coalition called it "the first time in history a presidential administration has met for a policy briefing with the American nontheist community."
President Barack Obama was not scheduled to make an appearance at the meeting, nor were any policy changes to be announced, McClatchy news service reported.
But that didn't stop a number of religious conservative groups from attacking the meeting as a sign the president has an anti-religious agenda.
In comments posted Friday, blogger "Kyle" at Right Wing Watch suggested that religious groups criticizing the Obama administration for welcoming "hate groups" are guilty of hypocrisy.
"President Bush would never have met with anyone who espoused 'hate-filled views' ... would he?" the blogger asked sarcastically, above a list of religious leaders, known for their anti-gay stances, who met with President George W. Bush in the White House during the former president's term.
For the period April 2001 through June 2006, Focus on the Family Founder and Chairman Emeritus James Dobson visited the White House 24 times; 10 of those visits were to President Bush.
Andrea Lafferty, Executive Director of the Traditional Values Coalition, made an astonishing 50 visits to the White House starting on February 1, 2001, and continuing through March 16, 2008. Six of those visits were to President Bush.
The late Jerry Falwell, of Jerry Falwell Ministries, made eight visits to the White House between May 2001 and September 2004. Three of those visits were to President Bush.
Since when are Athiests more hateful then..say.. the GOP??? If you are not "one of them" then you are hate-filled? To tell you the truth, I think people like Jerry Falwell (we think he's probably resting uncomfortably, somewhere very HOT) and James Dobson have hate in their self- righteous hearts. We like to refer to the White House as the peoples house, so the doors should be open for all to visit, black, white, Christian, Non-Christian, Right? You can read more here
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12 comments:
Guess they wouldn't like to know that several of the founders of this country--those whose names are on the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence-- were actually deists. Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, among others. They were aware of a higher being, but not particularly religious in today's sense. Just saying......
It seems to me that some of the most hate-filled people are the religious fanatics.
It has been my experience that those who are the most insecure about their own religious beliefs are usually the same people who are the most intolerant of other religions and nontheists.
(See the charlatans Falwell and Robertson's execrable comments after 9/11, Katrina, and most recently the supreme assholedness of Robertson's comments after the Haiatian earthquake.)
If one is secure in one's belief's, why would there be any acrimony toward any other set of beliefs or lack of any belief in supernatural beings?
Perhaps the people who call nonbelievers "haters" are only talking about themselves, but are too non-self aware to understand their stupidity?
Fundamentalists always like to twist things around like this. Secularism is denying their right to deny other people rights. It is persecuting them by taking away their right to persecute. It is hateful because it objects to their hatred of people who are not like themselves.
It's encouraging that Obama made such a move, although with non-religious people being about 15% of Americans (a larger percentage than blacks or Hispanics, both of which are politically-significant groups) and probably a lot more having serious doubts about religion even if they don't quite acknowledge it to themselves, it may be that we're getting too big to ignore. Maybe next time he'll come to the meeting in person.
I think it has to do with worthiness. The religious right believes Christians are the only true believers and they are the chosen ones to enter the kingdom of heaven, they are Gods chosen people. But in their self-righteousness they look down upon those who are different and do believe we are not worthy. They try to veil their distaste for other faiths but they don't do a very good job of it and so they come across as hateful and racist(feelings for Muslims in particular).
The right works hard to keep religious zealots in their fold. What better way to keep a group of nuts on your side than hating their enemies?
Amen and alas. The republicans were soundly defeated in the 2008.
GOP to the Unemployed: Tough Shit
by Abby Zimet
We thank GOP Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky for providing irrefutable proof, if anyne thought it was still lacking, that our Congressional system is broken. To wit: Bunning single-handedly held up a 30-day extension of unemployment and health benefits to millions of Americans last night because...well, it's not clear why. En route, he had the gall to complain that achieving that task made him miss a basketball game. Then he nailed his reputation by responding to one last plea by colleagues citing the plight of the unemployed with, "Tough shit." What a guy. What a system.
"I'm trying to make a point to the people of the United States," said Bunning.
As Judi M has noted, the Right always tosses out this falsehood about "The Founding Fathers" and "One Nation Under God". Jefferson and Franklin were indeed deists, believers in a God but in no particular dogma....anyone who had watched JOHN ADAMS will note how uncomfortable Franklin was with the term "God given rights" in the Declaration of Independence and changed the term to "inalienable".
I thought we were a nation of religious tolerance? If atheism is a dogma of non- belief, that there is no God, aren't those who practice it entitled to do hold that position? Or are they to be barred from access to their President- and be regarded as somewhat less than fully American- because of their belief in "non-belief"?
I was discussing this with my Mom, she is 80 today, I was saying the Christian rightwing fanatics think they are Gods chosen, she said the Jews are the chosen ones.
I just find it appalling that rightwing religious groups call other denominations, hate-filled.
The right tosses out alot of falsehoods, we see it every day.
Funny thing is that Atheists don't "hate" God, they just don't 'believe'(thus the greek translation: "without gods") in God(s), big difference there.
So, how again are atheists haters?
great point C.
"There has been a movement toward theocracy in America that is too often overlooked," said Sean Faircloth, executive director, Secular Coalition for America. "As a result, good Americans, including children, have been harmed, and men and women in uniform denied their rights. This strikes at the very core of American values. The Secular Coalition for America seeks justice for every citizen, regardless of creed."
Does this sound like a hate group??
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