An anti-religious banner at a city park in Streator, Illinois was stolen on Saturday, and the atheist group that placed it there claims that the theft was a Class 4 felony under Illinois’ hate crime laws.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Nobody died for our sins. Jesus Christ is a myth” banner was placed in the park to protest the Christian signs and crosses that have been erected their ahead of Easter for the past five years. The eight-foot by three-foot banner was placed in the park on Thursday evening, but less than two days later it was gone.
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I object to bible-pushers who think they have the prerogative to legislate their values onto the public. Conversely, I consider the proselytizers of atheism just as insufferable and a constitutional menace.
ReplyDeleteA city park, funded by taxpayers of all faiths (+ non-faiths) should only have trees, grass and benches.
I bet this group won't have the balls to put up the same sign about Mohammed if Streator, Illinois had come under Islamic rule.
Funny they claim the theft was a hate crime as one can argue that the sign's message also constitutes a hate crime.
I'm with you on the insufferable nature of those who would make it their crusade to push their beliefs; but how would atheism constitute a Constitutional menace? It is by and large the bible believers not the atheists who would advocate for legislating beliefs that would compel the actions of citizens by force of law.
ReplyDeleteI generally don't subscribe to the idea of a hate crime, but it is quite the stretch to imply that stating a belief that God doesn't exist is a hate crime, when stating that he does, isn't.
Atheism as personal position doesn't constitute a constitutional menace. But any -isms with a political agenda does.
DeleteI was merely pointing out the inconsistency in FFRF's argument + attempt to jack up the class felony by insisting the theft was motivated by hate when inversely one can argue the sign was motivated by hatred of all things Christian.
I don't believe in 'hate crimes' as a category either. They are redundant to the law. You can only prosecute the action, not the feelings that produce the action.
My contention wasn't about your constitutionally protected right to state that God doesn't exist. It was with FFRF's premise for the sign which did not state atheism as an intellectual alternative but appeared as a sophomoric jab at Christians. Just what were they protesting? Christian signs on private property? Or public spaces?
From a philosophical standpoint, if God doesn't exist, then there isn't a need to mount such a song and dance about his non-existence.
It is equally a stretch to imply that I would go Taliban when as an organizer of a grassroots group in NYC, there are plenty of atheists in my ranks.
I would agree with the -ism's...but counter that -ity's [Christianity] often comes with a political agenda, and could be just as much of a menace....as we see near daily.
ReplyDeleteFFRF's sign may have been a sophomoric jab, but I don't see most proselytization couched as intellectual alternatives either. I'm sure Atheists take it to be jabs as well.
"From a philosophical standpoint, if God doesn't exist, then there isn't a need to mount such a song and dance about his non-existence."
The song and dance is absolutely warranted, when the belief in God is codified into law, or the attempt is made to do so even more.
"It is equally a stretch to imply that I would go Taliban when as an organizer of a grassroots group in NYC, there are plenty of atheists in my ranks."
You lost me on this part. I don't remember invoking the Taliban.
You didn't say Taliban. I did. It's my hyperbole for implying that i'm even capable of entertaining a punitive stance against anyone who states God doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteOf all the current -isms that menaces our Republic, I'm sure you'll agree that it's Socialism that poses a prevailing and most immediate threat.
Ah, gotcha.
DeleteI agree that Socialism is a tangible threat.... unfortunately one that seems have been abetted by both major parties for quite some time now.
How I long for the vision of rugged individualism that our country is 'supposed' to be about....