Hindu Priest gives opening prayer in Senate, classless jesusfreaks show intolerance

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

You are wrong. I disagree completely. How many threads to you see being made here or at OT by religious people bashing atheists? About none? How many threads to you see by atheists bashing people who believe in a god? 20 a day on OT at least.

Because OT represents America generally?

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/arc...n_or_atheist_/

That poll speaks for itself.

Oh, and what about the time former President Bush told an interviewer, "I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots"?

Can you name any other minority group he could say that about other than atheists?

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Ok, you hate us and we need to be more like..... Austria? Luxembourg?

How three assholes in a peanut gallery can be proof to you how much the US sucks means you aren't thinking very clearly.

Style, I think it's sad that every time I bring up the over all attitude of America, which has been admittingly boistrious and self absorbed, most conservatives not only agree that we are "the greatest fuckers here" but the Zealots that helped get them elected believe not only that they are right in their religion, but everyone else is flat wrong. This type of thinking, as a country or individual is a short coming.

Period.

We do not have the corner on what it is to be a country, or be a people as a whole, and acting like we have the right way to live, and the right way to govern is assinine. There are countries out there who never wanted to be like us, no matter how hard we have tried to convince them they should.

That seems to be what most conflicts since the Cold War can fundamentally be about, who is bigger, badder, and tougher and better. We tried to flaunt for years we were the toughest kid in school, and then a handful of Muslims showed us different.

I don't hate this country, and I feel like I should give negative rep for you saying that, again. You say that when you don't like someone's opinion about some facet of this country, and that's really not fair. That's a baseless assumption. I live here, and I was born here, and I have every right to have a vision for my country's foreign policy and moral. And what we've had, isn't it.

Those three assholes aren't the proof it sucks by any means. I can point to many other flounders we read about everyday that proves we are on our road to ruins.

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Comparing people who pray to murderers??? Ok...

I would say we are the most tolerant country in the world BECAUSE it was built on Christianity. The founding fathers knew what it was like to be persecuted because of religious intolerance and made sure it didn't happen here. Hence the whole "melting pot" that is the United States.

Mmm...mmmm. The Christian haters are going to love this post....

The founders of this country were Puritan. They made sure they were the major religion and even went as so far as to punish people for wearing color.

Can you tell me what Alexander Hamilton's tale of intolerance for his religion? What about Washington? Where in history were they hated for their religion?

[Linzyhop]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Germany. Not very tolerant.


How have we taken a step backwards?

basis for that comment? anything to back it up?


have you lived in Germany? I actually have. for a year. I found them more tolerant of different religions than a good majority of the US.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Ok, you hate us and we need to be more like..... Austria? Luxembourg?

How three assholes in a peanut gallery can be proof to you how much the US sucks means you aren't thinking very clearly.

Notice how you jump straight to "you hate us" and "how much the US sucks" after reading her post. She said nothing even close to that.


Just another demonstration of the attitude being criticized in this thread.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by Publius

OT and here are not a typical cross-section of the nation though. If they were, libertarianism would be the strongest political belief system in our nation and nothing but libertarians would be elected to public office.

I'd rather look at the laws being passed by state legislatures, many into the state Constitutions, that are VERY religious in nature and obviously hostile towards those that the religious people consider "sinful" (homosexuals in particular).

I do disagree with laws not allowing gays to be legally "joined". And this is still a new topic. Not many countries in the world allow it, 10 according to this list. And we are included in that list because some states do allow it.

# Denmark, 1989.
# Norway, 1996.
# Sweden, 1996.
# Iceland, 1996.
# France, 1999.
# Vermont, USA, 2000.
# Germany, 2001.
# Finland, 2002.
# Luxembourg, 2004.
# New Zealand, 2004.
# Connecticut, USA, 2005.
# Britain, 2005.

And every country that does allow it is mostly Christian. I see no predominantly Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist countries listed.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

basis for that comment? anything to back it up?


have you lived in Germany? I actually have. for a year. I found them more tolerant of different religions than a good majority of the US.

I've probably spent 5 years of my life in Germany. Maybe more and I still go for a few weeks every year. I LOVE Germany and the people. But in conversations with them I hear them not always talk about other races or religions (especially Turks) in the best of light.

Were you there for school?

[Publius]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

I do disagree with laws not allowing gays to be legally "joined". And this is still a new topic. Not many countries in the world allow it, 10 according to this list. And we are included in that list because some states do allow it.

# Denmark, 1989.
# Norway, 1996.
# Sweden, 1996.
# Iceland, 1996.
# France, 1999.
# Vermont, USA, 2000.
# Germany, 2001.
# Finland, 2002.
# Luxembourg, 2004.
# New Zealand, 2004.
# Connecticut, USA, 2005.
# Britain, 2005.

And every country that does allow it is mostly Christian. I see no predominantly Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist countries listed.

We are farther along that many nations yes, but we're also behind many others. There are many nations more tolerant of homosexuality than we are, because even other nations where same sex unions aren't allowed there is a friendlier atmosphere to homosexuality.

Just because it isn't illegal doesn't mean it is accepted. Being openly gay in the U.S. is pretty much political suicide at this point in history. Many states outlawed homosexuality up until a few years ago, and immediately after those laws were struck down by the Courts they've gone about trying to rebuild them in a different way by limiting the rights of homosexuals.

There is a HUGE amount of intolerance towards homosexuality in this nation, and the vast majority of it springs from Christianity. Muslims are even worse about it yes, but just being "more tolerant than Islam" isn't saying much, considering how so many people on here talk about how horribly intolerant and evil Islam can be.

[Linzyhop]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

I've probably spent 5 years of my life in Germany. Maybe more and I still go for a few weeks every year. I LOVE Germany and the people. But in conversations with them I hear them not always talk about other races or religions (especially Turks) in the best of light.

Were you there for school?

where in Germany?

I studied in Braunschweig and I worked in Munich.

[Rouger2]

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

The founders of this country were Puritan. They made sure they were the major religion and even went as so far as to punish people for wearing color.

Can you tell me what Alexander Hamilton's tale of intolerance for his religion? What about Washington? Where in history were they hated for their religion?

How did they make sure they were the major religion.

[Rouger2]

Religions are good for the people in the religions because they teach people how to get along so things can get accomplished. So societies can be built. Religions are not tolerant of other religions though. Religions have helped Civilization we would not have made it nearly as far without them. It was very bad for most people during the dark ages, but christians could take it and do the jobs needed for society because they did not care about this world it was in the next that they would have life on easy street. Religion still makes good worker bees.

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

ok, someone did it over 200 years ago... i guess it's ok with me

Thomas Jefferson is "someone."

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by lew

Jefferson was more like a "Christian Deist." And no, those are not two exclusive terms.


And while Franklin and Madison may have been Deists, the vast majority of founding fathers were Christians.


Which all of that doesn't mean that much anyway.

And Freemasons, which required a belief in God but not a specific religion.

And I certainly never suggested anything like this is a "Christian Nation."

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by Rouger2

How did they make sure they were the major religion.

I seem to remember ALOT of women burning when this country started. I also remember alot of Native Americans persecuted too. And now that I think of it, I remember alot of African Slaves being forced to convert...

So I think they had a mission.....

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by northhunter

I think rather than being an example of intolerance this stroy shows just the opposite. Ok, so a few in the gallery made fools of themselves. Compare that to the rest of those being respectfull, at least a couple hundred of people.
Why not focus on the positive instead of the three small minded people who do NOT represent the majority present? I know it makes for better headline but once they were removed the prayer continued right?

Exactly, compare such a response to say, a more tolerant nation like that of Iran, Cuba, China, etc. (or even a nation filled with people such as this very tolerant thread-starter )

I'd say we are a very tolerant nation

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

Thomas Jefferson is "someone."

Only when he can't be used to support their anti-religion agenda!

[kinggovernor]

very unclassy indeed, they made themselves look like far left protestors

[SoFlaJDM]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

Thomas Jefferson is "someone."

no he's a fucking horse