More collectivist tolerance.
Cruciphobia at Mt. Soledad: The Cross the Left Can't Bear
Rabbi Ben Kamin, who lives in Southern California, responded sensibly to the hysteria of the Mount Soledad cross-hunters who claimed to be irreparably "hurt" by the monument: "After six decades, and hundreds of thousands of visitors, cyclists, hikers, thoughtful folks who simply admire the inspiring vista of land, sky and ocean, the Cross remains simply a beacon, a marker and a landmark." Kamin wrote that he "once lived adjacent to the site, and it did not bother me then, and it does not bother, offend or intimidate me now. I remain much more concerned about the glaring mercantilism that has by now drained all the fall/winter holidays, from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah to Christmas, of any dignity or theological poetry."
Amen to that. Militant atheists won't rest until every last expression of faith is eradicated from the public square. They don't stand for reason or religious liberty. They are vengeful purveyors of cruciphobia. The everlasting good news, of course, is that in the end, hope will triumph over hate. Faith will outlast fear. And God's love will prevail long after physical crosses have fallen.
An old Baptist joke: "What did Madalyn Murray O'Hair say thirty seconds after she was murdered by one of her atheist supporters as she gazed into the face of God?"
"Oops."
3 comments:
If someone does not believe in God, that is their right. I cannot, and will not, force that belief on someone else, I will fight to the death for their right to believe that there is no God, and for their right to express that belief. One can picket in front of the White House with a sign that says "There is no God" (or something like that) all they want, and I won't stop them, or even notice for that matter
But unfortunately, it seems like most atheists today are very selective about which God they don't believe in.
If you truly do not believe in any God, then religious symbols shouldn't bother you at all. I don't believe in the Ancient Greek Pantheon, and fountains around the world with water nymphs don't bother me in the slightest.
At times I think most (in the west at least) aren't anti-God, they're anti-Judeo-Christianity. Judeo-Christian "way of thinking" is the dominant culture in the USA, and sooner or later it is going to seep through the cracks, and you might as well just ignore it if it bothers you that much.
I think that most outspoken and militant atheists today are cowards (Penn and Teller come to mind) in that they will argue with Christian groups whose founder told them that if someone doesn't like their message, to stand up, and walk away peacefully, while ignoring the Muslims whose founder had a nasty habit of beheading those who disagreed with him, and whose followers still practice that sort of barbarism today.
"Militant atheists won't rest until every last expression of faith is eradicated from the public square."
Well, it seems to me there is no such thing as a "public square". That is one of those warm and fuzzy euphemisms for "government owned and controlled square". And that is the problem. Everyone seeks to grasp the government cudgel, so they can impose their will on others.
It's one thing to stop others imposing on you. It's another thing entirely to impose on others.
Take a look at "Our Lady of the Rockies", which is lighted at night. I've always enjoyed looking at it even though I am not a Catholic. It is built on private property. I don't know of any controversy about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Rockies
Reminds me of the intolerance shown by Afghan taliban zealots who attempted to blow up and deface ancient Buddhist statues, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, which had been erected centuries ago. My recollection is that the statues were UNESCO World Heritage listed items, for all the good it did them.
When the jihadis attacked Timbuktu, their first order of business was to destroy the tombs and libraries associated with the ancient form of Islam practiced there, maintained and revered by the locals.
No outcry from the collectivists at all. It seems like anyone's expression of religion, even if by an ancient people, who no longer exist, is subject to being defiled, defaced, and denigrated.
It is sad when no tolerance is shown to peoples' beliefs. It is much worse when a state belief system is imposed with force on others.
We are supposed to be accorded freedom to practice our beliefs in this country. WTSHTF, does it matter what the person with the rile in the trench next to you believes? We defend our nation as a bastion of freedom.
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