Of course. I was pointing it out to DL specifically, given his past commentary on the subject of religion in general. But, as per my initial comment to this thread being in line with the prevailing view of the commentary here, I certainly understand that. :p

(Though of course, "society progress further" is a subject to another debate. The overwhelming powerful effect religion can have on individuals can have a definite impact on the progress of a society, especially when it comes to human rights... I would reference the Reverend MLK, Jr. here, who no doubt advanced our society in the area of human rights, largely based on his religious convictions.)

Once again, semantics: atheism is not a belief system. It a one single belief: there is no God. As opposed to Christianity, Buddhism, whatever that hold more ideas rather than a simple yes-no. My belief system would be atheistic existentialism.

Okay, that aside, I would like to say that I don't think any belief or religion is currently being pushed in schools with the exception of some theories that almost every scientist accepts, evolution notably, but also global warming, and I'm sure some other things. I've not known most of my teacher's religious views (although I assume Christian). There was a religion class offered at my school, which I wanted to take because I am very interested in various beliefs, but I heard it was mostly a bible study rather than world religions and the class was dropped due to lack of interest.

Of course all of this is my personal experience. I'm extremely against this legislation for reason many of you have stated already. The biggest thing is that we are already taught faith's role in our country, especially when we learn both that many of the founders were deist rather than Christian or that the first and second great awakening radically changed the moral landscape and contributed to abolition of slavery. Any embellishment would be pushing Christianity. If they aren't being taught religion's role in our country at all, they are missing a huge chunk of the curriculum, but they must be taught some of it to do well at all on standardized tests, so it is fine where it is.

Josh, your posts are not too incendiary, you simply have no idea what you are talking about.

It isn't even that. Atheism is not the belief that there is no god. It is the absence of the belief that there is a god.

Hardly the first to challenge Christianity. How about those criminal miscreants Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, over 200 years ago -

"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved--the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!" --- John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson

and many, many other quotes from them and the rest of our Deist founding fathers (the Google is your friend). They must not have gotten the memo about how this is supposedly a truly Christian nation! Troublemakers! Non-fairy-worshippers!

I disagree. It's not a belief *at all* - but rather the *absence* of a belief. Do you believe there is a white porcelain teapot in orbit around the third moon of Saturn? Do you believe there is *not* one? You probably have no hard evidence for it, so you have no incentive to believe it exists. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you believe it *doesn't* exist. Who the hell knows, maybe there is one! But it's rather unlikely without any shred of evidence. Otherwise, you'd have to be a fervent believer in the non-existence of an infinite number of other absurdities.

Right on. Our system is NOT supposed to protect the whims of the majority - in fact, a vital part of our democracy exists specifically to protect the minority from the "tyranny of the majority" - otherwise we'd have factionalized into ethnically- and ideologically-cleansed pockets long ago. The thinking that drives the quote above is quite chilling - let the "local level" majority decide to unilaterally squeeze out rights of everyone else?

Not believing in a popular myth is not a belief system.

Do you have a belief system with regards to Zeus, Mithra or any other of the thousands of gods?

If I told you that there was a light speed rhino that orbited your house every night after dusk would you have a belief system based around your disbelief of that?


Gay and lesbian people are real right? Therefore it's proper that kids learn about that aspect of sexuality alongside hetrosexual sex. Hopefully my kids will continue in their current acceptance of homosexuality and work alongside gay/lesbian people without it even being a consideration and accept or reject friendships regardless of unimportant sexuality.

The Christian god to all intents and purpose has never been proved real and therefore lives in the realms of myth alongside all other gods and supernatural beings.

My kids attend school to learn facts, the proven, the practical. They attend to gain knowledge of the real world, knowledge that will give them practical, real skills to use throughout their lives.

If my kids school started teaching them that gravity wasn't real, that the sun was made of marmalade, that 2 + 2 = 5, that plants grow because fairies sprinkle magic dust on them, that an invisible man made the world, that there's a magic man who no ones ever seen that watches over the world and judges people, you can bet your bottom dollar they'd be moved sharpish.

How do schools indoctrinate with Atheism. Because they don't teach kids about any gods? In that case schools also indoctrinate kids with not believing in talking baboons

You never see Ambulances lined up outside a church to deal with the sick and dying. There's a reason for that.

I was talking about the real and physical, effects of science in helping people not the placebo effect that religion has on people.

Wishful thinking may provide a positive hope but it makes what one wishes for no more real than a child's dreams of owning a unicorn