Atheist Billboard Offends Some African-Americans

I love you, too boo, but I see things the other way around. I have been a believer for a long time, and I don't blindly believe. I don't just listen to what's being preached and swallow it whole. I don't ignore the bad parts - I study to find out why they are there and how they fit into the whole story. You know this - we've had this discussion. We have to agree to disagree. And that's ok! Hugs to you!! :smt058

 

Fair enough! :heart::smt052:heart:

Just keep being you.

P.S. I got my crocs on.

 

Ok. Fair enough. I acknowledge that these groups have a legitimate right to exist. So I apologize if my comments seemed disrespectful.

I get offended when people imply that my belief system is foolish. I feel that the billboard wasn't meant to spark a fruitful discussion about faith choices, it was instead, made to be provocative and offensive.

To people who are religious like me, our faith is a deep part of who we are, so when people use flippant and disrespectful rhetoric it comes across as very personally offensive.

 

Yeah, it's a slight at the holy bible; that's the purpose of the sign. Message understood...


I can see why it would anger black americans, however.

 

I've been observing your posts and kept mum for the time being. But people like you really irk the hell out of me and send black people 60 years back into the past. It's not me who's calling you out. Rather, other people have noticed that you come off as being bitter, spiteful, and downright childish.

And 4north does have a legitimate reason for that statement and for you to be offended without researching the history of the Christianity and its role in slavery and other ventures tells a lot about your educational (or lack thereof) background. You're free to exercise ignorance, but you're partaking in a oppressive institution that's rather contradictory to even Christian teachings (the positive aspects).

It's a matter of moving forward and what religion really has done to further speed up the pacing of social progression. They're less likely to care for others unless they abide some ultimatum which is about growth in numbers. Maybe you need to put your faith aside and read into the belief system that is questionable at best.

And for the record, I've been integrated into Catholic teachings, so don't press me on what I lack in knowledge sonny.

It's perfectly fine if you exercise your faith. But I personally feel that if blacks want to get off the teat of "feeling lesser", then the first step is to not look to "something greater" through a 2000 year old book. Rather, seek guidance on what's reasonable now.

But let me ask you this: Do you truly feel as though you can attain greater venues when your aura of thinking is based on an ideology that has a questionable history at best? Can we do better than ideas based on the supernatural to lead people to a better tomorrow?

 

Way to go to prove your lack of history, my boy. Let alone a severe level of bias. Doesn't Andrei Brevik ring a bell or must I tell you about the Christian Terrorism that has been erected in parts of Europe? Or maybe the Catholic's place in the Vatican leeching off people and the Italian government? May I remind you that the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) is Christian based? The Ku Klux Klan? Blackwater? Hell, even the Christian Identity, which is a current white power Christian organization.

I'm very much aware of Islam and its beliefs as well, but...much like how I would even defend Christians, I KNOW there are good people of those beliefs as well. All (Abrahamic mainly) religions are inherently based on controlling people. That's a fact. There's no disputing of it.

Lastly, interracial relationships would still continue and even other socially progressive ideas. Why? It's because our understandings of it have greatly evolved and it would be much more expedient if there weren't any conservative ideas or mindsets which hold us back. It's all part of the social zeitgeist.

Look at countries that are less religious and you'd see that they are much more accepting of those and embrace diversity.

You sure have a hard time recognizing all this and more.

 

Post the picture, please.

 

Doesn't have to be physical, kiddo. It's still a mental form of slavery.

 

Loved it. Too bad it was vandalized after 1 day and wasn't replaced.

 

if, according to your resource, the people choose to go into slavery, then it isn't slavery and needs to be called something else.
In slavery (what that artical says is modern day slavery) no choice is given, and the masters certainly didn't take care of the slaves themselves. And just because the bible doesn't address this particular type of slavery, doesn't mean that it didn't occur then or that the god fearing people of god set forth to change it anymore than Christians do today.

It is a book that lays out, enforces, and condones small minded pov. Sexism, racism, homophobia..it's ALL in there. And all in the name of GOD.

 

First of all, jackass...I'm an atheist, which means I don't adhere to that nonsense to begin with, so I don't see where I've "justified" or "co-signed" to irrational claims.

Secondly, you've completely ignored and disregarded everything I've wrote about the ills of how this mental slavery is still driven within this community, when I prefer to advocate social change.

Reading the thread thoroughly would prove useful next time.

 

OMFG

Are you serious?

Seriously serious?

 

For better or worst the bible is the reason blacks made it out of slavery and later through Jim Crow. The bible was also responsible for a lot of blacks being able to read.. Without o don't know where we'd be as a race.

 

I think we have a backwards dickhead on our hands.

Correction: The Bible was the reason for slavery in the first place. And fast forward to the Civil Rights Movement, the Bible was even used more so to PREVENT any means of social progression of any kind. Certainly, you'd argue that black churches and MLK were Christian, but the way they carried themselves, they were more along the lines of Jainism than Christian teachings.

As for education and learning how to read? That's pretty silly given that we have ample amount of education not based on religion.

 

First of all the bible had nothing to do with slavery it was an excuse tool the true reason for slavery was economics as is ALL conflict. Race religion gender and sexuality are excuses people are given or give themselves for the justification of plunder.

Secondly during the slavery the reconstruction era and jim crow the bible was the only reading material that blacks were allowed to read. Its the reason many slaves were given any education at all. To make them into "good" Christians. So like I said if it weren't for the bible many blacks would have never received an education.

 

I understand what you are saying, and don't have an issue with it per se.

The part about economics is spot on.

The part that is hard to swallow is the fact that the "Christians" used the bible as an education tool to make the black people "good" Christians. Sure they learned to read and got an "education"...but the fact remains that it was done within this very contained realm of you need to do, be, say, this one particular thing, book, way of life to even obtain that.

I can't speak for anyone else here...but that might be a major sticking point.

 

Good post.... people must remember religion is a part of ppl's culture and is different as ppl are different. a racist's view of religion will be different from soimeone fighting against it ,and the bible is a big book filled with enough justification for anything, dependant on the person's viewpoint.

 

For better or worst the bible was the source for slaves to learn reading writing and basic counting. Basic building blocks for them to learn other educational tools. If not for the reason of some self imposed morality what reason would the slave masters have had to teach them anything. They were seen and often treated as big dumb beasts. No better than dogs.

 

LMAO, you think blacks going to church on Sundays is a problem???

Maybe if our fellow brothas and sistas quit relying on foodstamps/welfare, quit popping out kids out of wedlock, stop getting arrested for stupid shit that is avoidable and actually make something of themselves, then yeah the problems we face will be lessened by a large margin

 

You meant everyone not just black people right?