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	<title>Comments on: Greetings from the Atheist Alliance convention!</title>
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	<link>http://atheists.org/blog/2007/09/28/greetings_from_the_atheist_alliance_conv</link>
	<description>A Blog of Atheist Thought</description>
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		<title>By: Singh</title>
		<link>http://atheists.org/blog/2007/09/28/greetings_from_the_atheist_alliance_conv/comment-page-1#comment-67200</link>
		<dc:creator>Singh</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-67200</guid>
		<description>This may be off top, but at the convention I ran into a couple of the Rational Responders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
They are now promoting the idea that theism is itself a mental disorder, that all theists have this delusion, and that it should be included in the DSM.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Frankly, this bothers me; it reminds me of the approach the old totalitarians of the Soviet Union used to lock up dissenters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After all, if you can get someone labeled mentally ill, you serious hurt their chances for jobs and advanced education, and even set them up for commitment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Do we want to take this approach and even if we do is it scientifically valid?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This may be off top, but at the convention I ran into a couple of the Rational Responders.</p>
<p>They are now promoting the idea that theism is itself a mental disorder, that all theists have this delusion, and that it should be included in the DSM.</p>
<p>Frankly, this bothers me; it reminds me of the approach the old totalitarians of the Soviet Union used to lock up dissenters.</p>
<p>After all, if you can get someone labeled mentally ill, you serious hurt their chances for jobs and advanced education, and even set them up for commitment.</p>
<p>Do we want to take this approach and even if we do is it scientifically valid?</p>
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		<title>By: Ren</title>
		<link>http://atheists.org/blog/2007/09/28/greetings_from_the_atheist_alliance_conv/comment-page-1#comment-67207</link>
		<dc:creator>Ren</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-67207</guid>
		<description>singh,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;After all, if you can get someone labeled mentally ill, you serious hurt their chances for jobs and advanced education, and even set them up for commitment. &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
You ain&#039;t McBluffing!  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Allied Atheist Alliance...Aren&#039;t they the sea otters?&lt;br /&gt;
</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>singh,</p>
<blockquote><p>After all, if you can get someone labeled mentally ill, you serious hurt their chances for jobs and advanced education, and even set them up for commitment. </p></blockquote>
<p>You ain&#8217;t McBluffing!  </p>
<p>Allied Atheist Alliance&#8230;Aren&#8217;t they the sea otters?</p>
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		<title>By: IVORY GIRL</title>
		<link>http://atheists.org/blog/2007/09/28/greetings_from_the_atheist_alliance_conv/comment-page-1#comment-67210</link>
		<dc:creator>IVORY GIRL</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-67210</guid>
		<description>Sorry this is not on topic (I seem to be bad for this)but I had to post it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
FOXNEWS.COM HOME &gt; U.S. &lt;br /&gt;
       &lt;br /&gt;
Colorado Students Walk Out During Pledge, Recite Own Version&lt;br /&gt;
Thursday, September 27, 2007&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 E-MAIL STORY PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION &lt;br /&gt;
BOULDER, Colo.  ?  About 50 Boulder High School students walked out of class Thursday to protest the daily reading of the Pledge of Allegiance and recited their own version, omitting &quot;one nation, under God.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The students say the phrase violates the constitutional separation of church and state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
They also say the daily reading of the pledge over the school public address system at the start of the second class takes away from education time and is ignored or mocked by some students.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A state law passed in 2004 requires schools to offer the opportunity to recite the pledge each day but does not require students to participate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The protesting students, members of the Student Worker Club, want administrators to hold the pledge reading in the auditorium during each of the school&#039;s two lunch periods for any students who want to participate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Otherwise, they said, they plan to walk out each Thursday when the pledge is read and recite their version, which omits the reference to God and adds allegiance to constitutional rights, diversity and freedom, among other things.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&quot;Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God,&quot; said Emma Martens, a senior and president of the club, which has about a dozen members.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&quot;We didn&#039;t think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to it. It&#039;s almost religious oppression,&quot; she said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Principal Bud Jenkins told the Camera newspaper on its Web site Thursday the pledge will not be moved, but added he was proud of the students for standing up for their beliefs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was not immediately clear what discipline, if any, the protesting students would face.&lt;br /&gt;
</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sorry this is not on topic (I seem to be bad for this)but I had to post it.</p>
<p>FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S. </p>
<p>Colorado Students Walk Out During Pledge, Recite Own Version<br />
Thursday, September 27, 2007</p>
<p> E-MAIL STORY PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION <br />
BOULDER, Colo.  ?  About 50 Boulder High School students walked out of class Thursday to protest the daily reading of the Pledge of Allegiance and recited their own version, omitting &#8220;one nation, under God.&#8221;</p>
<p>The students say the phrase violates the constitutional separation of church and state.</p>
<p>They also say the daily reading of the pledge over the school public address system at the start of the second class takes away from education time and is ignored or mocked by some students.</p>
<p>A state law passed in 2004 requires schools to offer the opportunity to recite the pledge each day but does not require students to participate.</p>
<p>The protesting students, members of the Student Worker Club, want administrators to hold the pledge reading in the auditorium during each of the school&#8217;s two lunch periods for any students who want to participate.</p>
<p>Otherwise, they said, they plan to walk out each Thursday when the pledge is read and recite their version, which omits the reference to God and adds allegiance to constitutional rights, diversity and freedom, among other things.</p>
<p>&#8220;Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God,&#8221; said Emma Martens, a senior and president of the club, which has about a dozen members.</p>
<p>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to it. It&#8217;s almost religious oppression,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Principal Bud Jenkins told the Camera newspaper on its Web site Thursday the pledge will not be moved, but added he was proud of the students for standing up for their beliefs.</p>
<p>It was not immediately clear what discipline, if any, the protesting students would face.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Rusty Shackleford</title>
		<link>http://atheists.org/blog/2007/09/28/greetings_from_the_atheist_alliance_conv/comment-page-1#comment-67211</link>
		<dc:creator>Rusty Shackleford</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-67211</guid>
		<description>Also OT, and deserves its own separate post IMO:  Jena 6 DA credits Jesus with saving town from disaster&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
http://tinyurl.com/334vdb&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Racist theist.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Also OT, and deserves its own separate post IMO:  Jena 6 DA credits Jesus with saving town from disaster</p>
<p><a href="http://tinyurl.com/334vdb" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/334vdb</a></p>
<p>Racist theist.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: 666</title>
		<link>http://atheists.org/blog/2007/09/28/greetings_from_the_atheist_alliance_conv/comment-page-1#comment-67216</link>
		<dc:creator>666</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-67216</guid>
		<description>Singh,&lt;br /&gt;
If you read and understand the DSM,check out &quot;delusional psychosis&quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s hard (dare I say impossible) to tell the difference between that description and the beliefs of followers of religion.&lt;br /&gt;
However, the religionistas invoke &quot;Special Pleading&quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m with the Rational Responders on this one.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Singh,<br />
If you read and understand the DSM,check out &#8220;delusional psychosis&#8221;.<br />
It&#8217;s hard (dare I say impossible) to tell the difference between that description and the beliefs of followers of religion.<br />
However, the religionistas invoke &#8220;Special Pleading&#8221;.<br />
I&#8217;m with the Rational Responders on this one.</p>
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