How Hypocrisy and Hysteria Hinders and Hurts

More children from the Dove World Outreach Center arrived Tuesday at area public schools with shirts bearing the message “Islam is of the Devil” and were sent home for violation of the school district’s dress code when they declined to change clothes or cover the anti-Muslim statement on their clothing.

Read more

They hate our billboards, even when they say nothing but “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone” and rally against us. Then, they turn their children into walking hate boards and send them to school. Freedom of speech only works for them I guess.

If there are any volunteers out there with some time and money, perhaps you can go to the school and give out free “God is a Myth. Duh.” T-shirts to kids as they enter school.

I am no fan of Islam, but Muslims DO have rights in this country. The DO pay their taxes, and they DO have the right to send their kids to the public schools without being threatened or intimidated. Christians sometimes disgust me.

(Thx What for the link)

47 Responses to “How Hypocrisy and Hysteria Hinders and Hurts”

  1. Lyle Johnson LEJohnson says:

    Just sometimes?

    •  phreedm says:

      Speaking of hypocrisy…say Dave. When are you and Mr. Bill going to sue the Feds over the US Tax dollars being spent on Teddy’s funeral?

  2.  reason says:

    Where is the hypocrisy.You can bet the farm if muslims had showed up wearing christianty or atheism is of the devil the school would have rolled over.Have you forgotten how islam treats atheists.They are an enemy pure and simple.

  3.  mdetrano says:

    Of course I agree Muslims do have rights. But they, like everyone, do not have the right to not be offended.

    Not harassed? yes. Not threatened? yes. Not offended? no.

    The shirt is borderline, but I would put it in the offensive category. Which means a direct counter to this could be a shirt that says “Christians suck”, and a SMART counter would be one that says “There is no devil”. Obama would turn this into a teaching moment, maybe the school should do the same, minus the beer and cigarettes of course.

    •  what says:

      This is a school. Greater limitations are placed upon free speech in the public school setting. This is another good reason for zero tolerance when parents attempt to interject their religion it public institutions. Using their children in a proxy war … disgusting.

      •  geoih says:

        Quote from what: “Greater limitations are placed upon free speech in the public school setting.”

        I don’t remember reading that anywhere in the Constitution. I thought it said “no law”.

      •  what says:

        What makes you think it must be in the Constitution to make it a valid point of law? Perplexed.

      •  geoih says:

        If you wish to limit all people from doing something, then the only way to do it is through force or voluntary agreement. If the Constitution says there should be no law abridging speech, yet you wish to abridge speech, then you either have to get unanimous agreement to the abridgment, or enact a law forcing the abridgment on those who don’t agree (and violate the Constitution).

      •  what says:

        Huh? The supreme court has made it clear that children are a special class of citizen … and for the obvious reasons.

      •  geoih says:

        I would agree that children are a “special class of citizen” as they relate to their parents, but not to the state.

    • Ashleigh Adams AshA says:

      There are times when the American flag and effigies of the President are set aflame – when people stamp on what you hold dear. If Christians did that, then we can be anti them, but why must we be anti anything? Have you read Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses? Have you noticed that throughout muslim prayer, they do NOT face up, they put their heads to the ground and their bottoms in the air (facing heaven?). They all pray facing a rock in the middle of the desert, a rock which is said to come from hell itself and really was almost destroyed in the middle ages as a possible result of that. Johann Burckhardt described it as resembling Lava, so did other explorers. If I were Christian, I would not allow my children to have a sympathetic view on islam, because they raise their children to hate the West, immaterial of your viewpoint, you are blanketed as an infidel (which you are anyway). It is said that the devil promised Mohammed to have all his followers named after him, thus making his name live forever in mankind. It is also said, that there is no such thing as a devil, which I truly believe, but one has to wonder how much the mindset of the people following that religion, isn’t given into to a diabolical force. For you can’t be atheist and want to blow up building to prove your standing, that’s just stupid, you have to be bent on something else.

  4.  quantum_flux says:

    Atheism indeed makes a nice theme for a T-shirt.

    •  TheFireLord says:

      Yea, who doesnt love a good “doing my part to piss off the religious right” shirt? It shouldnt be called religious right anyway. It should be called the religious wrong.

  5.  neowolfe says:

    Something like “God=Hate” would be an appropriate response, but, it would only be those who have opened their minds enough to study the track record of religion and it’s influence in human society throughout history, that would even understand what it meant. They would probably assume that you worship the devil.

    Maybe, something like “Organized Religion = Hatred and War.” Second line, “Atheism = Common Sense Solutions.”

    But, hatred for other religions is just one of the creative ways that humanity has learned to hate each other. Racism, sexism, nationalism. Social station, economic station, politics, etc. Religion once claimed to be call to humanity out of barbarism, now we are the call to humanity out of religion and stupidity. Good luck!!!

    NeoWolfe

  6.  mouse says:

    *cough* http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/

    nice shirts (i love stumbleupon)

  7.  cry4turtles says:

    Is it just me or does that guy have a “Duh, look how stoopid I am” look on his face?

    As for t-shirts, I love my “Only Sheep Need A Shepard–Live Free” shirt, and wear it as much as possible. I think I’ll wear it today!

    •  what says:

      Cry4

      Ooooh yeh! One of the first things I noticed about that image was that guys expression. Looks like stupid guy trying to feign arrogance.

  8.  joe zamecki says:

    This will be a good lesson for those students. Public school is no place to arouse debate on heated religious issues, if that debate is going to involve hate-speech, not just studied, but hurled as well.

    The lesson ought to be that in a diverse society, it’s always wisest to avoid spewing hate against a lawful group of people within that society. Certainly not when and where education is supposed to take place instead.

    Another lesson ought to be that there are reasonable and necessary restrictions on free speech, even here in the USA. That’s because words can be powerful tools for change. To keep our relative peace and liberty, we all have to avoid saying things that we know will take away our peace and liberty. Humans tend to get their feelings hurt, and lash out about it.

    The more young people become aware of the sensibilities of the other people in the world, the more peaceful a world we’ll have, in my opinion.

    •  reason says:

      Are you on drugs muslims don’t believe in seperation of church and state,free speech and other civil rights.Rights americans take for granted.Muslims use freedoms of western nations to subvert and get special treatment.Islamic history is one long bloodstained tale of invasion and oppression of nonmuslims.
      Get real joe the muslims don’t give a damn about hurting people or their feelings.The world will be a more peaceful place when supernatural religion exists only in the history books.

      •  joe zamecki says:

        I don’t think it matters, nor should it matter which religion we’re talking about. Don’t you think plenty of Christians have the same attitude about state/church separation?

        You should really stick to the issue, instead of getting rude with me…sheesh.

      •  neowolfe says:

        The generalism that muslims don’t believe in separation of church and state is another example of why I keep pointing out the difference between freethought and atheism. A person who cared to educate himself on the subject would realize that moderate muslims are no different than moderate christians, in that they hold on to the core values of their faith, but, reject religion’s role in modern affairs.

        Probably the most ridiculous part of reason’s post is the part about the bloodstained past. I suppose a case can be made, between the Moors and the Ottomans that the Muslims have a history of conquest, and I guess christianity, as new as it is, can’t be blamed for a bloody world conquest, it can sure be blamed for bloody campaign on Palestine in order to restore the “holy land”. But, the worst offenses were on their own people, such as the “Spanish inquisitions” and the “Salem witch trials”. No free speech, no civil rights. Just church or death.

        Agreed, when religion is something you read about in history books, that will be a better time for humanity, but, we will never really be out of the woods until people who make uninformed and prejudicial assumptions about each other, finally get a clue.

        NeoWolfe

    •  geoih says:

      “Another lesson ought to be that there are reasonable and necessary restrictions on free speech, even here in the USA.”

      Now all you have to do is define “reasonable and necessary” and get unanimous agreement.

      •  joe zamecki says:

        Here are a few I mention in the context of this issue:

        You can’t give out government secrets.

        You can’t incite a riot.

        You can’t lie to the police.

        You can’t solicit prostitution.

        You can’t scream cusswords near a lot of families with children, even if you’ve fallen out of your canoe.

        There are more, but those stand out in my mind as being just common sense, and recent case law precedent.

      •  geoih says:

        Are saying that all of these examples are reasonable and necessary? I think all you’re citing are situations where principles have been corrupted by democracy.

    •  reason says:

      joe
      sorry i came across as rude i offer my apology.Yes i do think plenty of christians have same views but as i look at the globe i see muslims in violent conflict with atheists[china]buddhists[thailand]hindus[india]jews[israel]and christians[europe].
      Neowolfe
      what moderate muslims-what muslims do and what they say among themselves is what counts.

      •  what says:

        Of course there’s that little matter of american xians supporting the invasion of Iraq.

        Give me a break Reason. The islamobogeyman crap is juvenile and unfactuaL.

    •  reason says:

      What
      What is juvenile and unfactual is that USA and our misguided invasion of iraq is to blame for islamic extremism.

      •  what says:

        The USA’s previous misguided adventures in the middle east are to blame for such retaliation. Or maybe it’s that they just “hate our way of life”? Booo! The islamobogeyman is coming. Run and hide. Spend trillions on useless wars. And above hate hate hate!

        Yeh, that’s the ticket.

        Yes i do think plenty of christians have same views but as i look at the globe i see muslims in violent conflict … .

        Maybe you should stop looking at the world with those Fox colored glasses.

      •  what says:

        above hate -> above all hate

  9.  dw says:

    Just as with any other group of people: Their rights end, where my nose begins. When their rights begin to infringe on my rights, their rights end. “Not being offended” is not a right. How soon will it be that a mere glance at someone becomes an offense?

  10.  gary Mueller says:

    Ok, if were talking shirts, this is my new fave. ” A man without a god is like a fish without a bicycle”
    But the shirt I wear most, simply says “no gods no masters” It gets great responce.

  11.  CascadiaEventHorizon says:

    More typical behavior of the religiously insane:
    http://WWW.hindu.com/2009/08/30/stories/2009083053710100.htm

    •  what says:

      CEH

      Holy crap!

    •  neowolfe says:

      When you’re trying to sell tickets in Las Vegas, you make elephants disappear. When you’re trying to become a holy man, you make your prophecies come true.

      The voodoo legend of zombies was a phamacolical trick performed by voodoo priests by applying puffer fish poison to victims, inducing deep paralysis, feigning death, then digging them up before they suffocate. Such fakery is as old as religion. Shocking yes, new, NO!! Holymen want to appear to command life and death, and will use whatever tools to achieve the illusion.

      NeoWolfe

  12.  phreedm says:

    What’s of a more interesting note, is the fact that Dave posted a link from “What do I know”…I’ll bet you a dollar “What do I know” must have paid his membership dues…

  13.  neowolfe says:

    Decoder rings can’t help for those who don’t comprehend English words.

    NeoWolfe

  14. bob lowe rabidatheist says:

    My tee shirts DESIGNS are much nIcer AND THEY ONLY COST $15.00

    GOD IS NOT MY DRUG OF CHOICE

    RELIGION IS NOT MY DRUG OF CHOICE