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I have a new goal in life...

Jonathan Ribee

Jonathan Ribee

Unavailable at present
...I'm going to move to Indiana, open a business and refuse to serve practicing christians. Because that's OK now.
 
Jonathan - be sure particularly to refuse those wearings garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together; or cotton/rayon, say; at the least, Stay-press is grounds for a stoning. Then again, perhaps it's just that legislator's shiney suit ...
 
Jonathan Ribee said:
...I'm going to move to Indiana, open a business and refuse to serve practicing christians. Because that's OK now.
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Only if you are swivel eyed moon howling nutter, if you can demonstrate prejudice of any sort, I am sure you will be warmly welcomed.
 
Were it not for religion karma would never have existed.
 
That is one area where there is a big difference culturally between Europe and the USA, a colleague who worked out there for two years said it just was not the done thing to say you were an atheist, even not going to church was regarded as a bit suspicious and this was in California, where you would expect it to be a bit more laid back about such things.
 
russel said:
That is one area where there is a big difference culturally between Europe and the USA, a colleague who worked out there for two years said it just was not the done thing to say you were an atheist, even not going to church was regarded as a bit suspicious and this was in California, where you would expect it to be a bit more laid back about such things.
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If you live in any urban area, even in the Deep South (e.g., Mobile, Alabama), nobody gives a damn if you are religious or not.

If you live out in the country, outside of a very small town, nobody gives a damn about your religion. People who live remotely are fiercely independent types, who don't appreciate anyone intruding on their privacy.

Religion does make a difference in some, but not all middle American, middle-class suburbs. People who live in the city of Indianapolis are relatively diverse, but the surrounding suburbs are overwhelmingly white, Christian and Republican. I recall doing some IT consulting at Ely Lilly back in the 80's. Regan's picture was up on every wall, and the entire company was treated to a steak lunch on the day after he was re-elected. These are deeply conservative people who are right now living in denial. They simply do not understand how "religious freedom" has become a means for prejudiced behavior. Governor Pence sounded like an idiot yesterday, saying the law would not be a problem because of "Hoosier hospitality". Yeah, right.

I am looking forward to the first time an Indiana restaurant refuses to serve a gay couple on religious grounds. The protest marches and law suits will quickly follow, and this absurd new law (that Pence signed in a private ceremony - no press to ask questions) will be overturned. This law is not just a desperate attempt to turn back time, and is also a political move that gives Pence some additional standing with evangelicals ahead of his upcoming Presidential bid. It is equal parts pathetic and cynical.
 
If religion didn't exist I'm sure people would be bat shit mad about other things and act in a bigoted way.

Politics is as much a religion to some, stick to the hard right or hard left even when they can not reasonably justify it. Music too; fans of one band fighting fans of another or supporters of different genres like punk and pop.

Human nature and indoctrination are the problem, religious fanaticism is the symptom. That is not to justify bigoted behaviour but don't get a bad taste for religion as a whole.
 
Hook said:
If you live in any urban area, even in the Deep South (e.g., Mobile, Alabama), nobody gives a damn if you are religious or not.

If you live out in the country, outside of a very small town, nobody gives a damn about your religion. People who live remotely are fiercely independent types, who don't appreciate anyone intruding on their privacy.

Religion does make a difference in some, but not all middle American, middle-class suburbs. People who live in the city of Indianapolis are relatively diverse, but the surrounding suburbs are overwhelmingly white, Christian and Republican. I recall doing some IT consulting at Ely Lilly back in the 80's. Regan's picture was up on every wall, and the entire company was treated to a steak lunch on the day after he was re-elected. These are deeply conservative people who are right now living in denial. They simply do not understand how "religious freedom" has become a means for prejudiced behavior. Governor Pence sounded like an idiot yesterday, saying the law would not be a problem because of "Hoosier hospitality". Yeah, right.

I am looking forward to the first time an Indiana restaurant refuses to serve a gay couple on religious grounds. The protest marches and law suits will quickly follow, and this absurd new law (that Pence signed in a private ceremony - no press to ask questions) will be overturned. This law is not just a desperate attempt to turn back time, and is also a political move that gives Pence some additional standing with evangelicals ahead of his upcoming Presidential bid. It is equal parts pathetic and cynical.
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Based on my 20 years living in the US my observations are somewhere between yours and Russel's.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-see-an-atheist-president-heres-what-we-know/

, a 2014 Pew Research Center poll found that Americans are less likely to vote for an atheist than any other type of candidate, including ones who have never held office, have had extramarital affairs, are in their 70s or are gay.

Being identified as an atheist in the United States today is still such a major political liability that a candidate holding this position probably could not gain a major party’s nomination for president or even the Senate.
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Tenson said:
If religion didn't exist I'm sure people would be bat shit mad about other things and act in a bigoted way.

Politics is as much a religion to some, stick to the hard right or hard left even when they can not reasonably justify it. Music too; fans of one band fighting fans of another or supporters of different genres like punk and pop.

Human nature and indoctrination are the problem, religious fanaticism is the symptom. That is not to justify bigoted behaviour but don't get a bad taste for religion as a whole.
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I repeat. I hate religion. I hate indoctrination. I hate the imposition of illogical rules, often based in what might have been some sort of pragmatic logic millenia ago.

That is not the same as saying I hate faith, or spirituality.

But they cannot be imposed and the dangerous idiots who think they can are a blight on humanity.

Mull
 
I hate religion because it's really boring. You had to learn a load of totally dull stories about people wandering around in a desert with no wi-fi, or anything. The parable of the golf balls, or something. And if you couldn't remember any of that boring stuff, you got marked down.

Maths was much more interesting, because it appeared to be real.
 
Oh man, way too many H words here

.... a couplea years ago (maybe more) I started to remove that word from my vocabulary, at first it slips out but I stop and rephrase... I say exactly what I mean, over time this mindfulness changes a person, I think... I hope for the better...

If you utter the H word, you need a pony, the yellow one... Yup, definitely the yellow one.

Fluttershy (Via Maya Anjelou) by c-g., on Flickr
 
I think many people use the word without knowing what it means.
 
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