New evidence proves the Umpqua Community College shooter committed suicide, and new witness debunks story that he targeted Christians.

Courtesy of MSN: 

An autopsy determined gunman Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer killed himself Thursday morning after his shooting spree on the campus of Umpqua Community College, said Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin. 

Authorities initially believed the 26-year-old killer died in a gunfight with police respond to the campus. He apparently shot himself as cops closed in after responding to a 911 call.

So that is one bit of evidence that disproves the initial assertion by officials that Mercer was killed by law enforcement officers.

Another widely reported "fact" is that the shooter was targeting Christian for execution.

Not so says witness Rand McGowan: 

Despite some reports to the contrary, McGowan said Harper-Mercer didn't appear to target Christians in particular. 

"He didn't really, honestly," McGowan said in a quiet voice while standing on the doorstep of his house in Roseburg, Oregon, on Saturday morning. 

McGowan’s right arm was wrapped up after surgery from a gunshot wound. 

"Obviously he was asking what religion, but he wasn't really just targeting. He was kind of just saying, 'Oh, since you have a God, you'll be joining him in a little bit," McGowan told The News. 

"It wasn't really like, 'I'm targeting you and I'm going to kill you,'" he said.

In fact the initial reports that Mercer was targeting Christians seems to have come from second hand accounts, and an online dating profile in which he identified himself as a "conservative" and a "Republican," but claims to dislike "organized religion."

Of course that was enough to convince the Wonder Twins to jump on the Christian persecution bandwagon, and for actor James Woods to attack the President for not speaking out about it.

By the way the shooter's father is also now calling for stricter gun control laws:  

The father of the gunman who killed nine people at an Oregon community college before turning a gun on himself said the shooting “would not have happened” if his son would not have been able to amass so many weapons. 

“The only thing I would like to say is a question that I would like to ask is how on earth could he compound 13 guns? How could that happen? They talk about gun laws, they talk about gun control but every time something like this happens they talk about it and nothing is done,” Ian Mercer told CNN. “I’m not trying to say that’s to blame for what happened but if Chris had not been able to get a hold of 13 guns, it wouldn’t have happened.” Ian Mercer also said he had no idea his son had any guns, let alone more than a dozen. Authorities recovered an additional weapon at the shooter’s home, bringing the total to 14.

The guy is not terribly articulate but I think we know what he is trying to say. 

Lawyer for Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to "teh" gays, claims that his client is being persecuted like the Nazis persecuted the Jews. Update!

Courtesy of Right Wing Watch: 

Yesterday, Davis’ attorney, Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, appeared on “Crosstalk” to defend Davis, claiming that she is simply trying to do her job, or at least, her job as she sees it. He even likened her to a Jewish person living under Nazi rule. 

When host Jim Schneider of VCY America asked why Davis won’t resign, he said that the county’s residents support her and “she’d probably be able to win the governor’s seat right now rather than just the clerk of Rowan County. She’s there to do a duty, a job and the job duty was changed.” 

“Does that mean that if you’re Christian, don’t apply here; if you’re a Jew, you gotta get — what happened in Nazi Germany, what happened there first, they removed the Jews from government public employment, then they stopped patronizing them in their private businesses, then they continued to stigmatize them, then they were the ‘problems,’ then they killed them,” Staver said. “The fact of the matter is, she has a right to this employment and you don’t lose your constitutional liberties just because you are employed by the government.” 

Yes being jailed for refusing to follow the law, while discriminating against gay people, is JUST like when the Nazis carted the Jewish people off to the gas chambers.

Why didn't I see that before?

Oh and there are plenty of people willing to take the "Christian persecution" metaphor and run with it.

Here is more from the fine folks over at Wonkette:

So glad that we can have a reasonable debate concerning the rule of law with these people.

Of course while all this is going on marriage licenses are being handed out to gay couples in Rowan County like Tic Tacs. 

Update: I think this belongs here.

Source

Last night on "Real Time" Bill Maher mocked the Christian persecution complex in this country.

My favorite line:

"Bill O'Reilly says 'If you're a Christian or a white man in the USA, it's open season on you.' Yes that explains all pf those recent videos of police shooting unarmed white clergymen."

American Christians, a group of people who believe that simply asking them critical questions about their faith, of suggesting that their holy book is not factual, is on par with the Holocaust.

Felon Dinesh D'Souza compares his conviction for violating campaign finance laws to the persecution of Martin Luther King Jr. by J. Edgar Hoover. On MLK day yet!

AN INTERESTING PARALLEL: MLK was targeted by J. Edgar Hoover, an unsavory character; I was targeted by the equally unsavory B. Hussein Obama
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) January 19, 2015

Holy crap! Just when I thought this guy could not be more of a douchenozzle.

I cannot even begin to fathom the kind of arrogance it takes to compare yourself to Martin Luther King Jr. on the day that we celebrate his memory. 

But then again I am not some weaselly pseudo Christian, Right Wing, flim flam man either.

This seems like an appropriate cartoon to post right about now.

It is not just death that the unbeliever faces either, it could also be jail time or corporal punishment delivered in public.

New report claims that Atheists are being targeted around the world for their lack of faith.

Courtesy of the Independent:  

Atheists and humanists are increasingly being targeted as distinct minorities in “hate campaigns” across the globe, according to a new report which found that religious and political leaders are ratcheting up rhetoric against those who believe there is no God. 

The report claims that the “hate speech” against atheists does not come exclusively from reactionary or radical religious leaders, but increasingly from political leaders, including heads of state. 

The Freedom of Thought report, published by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), states: “In 2014, in addition to laws such as those targeting ‘apostasy’ and ‘blasphemy’, we have seen a marked increase in specific targeting of ‘atheists’ and ‘humanism’ as such, using these terms in a broadly correct way (the users know what they are saying) but with intent clearly borne of ignorance or intolerance toward these groups.” 

The report singles out Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, who has called “humanism and secularism as well as liberalism” a “deviant” threat to Islam and the state. In a speech to the Quran Recital Assembly Razak said: “We will not tolerate any demands or right to apostasy by Muslims.” 

Saudi Arabia is criticised for a new law equating “atheism” with “terrorism”. The very first article of the kingdom’s new terror regulations banned: “Calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion”. 

Secular critics of Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, have found themselves targeted, through what the report calls “an organized backlash against young atheists”.

The report seems to mainly focus on predominantly Muslim countries, but of course Atheists are also oppressed and vilified here in the United States. And in our not to distant past we were even hung as witches or tortured for daring to have freedom of thought.

I often hear the Christians in this country complaining about their people being persecuted for their religion. But if they want to experience real persecution and oppression around the world, try telling people you are an Atheist.

In other news Ted Cruz gets booed off stage by Christian group for defending Jews.

Courtesy of Politico:

The president of the Christian organization who hosted Sen. Ted Cruz at its summit has partially blamed the senator for walking off the stage after being heckled and booed by some in the crowd during his speech. 

In Defense of Christians President Toufic Baaklini, in a statement released Thursday evening, said that while the hecklers were out of line, Cruz’s actions were “unfortunate” and detracted from the event.

“Sen. Cruz abruptly ended his remarks accusing some participants of being ‘consumed with hate,’” Baaklini said, in reference to a comment the senator made moments before he left the stage without finishing his speech. “That was as unfortunate as the inappropriate reaction by a small number of attendees.” 

EWTN News Nightly recorded a video of the tail end of Cruz’s speech on Wednesday. In it, the senator faced boos and angry yelling from some in the crowd over his previous comments. “I will say this: I’m saddened to see that some here, not everyone, are so consumed with hate,” he said in the video. 

“I will say this: If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Thank you, and God bless you,” he said, walking off stage to scattered applause and boos. 

Probably wrong that I enjoyed that so much isn't it?

I will say this however, even though it is against my religion, which you may know as the "I Always Disagree with Everything Ted Cruz says Adventists," but actually I think that old Rafael was saying some righteous shit.

However he was saying it to a crowd who only wanted to talk about Christian persecution, you know like Sarah and Bristol Palin, and not about any other group's centuries old persecution.

Yeah let those assholes get their own  fundraising event.

This is how another attendee, Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, summarized the Cruz kerfuffle: 

"I support Israel, but what Senator Cruz did was outrageous and incendiary," Dent said. "He showed a true lack of sensitivity for the people he was speaking to, especially the religious leaders who were there. It was a political speech, inappropriate and, overall, an uncomfortable moment."

So maybe it wasn't the whole  Jewish thing that upset the crowd so much, as simply the fact that Ted Cruz was being a giant douchenozzle.

The Fundamentalists are not convinced people are getting the message that THEY are being persecuted. So their newest foray into movie making is titled "Persecuted." There, that should do it.

Here is how the New York Post describes the film:  

The Lord works in mysterious ways but “Persecuted” works in blundering, obvious ways, straining a Christianity-under-attack theme through a dopey thriller. James Remar plays a Billy Graham-like evangelist who refuses to back a corrupt senator (Bruce Davison) pushing some sort of religious-unity bill for which details never quite emerge but that would effectively neutralize US Christianity. Or something. Framed for rape and murder in moronic ways that wouldn’t fool anybody, the evangelist turns fugitive while he tries to clear his name with the aid of his dad — a priest played by Fred Dalton Thompson. Hey, you know who else wandered in the wilderness?

Of course as all of you know "Arts and Entertainment" is one of the mountains described in the Seven Mountains mandate put forth by the Dominionists. 

And this movie, along with "Heaven is Real," "Noah," "Exodus," and a whole slew of others is supposed to convince the nonbelievers that God is real and religion is necessary, and also gives the believers something to watch which kowtows to their primitive superstitions.

Personally I welcome the idea that the Religious Right is turning to cinema as way to prove the existence of God.

That just makes it all the easier for me to convince the naysayers that Batman is real.

After all HE has been in tons of movies, almost as many as Jesus. So take that you, Dark Knight atheists!

P.S. But seriously this movie is, if you will pardon the expression, god awful. And it is certainly not going to win any converts, though it might help to reinforce the American Christian's ever increasing persecution complex.

Proof that, despite Right Wing fantasies to the contrary, there is NO religious persecution in America.

As all of you know the idea that the religious community is under attack by liberals, and that their rights are being trampled on repeatedly, is a constant theme on conservative and religious websites and news outlets.

However Robert Boston of Salon has listed all of the special rights afforded to religious organizations in this country, and why the truth is quite the opposite.

Here is that list:  

• Religious groups enjoy complete tax exemption, a very powerful and sought-after benefit. 
• Unlike secular nonprofit groups, houses of worship are not required to apply for tax-exempt status. They receive it by mere dint of their existence. 
• Houses of worship are assumed to be tax exempt as soon as they form. This exemption is rarely examined again and is revoked only in cases of extreme fraud (such as someone claiming that the entity he or she has formed is a church when it’s really a for-profit business). Houses of worship are free from the mandatory reporting obligations that are imposed on secular nonprofit groups. For example, secular groups that are tax-exempt must fill out a detailed financial form and submit it to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) every year. This document, called a Form 990, must be made available for public inspection. Houses of worship and ministries are not required to fill out and submit these forms. 
• Religious entities are not required to report their wealth to any government agency. The question often comes up about how much money houses of worship raise every year or what the value of the land they hold is. There is no way of knowing this because they are not required to tell anyone. 
• The IRS has the power to audit individuals and secular groups at the merest suspicion of wrongdoing or financial irregularities. Houses of worship, by contrast, are very difficult for the IRS to audit. This is so because Congress passed a special law governing church audits that requires the IRS to show heightened scrutiny before initiating such procedures. In addition, church audits must be approved by highly placed IRS officials. 
• Religious groups enjoy a loud and robust public voice. They own television and radio stations all over the country (all tax exempt, by the way). They own publishing arms, and they maintain various outreach sites on the Internet. The ability of religious groups to proselytize and spread their theology is limited only by the imaginations of their leaders. 
• Across the country, religious groups own a network of hospitals, secondary schools, colleges, social-service agencies, and other entities that often enjoy a cozy relationship with the government. Many of these institutions are subsidized directly with tax funds—even though they may promote religion. In recent years, religious groups that sponsor charitable services have seen themselves open to a host of new taxpayer assistance through the so-called faith-based initiative. 
• Religious groups are often exempt from laws that secular organizations must follow. A house of worship or a ministry can fire employees at will if those workers violate (or are merely suspected or accused of violating) some tenet of the faith. A religious school, for example, could fire a woman who becomes pregnant out of wedlock. A corporation or a secular nonprofit would not be able to do this. In many cases, religious groups are free from following even basic laws designed to promote health, safety, and general welfare. Houses of worship are routinely exempted from laws designed to improve access to facilities for those with disabilities, for example. In some states, daycare centers and other facilities sponsored by religious groups are wholly exempt from routine inspection laws. 
• Many religious groups engage in extensive lobbying on Capitol Hill and in the state capitals. Under federal law, there is virtually no regulation of their lobbying activities. Federal law exempts from oversight “a church, its integrated auxiliary, or a convention or association of churches that is exempt from filing a Federal income tax return.” This means that, unlike other groups, religious organizations are not required to report the money they spend attempting to influence legislation or to register their lobbyists. In rare cases, some states have tried to impose minimal regulations, such as public financial-disclosure reports, on houses of worship. The religious groups often fight such laws and call them an infringement of their religious-liberty rights. 
• Many legislators are quick to placate religious groups and the clergy. The results of their lobbying campaigns are often successful. In the 1990s, when some religious groups began to complain about experiencing difficulties with zoning issues and the ability to build houses of worship where they pleased, Congress was quick to pass a special law called the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. This law essentially trumps local zoning regulations with a federal fiat—even though, for many years, zoning had been considered a matter best handled by local officials. 
• Religious groups are often treated with special deference in cases of suspected law breaking. Anyone who doubts this need not look beyond the experience of the Roman Catholic Church during the pedophilia scandal. A secular corporation that engaged in such a massive cover-up and acts of deception would have found its top leaders behind bars. Yet in that scandal, only a handful of relatively low-level clergy were held accountable. 

Boston tacks this disclaimer at the end of his list:

I have created this list not necessarily to criticize or call for changing these policies (although some of them are overdue for scrutiny) but to make the point that the leaders of religious organizations have very little reason to complain. Their position is an exalted one. They are well regarded by lawmakers, and their institutions are not only tax supported in some cases but are also beyond the reach of secular law. What they are experiencing is not persecution; it is preferential status. 

I have always been aware of the special rewards and privileges enjoyed by organized religions in this country, but I have to say that seeing them all listed out like this is making me sick to my stomach.]

All that, and STILL they demand more, while demanding that others have less. 

Textbook for private school in Texas. This is what is taught when children are taught outside of the public school system.

Source

To these people public education is a government sponsored attack on their religion.

In their world of black and white, right and wrong, good and evil, they are the persecuted and any who do not share their faith are those who oppress them.

Former Minnesota Vikings player Chris Kluwe takes on the Religious Right.

Courtesy of Americans Against the Tea Party:  

Kluwe made the comments during an interview with atheist activist David Viviano. When asked if religion was behind Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer’s anti-gay comments, Kluwe said that a special brand of extreme Christianity was most likely the source. 

“I think that might have been a factor in it because I know that especially with Christianity there is very much, you know, a lot of stuff in the Old Testament about, you know, stone the gays, don’t allow it, homosexuality is a sin, stuff like that,” Kluwe replied. “And it is really unfortunate because there is a lot of very nice people who are Christians who don’t believe that, but there are also a lot of very not nice people who are Christians who do believe that, and they give the other Christians a very bad name.” 

“They’re very vocal, they’re very active, and they’re treating people really badly,” Kluwe went on to say. 

He pointed out that if the “tables where flipped,” fundamentalist Christians would be the first ones to complain about being “persecuted.” 

“Fundamentalism is never a good thing in history,” he continued. “Fundamentalism leads to really terrible things, and so my position has always been, I don’t have any problem whatsoever with religion, I have no problem whatsoever with whatever your beliefs are, all I care about are your actions. What do your actions say about you as a person? Because that is the only way any of us can ever judge each other.” 

Hard to argue with that.

I know that a lot of my Christian visitors get a little testy with me always going after religion, but much like Chris Kluwe my main problem is with those who wish to impose their religion on others.

If there were no Christians trying to insert Creationism into public classrooms, or telling women what to do with their bodies, or imposing their Biblical morality on our LGBT friends and relatives, I would never say a peep.

But as we know that is NOT what is going on in America these days. But hopefully by speaking out, educating others about the origin of religion, and standing up for our rights, there may soon come a time when people of a religious persuasion can live in harmony with the non-religious, and feel no sense of discomfort or need to inflict their point of view on their neighbors.

Sarah Palin's favorite Fox News contributor, Todd Starnes, caught promoting fake story about Christian persecution again.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

A Fox News correspondent has been busted again for pushing a one-sided story claiming religious persecution of Christians. 

Todd Starnes helped promote a story about a California first-grader who allegedly was not allowed to give a one-minute presentation about her family’s Christmas tradition because it included religious references. 

He quoted an Advocates for Faith and Family attorney who claimed the girl’s teacher ordered her to take a seat Dec. 19 and wouldn’t allow her to finish. 

“The disapproval and hostility that Christian students have come to experience in our nation’s public schools has become epidemic,” said attorney Robert Tyler, warning the family might sue if the school district didn’t apologize and change its policies on religious expression.

It should come as no surprise to most of us who know this little weasel's work, that this fabricated story did not match the real facts.

The girl was the only student who read from a prepared statement during a brief sharing exercise intended to improve students’ public speaking skills, the teacher said, and she asked her to cut short the statement due to limited time. 

The teacher denies telling the girl to sit down, instead allowing her to take one question from another student. 

“At no time did I ever tell the student that she could not read the bottom section [of her statement] because it was a Bible verse nor did she ask if she could finish,” said teacher Tammy Williams. “I never told her to ‘Stop right there!’ or ‘Go take your seat!’ or reprimand her in front of the class for sharing from the Bible. It just did not happen.” 

Paradise said she met with the following day with the girl’s parents, who were upset because they thought she was unable to finish her presentation because of its biblical content. 

The principal said neither parent claimed bullying or humiliation by teachers, which she said was made up by the religious legal group, and she has not heard from the parents since presenting her findings about the incident Dec. 24 to the school board. 

Paradise said she stood behind the teacher, and both she and Williams complained that Tyler and his group had misrepresented the incident and damaged their reputations. 

“What saddens me is that this story was twisted into lies and brought to the media,” Williams said. “I have never sat down and discussed this directly with the family or the student. I am instead being used to push an agenda for the Advocates for Faith and Freedom.”

No wonder Palin likes this guy, he has as much trouble telling the truth as she does. 

You know whenever I hear yet another story of supposed persecution of Christians I always remember the words of Jon Stewart.

Exactly!

Atheists: The truly persecuted people of our planet.

Courtesy of Reuters:  

In 13 countries around the world, all of them Muslim, people who openly espouse atheism or reject the official state religion of Islam face execution under the law, according to a detailed study issued on Tuesday. 

And beyond the Islamic nations, even some of the West's apparently most democratic governments at best discriminate against citizens who have no belief in a god and at worst can jail them for offences dubbed blasphemy, it said. 

The study, The Freethought Report 2013, was issued by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), a global body uniting atheists, agnostics and other religious skeptics, to mark United Nations' Human Rights Day on Tuesday. 

"This report shows that the overwhelming majority of countries fail to respect the rights of atheists and freethinkers although they have signed U.N agreements to treat all citizens equally," said IHEU President Sonja Eggerickx. 

The study covered all 192 member states in the world body and involved lawyers and human rights experts looking at statute books, court records and media accounts to establish the global situation. 

A first survey of 60 countries last year showed just seven where death, often by public beheading, is the punishment for either blasphemy or apostasy - renouncing belief or switching to another religion which is also protected under U.N. accords. 

But this year's more comprehensive study showed six more, bringing the full list to Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

In others, like India in a recent case involving a leading critic of religion, humanists say police are often reluctant or unwilling to investigate murders of atheists carried out by religious fundamentalists. 

Across the world, the report said, "there are laws that deny atheists' right to exist, revoke their citizenship, restrict their right to marry, obstruct their access to public education, prevent them working for the state...."

You know whenever I hear the Christians bitching about being persecuted, or somebody (Like Bristol for instance.) getting all worked up because a fellow Christian who was proselytizing in a non-Christian country has been kicked out or thrown in jail, I always think "Yeah but are they still being rounded up and killed in the streets?" Because THAT is exactly what is happening to people who dare to have no faith whatsoever, or who speak out against the repressive regimes who use religious as a bludgeon against its people.

That is why on this blog I will always stand up for the non religious and stand in opposition to those who wish to push their religion, and the "morals" associated with it, down our throats.

Freedom, TRUE freedom, means to be released from the shackles of ignorance and superstition.

I think somebody needs to send this flowchart to Fox News.

Source

Of course I am not at all sure that the Religious Right can understand such a confusing flow chart, but it's worth a shot.

By the way Christians if you want to experience actual modern day persecution, try being an Atheist.

Lack of "spiritual faith" comparable to "lack of courage, and "history of psychiatric hospitalizations" in Marine training publications. Please tell me again that Atheists are not persecuted.

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

In 2011 the Army faced public scrutiny after the exposition of once mandatory "Spiritual Fitness" testing which assessed the resiliency of soldiers on such qualitative measures as frequency of prayer or attendance of religious services. When a soldier failed this religious test they were denigrated with the following: 

"Spiritual fitness may be an area of difficulty... You may lack a sense of meaning and purpose in your life. At times, it is hard for you to make sense of what is happening to you and to others around you. You may not feel connected to something larger than yourself. You may question your beliefs, principles and values... Improving your spiritual fitness should be an important goal."

Of course, no military organization is content with a tongue lashing as a response to failing a mandatory test. For the test to have been worth anything, Army leadership determined remedial training in the form of training modules and even the requirement to visit with chaplains for religious counseling was appropriate. 

Fortunately, after extensive efforts by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF), and concerned soldiers, the Army decided in February of 2011 that religious testing would cease to be formally mandatory and remedial training for failing such tests would be optional. 

Sadly, this was not the end of religious tests being included in formal policy throughout our military. Several days ago it was brought to our attention at MRFF that the United States Marine Corps (USMC) maintains in its doctrine that a "Lack or loss of spiritual faith" is just cause to increase scrutiny of any given Marine. This clause is present in at least two USMC publications, including Marine Corps Base Quantico's Headquarters and Service Battalion Order 5100.29 and Training and Education Command Order 5100.1. 

"Lack or loss of spiritual faith" is included as a "Guidance/moral compass issue" in both of these documents under a list of risk indicators for use by "leaders at all levels" to "identify and address risky behavior or events that may lead to risky behavior, as soon as possible." This apparent character flaw is juxtaposed with such things as "lack of courage," "history of psychiatric hospitalizations," "past or current substance abuse history," and being "anti-social." In the simplest terms, it is the current official position of the United States Marine Corps that those who do not profess a religious belief or choose to leave their religion are to be considered a potential hazard to themselves and the Corps and be placed under greater scrutiny than their peers. 

The documents go on to include directives on how to convene a "Force Preservation Council" with the mission to evaluate and assist Marines that are identified as high risk through the checklist of undesirable traits (such as lack of religion).

I find it interesting that the military has little trouble opening their minds to the idea of openly gay soldiers within their ranks, and yet this prejudice remains so  firmly entrenched that it must be dealt with as if it is a dangerous psychological malady.

I will provide this caveat however. It may well be that the military much prefers those who tend to take things on faith alone, and rarely question the information they are provided. As habitual church goers and Fundamentalists are conditioned to do.

After all if critical thinkers were in positions of importance during the Nazi regime, who would have sent all of those Jews to the gas chambers? (And yes Hitler was closely associated with the Catholic Church and took his inspiration for the genocide from church teachings.)

Maybe it is just me, but I like the idea of those making life and death decisions while representing America to be intellectual inquisitive individuals who carefully think through any command they are given before executing it.

But hey what do I know? After all according to the Marines I might just as well be suffering from psychiatric problems.

Whenever I hear Christians complaining about being persecuted.

Yeah I know it can be troubling to the people who have all the power in this country to be challenged on their beliefs, or asked not to insert them into our public education and politics, but hey at least WE are not tearing off your breasts nor crushing your scrotum.

So let's keep a little perspective shall we?

My life in a nutshell.

It's okay though, the tide is turning.

Atheists around the world suffer persecution, discrimination, and sometimes execution. Gee, no kidding.

Courtesy of Reuters:  

Atheists and other religious skeptics suffer persecution or discrimination in many parts of the world and in at least seven nations can be executed if their beliefs become known, according to a report issued on Monday. 

The study, from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), showed that "unbelievers" in Islamic countries face the most severe - sometimes brutal - treatment at the hands of the state and adherents of the official religion. 

But it also points to policies in some European countries and the United States which favor the religious and their organizations and treat atheists and humanists as outsiders. 

The report, "Freedom of Thought 2012", said "there are laws that deny atheists' right to exist, curtail their freedom of belief and expression, revoke their right to citizenship, restrict their right to marry." 

Other laws "obstruct their access to public education, prohibit them from holding public office, prevent them from working for the state, criminalize their criticism of religion, and execute them for leaving the religion of their parents."

So go ahead Christians, tell me that funny story about how persecuted YOU are. Especially those who live in America where your faith is embraced by virtually every politician in the country, your holiday is the biggest event of the year, and where now there are attempts to introduce your creation story into public school classrooms.

Look I'm not complaining, I have dealt with this kind of discrimination my entire life. There have been times when I sat in quiet skepticism during religious functions, times when I choked back my dissension at how my daughter was being home schooled by her mother, and days when I politely chose not to correct those who saw miracles in easily explained phenomena.

But now it is my time, and my turn to stand up for who I am while demonstrating that those who are non-believers are not bereft of morality, nor prone to violence, nor living our lives denied serenity or hope.

We are instead simply human beings who respect the responsibilities that come with that title. Who think rather than believe, who question rather than accept, and who place our hope in humanity rather than divinity. We have no quarrel with any faith so long as it does not try to force itself upon us nor demand that we acquiesce to their set of beliefs and values.

Is THAT really so much to ask?

Jon Stewart points out the obvious.

Kind of hard to claim you re being persecuted when you have all of the power.

And yet they do.

Five Reasons why the Religious Right are full of crap when they complain about being persecuted in America.

Courtesy of Alternet:

Pew researchers examined 212 religious groups on the right and the left that engage in advocacy work in the nation’s capital. Their findings are illuminating. Anyone who believes the old saw that conservative Christians don’t have a voice in D.C. should take a look. With that thought in mind, here are five reasons why the Religious Right should stop complaining about persecution 

1. Of the 10 largest religious advocacy groups in Washington, seven take the Religious Right line on most issues. 

Five of the top-10 groups (Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, Home School Legal Defense Fund, Focus on the Family’s Citizenlink and the Traditional Values Coalition) are Religious Right organizations. The two other groups are the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops, which marches in lock step with the Religious Right on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and taxpayer funding of religion, and the National Right to Life Committee, a more narrowly focused group that shares the Religious Right’s views on abortion. Marginalized movements don’t have this much representation in Washington. 

2. These organizations raise a ton of money. 

If you add up the budgets of the seven conservative religious advocacy groups in the top 10, the figure tops $95 million. As infomercial pitchmen are fond of saying, “But wait, there’s more!” If you include budget figures for a few of the leading fundamentalist ministries (such as Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network and the empire created by the late Jerry Falwell), many of which are overtly political, and add in a handful of the top Religious Right legal groups, the numbers reach the stratosphere, exceeding $1 billion annually. No political movement that has control of that much cash can claim to be persecuted. 


3. These organizations enjoy incredible access to legislators. 

Most advocacy groups woo lawmakers with money (through allied political action committees) or by implying that there are votes to be had among their respective constituencies. Some far-right religious groups can offer both. The Family Research Council, for example, runs several PACs, including a new super-PAC that, thanks to the Supreme Court, can raise unlimited funds to pour into races. Do politicians take notice? You bet. At last month’s “Values Voter Summit” sponsored by the Family Research Council in Washington, both House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor took time out to address the crowd, and every major GOP presidential candidate was there as well.