War on Christmas: Back in Style!

I received the following email a few days ago. I do not know the person who sent it to me, and I can only assume that we were in contact years ago in an email that I have long since purged from my Gmail account. I get forwarded messages every once in a while; Gmail is pretty good about halting most of them. This one was a little different though. It almost seems that Gmail let this one through, so that I could deliver a retributive bitch slap. It was titled “The Grinch”.

Today, November 12th, 2008, I read in the news that the “American Humanist Association” has launched a “Why Believe in a God?” campaign, starting on buses in Washington DC next week. According to their spokesman, athiests, agnostics and non-theists “feel a little alone during the holidays, because of its association with traditional religion”.

REALLY? People who deny there is a God -they get bummed when other people celebrate God? Why is that? They are totally welcome to believe in God! Nothing stops them but themselves! I believe in God. I’m not sad, nor do I feel left out, when athiests sit around not believing!

We have become a nation of whiners…and apparently, a nation of Godless whiners! Will you please join me in making a phone call to the American Humanist Association? Assure them “Don’t be so sad! We’ll share our God with you!” Cheer them up! It will just take a moment, it will tie up their phone lines, and THEY pay for the toll free call!

They can be reached at (800) 837-3792. Call now!!! Call often!!! And send this email to EVERYONE you know. Maybe we can be the Grinch who stops their $40,000 ad campaign - by sending them a big phone bill!

How Christ-like.

“We don’t agree with you, so instead of responding with a logically-sound argument, we’ll prank call you a bunch of times and run up your phone bill!” What’s next? Having a bunch of pizzas delivered to their headquarters?

This email had 476 recipients, including myself, and they were listed alphabetically and cut off early into the D’s. I don’t even want to guess how many people got this email from this lady. Oh yeah, did I mention that she’s a lady. And that I have her name, address, and phone number? Thanks to my good friend, the internet, I do!

Her name is Linda Creviston, and she lives near Chicago. I won’t give her full address, but since I was able to find her information easily online I’m sure any interested parties could do the same. I was originally going to post her phone number, but again, I think I am better than that. But… for anyone who wants to do some internet digging, I’ll give you a hint: her area code is 630.

I’d love to say, “Call Linda up and harass her!”, but I’m not going to. In fact, I hope no one calls her. She leads a sheltered existence inside a set of medieval beliefs surrounded by a toddler’s maturity for debate. There is not a single thing any one of of us could offer Linda to change this.

That is the sad reality of the world in which we live. We are outnumbered by people who resort to an appeal to popularity all to often to justify their childish, strong arm techniques.

God Hates Cuba… Apparently

Facebook.com, if you are unfamiliar, is a social networking tool that allows members to join groups with other members that share a common bond. Groups range from political, athletic, and religious groups to include humorous, offbeat, and nonsensical groups.

I try not to make this a political blog aside from matters that deal specifically with the separation of church and state and any legislation that may affect atheists and non-believers. I will apologize upfront if you are put off by any political remarks, but I find this to tie in very much to my general loathing of the Jesus Fan Club.

While browsing the volumes of worth on Facebook, I came across the group titled “I HATE FIDEL CASTRO.” I clicked through because the topic interested me on a political level, though I found the content to be far from political.

The group’s description boasts:

New report states that Castro’s stiches from stomach surgery have not healed properly, and he has had to seek medical attention for them. That is good news and that shows how awesome GOD is, while he is a forgiving and loving GOD, but he is also a just GOD

In believing that God is just, you imply that God is sympathetic to the American people and their system of government. This is a pristine example of the rampant ethnocentrism that so many theists display (particularly in the southern U.S.). Honorable as you may think you are being in your declaration, displaying enthusiasm for another’s pain and suffering is not what I have ever seen defined as “Christ-like”.

Let’s hope so? Pardon me for doubting the intelligence of someone who dubs himself an “anti-castro redneck”. Were this group created by a Cuban who had qualms with the current state of Cuba, I could understand the dissent, however this group is simply a response to one anti-castro redneck’s distaste for communism (i.e. not right-wing conservatism.)

I suppose “love thy neighbor”, like so many other Bible lessons, is a conditional sentiment.