I'm not anti-American.
Sometimes I get off the wall comments on posts that don't even have to do with my views on religion, but someone comes along, figures out I'm an atheist, and then says something really stupid like this.
"You're anti-God! you're anti-American! Get out of the US if you don't love the God this country was founded on you godless immoral heathen! We who love our God and savior don't want you here!!"
Ok Laura, calm the fuck down.
Being an atheist in no way makes me anti-American.
It simply means I don't believe in your God.
This country was founded by people searching for religious freedom, the freedom to believe in whatever God or Gods they wanted to.
They were being oppressed, so they left an started a new country where they recognized that all people had the right to choose what they believed in.
Yes, most of them believed in the Christian God, but when they wrote the constitution and the 1st amendment, they made sure that each person would have the right to exercise their rights to believe or not believe.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
That doesn't say that we the people, all have to believe in the same God, it means free exercise to believe what we want.
We have all the 1st amendment to protect us from religious persecution by our government, not be forced to believe in any God by our government.
If I was anti-American, I'd probably post a lot more about how much I hate the government and our current president, how the war in Iraq is unjust, or whatever.
But I don't.
I follow politics, I vote.
I believe one vote equals one voice.
I know that it's a privilege to have the right to vote, so I vote in every local, state, and federal election.
I don't waste that right given to me.
I don't snub my nose at the 1st amendment, I applaud it, because it gives me and you, the right to believe whatever we want to believe, and to not be persecuted for those beliefs by an oppressive government.
Laura, your comment has not, nor will it be published.
It was not on topic to the post you left it on, so I junked it.
Sorry.
But if you'd like to have a rational discussion about being an American, and what the 1st amendment means, feel free to email me. There's a handy dandy button at the top of the sidebar just for things like this.
But if you send me an email full of hate, telling me to get out of this country I was born in and that I have respect for, call me names, be ignorant and disrespectful, I will not reply, but delete it.
I'll be respectful to you if you are to me.
And I respect your right to believe in your God, and even your right to say hateful things, but I don't have to reply to them.
Those are my rights.




Comments
I say believe what you want, as long as it doesn't hurt someone physically, or your intention aren't good. I think we all know the difference between good and bad. If you don't then read up on it. I am sorry to hear someone said these things about you. I am Lutheran, or at least I used to be, right I pretty much just believe in god, and that no religion has got it right. I go to church sometimes, but more often then not I just pray at home, and I teach my son about god, but I don't push him to belong to a church or force him to believe what I do.
I hope you don't have to expierence this anymore, no one should be made to feel bad because they don't hold someone else belifs to be true.
Thanks
Rachel
The baked blogger
http://bakedblog.com
Posted by: Rachel | April 11, 2008 2:10 PM
Speaking your mind and being different is AS American as you can get. And, Laura, Darling, this country was founded because the founders were rebelling against unfair taxes and other laws by the British government. It was, however, first settled by Europeans escaping religious persecution- which would be a very unAmerican policy and which you are condoning. Now who's unAmerican?
Posted by: Jennyjinx | April 11, 2008 3:05 PM
There must be a new spammer thing going on. I got the same sort of message on one of my posts and ummm I'm Catholic. LOL
Posted by: Lisa | April 11, 2008 6:03 PM