Atheists Against Public Prayer: Same Old Song and Dance

 Once again, an internet Atheist is rehashing the shopworn argument against public prayer. This time it's a guy on the Atheist Revolution blog known as Vjack, quoting the same verses from Matthew:

https://www.atheistrev.com/2007/07/public-prayer.html

"The book many Christians seek to elevate above all other books might not be clear about much, but it seems fairly clear in discouraging public prayer. Matthew 6:5 - 7 says:

5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Pretty clear, isn't it? Public prayer is compared to hypocrisy and is discouraged while private prayer is valued."

No Vjack, evidently it isn't clear... to you. In that very same Bible, the Apostle Paul encourages us:

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

So how are we supposed to pray without ceasing? Are we never supposed to leave our prayer closet? I'm sure that would make a lot of Village Atheists happy, but it just isn't realistic.

The very same Bible that Vjack quoted is full of examples of people praying in public. Even Jesus prayed in public. So what is Jesus telling the people about prayer? To hide every time you want to pray?

Look at the wording of the verses in Matthew. Jesus is specifically citing the prayer of people who make a show of their faith to impress others. Of course private prayer is encouraged. Jesus took time alone to fast and talk with The Father.

This Atheist is trying to convince us to be ashamed of our faith and to hide it from public display at all costs, based on his MISunderstanding of Scripture.

Next time an Atheist tries to educate you about your faith, just read the Bible. You'll discover that Atheists DON'T read the Bible, but simply google and cherry-pick verses in their weak arguments. It doesn't take a Bible Scholar to easily shred an Atheist's criticism of what Atheists clearly don't understand.

'Nuff said. 

Extremism Is in The Eye Of The Beholder

An Atheist in a blog posted this:

And despite the cries of our opponents, most atheists really aren't very good at extremism. The religious are very good at extremism.

To the Atheist everything a Christian believes is extreme, and acting on that belief is considered extremism.

Atheist extremism is hardly mentioned, however, because it usually results in the creation of governments like the Soviet Union or the Peoples Republic of China.

If you want to see a good example of Atheist extremism, watch the current wave of ANTIFA riots in major US cities. Atheism is a core belief of Communists as they believe religion is a stumbling block to achieving their idea of Utopia.

So tell me, who is more dangerous: a group of nuns who won't offer to pay for birth control for their employees, or a mob of masked thugs destroying public and private property?

The fact is, Atheism metastaizes into radical movements like Antifa.

Think about it. 

American Atheists Doesn't Care About Loss Of A Paycheck

Once again, American Atheists, a haven for intellectual dishonesty, is spinning another false narrative narrative about religious organizations. Their issue is about small business loans:

http://www.feedspot.com/?dadi=1#feed/fof_fo_1688244__f_4977406/article/6262666582?dd=4311523148070748

The focus and purpose of the AA blog entry is to bash President Trump AND religious organizations.

“Due to the Trump Administration’s unwillingness to provide full disclosure, we have had to work with limited data. Yet the picture is clear: this is an unprecedented giveaway to religious organizations,” said Alison Gill, Vice President of Legal and Policy at American Atheists.

“In two months, the Trump Administration has given churches and religious schools more money than double the CDC’s annual budget of  "6.5 Billion” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “If that doesn’t make it crystal clear what this administration’s priorities are, nothing will.

Here's what American Atheists doesn't bother to recognize: these are SMALL BUSINESS loans. There are specific qualifications for receiving these loans. These religious organizations run schools and day care centers. These places employ PEOPLE, and are thus regulated by the  government where it concerns pay and taxation. When it comes to providing services, they are businesses and run like businesses.

Remember the big issue made of religious organizations being held to the same non-discriminatory  hiring practices concerning the LQBTQ community as secular businesses? If those policies stand, that also means the GOVERNMENT regulates the business side of a religious organization, so they should qualify as a business.

Small businesses are doing whatever they can to survive. Church based businesses to not want to terminate employees. Religious organizations still pay utility bills and are levied police and fire protection "fees". The money for this has been cut off due to COVID 19 lockdowns. These loans are a necessity for EVERY small business that is struggling, including a church day care center or school.

The sad fact is, public schools are closed all over the U.S. and the employees of those public schools still receive a paycheck for effectively doing NOTHING. Hoe many billions is this costing the taxpayers? Far more more than a few SBA loans to private schools.

Unfortunately, American Atheists' attitude is, "if you work for a private school, tough luck Charlie."

'Nuff said. 

Now Let's Tear Down the Jesus Statues!

This may be one of the silliest arguments of all time. The fact that "caucasian" inlcudes a wide group of people is virtually ignored by the average protester. Here's a gem by Shaun King, a spokesman for the Anti White Jesus Movement. I don't know if Mr. King is an atheist, but lots of Atheists are reposting his tweets. In attacking traditional renderings of Jesus:

“They are a form of white supremacy,” King tweeted about the monuments. 
“Always have been,” King tweeted. “In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down.”

Uh, sorry Mr. King, but is it possible that Jesus' parents took Him to Eqypt because it was 1000's of miles closer to Palestine? Not to mention that Denmark probably didn't exist as a civilized country? But hey, let's not let facts get in the way of a compelling narrative, right?

Egyptians were not all dark brown. Just look at the renderings of the ancient Egyptian nobles that have been preserved through time.

Folks, we don't know exactly what Jesus looked like, but we do know that not all Middle Easterners are brown. It seems that purpose of the argument is to attack white supremacy, but it's being done by forcing Jesus into another stereotype instead.

If I was to say all Asians look alike I'd be called a racist. Yet it's not racist to make the same claim in trying to describe Jesus' appearance.

So who are the racists here?

Think about it.

The Latest Tomfoolery From FFRF

Here we go again. It's that wonderful group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, those staunch "defenders" of the Constitution, creating an attack ad against the churches during the COVID 19 pandemic.

https://www.freethoughttoday.com/vol-37-no-04-may-2020/feeling-helpless-or-angry-heres-how-to-fight-back

Blasphemy... an Atheist hobby

The article is as follows:

Feeling helpless or angry? Here’s how to fight back.

Many of you have contacted FFRF, angry and worried that governors or other officials across the country are exempting churches and religious worship from the “safer at home” orders necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Why only churches? There are more health risks at your local Walmart or CostCo store. 

If you’re stuck at home, perhaps feeling a little helpless, isolated and angry that these churches are risking your life and the lives of your loved ones, we want to help you fight back.

If you're an atheist, you don't attend church. You avoid Christians as much as possible. So how is a church endagering your life?

In response to the overwhelming and heartening volume of requests for advice on how best to hold our elected officials accountable during this turbulent time, FFRF has created a set of resources for your use. FFRF’s website now has a page specifically dedicated to secular activism in the time of coronavirus. You can access it here: ffrf.org/legal/covid-resources.

So now the Atheists have something to do with their time while they sit at home. They can write more angry letters which will accomplish next to nothing, since MOST churches are following the stay at home orders!

FFRF has already sent a letter to every governor explaining why church exemptions are unconstitutional and lethal. We’ve also asked each FFRF member to call and email your own governor. That action alert has basic talking points. We’ve sent other letters of complaint, too. We’ve written op-eds. We will continue to challenge these inappropriate religious exemptions. And we know you want to fight them, too.

Actually, restricting one's right to worship is what is unconstitutional. The main reason organizations like FFRF get away with it is because they can judge shop for judicial activists who are willing to bend the Constitution to suit a liberal world view.

Please continue to report (ffrf.org/legal/report) any state/church violations happening in your community. While the Religious Right continues to exploit this global public health crisis as an opportunity to peddle their beliefs, we in the secular community must use all the resources at our disposal to ensure that reason-based solutions drive our public policy responses and solutions to this pandemic.

Nobody is exploiting anything. Nonetheless, the FFRF is behaving like an atheist Gestapo, reporting anybody that offends their sensitive feelings. No atheists are dying because a handful of people at tiny neighborhood church decided to congregate. Nonetheless, FFRF is giving marching orders to the unhappy few to restrict the freedom of the majority.

Thank you for your activism. We hope you are staying home and staying safe.

While the FFRF members hide at home, I'd like to mention that local churches are actively helping in whatever way they can during the pandemic. Churches are helping the needy get food, delivering medicine, providing home teaching aids and materials, and allowing their facilities to be used as temporary COVID testing centers. I have no knowledge of anybody at FFRF or American Atheists doing the same. In fact it's time, especially now, for atheists to put up or shut up, especially when they go the trouble of accenting their gripe with a demeaning picture of Jesus.

More Silliness From Richard Dawkins

"I am agaianst religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world."

REALLY? Dr. Dawkins, have you never heard of Galileo, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, or Georges Lemaitre?

I am a habitual watcher of documentaries, especially those about nature and the Universe. I love learning about my world.

What astonishes me is how a brilliant person like Richard Dawkins can make such incredibly stupid assumptions.

That is what happens when bigotry trumps reason. I pity this poor man.

A Silly Twitter Post From Richard Dawkins

From the Twitter feed of Atheism's leading spokesman, Richard Dawkins:

Richard Dawkins@RichardDawkins·Apr 4

Immune because “I’m covered in the blood of Jesus”

A church is an enclosed space where people right next to each other sing their lungs out into the air. A church is virus heaven: a focal point where people get infected, then go out & infect others

Perhaps the same could be said for Dr. Dawkins' lectures. After all, we're talking about 30 to 50 people OR MORE crammed into an enclosed space, elbow-to-elbow. Should we prohibit all college lecures during the yearly cold and flu season for the sake of public safety?

Nawwww... Dr. Dawkins is too important to let a flu bug interfere with his livelihood.