Sunday, June 29, 2014

And Atheism Is NOT A Religion?

Headline:
HIGHER GROUND: Atheist to give invocation before N.Y. town’s meeting

"Last month, the town of Greece, N.Y., won its fight to offer a prayer before its government board meetings, but with that victory came the stipulation that anyone was free to say one.

Next month, the town is making good on its word, and welcoming Dan Courtney, a member of the Atheist Community of Rochester, as he gives the invocation.

Mr. Courtney told the Religion News Service that his speech will “focus on inclusion.”

“For too long the invocations at these meetings were invitation only affairs, as if the public space was a private club. The result was over a decade of solely Christian prayer,” Mr. Courtney posted on his Facebook page. “The Court may have ruled in favor of the Town of Greece, but the real legal victory” is ensuring that “the party is no longer private. And the festivities have just begun.”

Mr. Courtney is scheduled to give the invocation at the town’s board meeting July 15."
Mr Courtney had better make it an actual prayer, since that is what he is being allowed to do. Anything less should result in his banishment from giving further invocations. Who/what would an Atheist pray to? Well, most likely he will give an Atheist speech against Christianity to a group of mostly Christians. That would be fair, if that is what he is asked to do. But it is not, so if that is what he does, he is a liar about giving a prayer to open the meeting.

3 comments:

Steven Satak said...

Mr. Courtney will probably eff it up, turning it into another sensational story for the main-stream media as he drones on and on while the cameras roll.

But to be charitable, let's wait and see what the schmott guy actually does. Should be a hoot.

As you've said, Stan, rejecting things is all they got. That doesn't go well with 'inclusion' unless the inclusion is for other folks. Which, with the Left, it always is.

Rejection sure is great for stirring shit up, though. And feeding egos already swollen with pride.

Robert Coble said...

Prayer:

(1) a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.

(2) an earnest hope or wish.

Combining both definitions:

Let us pray:

I beseech you, oh My Most Wonderful Self, on behalf of these benighted believers in something other than themselves, that you will vent your righteous anger against them for their many sins, but most especially the sin of believing in something or someone other than themselves. It is my earnest hope and wish for the total destruction of their erroneous belief (unlike my own magnificent self-worship), that ignorantly presumes (without material evidence or rational argument that I am willing to even consider) there is anything other than the great material reality of which I am the highest representative. I earnestly request, Oh My Personal Magnificence, that you generously bring these heretics back into the glorious light of the absolute darkness of the Void, and into the proper relationship of subservience to the One and Only Me. In the name of the True Material Self, I hereby invoke the beneficence of the only g-d that I can see, feel, and touch. So let it be written, so let it be done.


See? This prayer thing is quite easy to do. You just have to apply a little "science" and "reason" to it!

Rikalonius said...

One day at Thanksgiving my cousin made some snarky comment about saying grace. I said "Allow me. Our father, Richard Dawkins, hallowed be his name..."