Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, North Carolina has been giving patrons a discount if they prayed publicly before their meal. A bit unusual perhaps but it was their way of thanking people for expressing gratitude for their food.
Of course, militant atheists couldn’t let this continue so they threatened a lawsuit. The discount is now gone.
It has frequently been expressed by commenters on SDA that if you want to understand the Leftist mindset, you have to observe what they most rail against. The complaint they most often charge religious people with is that “they try to push their religion (aka belief system) on others”. Yet here’s a textbook example of them doing exactly the same thing. How do you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y in Leftist-speak?!
I can’t exactly pinpoint when it was but, in the last 10 years or so I noticed that atheism stepped noticeably over the threshold into Zealotry.
BULLIES!
There are few that are less tolerant than a fundamentalist atheist. They know The Truth and must silence any and all dissenting voices, and remove any successful dissenting voices from public view. Cults and fatally flawed religions are promoted so that a broad brush can be used to smear all who do not believe in Science as their creator.
(Note that there is no savior to this group: there is no afterlife, there is only the here and now and whatever enjoyment you can get from it. That is part of why it is a death cult that must convert, its adherents have so little hope for/interest in the future that they do not breed to sustainment levels.)
atheist = lefty
you idiots are no better than those you criticize
atheist Zealots and Radical Leftists have exactly the same mindset. Come to think of, so do Islamists. Different causes but ultimately all share the same totalitarian gene.
I do know a few angry atheist types. They do want to use government force to outlaw religion. I try to explain that government bans on religion would have the opposite effect. As we say, the best road to becoming an atheist, is to read the Bible.
Being an atheist does not force you to use your brain, but religion does force you not to use it.
Some right-wing thinking folks just don’t believe in a God; I am one of them. LOL To be honest, I don’t know what that makes me. I am as right-wing in every way that can be conceived…..only I don’t believe in a God. So what does that make me? Still right-wing? Libertarian? I guess I don’t have the education or knowledge to really know like some good folks on here.
But whatever that is, I don’t believe that being an atheist automatically precludes the fact that it isn’t acceptable EVER to interfere or tell a private, small company how to conduct it’s own business. If they want to include this discount, they should be allowed to, and let the chips fall where they may regarding whether their business profits or fails as a result. That is how free-market capitalism works and SHOULD work.
Personally, I’d just say the prayer to get the discount as it is no skin off my nose. Or if I was REALLY feeling uppity about the whole notion, I would just happily pay my bill in full without going through the motions of doing what it takes to get the discount. Or on the tiny chance if I were REALLY put off, I just wouldn’t eat there to begin with. Why do people feel that they HAVE to be offended just because someone believes differently? Only people who are insecure in whatever belief system that they have see a need to inflict it upon someone else, be they religious or non-religious.
This part of the Civil Rights Act is now being used to discriminate, when it was intended to prevent discrimination. As a free market Atheist, I find that reprehensible. Government should stay out of economic affairs. If it was a government run shop, I’d say otherwise.
Atheism is a “death cult”??! Thanks for … letting me know. Except that : 1) cults worship deities. 2) Atheists don’t worship deities. 3) Your statement is flawed.
“He was an embittered atheist (the sort of atheist who does not so much disbelieve in God as personally dislike Him).”
– George Orwell
Avoid militant atheists so the lightning can’t ricochet off them and hit you.
Most atheists are decent, rational people who don’t attack relgious people (with the exception of those who deserve to be attacked). I’m a Christian and in general I have no problem with atheists (many of my friends and family etc).
However just as ISIS and Westboro Baptist represent the despicable dregs of those religions, there are a lot of “Angry Atheists” who are frankly repellent people, regardless of what they do or do not believe in.
“1) cults worship deities. 2) Atheists don’t worship deities…”
You didn’t notice the capitalized S in Science? You haven’t noticed appeals to authority that are every bit as authoritative as Catholics deferring to the pope? The fundamentalist atheist has religious leanings and inclinations and is every bit as much of a follower as one in a religion (including cults). Wilful blindness to flaws in theories, refusal to list or accept falsification criteria; there are a number of ways that erstwhile atheists can practice fundamentalism. They don’t see it as a condition of a closed mind, which is why they are blind to alternative hypotheses.
Fully agreed. Most people are good folks, but the good, normal folks aren’t the ones that everyone remembers. Working as a gas jockey and serving tourists I can easily say that only a small proportion of those I served met the description of the ugly american tourist. But because those few could be so obnoxious, they stick in my memory where the good folks have just faded into the background.
“…Being an atheist does not force you to use your brain, but religion does force you not to use it.” what utter crap. Some of this planets greatest thinkers have been deeply relgious men and women. You do not speak of religion, but the structure of the authoritarian and usually conformist construction that so often accompanies a formal religious belief, or any strongly held belief system that would force others to conform. Including the zealous athiests that are the point of this story.
Agreed. I’ve been saying for years that atheism is a religion.
Now to answer the question
S-O-P
Atheist here. Grew out of the loudmouth militant mindset after my parents stopped forcing attendance at Sunday mass, turning 16, and growing up.
Have no problem with most religion. Share most of the same values so why should I?
The angry leftist atheists for the most part view Christianity & Western civilization as political enemies. It’s not really about religion or worship of deities.
Christians are quite content to turn the other cheek, to judge not lest they be judged, etc. Leftists absolutely CANNOT. It’s a full-blown mental disease for them. They simply cannot and will not abide anyone living by the “wrong” belief system, and there is only ONE such “wrong” belief system: the Judeo-Christian foundation upon which Western Civilization was built. White, anglo-saxon, Judeo-Christian, patriarchy, traditional families, etc. All of those are like absolute poison to most leftists, scourges that must be stamped out at all cost.
Once you understand that, you can accurately predict a leftist’s response to almost any situation. They are truly some of the stupidest people on the planet.
Good grief. If you read the handwritten note posted by the restaurant management, they admitted that what they were doing was illegal. The restaurant was not militantly harassed into capitulation through intimidation or the threat of a SLAPP suit; the restaurant simply came to understand that it was doing something illegal and corrected it, to comply with laws enacted democratically.
Where does the notion come that atheists are left-wing? Most I know are not.
Jesus wasn’t a big fan of making a show of public prayer.
“(…)they admitted that what they were doing was illegal.”
I think the problem is that it was illegal in the first place.
A restaurant should be permitted to give a discount for people who pray. They should also be permitted to give a discount for people who publicly disavow God, support a specific sports team, wear blue jeans, have purple hair, say the Lord’s Prayer backwards, carry an AA chip, or anything else.
I might not agree with all of them, but it’s none of my (or the government’s) goddamned business.
I don’t think we should broad brush atheists any more than Christians et al. Many atheists are not angry and are sincerely looking for the truth.
There does seem to a be sub-group (often British for some reason) that want to self-elevate themselves by deriding people who don’t share their philosophy as equivalent to mental midgets who believe in the tooth fairy. Or accusing families of “abusing” their children by teaching them about faith. Or pretending that atheism is a scientific, rather than a philosophical position.
They think it makes them look intellectually superior. It really just makes them look like a-holes with attitudes remarkably similar to angry religious fundamentalists.
When is it that where now forced by governments with political policies, have to do with business? Let alone legal beagles attacking freedom of religion, if people who own the business can’t even allow prayer on personnel property? Where is our freedom? Discounts are the life blood of most bushinesses. Just because you don’t like this one, is your own bias. Some people take them, others don’t. It called personnel choice. True atheists wouldn’t care. But than where not talking about them. Its the religious atheists. The ones who worship matter as their God who become enraged. Matter that “just” appeared.
Its one thing for food inspections or food practices being ogled that endanger peoples heath, but now beliefs? These folks are nothing but totalitarians pushing another bullying agenda under the Guise of “tolerance” to force their opinion on every one. No one forces people to pray. Not leaving a tip covers the discount. Free will does not exist in these folks lexicon, nor individual choice.
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Another post trashed. I confess I don’t know the rules any more on this site. Seems some people can post anything no matter what. Others get blocked for no reason. I don’t think its an accident any more. The post was just a comment on how Bullying types are now interfering with private business using Government.
Isn’t atheism itself a belief system ie the belief in not believing in a god or diety. If so, what gives them the right to force their belief system over others.
longcumbersomeaddress said: “Most atheists are decent, rational people who don’t attack relgious people…”
Yeah sure. As Kathy Shaidle has been heard to say on many occasions, it doesn’t matter AT ALL what “most” people do so long as they continue to quietly support the freakshows out there wrecking the place.
And you know they do. “Most atheists” may be content to quietly ignore the restaurant where they say grace, but when Mr. Atheist Freakshow sues them, they’re nodding along.
Fundamentalist Atheists are among the most intolerant and abusive people I ever see on-line. The God-Botherers are quite tiresome with their extravagant expressions of piety, and the passive/aggressive “I’ll pray for you” gets old really fast. But for just plain unbending dogma delivered in the most hateful way, you cannot top the atheist crowd.
Because they don’t disbelieve in God. They HATE God. And if you believe, they f-ing hate you too.
Exactly. Making what the people who own this restaurant were doing illegal is a violation of the 1st Amendment. Leftist Atheists L.O.V.E. using the 1st Amendment to shut down private practice of religion and here they are using an Illegal LAW to shut down the exercise of these folk’s 1st Amendment rights.
Yes, I know that there are supposedly Right wing Atheists who want to conserve our traditions and way of life.
I say ‘supposedly’ because our traditions and way of life are based on a Judeo-Christian foundation and if they want to conserve them, they have to realize and respect where it came from.
Some are ignorant of history and really don’t know where our way of life comes from, but there it is.
At least I hope it’s just ignorance, I like to think that sort of denial is the sole preserve of the Left.
As an atheist, the militant atheists, their constant whining over the most inconsequential matters, and their frequent legal suits are offensive & sickening. If I’m ever in NC again and in the area of this restaurant, I’m going to make a point of eating there; if someone’s praying I may even buy their meal for them.
The next time you militant atheists come across a blocked street with savages all sticking their asses in the air and mumbling incoherant nonsense, perhaps you should walk up to them and say, hey, get off the street and do that some place else. But you’d never do that because you so called atheists are scared witless of the savages. Christians not so much. I’ll turn my cheek once, but after that there’s no further instructions, and I’m one Christian you don’t want to f*ck with. That’s all I have to say about that. Signed, one rightiously pissed off Christian. I’ll say a prayer for you too, you’ll need it if you get all up in my face. Not all Christians are pussies. Either was Jesus.
atheists are honest. Catholics are kinda stupid. The local catholic priest is a treasure, but the congregation sucks, what can you do?
Personally, I go into a restaurant to have a meal and be left in peace, and/or have quiet conversation with my companion(s).
There should be a ‘Fair Warning: Religious Establishment’ warning sign at the front door.
I don’t go there to have anyone’s religious beliefs shoved in my face. I respect YOUR right to your beliefs and I expect the same.
“Isn’t atheism itself a belief system ie the belief in not believing in a god or diety.”
Yes, it certainly is.
For just as you can’t “prove” God, neither can you “disprove” Him. Thus belief in His existence (or not) becomes an article of faith.
“militant lefty atheists” only get violently upset at praying when it’s NOT “men only” 5 times a day and banging their heads against the cement while blocking traffic.
Then it’s ok – no it’s really ok, culturally enriching in fact.
The Liberal Left = Treasonist yellow bellied chicken sh*t dhimmi Mo Fo’s.
http://waltherpragerandphilosophy1.blogspot.ro/2013/07/unchangeable-beliefs.html
“There should be a ‘Fair Warning: Religious Establishment’ warning sign at the front door.”
So you want to pass a law forcing private businesses to display a Yellow Star perhaps if the people who own them want to give discreet discounts to people who thank God for their fare?
All America is a religious establishment(In God We Trust), so is Canada(God Save the Queen, Dominion of Canada).
Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.
Not even close. Its the BoP baby!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophic_burden_of_proof
” I respect YOUR right to your beliefs”
No you don’t. A person goes to an eatery and says grace prior to his/her meal and that’s shoving their religious beliefs in your face??? How’s that?? Do you always eavesdrop?? What about his/her’s freedom of speech? Where is your tolerance leftie?
So if they had one price list for Jews, another for Muslims, another for baptists, and so on, that would be ok? What if they had a sign listing the religions that were not welcome?
Frankly, I think a restaurant should be able to do whatever they want, but at the same time, what they are doing runs counter to the teachings of their own religion.
Eagle: “Being an atheist does not force you to use your brain, but religion does force you not to use it.”
I’m a former atheist. At one time I would have fully agreed with your insulting comment. I could not understand how any intelligent person could believe in God.
After an encounter with that same God my eyes have been opened. I now see how inadequate materialism and scientism are. Atheists have no explanation for the origin of the universe, said to have occurred spontaneously 14 billion years ago. They have no way of telling how life supposedly arose from non-living material some 3.5 billion years ago.
Atheists really haven’t a clue what took place billions of years ago, yet some of them consider Christians ignorant. What could be more ignorant, irrational and arrogant than that?
But leaving aside the question of just who is using his brain and who isn’t, I have found to my surprise that there is no one like Jesus Christ. Scripture says, “No human has ever spoken like this man.” I like Him even better now than when first I met Him.
Frankly, I think a restaurant should be able to do whatever they want, but at the same time, what they are doing runs counter to the teachings of their own religion.
Before you presume to tell someone what they should believe, maybe learn a bit…this especially applies to the Talmud believers
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
Here’s a perfectly sound secular argument for militant atheists here and abroad: don’t eat there.
How hard is that?
GregW, I said “Being an atheist does not force you to use your brain, but religion does force you not to use it.”
I am not saying “religious people are stupid”. My apologies if that was what was read. But that statement perfectly sums up my experienced as a deeply religious Roman Catholic. Maybe the ‘mildly religious’ types, who go to church once a year for Christmas Mass, don’t experience this.
But those who really try and be devout, and follow *everything* literally (i.e Westboro baptist church), will quickly find out how “full on religion” will attack any effort to think for oneself. And I would ask, which one is more religious: the one who follows a book literally, or the one who follows it less so?
now there’s a reasonable perspective on everything that has hit the fan!
and Robert who wrote the lede got the spelling of hypocrisy bang on for dissimulation, false virtue, cant, posturing, affectation, speciousness, empty talk, insincerity, falseness, deceit, dishonesty, mendacity, pretense, and duplicity.
Hark of that is the difference between you a rational open minded atheist and NME666 . NME666 given the opportunity and power with no accountability to itself would have all Religious people openly publicly slaughtered he would have all religious texts burned along with places of worship that includes the homes of these filthy believers He would most certainly start with the Christians &Jews.You on the other hand Harlow I bet I could pray in front of and have no fear of attack. I feel you would probly be non the wiser no skin off your nose what ever floats your goat type of attitude. Huge difference and in the religion of atheism you would be the moderate peace lover NME666 would be the jihadist war mongrel frothy mouthed beast.
Very eloquently put. Fully agree.
Growing up I was very much an Athiest, my mom was a non-practicing catholic and my dad an Agnostic.
I had friends who were Mormon, Catholic, Jewish, Protestant etc. and I really didn’t care. If a buddy asked me to fill in a position on the church softball team I did. I was never preachy about it, I respected that my friends and family had found something that gave them comfort.
I was also raised to believe in the principals of capitalism and the free market and freedom to make your own choices and live your life without the state. Live and let live.
I became very much embarrassed to consider myself an Atheist when I ran into some one day who were goin6g on a venomous rant about other religions which my friends held up so I spoke up and argued in favour of their beliefs with the idea that every person on this earth can take individual comfort in whatever makes them happy. I had a tirade unleashed upon me and since that day I’ve been an agnostic.
According to the hardcore Atheist apparently you shouldn’t even be friends with someone who isn’t. I didn’t understand until later in life why hardcore Atheists develop a love affair for the totalitarian state and how Atheism is tied into all the leftist movements.
I’m amazed at how the concept of live and let live is lost on so many people.
I can’t disprove the existence of Santa Claus either. And as my daughter observed when she was six, it adds nothing to say god created the world because then you have to explain what created god and you are no further ahead. So these sorts of arguments lead nowhere.
From a rational standpoint, it so more of a “yes, Virginia, there is a god” situation. Our family does not believe Santa Claus exists, but we enjoy the play and festival. It is an uplifting spiritual framework. I could see god-based religions doing that for people. Then the argument becomes whether RFID-based religions as a spiritual framework is a net positive or negative. The militant atheists look at Islam, in particular, and see it as net negative. The British atheists are more insightfully characterized as a rationalist reaction to militant Islam. The problem with the likes of Dawkins is that he is all thumbs concerning social and psychological matters.
For your daughter, Murray:
ATHEISM in a Nutshell
The belief that there was Nothing, and nothing happened to Nothing, and then after Time passed Nothing *magically* exploded for No Reason, -creating Everything-, and then a bunch of Everything *magically* rearranged itself for No Reason what-so-ever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs.
Makes so much more sense than God./
Harkov and Travis pretty much represent how I float my goat….(goat, I like that)
In principle, perhaps it is fair to lump ISIS aand Westborough Church.
Both are intolerant and implacable.
HOWEVER, in the past day or so, certain internet images and video have scarred my very soul. That said, you must understand that life has sadly exposed me to circumstances of depravity and savagery, such as the killing fields and S109….
I severely doubt that in their most zealous moments, that the Westborough crowd would contemplate, let alone behead children…toddlers. Or any one of the many barbarous acts viewable online.
Yeah, I am aware that atrocities have occurred in the past, in other places…but the perps DID NOT VIDEO THEIR ACTS AND POST THEM ONLINE.
Nuking these savages is much too kind….probably why the Isrealis haven’t used their alleged arsenal.
Sasquatch, don’t be looking at that stuff. It’ll hurt you.
Furthermore, hurting guys like you and me is the reason the sons ofb1tches did it in the first place, and also the soulless pr1cks who posted the pictures. Never cooperate with the enemy.
Personally, I try not to pollute my mind with those images if I can help it. I’ve got enough going on already, I’m sure you do too. I know what was done, and I know who did it. I need to stay strong if I want to do something about it, and experiencing horror does not make you strong. It saps your strength.
I’m saving up for when I see a guy flying one of those black flags here where I live. In fact, I’ve started working out again at age 58 just in case.