Note: The comments that follow are my own, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Tacoma Atheists group.
Someone asked me today if I was going to write something about the erupting controversy about the plaque that was installed in Olympia on Monday, particularly in response to the News Tribune Political Buzz blog (and numerous other stories that have been circulating).
First of all, I think the plaque was fine up until the point where it said: “Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”
As I put it, e-mailing back and forth with R.R. Anderson just now, I feel like Dan Barker (FFRF co-president) dropped into Washington and left a big huge flaming turd bag in the capitol rotunda with “Atheist” written on it.
The backlash that we, as Atheists, are now dealing with, and that we will continue to struggle with into the years to come basically sets fire to everything that I have been working toward with this group. It makes us look like a bunch of petty, vindictive, self-interested buffoons with nothing better to do than insult large groups of people.
I know for a fact that that people in this group are not like that. We are actually uncommonly concerned about being part of the solution and not part of the problem. That is, the main goal of this group has been to try to show people, by word and action that we are not evil or mean-spirited.
So Dan, if you do read this, wow. I’m disappointed. I’m sad that that sign said what it said. I’m sad that FFRF chose to make this a rebuke to religious people rather than a gesture of goodwill and equality. I think it would have been better served by something like this:
“Happy Solstice! Love, Atheists”
Or something like that.
Cause I personally do not feel like dealing with the massive s***storm that is coming our way from this. Dan, you get to go back to Wisconsin, but we have to deal with it, and your actions have been taken as being representative of Washington Atheists. So thanks for nothing.
Seriously, Merry Christmas everyone. Can we all grow up now?
on Dec 4th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Amen!
on Dec 4th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Great response, Amanda! I couldn’t have said it better myself. I wonder what Dan would have to say about it.
on Dec 5th, 2008 at 10:36 am
As a devout Christian myself, I am thankful for your article and have sincere respect for your choice of faith. Thanks for setting the record straight for atheism without attacking EVERY other person’s choice.
on Dec 5th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
story made it to boing boing. critical hipster mass has been reached!
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/12/05/atheist-sign-by-nati.html
on Dec 5th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
maybe next year we can have a flying spagetti monster display at the capitol
on Dec 9th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
There are some new comments on the Seattle Atheists blog (http://seattleatheists.org/wordpress/2008/12/06/press-release-ffrf-plaque/), many of which call Seattle Atheists and Tacoma Atheists, and all of the organizations in the area, a bunch of spineless, touchy-feely, milquetoast coffee-klatch, blah blah blah. Maybe it’s because we’re Atheists and not screaming, yelling anti-theists.
The response seems to be split about 70/30 in favor of our stance, and since we (Tacoma Atheists) have 20-plus new members in the past week or so, and several new lifetime members in Seattle, I’d say the approach is favorable to a great many Atheists in the region.
I for one, am not going to roll over just because someone posts a comment on a blog. I’ll listen if you’re engaged in the community. Show up for meetings and elections. Heck, there’s even an open invitation to guest posters for this very blog, which I extend to members. So if you really want to be a part of the process, then do it, or shut up and quit whining.
on Dec 10th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Ignore the bitter anti-theists. They have a right to react to Christian oppression, but like all victims, they need to get past it if they hope to achieve happiness. When John Lennon imagined a world without religion, or the Commies tried to enforce it as dogma, it was certainly as well intentioned as any Christocentric utopian vision. But how naive. Religion is an evolved part of most human cultures, and will persist because it serves a number of social and psychological functions for those too weak or unscientific to accept the “null” hypothesis. Many humans are weak, or uneducated, or both, and cannot stare into the void, and we should have mercy upon their human souls. I say that not to denigrate or challenge anyone, but as a fact. The sheeple are mostly good people and deserve our (elitist) respect because they are human; and in return we should expect their (pitying) Christ-like love. Some of my relatives are sorely misled on crucial political matters; I like to say, some of my best friends are wrong. It does not stop me from loving them and welcoming them into my home. And such is the tense but colorful nature of a functioning community in a pluralistic, democratic society. Ours if we can keep it. Bark at the moon if it makes you feel one with nature; hang a suffering dude on the wall, put your bum in the air and your nose toward Mecca, it’s a free country, praise the lord of your choice (I’m praising Mickey Mouse today). Just don’t expect your neighbor to agree with you.
on Dec 10th, 2008 at 1:42 am
PS, no displays of any religious or anti-religious nature on government property. Government exists to do our business; churches to do the lord’s. Render unto Caesar. Is that so complicated?
I regret the damning tone of the FFRF’s sign. I give those guys money…I appreciate them responding to the Nativity, but to leave a steaming turd on our doorstep and then go back to Wisconsin (to quote our dear leader)… irresponsible. They should have consulted the locals if they wanted our buy-in. I don’t get the feeling that WA, irreligious as we are, is the kind of place where people like to put fingers in one another’s eyes.
And I support the Flying Spaghetti Monster display.
on Dec 10th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
To be fair, they did contact many of us way back in August about the plaque. But at that point, it was a possibility, and this group was only a wee three months old and still forming a consensus. We should have paid more attention to the wording at that point. *I* should have brought this up at the meetings. But no, I dropped the ball. So for that, I apologize. I should have made a fuss with Dan and Darrell at the outset.