This was from a letter to the editor in my hometown newspaper:

Blame atheists
Article Last Updated: 12/30/2007 11:19:04 PM MST


In his Dec. 27 letter, Steven Fehr says he believes President Bush is the worst president he has seen. Whenever I hear someone complain about the president, I ask them, “Do you pray for the president of the United States daily?” Is that too much trouble?
  There used to be a custom of praying for our president. Perhaps too many people in the United States believe this would be mixing politics and religion. If the majority of the people are agnostic and atheistic, it may be that they are partly to blame for the problems we have. To think one man is responsible for the war and the problems we face in our nation is about as foolish as to not believe in the power of prayer.
  We all share in the burden. We all need to live and teach the truths upon which our country was founded. The world is made up of two types of people: critics who are negative, fearful and have no plan, no vision, no faith, and authors who are positive, visionary builders. Which kind are you?
   
  Vera B. Ivie
  Ogden


I am an Athiest, but that doesn't mean I dont respect religious people, because the majority of you are good people.  However, sometimes people write stuff like this that makes me shake my head and wonder what exactly is going on inside their head.  Im sure that this is supposed to make me mad, and it does a bit.  However, i'll I can do is laugh at how absurd it is.  I thought Bush personally talks to God, so the lack of athiests or religious people praying for him shouldn't really make a difference from all his blunders.  Plus, the amount of the world's population that consider themselves Athiests is very slim,  so why would this slim amount not praying matter anyway?  This is, in a sense, the same type of outrageous thinking like some Kansas Babtists have when they say that the current problems like the war in Iraq, soldiers dying, etc are God's punishments for our acceptance of homosexuals.  I just can't believe people can actually think this way.

Was/Is there really a custom to pray for the President?  Did everyone get together and hold hands?  I wonder if they prayed for Bill Clinton because he was getting something in the Oval Office, and that is morally wrong.  Or something like that.  Probably not, cause he isn't George W. Bush.  When the Republicans complained over and over again that Slick Willy was a terrible President, was he prayed for?  I think they purposely forgot about that custom in that instance.     

We need to live in truth's upon which our country was founded?  I guess this country was only founded by positive visionaries who believed in God and only for religious freedom.  Hmmm.  The colonies were also created to make a buck for the French, Dutch, and English.  Not necessarily religious in nature.  The founding fathers also included visionary men, who held no faith, or a faith where God had no direct influence on what humans did.  John Adams was really religious.  However, Thomas Jefferson wasn't really that religious.  Benjamin Franklin wasn't.  Even Abraham Lincoln wasn't religious.

Religion aside, just because myself or someone else doesn't agree with what the President is doing, doesn't make us strictly negative critics.  We are part of the country and doing what the People are supposed to be doing.  If we blindly follow someone, we might as well just make the country a fascist totalitarian country.    Who else is going to do the Checks and Balances that our government so desperatly needs at this time.  Definitely not going to be the career politicians in the legislature.  Doesn't look like the Supreme Court is doing a very good job of that either.

One more year with Dubya.  I can complain as much as I want, and im sure not going to pray for a President when they can do it themselves.  I am not attacking religious people.  I am just defending the fact that I think it is absurd that there are actually people out there that think Athiests are the cause of our problems because we are not praying.  There are religious fundamentalists out there who give religion a bad name just as there are also some Athiests who give the rest of us bad names.  Its not what you believe that is bad, its your actions and the way you believe that can be.

 

That person sounds like a total idiot looking for a scapegoat.

Whatever the case, dogma is the enemy....  not religion or atheism.

Good point.  If Jesus personally counsels Dubya and that's the best Lamb of God can do, how would it help for me to nag Him about it. 
"Yeah, I know, I know, I'm doing my best but look at what I got to work with, you think you could do better?  Buzz off!"
"Jesus told me to buzz off? I never...."
"I never though I'd have to deal with an a-hole like Dubya, life's full of surprises, son.  I got pretty good at teaching remedial humanity over the past 2000 years, but this guy's worse than Oliver Cromwell!"
:D

People shouldn't hate, we should love our enemies....Even if your enemy is the President.

i pray for the president. every day i pray he gets the f**k outta the white house.

but seriously, i concocted my theory about this before. i think there's a certain strain of religiosity that says that if the country starts to fall down on its luck for whatever reason, it's not because we've made unwise or ineffective rational choices, but because our moral fiber has been found wanting. yeah? it's like what falwell said after 9/11 that it's our fault cuz we have so many gays. it sounds like this guy's just saying it's our fault because we have so many atheists. it's actually pretty much the same thing as the guys on the other side who say we deserve 9/11 because of our foreign policy in the middle east. (there are other folks who say that our foreign policy in the middle east made things like 9/11 more likely but that's a different comment entirely, imo.)

anyway...

http://www.muttmansion.com/pics/041505/bush_praying_for_peace.jpg

Thats a wonderful picture Tia.  Moving and heartfelt.  ;D

  I'm not sure where you're going SemperYoda but the way I understand it prayer is an appeal to a supernatural power.  Beyond verifiable measurement...



 
   

http://www.muttmansion.com/pics/041505/bush_praying_for_peace.jpg



  But where are Yoda and Anakin..?

Cheers for the writer of that letter...  ::)

<cough> jerkass </cough>

Wow, gotta love those hometown newspapers. But I think I'd stick with regular toilet paper. It's cheaper and it doesn't smudge ink on your ass.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go pray and ask that George Bush doesn't get back on the sauce and start pushing strange red buttons.

The world is made up of two types of people: critics who are negative, fearful and have no plan, no vision, no faith, and authors who are positive, visionary builders. Which kind are you?
The world is made up of two types of people: those who see everything as so simplistic as to see everything in black and white, and those with a brain that actually works.

Seriously, though, I wouldn't mind betting that the problem is not that not enough people are praying for Bush, but too many are: passing the buck to God, rather than taking an interest and getting involved in the running of their own country.

I did wonder whether the letter was a spoof, though.

I am an Athiest,

You know, every other person I know who misspells "atheist" is Christian... (or should that be "Chrisitan"?)

You know, every other person I know who misspells "atheist" is Christian... (or should that be "Chrisitan"?)

How about "hellfire-bound heathen"?

You know, every other person I know who misspells "atheist" is Christian... (or should that be "Chrisitan"?)


That is the worst insult anyone can place on me.  Ugh.  :)  Can't I be Jewish though?    I misspell plenty of words, but you can be sure, I am an "Atheist." 

http://www.muttmansion.com/pics/041505/bush_praying_for_peace.jpg


I like that pic. It also tells me that even Washington and Lincoln were 'disliked' and 'crazy' and 'stupid' at their own time. (Also, I'm bipartisain.)  ;)

Karamel +1

so I gather we've confirmed lterhune resides in Ogden....  ;) 

I don't pray for myself why would I pray for someone I have no respect for?

I think the writer of that letter has it all wrong. I don't think we should pray for Dubya, we should pray for the U.S. because Dubya really SCREWED UP this country of ours.



Cat

I think the writer of that letter has it all wrong. I don't think we should pray for Dubya, we should pray for the U.S. because Dubya really SCREWED UP this country of ours.



Cat


^  What She Said!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/tweets7703/applause.gif

Atheists are dumb. So are Christians, and anyone who claims to have all the answers.


Are you agnostic?

BTW-Nice avatar. It looks like the hat used in (what some people say) the worst game ever-"Raiders of the Lost Ark" by Atari. But please don't take it down.

I like that pic. It also tells me that even Washington and Lincoln were 'disliked' and 'crazy' and 'stupid' at their own time. (Also, I'm bipartisain.)  ;)

Karamel +1


Washington was actually extremely popular.  He was elected unanimously because no one ran against him.

Lincoln was definitely hated though -- but can you really blame half of the country for that?

Atheists are dumb. So are Christians, and anyone who claims to have all the answers.


There is nothing dumb about questioning stuff.  To question things doesn't necessarily mean you think you have all the answers.  I dont have all the answers, but also know that I dont want to be a sheep as well as have stuff blamed on me because of my lack of faith. 

There is nothing dumb about questioning stuff.   To question things doesn't necessarily mean you think you have all the answers.  I dont have all the answers, but also know that I dont want to be a sheep as well as have stuff blamed on me because of my lack of faith. 



  I don't think you'll get much arguement 'round here for that sentiment...

  Pretty feisty bunch, here...

 

Are you agnostic?



I am.  But I don't call Christians or any other religious people dumb for having faith.  Same goes for atheists being certain the universe has no CEO.  Now, If you call yourself a Christian and give all your money to some bogus TV preacher with a bad toupe, then YOU-ARE-DUMB!
:D