Good As You

I love it! Being gay and atheist I'm totally evil to many, but it's funny also because I can also trace my lineage from my Anglo side all the way back to the Mayflower. I'm really from a long line of caucasian Americans basically. So people want me to leave? Well other than Native Americans, my family was here first, even if they did horrific things.

I'm glad I'm an atheist. I'm glad that I strive to look at things from a logical perspective. I'm proud of the fact that I continue to question the majority of things that are told to me. I do not swallow pills just because someone is offering them to me.

I believe in everyones right to believe how they desire. People look at Atheists with fear and anger, thinking of us as a destructive force, and it is true. We are destructive. We want to destroy ignorance. I can only speak for myself on this part, but I am not looking to destroy and eliminate religion (ritual is important I understand. When I have children we will create neat "holidays" to celebrate), just hoping for the day that people can worship free of hypocrisy and contradictions.

I could blather on, but I'm losing focus and point.

I take great comfort in the fact that when I die, my wicked atheist, gay self will not have to spend eternity next to the likes of "god-fearing" people like this woman. Such blatant ignorance is truly shocking in a progressive era, but not completely unexpected. That being said, this woman seriously does not have a grasp on the whole "freedom of religion" concept. The religions she mentions are all sects of Christianity, and therefore all worship the same god. It's like saying that you can eat anything you want as long as it's ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sherbert.

I remember a famous New Yorker cartoon showing a woman talking to a man who had obviously just told her he was an atheist. "An atheist!" she goes, "But that means you believe in stealing and killing!"

Years ago I attended an American Atheists meeting [Manhattan chapter] with a group of gay friends and encountered from SOME members of the group the same kind of homophobia you get from religionists. To his credit, the head of the AA was so digusted by the attitude of some of the members that he nearly quit that very night. My friends and I formed a new group, GAY MILITANT ATHEISTS, which lasted only a couple of years.

Freedom of religion is fine with me, but freedom FROM religion is just as important!

As a Buddhist, I believe that Alice's God exists--but as a flawed and limited being, one that will eventually die (and likely, go to hell for all the cruelty he has encouraged). Does that mean that I get to stay in America, or do I have to kotow and worship him in order to keep my citizenship?

Wow, as a gay socialist athiest do i even stand a chance?

Wow.
The fact that some people actually believe this crap is absolutely frightening. I mean, I'm a theist myself, but the intolerant and ignorant ideas sprouted by these fundamentalists make me want to kick someone in the teeth.

I am so glad that I'm not the only one who reacted this way when I first read this letter. At first I was mad and offended. I still am, but not as fircely. Right now I'm laughing about it. I mean, did "Alice" really expect to go anywhere with this argument? I've never broken a law that I am aware of, but I don't believe in God. So shoot me. I mean I'e never done anything to anyone and I've been more than friendly to thiests and considering how much death and damage religion has done to humanity, I think I'm being awfuly considerate. I hope I didn't offend anyone, I'm just posting my opinion.