Christians openly advocate killing and raping atheists on FOX News Facebook page

They said there were over 8,000 death threats.

8,000 death threats.

There were threats of killing, many by firearm (how many actually specifically advocated to "shoot 'em"?), and raping the atheist heathens galore, several typed directly after they professed their love for Jesus Christ.

All this comes after American Atheists filed a law suit to have the cross removed from Ground Zero.

(source)

"The cross has become a Christian icon. It has been blessed by so-called holy men a few times, and presented as a reminder that God, in his infinite power of goodness, who couldn’t be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists, or stop the fire, or hold up the buildings to stop 3000 people from being crushed, cared enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross. Ridiculous."
- American Atheists' Blog

I know, I know. Every Christian person who may stumble across the comments made on FOX's Facebook page may think something along the lines of, "Those aren't real Christians!" or, "Not all Christians are like that." I agree with you, and most atheists would agree with you too. We have friends and family members who are Christian. Some may use to have been Christians themselves. We are perfectly aware that not every Christian on the planet is dead set on killing and raping every atheist they come across.

As shocking as some of those commenters' words may be, this violence really does not surprise me. As a queer person, I am very aware of the long, growing list of hate crimes committed against gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans* and intersexed people every day. Many of those crimes are religiously motivated.

The buck does not stop there. The pro-life movement is made almost completely of religious individuals, and as Sandy Rapp has said, "Praying in the light, bombing in the night," with a total of 96 incidences of violence -- including murder, death threats, vandalism, arson and bombing -- against United States and Canadian abortion clinics in 2010.

Again, "Not all Christians are like that! They do not represent all Christians!" I can hear it and I agree. Just like the extremists on 9/11 do not represent all followers of Islam and Westboro does not represent all Baptists, I understand these violent words are not endorsed by all followers of the Christian god.

Is it surprising that there is so much violence perpetrated in the name of Christianity, though? Look at the Christian holy book, the Bible. There is rape, murder, and God-sanctioned killing littered throughout it's pages.

"Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."
-Numbers 31:17-18

"If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days."
-Deuteronomy 22:28-29

"Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones."
-Psalm 137:9

"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not."
-Jude 1:5

(There is really more blood in the Bible than your standard Hollywood slasher, symbolic and otherwise.)
(I prefer the King James version because unicorns!)

And of course, in the end, atheists suffer eternally in the fires of Hell. God is love!

I have blogged before about violence in the Bible the United States' shaky Christian/atheist relationship (click here!).

I have just been thinking a bit, we have all heard similar violent things from the mouths of Christians before. According to Christians, the Christian god loves everyone. That makes it okay for him to send millions of people into the fires of Hell to suffer eternally. He loves them. Some may even argue sinners and non-believers send themselves to Hell. "How dare you use your God-given rationality to think rationally!"

If someone has a gun to your head and tells you do do something or they will shoot, and you not obeying them causes you to get shot, it is not the shooter's fault you were shot, it is your own fault because you disobeyed them.

Those comments on Fox's Facebook page are shocking, but not surprising. We have heard them before, and we will be hearing similar words from believers again and again for the rest of our lives.

My Second Pride Parade and Being Assumed Straight

Last month I attended my second pride parade in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I walked with the Youth Services Center of Tulsa's float. They have special programs for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth, and I was proud to get to walk with them alongside many other awesome teenagers, a stunning drag queen, and one of my best friends, Lauren.


I do not have my rainbow flag anymore, unfortunately. When I was passing out candy (we aren't legally allowed to toss candy in Tulsa, which is ridiculous) I had it in my pocket. One moment I looked down it had disappeared. I was incredibly upset. I felt like a raccoon who had lost her tail. I will have to get another one soon.

My best friend, Lauren, is straight. It was her first pride parade. She had a good time, despite the heat, and was very entertained by the wide variety of people there. I explained what bears were and what the bisexual flag looked like.

She was a little confused by the bears. Ha, I am honestly a little confused by them as well.

Lauren is a very good ally, but something she said near the beginning of the parade really struck me.

"If I see a cute guy here it won't matter."
"Why is that?"
"Well, he'll probably be gay."
"And?"
"It's sad."

She meant she would not have a chance with most of the men she saw at the parade. She also commented on how everyone at the parade was probably assuming she was gay. It did not bother her much, but she had never been in that kind of situation before, people assuming she was the opposite sexual orientation (which is surprising, seeing as she plays softball, haha).

After she said those things it made me think. It is like that every day for me.

If I see a cute girl anywhere, possibly excluding a Tegan and Sara concert, chances are about 90% of the time she will be straight. It is the most important thing, finding out if a woman is gay or not. Before I take anything else into account, I have to consider a girl's possible sexual orientation. If I hit on a straight girl mistakenly, it can be really, really bad. If something like had happened at my old high school I could have been written up for harassment. If a guy hits on me, a lesbian, mistakenly, oops, not a big deal in his eyes or in the eyes of anyone else. He might even come on stronger and see nothing wrong with his actions.

I often get asked by dentists, doctors, co-workers, people I have just met and people I am not out to about boyfriends. It is always, "Do you have a boyfriend?" or, "When you get married..."

I do not have boyfriends. I currently cannot legally marry the person I will eventually fall in love with. This is a reality I face almost every day, being assumed straight. If someone assumes I am straight I will correct them.

Straight people often do not understand why I feel the need to vocalize my sexuality. It is not the first thing I tell people when I meet them and it is not my most important characteristic, but it is something I like people to know.

It is because I am tired of being assumed straight. I have been assumed straight since I emerged from the womb.

I realize this is not a big deal to most people. Can you imagine, if you are straight, people assuming you are a gay man or a lesbian every day of your life? Can you imagine growing up and having adults talk about your future husband, if you are a man, or your future wife, if you are a woman? Can you imagine being hit on by the same sex and having to come out as straight over and over again?

Now imagine people telling you to keep the fact that you are straight quiet. "You don't need to talk about it so much." "Why do you have to tell everyone you're straight?" "Why can't you just keep it quiet?"

Do you understand why I refuse to be kept quiet?

Social Networking in Big Events: Osama bin Laden's Death

Highlights and facepalms from the night of the announcement and the morning after. I'll let you decide which are which for yourself.

Hairy, Tailed Quadruped, Probably Arboreal in its Habits

"A thorough reading and understanding of the Bible is the surest path to atheism."
-Donald Morgan

(click to enlarge)

www.cectic.com

"I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
-George H. Bush

“High levels of organic atheism are strongly correlated with high levels of societal health, such as low homicide rates, low poverty rates, low infant mortality rates, and low illiteracy rates, as well as high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality. Most nations characterized by high degrees of individual and societal security have the highest rates of organic atheism, and conversely, nations characterized by low degrees of individual and societal security have the lowest rates of organic atheism.”
-Phil Zuckerman

Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear."
-Thomas Jefferson

(click to enlarge)

As part of President Bush’s “faith-based initiative,” US taxpayers gave the Salvation Army’s children services division $47 million this year — 95% of its total budget. Several Salvation Army employees refused to take the Salvation Army’s pledge “proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord,” reveal which church they belong to or identify gay co-workers — and were summarily fired.

The SA has been accused of denying financial assistance and shelter to homosexuals and HIV+ individuals. They have also been accused of pressuring those in need to attend their religious services in exchange for their “charity.”

The SA actively persecutes homosexuals by conducting witch-hunts within their ranks. Suspected homosexuals are terminated from employment and benefits are denied to same sex couples.

www.dillsnapcogitation.wordpress.com

(click to enlarge)

"Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”"
Genesis 22:2

"A 23-year-old Augusta mother who stabbed her two children to death and was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday told a doctor who examined her that she gave in to the voices in her head demanding she kill them."
www.chronicle.augusta.com

"A Texas woman who stoned two of her children to death and seriously injured a third on Mother's Day last year told psychiatrists she was driven to kill by a message from God and that she was sure they would rise again from the dead."
www.independent.co.uk

"A Virginia man diagnosed with schizophrenia told reporters that he cut his 5-year-old son's head off...

During the interview, Hagerman said that God had told him to kill his son, Joshua, to keep him from the anti-Christ."
www.upi.com

"Jennifer told investigators a "spirit" voice told her to harm the baby as a test of faith, according to court documents. "She said she knew that it was wrong to harm the baby, but that the `spirit' voice assured her that the baby would be returned from the dead," the documents state. "Just like Jesus raised Lazarus, I threw the baby on the stones by the pool," she told investigators."
www.sun-sentinel.com

"A man sentenced to 90 years in prison for attempting to set his Orlando home on fire with his family sleeping inside said God commanded him to sacrifice his wife and children, according to a Local 6 News report."
www.clickorlando.com (This one frightens me the most)

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Matthew 10:34-37

"If you think God is more important than your neighbor, you're capable of terrible evil

If you think some prophet's words are more important

Than your brother and your sister

You're ill and you're wrong

You're wrong"

-Of Montreal, Do you Mutilate?

Moving Forward, Threats of Being Pushed Back

HRC sent me an email after the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell was signed into law. I will share with you now some of the troubling quotes it included.

"We are now stuck with sexual deviants serving openly in the U.S. military... If historians want a fixed marker pointing to the instant the United States sealed its own demise, they just found it."
– Bryan Fischer, American Family Association

"The American military... has now been hijacked and turned into a tool for imposing on the country a radical social agenda."
– Tony Perkins, Family Research Council.

"This action will be overturned in the next Congress."
– Matthew Staver, Freedom Federation

"The repeal of the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' law is a disaster of historic proportions and it must be reinstated. My organization and others will to fight to make sure that happens."
– E. W. Jackson, Stand America PAC

Yes, the end of the military has come again. The first time it ended was when the United States decided to desegregate white and black soldiers (which came before the desegregation of public schools in America, FYI).^[1]

Desegregation of the United States armed forces was commanded as an executive order by President Harry Truman in 1948.

On a side note; it wasn't until 1967 that the Supreme Court declared anti-miscegenation laws a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.^[2]

Will it take 19 more years for gay and lesbian Americans to have full marriage equality?

Back on the topic of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, were you all aware of the thousands of gay and lesbian service members who were already serving in the military? I mean, you cannot have discharges under DADT without LGB-identified service members. They must have been there the whole time. They have been forced to stay silent about their spouses back home and keep their mouth shut about what they did on their days off. They have always been there, so-- it may just be me, but I'm having trouble seeing how the American military will be coming to an end just because these brave heroes are given permission not to have to lie about their lives.


I have heard the argument made time and time again that openly gay soldiers will be a distraction during training and on the battlefield. Um, does that mean that these gay people will be distracted by an overwhelming lustful urge for their fellow soldiers? Going back to what was stated earlier, gay people have always been serving in America’s military, so no, lustful urges will probably not be a problem for them (unlike their heterosexual male counterparts who apparently cannot control their lustful urges).

Honestly, I think the only people who will be distracted by the sexual orientation of these service members would be those people who are plagued by what we call “homophobia.”

Just like integrating blacks into the armed forces presumably caused a massive distraction for those people who harbored racism; the ridiculous assumptions and beliefs in unwarranted stereotypes about a people they were ignorant about, these men will be distracted by their own homophobia.

Is it the gay person’s fault? No. If a person is being so overcome by hate and discomfort because the guy next to him in his foxhole is gay that he can’t fire is weapon straight, that is his own fault. His feelings are his problem, and less and less people in the United States are able to relate to his sentiments. Homophobes, you are in the minority. If you cannot play nice with the guy next to you in the foxhole, despite their religion, way of life, political beliefs, or otherwise, what are you doing down there, man?

It was about time America eliminated this archaic, discriminatory policy. It is good to see us catching up to the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, Canada, and at least nineteen others that allowed openly gay and lesbian service members before us (their militaries still seem to be up and running, FYI).^[3]

Sources:
1. http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/WireHeadlines/2010/10/31/desegregation-in-military-offers-lessons-8.php
2. http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0388_0001_ZO.html
3. http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/CountriesWithoutBan.pdf

On Another Side Note:
I realize there is so much more going on in America’s military than crouching in foxholes and firing weapons. I was just using that example because it is similar to an example Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe liked to talk about when discussing DADT.

Kasha Jacqueline is my new hero.

There is so much I want to say about this right now.

I guess I will start with pointing fingers.

Ugandan courts are debating right now over a bill which will put any suspected gay person in Uganda to death. People who know someone is gay but do not report it will receive three years in prison.

Places with lower levels of education often have higher levels of homophobia.

Uganda thinks this is okay to kill these people because they think these people choose to be attracted to people of the same sex. They associate being gay with being possessed by demons and with doing all sorts of dirty, gross things in bed. They associate being gay with gross sex and demons, because it is against their god's will.

Why would someone choose to be gay in an environment like that? While there are people like that on almost every country, why would anyone choose to be gay anywhere?

Why would anyone choose to be pushed against lockers or thrown out of religious universities? Why would anyone choose to be ostracized by their family, even possibly by their entire community? Why would anyone choose a life of imprisonment? Why would anyone choose the death penalty?

People of faith often pick and choose which verses of their holy books to value and live by.

Facts are facts. Whether you choose to believe them or not, they are still there, and they are still true. You can make yourself comfortable in your own little bubble of idealized religion and accuse everything different than what you are use to or everything you are uncomfortable with an act against your god, but you are really blinding yourself with your own ignorance.

And it is people like you who are causing things like this.

It is people like you who cause LGBTI-identified youth to make an attempt at their own lives four times more often than their straight counterparts.

You people have blood on your hands.

I can't share this video enough.