Christian Vandals

Recently, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) posted a banner near the courthouse (on city property) in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  The presence of this banner made it clear that the city wasn't promoting just the popular religions, but also the atheists in its community.  The fact that it was posted on city property justifies the religious elements also on display there - a Menorah and a Nativity scene.  Without it, the city could be sued for violation of the Constitutional "establishment clause" that prohibits government (at any level from local to federal) support of any particular religion.  I applaud the courage of the city to allow an atheist banner to be displayed!  But within a short time, that banner was vandalized.

Atheists by now are accustomed to having their billboards and banners attacked by christians.  Most of the time, the vandals escape any detection, perhaps in part because law enforcement seems disinclined to give tracking down the vandals of atheist property a high priority.  Imagine what would happen if atheists offended by religious symbols and messages vandalized them!  The religious community would be so outraged, a huge effort to find and prosecute them would commence immediately.  How often does this actually happen?  Pretty damned infrequently, apparently, because I know of no such incident.  Perhaps some examples of atheist vandalism can be dredged up.  But they would be quite exceptional, nevertheless.

Vandalism happens virtually every time an atheist message is displayed in public, usually within 48 hours of its appearance, even when displayed on private property!  Atheists know of many examples - the word of such incidents travels quickly and widely in the atheist sphere.  It seems there is no shortage of christian barbarians who simply can't tolerate any public display of atheism, despite the First Amendment.  Evidently, these barbarians believe the First Amendment only applies to them and their beliefs, and definitely not to anyone who disputes christian beliefs.  Of course, not all christians are intolerant enough to be vandals, but I'm pretty confident many allow themselves to be offended when they see an atheist messagem anyway.  Although they stop short of vandalism, they gripe and bitch on the interwebs and elsewhere about the "message of hate" promulgated by atheists - I'm damned if I see any hate expressed in the FFRF banner!  If any message of hate exists, it's clearly and unambiguously on display in the actions of christian vandals.

As my friend RJ Evans would say, the hypocrisy of christian barbarians reveals the lies of their justification for their actions.  In their mind, being offended offers adequate justification for a criminal act.  They should be tracked down and prosecuted, but few seem very eager to protect the rights of the atheist minority in this christian-dominated nation.  Such deeds make it clear that many christians simply don't follow their putative christian ideals of peace, love, and tolerance.  Again, not all christians behave this way, but many express their fear, hatred, and intolerance of atheism (and secular humanism) in other ways.

Many of my blog posts here have expressed my concerns for various aspects of the tyranny of the christian majority.  This banner vandalism incident is but another example that supports my concerns as real and meaningful, not a paranoid delusion.  Fortunately, the right to express myself still exists, so I choose to express a contrary, often negative view of the role religion has played throughout history.  Believers mostly like to see themselves as being victimized - persecuted - for their beliefs by such comments, but my criticisms are mere words, not overt criminal actions.  I would never advocate that religious believers be silenced, nor commit a crime against any of them.  I'm willing to die to preserve their right to believe as they wish, even though I have no respect for those beliefs.  Would they do the same for me?  Some, perhaps many, might be, but there are barbarians is their midst, mouthing the words of christian ideals but repudiating them by their actions.  Believers who don't support such actions should make it clear they repudiate such actions by the barbarians in their ranks!