ABC Lumps 'Christian Right' With 9-11 Terrorists as Driving People to Atheism

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Editor's Note: ABC News broadcast the item equating Christians with 9-11 terrorists in being responsible for driving people to atheism. Mark Finkelstein wrote the article at NewsBusters CRITICIZING ABC. Please address your comments accordingly.

ABC may have set a loathsome new MSM low in insulting traditional Christians. On today's "Good Morning America," the network lumped the "Christan right" with the 9-11 Islamic terrorists as driving people to atheism.

Keying off an atheists convention being held this weekend, GMA ran a segment on the "Rise in Atheism." Seeking to explain the phenomenon, as images rolled first of the WTC in flames and then of a man placidly holding a sign that simply read "One Nation Under God" and of a display at a demonstration of the Ten Commandments, ABC's Liz Marlantes stated:

Some are reacting to religious extremism, like the Islamic fundamentalism behind the terrorist attacks of 9-11, but also the rise of the Christian right in the U.S.

So there it is. To ABC, traditional Christians are as responsible for making people doubt God as the 9-11 terrorists. People peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights by displaying the Ten Commandments or a sign containing an excerpt from the Pledge of Allegiance as faith-shattering as terrorists who murder thousands by flying airplanes into buildings.

Does MSM anti-Christian bias get any worse than this? ABC owes an apology.

NOTE: In making the case that atheism is growing, Marantes mentioned that "Congress now has its first self-proclaimed atheist." But while displaying his image [shown here], ABC didn't in any way identify him. He is Pete Stark (D-Calif.)

 

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[weegee]

First Jell-O, now Santa
OAK LAWN | School district considers banning traditions seen as offensive to Muslims

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/578734,CST-NWS-oaklawn28.article

Parents expect that the announcement is going to add to the tension that has been building since officials agreed earlier this month to change the lunch menu to exclude items containing pork to accommodate Muslim students. News that Jell-O was struck from the menu caused such a stir that officials have agreed to bring it back. Gelatin is often made with tissue or bones of pigs or other animals.

[weegee]

>>Pointing out the bigotries at ABC-Disney is not a sin.

It could be... depending upon your attitude.

You'll have to produce a biblical citation to back that up.

Or did you do as Mohammed and write your own bible?

Would it be wrong to point out the antiChristian attitudes of the Romans when they were throwing Christians to the lions too?

[ChessExpert]

You do good work Mark.

Many of us have spent years, perhaps decades, talking back to the TV news and the newspaper. It may seem like odd behavior, but is perhaps a natural response to the one-way communication (indoctrination) we have endured. Now we have the Internet, FreeRepublic and other weblogs. Some readers respond too quickly before reading an article to its completion, or figuring out who is who in an article. I suspect that is the case here with Rennes Templar.

Mark, I appreciate your contributions here and at NewsBusters.

[muawiyah]

But, alas, you are going to Hell ~ and none of us are responsible for your own plight. We're all stuck in this universe same as you.

You didn't, perhaps, imagine you were "going to Heaven"?

[muawiyah]

Southern Ontario once had a Wednesday afternoon "blue law". All the stores closed. Had nothing whatsoever to do with religion.

Now, tell me how those "blue laws" affected religious beliefs or were a consequence thereof.

[weegee]

You should look into the Massachusetts school system then.

I’ve grown tired of toying with you, a “conservative Democrat”. This is a conservative forum so you are welcome to post here but it doesn’t mean that I have to engage in debate or conversations with you.

You are new here so I’ll forgive your lack of knowledge on many of the topics discussed on this forum. You think I jest or cite unfounded claims. There are plenty of older threads (by article title and keyword) that you can research for youself on this forum.

It is not my duty to educate you on such matters when you seem largely to be here to stick a thorn in peoples’ side.

The topic of this thread was whether or not the Christian Right was driving people to Atheism and whether or not the comparison to the 9-11 terorrists was appropriate.

Welcome to FR. Perhaps you should read more. I’m done running around in circles here. Nothing will be accomplished in futhering this conversation and to expound on it would only further your goal of thread hijacking.

[muawiyah]

That’s antinomianism.

[SoldierMedic]

Sure I’m going to heaven. My religious views aren’t the same as yours. Yours may say I’ve led an unrightious life, but my personal religious beliefs lead me to a differant conclusion, and because of that I know where I’ll be when my time is over.

You don’t suppose that your view of Christianity, of religion is the only precieved as being the truth, do you? There are hundreds of religions out there, each one saying it is the only correct one. Who’s to say that you picked the wrong one? Because you have that feeling? Because the Spirit told you yours was right? Why do you think other people believe their religions?

BTW, did Jesus say, “In order to reach the Kingdom of Heaven was must be a _________ (Catholic, Baptist, Etc)”? My acts and my faith will be what get me into heaven, not an allegience to a branch of Christianity concieved hundreds of years after Christ left this Earth.

[muawiyah]

The Christmas Tree is clearly nothing but a religious symbol. It celebrates the substitution sacrifice that displaced human sacrifice.

It use arose among many different groups over thousands of years.

Those who believe in resuming human sacrifice (ACLU, their running dog lackeys, certain clergy) are very opposed to Christmas Trees ~ that's not an accident.

[HungarianGypsy]

I don’t know if there are more athiests out there. But, there are definitely more that are sick of organized religion.

[grey_whiskers]

This agnostic left the faith of his youth due to rational reflection. This is the case for most conscious non-believers as well.

At least that's how they justify it to themselves.

Calling Hitchens and (say) Dawkins as given to "rational reflection" (rather than spittle-emitting loons) is stretching it. Not that they are *necessarily* representative; but they aren't particularly appealing poster boys for recruitment.

Murphy's Law of Experimental Results: First draw the experimental curve you want, then collect the data...

Full Disclosure: Yes, Dawkins and Hitchens seem to have high IQ's. But intellect may be misused as well as used -- for another example on which *all* FReepers would agree, see Bill and Hillary, or Noam Chomsky.

Cheers! Cheers!

[muawiyah]

How do you "force your beliefs on others". Look, humans will believe what they want ~ never seen this phenomenon.

I think what you want is for the cops to come and bust anyone who pops up on the public right of way with a sign with which you disagree.

So, that would be forcing your ideas on them if that's what you mean.

We can get rid of the public right of way if it offends you!

[SoldierMedic]

This is a conservative forum so you are welcome to post here but it doesn’t mean that I have to engage in debate or conversations with you.

Have I been guiding your hand and making you respond?

Welcome to FR. Perhaps you should read more. I’m done running around in circles here. Nothing will be accomplished in futhering this conversation and to expound on it would only further your goal of thread hijacking.

Thread Jacking? Hardly. Whatever, bye.

[muawiyah]

Look, go get yourself in a coma and see if anyone really cares.

Test the hypothesis ~ get back to us later with some evidence.

[weegee]

For anyone interested in searching Free Republic for old thread/posts/comments...

You will find many (but not all) threads searchable in the cache at google. It can take a couple days for recent posts to make it into the search returns. Happy hunting.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=site:www.freerepublic.com+massachusetts+fisting&spell=1

[muawiyah]

Reformed?

Lotsaluck.

[SoldierMedic]

blue law n.

1 A law designed to regulate commercial business on Sunday.

2 One of a body of laws in colonial New England designed to enforce certain moral standards and particularly to prohibit specified forms of entertainment or recreation on Sundays.

Blue Laws = Morality Laws

[only1percent]

The mass media doesn’t make people atheists. Indeed, atheism is never going to be more than a fringe point of view.

The vastly larger transformation, one well under way in the U.S. and close to completion in western Europe, is towards irreligiousness. An atheist still cares about religion, and in that sense validates religion, while the irreligious have no opinion and no interest. It’s at least as unlikely for the children of an irreligious couple to take on religion as it is for the child of two tone-deaf people to become piano prodigies — damn unlikely, in other words.

[SoldierMedic]

How do you "force your beliefs on others".

Legislation. Nothing says "I don't want you to do what I don't approve of" like working to get a law passed against it. Look at Prohibition in our country, or the many dry laws.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States

[muawiyah]

Who's belligerant? Certainly not me. Atheists are the ones who leave us with no way to value the validity of their pledges, promises or other claims to adhere to the law.

If someone "pledges" within the framework of a known, well-practiced, worked-out religious standard, we have a way of judging them.

BTW, the Yakuza request knuckle pledges from their subordinates for much the same reason. I thought it might well be applicable here.

So, absent religious belief I'll accept a pound of flesh as a surity.

Makes me quite liberal when you get down to it.